The Purbeck Gazette - Issue 240

November January 2020 2019 Issue no. 238 240

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

Purbeck Challenge!

23 - 37 Pg 12 HelpChristmas Save Rex The Brave. Pg

Our Flag Is Now Official! Pg 16

Banish Those Winter Blues! Pg 24 - 35

Otter Deaths On The Increase. Pg 37

Nico, Kay, David, Gerry, David, John, Reggie & Kim wish you all a happy, healthy and prospeous New Year!

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Editor’s note...

W

elcome to 2020! I can’t believe we’re here, in the far-flung future, already. Surely we should have hovercraft whizzing us to work daily and be running all machinery on water and air, or some such clean alternative? So ‘Tomorrow’s World’ would have had us believe all those years ago, anyway!

So, welcome to January! Christmas was hopefully an enjoyable time for all of our readers - whatever your beliefs or traditions, we hope that you at least had a couple of days off to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Purbeck or to have a bit of a rest and enjoy some of that Christmas television!

To those of you who caught up with relatives, we do hope there are no broken bones and that any fierce arguments held over the festive dinner table have now been resolved - did Uncle Ben try and knock out Uncle Peter again after a few drinks and a small disagreement? Did Aunt Geradine fart continuously throughout Christmas dinner and deny it?! Families, eh?! If you’re without a family of your own to fall out with over Christmas, don’t feel too bad! It’s possibly better to have some quiet time on your own, doing whatever you want to, when you consider what some families have to endure over the festive period!!

January brings the winter blues to many of us, so our feature this month has a load of advertising from local businesses to give you some suggestions of places to go or things to be getting on with whilst it’s still cold and dreary outside. Please do support our advertisers with your custom - they print the Gazette for you, so are certainly very deserving of your sought-after custom!!

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 February 2020 edition has a deadline of 9th January, and will be distributed from 27th - 31st January 2020.

The March 2020 edition has a deadline of 7th February and will be distributed from 24th February - 28th February 2020.

Public Notices & Information Swanage Town Council Meetings - January 2020 Planning & Transport Policy, Finance & Performance Man. Council (at The Swanage School) Council (at the Town Hall)

Mon 6th Fri 10th Mon 20th Mon 27th

6.30pm 9.30am 7pm 7pm

Wareham Town Council Meetings - January 2020 Planning & Transport Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Human Resources (closed) Council Amenities Planning & Transport

Mon 6th Thur 9th Tue 14th Tue 21st Wed 22nd Mon 27th

6.30pm 7pm 10.30am 7pm 7pm 6.30pm

Dorset Council For details of council meetings, councillors and decisions please use the web address: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/committees Alternatively, if you use the old 'Dorsetforyou' address: www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/committees - you will be redirected to the same link called 'committee meetings and papers'.

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. Purbeck Designs (some 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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It’s official ! The Isle of Purbeck flag has been officially recognised and is now our official, regional flag!

CONTACT US ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MATTERS COMMUNITY MATTERS COUNCIL MEETINGS DIARY SPOTLIGHT FEATURES Blast From The Past Dementia In Dorset To Soar FEATURE: Banish Those Winter Blues!

Gazette Gardening Gifted A Gadget? Learn How It Works!

Isle Of Purbeck Flag Official!

John Garner writes - Please Prove Me Wrong Purbeck Palliative Care Swanage Road Safety Improvements Telling It Like It Is - David Hollister writes Unknown Warrior Remembered FOOD - Godlingston Manor Kitchen Gardens HEALTH & BEAUTY LETTERS MOTORING - David Hollister writes NATURAL MATTERS SPORT TRADE ADVERTS sponsored by Travis Perkins

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Editorial Enquiries: Editor, Nico Johnson 01929 424239

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DEADLINE FOR 12 NOON, 9th10th JANUARY DEADLINE FORFEBRUARY JULY IS ISNOON, FRI JUNE

The Purbeck Gazette

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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.

FEBRUARY edition deadline: noon, 9th JANUARY

Kindness Is A Virtue Dear Gazette, Reflecting upon my problem at the shop in early November. I am continuing to be at the shop on a request basis. Loving the work as I do my decision has been to continue until another takes over. J. G. Waterman seems to have had the business in earlier days and I have been there for nearly fifty years, a possible record?

I thank everyone for their kindness to me and kindness is a virtue which Swanage has aplenty. Have a really good 2020.

Brian Barker, Georgian Gems

Plenty Of Time?!

Dear Readers, Last November I went to Heathrow Airport by train and bus to see if I could get to terminal 2 in time for the 16:30 Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. In practice I allow an extra hour for disruptions and my trip was no exception.

Remarkably the 08:25 no 50 bus arrived at Bournemouth station on time at 09:32, leaving me ten minutes to buy a ticket and catch the 09:45 cross country train to Reading and that was where the problems began. Buying a ticket to Hayes and Harlington via Reading at a machine was beyond my capabilities, so I went to the ticket office.

In front of me was a lady who had rushed ahead of me from the bus and in front of her was another lady who was having a long conversation with the ticket clerk as she had just bought a ticket and her train had been cancelled. I looked at the destination board and realised that it was also my train. When I bought my ticket, the booking clerk gave me a letter to send to Cross Country Trains which had to be filled in black ink with my tickets attached. Armed with my ticket, I adjourned to the buffet with all the other passengers for the 09:45 train, including the lady on the no 50 bus, so there was standing room only there.

When the next train arrived at 10:45 it was a four-coach train and with the additional passengers for the 09:45, train it was completely full.

This train arrived at Reading in time and I crossed to platform 14B to catch the 12:18 Great Western Railway train to Hayes and Harlington. This was a new twelve coach electric train with plenty of space. Leaving the station, I caught the 140 bus to Heathrow Airport. Arriving at the airport I walked along a long travelator and then up a lift to terminal 2 departures at 13:37: just past the three-hour deadline to check in for the flight.

Yours sincerely, Robin Brasher, by email.

Check And Double Check!

Dear Editor, Before I hit the ‘send’ option in submitting emails, I read what I have written as carefully as I can to ensure that I am not knowingly transmitting misleading or biased information. As such, my letter ‘Part of normal cycle’ (Your Letters - November 2019) cannot, in any way, be construed as suggesting ‘that current global warming has been caused mainly by natural factors’ as David Leadbetter erroneously asserts in his letter ‘Man’s destructive activities’ (Your Letters - December 2019).

If Mr Leadbetter were to take the time to read my letter again more

Beer, Ale & Cider Specialists Food served 12 noon - 3pm, 6pm - 9pm High Street, Swanage. 01929 423533 carefully, he will note that I stated: ‘ It is undeniable that man-made CO2 emissions are a contributory factor’.

Much needs to be, and can be, done to reduce unnatural emissions but the point I was making was that nothing can be done to stop nature taking its historical course, as exemplified by King Canute in a selfless act to show his people that he was not in control of nature, as his supporters had wrongly asserted. So please take note Mr Leadbetter, of historical facts before hitting the ‘send’ option in future.

Happy New Year to Gazette staff and all your readers.

Richard Ingall, Shore Road, Swanage, by email

Tea, Anyone?

Dear All I think Dorset Council should be commended for their frugal spending. As we all know, tradesmen, office staff, barristers and other normal humans perform with greater perfection if fuelled regularly with tea and biscuits.

The small amount of money spent on these items is more than returned to us with the excellent service from Dorset Council. The proof of the pudding is in the eating (and tea).

Yours sincerely, Jim Cochrane, Swanage, by email.

Countryside Code Dear Editor, I have a permanent gripe. It seems that visitors and newly arrived people to the area seem to have no idea that there are rules in the countryside, such as closing gates, dogs running free, etc. There is a publication that generations have been following, called: The Countryside Code, which gives all the rules to follow. I feel the ‘right to roam’ legislation has exacerbated the situation.

Yours faithfully S.M. Wright, Studland.

Poppy Thanks To All!

Dear Gazette, I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported my Annual Poppy Fair. I would not be able to do this without the support of Janet Dyke and the fabulous Janet and the wonderful Poppy Ladies, also Elmo and the Legion staff. Thank you to all the Artisans and traders who kindly donated lovely prizes, Ocean Blue, Karen Richards, Purbeck Holistic Therapy and Innovations to name but a few businesses.

Thank you to my lovely Poppy raffle queens, Mum and Margaret Pratt.

Thanks to Anne Rothery who provided a charming pop-up Poppy Cafe with delicious delights helped by Julia Gadenne, Faith Perkins and Linda Dodds. Wonderful cakes by Eric and Pauline Woods! The day raised £930 on what was the worst weather ever! Thanks to Janet, the Legion, Innovations and Serendipity for selling my poppies. My total sum for the fair and sales was £1085.10. I couldn’t do it without all my friends and my lovely family, including Steve and his quiches.

Thanks Janet for putting up with my madness!

Kind regards, Carolyn Hooper, by email.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Wishing all of our customers a very happy new year!

Join The Sustainables!!

Dear Readers, Are you concerned about climate change? Would you like to know how to reduce your waste or improve habitats for wildlife?

Some readers may have heard of Sustainable Swanage already. We would like to take this opportunity to let you know what we are about and what we are trying to achieve.

The Sustainable Swanage Steering group was set up in June 2019, partly as a requirement under the Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Town application. However, the group was keen that we should not just focus on the issue of single use plastic but also provide a vehicle to a more sustainable Swanage.

We are a group of individuals and organisations, linking up, supporting and promoting the people and organisations working on environmental issues in Swanage. With increased interest and concern over issues such as plastic pollution, climate change and threatened species, more people are looking for information and opportunities and thinking about what they can do to limit their impact on the environment.

We can provide a means of communicating information to anyone who wants to find out about and share what is happening locally.

We have also come together in this group to encourage and support people in making the necessary changes to lifestyles to safeguard our future. We are working together to try and make it easier and more convenient to do so by improving opportunities locally.

We hold regular open meetings and the wider group is open to all who would like to get involved. We are setting up sub groups to work on different project areas such as ‘Greening Swanage’, ‘Communications’ and ‘Renewable Energy’ and are looking for more volunteers who may have time to take an active role. The next meeting is on 29th January 2020 (venue T.B.C.).

You can catch up with what we have been doing and discussing on our webpage or Facebook page, where you can also find our contact details. www.litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk/sustainable-swanage Many thanks, The Sustainable Swanage steering group team, by email.

PURBECK GOOD NEIGHBOURS Purbeck Good Neighbours is a volunteer group who can help older people over 50 with small or difficult one-off tasks in their home.

We are here to help you! why call us!

For Example Read a letter, Reach a high cupboard, Change a light bulb, Move some furniture, Take some rubbish away, Change some batteries

Helpline - 01929 424 363 All we ask of you is you give the volunteer a minimum donation of £2 to cover expenses

Young To Old Say Thank You Dear Editor, We are delighted that Swanage Town & Herston Football Club has been chosen to benefit from the Co-Op Local Community Fund.

At a time when funds for community groups and charitable organisations are becoming more difficult to access, we’re incredibly grateful for this opportunity to make a real difference in Swanage.

We enable everyone from the very young (five to eight years old) to the more mature (eighty-five years old) to participate in sport to improve their wellbeing and fitness.

We achieve this with teams from mini kickers through each age group up to walking football, which is available to both men and women. The intention is to grow these teams and include disabled football over the next five years.

We are very much community-based, with our members and management committee based locally. The management of the football club is made up entirely of volunteers who are committed to providing fitness facilities for the local community.

To help us raise vital funds, we’ll be relying on Co-Op members. When a member buys selected products or services from the Co-Op they earn a 5% reward for themselves, with a further 1% for local causes like ours.

The Co-op is looking to support organisations that make a difference in their local communities by protecting & improving community spaces, helping people reach their full potential by developing their skills, or promoting health and wellbeing.

Co-op members can choose a cause by going online: www.coop.co.uk/ membership. We really hope that people will visit the website and choose to support us.

If you’re not a member and would like to support us, you can join at your local store or online at: www.coop.co.uk.

When a community comes together, we’re able to achieve great things, so we hope you can help promote our project. For more information about us, please visit www.swanagefc.com.

Yours sincerely, Ali Newell, Secretary, Swanage Town and Herston FC.

The Purbeck Gazette

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TELLING IT LIKE IT IS...

Matters Of Funding...

by David Hollister

S

o, how much have the council spent on the new pavement-cycleway between the Purbeck School roundabout and the roundabout adjacent to Wareham Station? Widening a pavement already adequate for pedestrians in order for it to become a cycleway - when it is clear to most motorists that most cyclists ignore or refuse to use them.

There have been notices on the verge near the road bridge over the railway in Wareham now for many many months: “Beware Pedestrians In Road”.

As most readers know, Dorset Council has been obliged to provide contract staff to supervise the pedestrian rail crossing from six in the morning until last thing at night, seven days a week, at considerable cost to us, the council-tax payers. This is to ensure that nobody tries to cross when a train is coming; stimulated probably by that ghastly video published several years ago showing the woman in the pink top pushing her pram across in the path of an oncoming train.

The BBC website suggests that this level crossing has been branded “one of the most dangerous in the country”, and is due to be shut as part of a national programme of closures over safety concerns. In January, it alleges that the crossing was closed at short notice after a rail worker was suspended following “a number of near misses”.

Revised plans to replace the stepped footbridge with a ramp were refused by councillors in June last year. Because the ramp proposed was not only impractical for anyone pushing a pram or wheelchair or using a mobility scooter, but it was also a ghastly visual imposition in what is supposed to be an area of outstanding natural beauty.

There appears to be no reason at all why automatic gates cannot be installed, as they seem to work well in Wool and in Poole. Could it be that Network Rail are simply stamping their little feet because the local council dared to say “No” to them? The closures when the crossing is unmanned directly affect people getting home from work, as well as shift workers getting to work and for residents of North Wareham to go to events happening in the town itself. Wareham is effectively cut in half.

I received a heart-rending message a couple of weeks ago from a friend whose seven-year old grandson has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair.

She says: “Well, today, as he has done many times before, he, along with parents Sam and Stef, had to go to Great Ormond Street Hospital, so they travelled by train.”

On returning to Wareham at 6.30pm they found the pedestrian crossing closed so they had to carry their son, in his wheelchair, over the bridge.

The alternative was to walk over the flyover in the dark. He was already crying with tiredness but that just took him over the edge and he was distraught all the way home to Carey.

This story made Radio Solent and ended up on BBC TV’s South Today.

It was circulated far and wide to councils and councillors and the family received profuse apologies from all sorts of officials who assure them that the crossing will now be fully manned at all times when trains are running.

Apologies yes, but this really isn’t good enough. Let’s hear from Dorset Council exactly what steps they are taking to push Network Rail into automating the crossing. Let’s ask them why they put cynical notices “beware of pedestrians” by the flyover yet fail to provide a proper footway for said pedestrians, fail to cut back the brambles and the verges thus making it totally impossible for pedestrians, let alone wheelchairs and prams, to use with any degree of safety.

Hopefully, now the elections are over, the people of Wareham will get their long-promised meeting with the Minister of Transport to show him

FEBRUARY 2020 EDITION DEADLINE

NOON, THUR 9th JANUARY

or her exactly what the problem is. So that he can explain to our faces why it’s all a matter of ‘insufficient funding’ which is the excuse trotted out each time something needs doing that’s not actually in London itself.

Now let’s look again at the huge cost of the new pavement/cycleway mentioned in my first paragraph and ask the council whether in fact this was as important as providing means for the two sides of Wareham to have a practical and safe link rather than the ‘cycleway’. I think not.

I would welcome correspondence from county councillors offering a contrary opinion.

There is a piece of land in Harmans Cross between the old poultry farm and the crest of the hill at Foleys. The pedestrian pavement on the southern side runs out, and pedestrians are obliged to cross the road, in the dark, and on the blind side of a hill, to rejoin the pavement on the other side.

In winter, the pavement on the other side becomes a pool of water so deep that pedestrians are obliged either to walk around it in the face of oncoming traffic, or to walk through it and have water over their ankles.

It has been suggested to me by a Parish Councillor that the cost of putting a proper pavement down on the south side of the road, to enable pedestrians to safely negotiate the village without crossing over, is in the region of £300,000 and is at present, “out of budget”. Which seems odd to me in the light of the costs of the new Wareham cycleway.

How long, I wonder, before we are reporting that someone has been killed in Harmans Cross because there was no pavement for them to walk on?

And then we receive letters of apology or condolence from all sorts of people in authority but still nothing gets done because of ‘funding’?

Following a number of complaints about anti-social behaviour and drug use in King George’s playing field in Swanage, the police have recently increased the number of ‘pro-active’ patrols. A number of stop searches have been carried out and drugs seized, so the policy seems to be working.

I wonder how long before the police authorities take in the fact that a greater active police presence throughout the whole of Purbeck would result in less anti-social behaviour and drug dealing.

Sadly, we still haven’t heard that the police have caught those responsible for the daring daylight armed raid on the little ‘Georgian Gems’ jewellery shop in Swanage. I see that when what appeared to be a daylight raid took place in Wool recently, members of the public got stuck in until they were told that it was a film shoot!

Once again, Frank Roberts and the Swanage Army Link and Litter-Free Purbeck are combining in an attempt to clear all the litter from the A351 from Swanage right through to Sandford, at “silly o’clock” (to reduce risk to litter collectors from traffic) along the open stretches of road.

This will be the fifteenth ‘Dawn Patrol’ litter pick between Coombe Corner and Stoborough Roundabout.

Thank you to the team and to everyone who supports them, and to those who SLOW DOWN and give them space whilst overtaking, and especially to those of you who now take your litter home!

The Purbeck Gazette

Change In Senior Leadership At Dorset Council

S

arah Parker, Executive Director for People and Children, has resigned from her role in order to carry out other work outside of Dorset.

Sarah will leave Dorset Council at the end of December.

Sarah joined Dorset County Council at the end of January this year and became the new council’s first Executive Director for People and Children.

Sarah said: “It’s been a privilege to work with the fantastic children, young people and families of Dorset. I wish them and colleagues at Dorset Council all the very best for the future.”

Matt Prosser, Chief Executive of Dorset Council, said: “Sarah has made a huge impact on the new Dorset Council. She has brought an incredible amount of passion and energy, and is dedicated to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people. Although she’s leaving Dorset, we are committed to delivering her legacy and putting children at the centre of our decision making. This remains a priority for Dorset Council.”

In the short-term, Children’s Services will be led by Theresa Leavy, who will fill the statutory role of Director of Children’s Services. Theresa is an experienced leader of Children’s Services and led transformation programmes for several local authorities, including Cambridgeshire and Wiltshire. Theresa is already supporting the council with its own children’s services transformation programme, known as Blueprint for Change.

Theresa has also worked for Ofsted, which inspects children’s services and schools across the country.

Matt added: “Theresa Leavy has a great track record in leading children’s services during times of change, including in Wiltshire - which has gone through the process of becoming a unitary council. She has a played a key role in our Blueprint for Change programme and I’m grateful that she’s able to take on this leadership role while we agree the best way forward.”

Sarah added: “We’ve worked really hard to create an ambitious vision for Children’s Services and I have complete faith in Theresa taking this forward. I’ll know she’ll lead this work with great passion and make sure the needs of children are put first.”

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The Purbeck Gazette

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T

he start of a new year is an exciting time with new challenges and the promise of things to come. For the team at the NCI lookout at Peveril Point, 2020 is a special year as it sees our 25th anniversary. We were the second NCI station to open.

We’re beginning the new year with our popular “tea and cakes” on New Year’s Day, starting at around 10.30am.

Come and get a breath of fresh air after your New Year’s Eve party and help us begin to celebrate our silver anniversary. Our catering team are becoming renowned for the cakes and all donations go to help maintain the service we provide.

Although the NCI Lookout has only been in operation for twenty-five years, we can trace our history back to the late 1700s, when there was a coastguard station established at the Point. It was due to the brave action of the coastguards stationed there that Swanage got its first lifeboat.

In January 1875, the brigantine ‘Wild Wave’ was making its way from Sunderland to Poole, with a cargo of coal. In the early hours of the 23rd January, Captain Bartlett, the vessel’s master, knew that they were nearing their destination.

However, with gale force winds, a heavy sea running and visibility deteriorating, the vessel was carried too far west. A momentary break in the weather showed the Captain his mistake and he turned to make his way into what he believed to be Studland Bay. Trying to maintain sight of land he kept the vessel close inshore. This sealed its fate and, just before dawn, the ship struck the jagged reef that

T

Happy to help and advise

stretches out from Peveril Point. In the maelstrom that is Peveril Race, the Wild Wave was soon dragged over onto her beam ends. Realising that his vessel was doomed, Captain Bartlett ordered the crew into the rigging where he hoped they would survive till daybreak. Luckily for them, their plight was seen by one of the coastguards, on duty in the lookout. After several attempts to fire a rocket line to the vessel failed, Chief Officer John Lose, the station commander, ordered the launching of two of the station’s open rowing boats. He also sent word to Poole requesting that they launch their lifeboat.

Fortuitously, the wind shifted to the west and dropped several points. This enabled the coastguard to attach a line to the Wild Wave and rescue all the crew. As they made their way back to the slipway, the Poole lifeboat was seen rounding Old Harry Rocks, being towed by one of the harbour’s steam tugs. The Coastguard signalled “All hands saved”, and the Poole boat turned around and headed back to her moorings, For his actions Chief Officer Lose was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal and the crew were given £30, raised by public donation. Surprisingly, the rescue was observed by several local people who were alerted to the rescue by the sound of the rescue rockets.

One of these was the distinguished Swanage resident, John Robinson, who had been the first curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum and was later to become the Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures. Shortly after the rescue he wrote to the Times: “It will scarcely be believed that along all the line of the coast of Dorset and Hants, from Portland to Hurst Castle, there is not a single lighthouse nor a single harbour of refuge! Swanage has hitherto had no lifeboat, but after this morning’s work we shall supply that want.” By the end of the year, the first Swanage lifeboat, the Charlotte Mary, was on station.

We are proud to carry on this tradition of keeping watch at Peveril Point and will be holding several events during the year to celebrate our silver anniversary, beginning with “tea and cakes” on 1st January. We’ll keep you informed of our celebrations and look forward to sharing them with you. If you’re sailing past the Lookout you can always call us on our dedicated channel, Channel 65, and wish us luck!

This is Swanage NCI listening on channel 65, out.

Dementia In Dorset Set To Soar In Next Decade

he number of people with dementia in Dorset is set to soar by 40% in the next decade (from 7,802 people in 2019 to 10,981 in 2030), warns a report published today, commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science. The report predicts that as our population ages, a higher proportion of people with dementia will have higher care needs for longer, driving up the average amount spent on care.

It shows more than 60% a year of social care costs in England will fall on people with dementia and their families. Previous research by the Alzheimer’s Society has shown that someone with dementia will typically have to spend £100,000 on their care. Many are forced to sell their homes to pay for it. With the number of people living with dementia set to almost double by 2030, the Alzheimer’s Society’s call ahead of the general election, from its Fix Dementia Care campaign, is for all political parties to commit to radically reform dementia care. It should be funded like other public services, such as the NHS and education, where the cost is shared across society, protecting individuals and their families from the devastating costs of specialist dementia care.

The Alzheimer’s Society released the figures when it launched its election manifesto, ‘Demanding action on dementia’. Marion Child - Alzheimer’s Society South West Head of Region said: “Dementia is heart-breaking for families. It’s not right that those going through it have to battle to get the care they need on top of battling the disease. “From the working mum struggling to find hundreds of pounds every week to ‘top up’ her mum’s council-funded care home place, to the woman who had to sell her home of fifty years to pay for her husband’s care – families affected by dementia

are already at breaking point. With costs set to treble in the next two decades, how on earth will they cope? “The cost of dementia care is too much for an individual to bear. It should be spread between us – just like schools, the NHS and other public services. Every party must go into this election with a solid plan to radically reform dementia care. Families in crisis need action, and they need it now.”

Philip Scott’s mum Sylvia, 90, is in the late stages of dementia, and her house was sold to help pay for her care. Philip, 59, said: “Mum wouldn’t survive more than 48 hours without nursing care. Why has she had to spend £160,000 to make sure that doesn’t happen? The whole process of having to argue again and again why my mum needed support was really harrowing. It took three attempts before we managed to get Continuing Health Care funding for her, and even now we are afraid that the funding will be taken away. People with dementia have been side-lined and treated very differently to those with other diseases.”

The Alzheimer’s Society has called for three commitments from the next government: Radically reform dementia care to address the specific needs of people with dementia, ending the daily injustice they, and their families, face in accessing the good quality care to which they are entitled.

Ensure that people with dementia can participate in their communities on the same basis as everyone else. Close the research funding gap between dementia and other disease areas to ensure new treatments and life changing care interventions are available to everyone living with dementia, as soon as possible. The Alzheimer’s Society is calling on people to back their Fix Dementia Care campaign by signing up at alzheimers. org.uk/fixcampaign.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Bells Of St Mary’s, Lytchett Matravers, Ring Out Again!

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t Mary’s Church Lytchett Matravers has been without its bells for the last three and a half months. They were taken to John Taylor & Co Bell Foundry in Loughborough to be restored and have new fittings made. During this time twenty-four willing volunteers cleaned, painted, restored and made refreshments so that the Bell Tower and frame were completely prepared for the bells to be rehung. During this time we found four cracks in the frame which were quickly dealt with by Taylor’s so we could keep to the time-frame to have our bells ringing for Christmas.

All was prepared and early on a chilly November morning the bells were returned. Before they were taken off the transport, Stephen, our vicar gave a short service to ‘Welcome the bells’. It was just PERFECT including the reference to ‘Save Me O God’ which is inscribed on our fifth bell. We welcomed over 30 visitors to see the bells before they were hoisted up into the belfry.

Gordon Paterson, our Steeple Keeper, positioned the last clapper to be put in and Tower Captain Debbie Phipps attached the bolt at ten past twelve on November 15th! All bells were now hanging ready for all the fittings to be put in during the next couple of weeks. Ropes were attached and other fittings in the next few days followed by another

big clean up. Hard hats were then put away ready for a final test ring.

Our new headstocks are made of metal so we had six elm headstocks to recycle. We are thrilled and grateful to Hayden Crumpler who has used one of them to create a very professional new spider (item to hold the bell ropes) and also other turned items to be sold.

We were grateful to have an experienced band of ringers to do a test ring and were thrilled with the way the bells now ring and sound; they are now said to be one of the best peals of six bells in the East Dorset Branch of the Salisbury Diocesan Guild and we believe the outcome is all that we had planned for.

We had our first practice on Friday 29th November 2019, followed by our first ring for the morning service on the first day of Advent and then for our Christingle service in the afternoon. We will be holding a service of Re-dedication for the bells on January 26th 2020 at 4pm to which all are welcome.

We would like to thank John Taylor & Co for implementing this project, and in particular Andrew Ogden (“Oggy”), their bell-hanger, who was able to head off back to Loughborough knowing he had done a great job - we are hugely grateful to his expertise for carrying out the work with such professionalism and for supervising some of our own ringers to assist with the work (a once-in-a-lifetime experience thoroughly enjoyed by all). We would also like to thank the support team who were always on hand to provide refreshments and lunches and taking on the other admin jobs necessary for a successful project. All in all a great team effort by ringers and non-ringers alike and an experience that brought a lot of people together.

Our bells have been restored to ring out for at least the next hundred years with thanks to all our grant bodies, donators and fundraisers for making this project happen. The grants were awarded by: Talbot Village Trust; Llewellyn Edwards Bell Restoration Fund (Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers); Dorset Historic Churches; Allchurches Trust; Sharpe Trust; The Elmgrant Trust; Dorset County Association; Church Buildings Council; Erskine Muton Trust; Hobson Charity; Barron Bell Trust.

Photo: Viv Endecott, Ann Manning, Debbie Phipps, Helen Gorman, John Marsh, Nina Sen, Mike Kimber, Emma Rushbrooke, Gordon Paterson.

The Purbeck Gazette

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

Call 07836 369969 Out Of The Blue

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appy New Year and welcome to January! Holidays are over and it’s back to work. Not that we ever stopped! As you can imagine, the run-up to the holidays was busy.

So what have we been up to? Well, over the period between 07 November - 04 December 2019, we dealt with a total of 518 occurrences in Purbeck, of which 168 were recorded crimes resulting in 63 arrests. On a less positive note, there were 95 occurrences of Road Traffic collisions. You can get all the latest information on road conditions on England’s motorways and trunk roads: • Visit the Highways Agency website: www.highways.gov.uk/traffic

• Call the Highways Agency Information Line (HAIL): 0300 123 5000* • Download the Highways Agency iPhone app or access the mobile website: www.highways.gov.uk/ mobile • For information on weather conditions, consult the Met Office at: www.metoffice.gov.uk or listen to local radio broadcasts • For further information on driving in bad weather, see The Highway Code: www.direct.gov.uk/motoring Purbeck Neighbourhood Policing Team

The Gazette Round-Up Of Police News We Found Online...

Dorchester Rape etectives investigating a rape in Dorchester are renewing their appeal for anyone with information to come forward – with CCTV of the suspect being released and an appeal for local homeowners to check any footage. Dorset Police received a report at 9.57pm on Thursday 5th December 2019 that a 15-year-old girl had been raped in the field at St Osmund’s School on Barnes Way. The incident occurred shortly after 9.22pm.

The offender has been described as aged in his mid-20s to early 30s and was wearing a light grey Puffa-style jacket with the hood up, light coloured trousers and leather gloves. Residents in the area are urged to check their home CCTV between 6pm and 10.30pm on Thursday 5 December 2019, as well as relevant dashcam footage.

Weymouth Fatal RTC Officers investigating a fatal road traffic collision near Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 5.38pm on Sunday 8th December 2019 of a collision on the B3157 Coast Road on Bramdon Lane between Chickerell and Portesham involving a black Triumph motorcycle and a green Daihatsu 4x4.

Emergency services attended and the motorcyclist, a man aged in his 20s from Stroud in Gloucestershire, was treated for serious injuries. Very sadly he was pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed and is being supported by specially-trained officers. The two occupants of the Daihatsu were taken to hospital for treatment to minor injuries.

Road closures were put in place to allow the emergency services to respond to the incident and for an examination of the scene to be carried out.

Sergeant Mark Scammell, of the traffic unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the motorcyclist at this time and we are carrying out a full investigation to establish the exact circumstances of this collision.

“I am appealing to any witnesses who have not already spoken to police to contact us. I would also urge anyone who was driving in the area at the time with dashcam to check their footage to see if they may have captured the collision or the manner of driving of the vehicles involved prior to it.”

County Lines Dealer Jailed A county lines drug dealer who was stopped by police on several occasions

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has been jailed. Abdul-Azhiz Kamara, aged 26 and of Camberwell New Road, London, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 6 December 2019 after admitting two offences of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and six counts of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

He was also sentenced for breaching a suspended sentence order and given a total jail term of five years and two months.

Aggravated theft of vehicle in Wareham Officers investigating an aggravated theft of a vehicle in Wareham are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. At about 4.30pm on Friday 6 December 2019, the victim, who is a parcel delivery driver, parked his car on Church Street and locked it before walking to a nearby property.

When he returned, he realised that he had dropped his keys. The engine of his vehicle was running and there was a man in the driver’s seat.

The victim attempted to stop the vehicle by leaning across the bonnet, but the offender drove off with him on the car. The vehicle stopped abruptly on St John’s Hill and the victim fell off and was dragged along the floor.

He sustained grazes to his body and an injury to his hand.

The offender was described as white, aged in his early to mid-twenties with a very thin, gaunt face and long nose. He was wearing a beanie hat with a grey jumper.

Following a search of the area, the vehicle was located in Stoborough. A quantity of parcels and a wallet were stolen.

Police Constable Clare Gillard, of Purbeck police, said: “I would urge anyone who witnessed this incident, and has not yet spoken to police, to please come forward.

“I am appealing to any motorists with a dashcam who were travelling in the area at the time to check their footage for anything relevant. I am also keen to hear from anyone who has any information about who was responsible to assist my investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police. uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55190192162.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via www. crimestoppers-uk.org

The Purbeck Gazette

Further Defibs For Purbeck!

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andford St Martin Parish Council and the Swanage Community Defibrillator partnership have provided a community defibrillator for the residents of Sandford. Sandford St Martin Parish council raised the funds to buy the defibrillator and Swanage Community Defibrillator Partnership (S.C.D.P.) have been able to supply, fit and provide support to ensure that this facility is available in the Sandford community. The defibrillator is situated on the wall at Pine Martin Grange in Sandford.

A second defib has also now been situated at The Lookout Stores (Lookout Caravan Park) in Stoborough, which was funded by the Stoborough W.I. (this being the second defib they’ve raised the funds for).

S.C.D.P. was set up with the original aim to provide four defibrillators.

Now there are a total of thirty-five defibs available in the local Purbeck area, which have so far been deployed to over sixty incidents.

Picture above shows: Miss Jan Sayers (Sandford Parish Council) and Maggie Hardy (Swanage Community Defibrillator Partnership), the picture below shows the new defib situated at the Lookout.

FEBRUARY 2020 EDITION DEADLINE

NOON, THUR 9th JANUARY

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The Purbeck Gazette

Volunteer For Purbeck Palliative Companions

Volunteers needed for end-of-life patients in the Purbeck area orset has been chosen to help lead a national drive to develop volunteering programmes in support of the NHS. Helpforce, the national organisation which works to enhance the benefits of NHS volunteers, received 115 applications from Trusts around the UK to be involved in its new Volunteering Innovators Programme.

Dorset HealthCare was one of twelve trusts selected to take part and has received funding from NHS England to enable volunteers in the Purbeck area to play a bigger part in patient end-of-life care. The volunteers will provide support to those in the community, with the aim of enabling more people to pass away at home if they wish.

Wareham Surgery GP Dr Ann Marshall said: “I am thrilled that our project has been successful in securing this funding. It means we can now develop the service so that it can quickly start making a real difference to local people at the end of their lives, and for their families.”

Dorset HealthCare is now looking for its first group of volunteers to start providing this innovative new home visiting service. After completing all the required training, volunteers will be matched to a patient and start home visiting, initially with the support of a staff member. Role specific training and ongoing support will be provided by the Trust’s Purbeck Locality Hub and Volunteer Services Teams.

To express interest in becoming a volunteer for this initiative, please contact Lynne Regan on 07824 624535 or via lynne.regan1@nhs.net

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Help Save Rex The Brave!

ex, a little four-year-old Terrier came into the Wingletang Rescue and Rehoming Centre’s care in an appalling state. The animal welfare team were so shocked that they immediately made an appointment for Rex to see their vet Chris Warren at Westmoor Veterinary Hospital in Devon.

The team feared how the injury had happened and what Rex must have gone through. The vets believed that the wounds were caused from a suspected chemical or acid burn.

The scarring is so bad on Rex’s face that he now has no eyelids and struggles to even blink. Thankfully, his sight hasn’t been affected and his eyes can be treated to stop them getting too dry.

He was named Rex, which means King because he is such a brave boy!

Rex will not understand why this has happened to him but we are so pleased that we are able to provide the love and care he so desperately needs during this critical time.

Sadly, when he was burnt it not only caused damage to his face but also to his ear, which has now led to an infection that will not recover without surgery. To help Rex, the charity need to raise £1,700 so that he can have his operation.

Rex will need to have his entire ear canal removed, which is a huge operation to undergo. His trauma doesn’t stop there, as he will also need a second procedure on the same day to treat and remove the infection.

Rex is such a loving, affectionate soul who loves nothing more than sitting on a lap and having cuddles, which he has been receiving in abundance!

He has been pampered with daily facials that moisturise his delicate skin around his face. Whilst Rex awaits his operation he has a cosy bed with lots of blankets to snuggle in so that he has a safe space to rest.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time this year that the charity have seen injuries like this and they really hope that it isn’t going to become a frequent sight, seeing animals in this much distress is heart breaking for everyone.

Margaret Green Animal Rescue would be so grateful for any donations towards Rex’s operation. To donate please visit https://www.justgiving. com/campaign/rexthebrave Jazmin House, Fundraising & Marketing Manager

The Purbeck Gazette

Gifted A Gadget?

Free Help Available!

Gifted a gadget this Christmas? Free and friendly help is available f you have been gifted a computer or gadget over Christmas and don’t know how to switch it on or make the most of it then help is at hand.

There are over 75 Digital Champions volunteering in Dorset libraries to help people with computers, tablets, phones and more. Most have gained experience from their professional careers.

Around 21% of people are not confident using the internet - that’s around 150,000 people across Dorset. And 70,000 of these have never been online.

Not everybody has access or the desire to use computers but attending a session may spark an interest. Many learners have bought a tablet or similar, because of the programme.

Carol and Allan Lander in Swanage, Dorset, were helped by Simon Parvin, Digital Champion based in Swanage. They attended as a couple at the library. Carol said: “Simon was very patient and helped me where I was having difficulty. He explained things fully. My friend recently bought a new smartphone, I told her to go and see Simon. We were both impressed with his patience. It was incredible. Before, I could get as far as putting the power plug in and now I no longer fear computers crashing in front of me.

“Allan had some knowledge of computers. He wanted to know about PayPal specifically, an online payments system. It supports online money transfers and serves as an electronic alternative to cheques.”

Digital Champion Simon said: “So much in life now depends on using computers, I am pleased to be able to help people to get going, and to solve their many and varied problems. It is a vital service and good to see people gain experience and confidence with their computing skills.”

People without a device can learn free of charge on the library facilities.

The sessions are held in a friendly environment and you go at your own pace. Some Dorset residents say they feel excluded if they are offline and that learning with a Digital Champion boosts their confidence and helps them stay safe and independent. Thanks to the Superfast Dorset team it is easy to find your nearest volunteer. Call Dorset’s Digital Champion helpline on 01305 221048 and we’ll answer any questions about the support available. All our help is free.

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Blast From The Past!

This month, A Decade Ago...

The Purbeck Gazette

ack in January 2010, reader, David Leadbetter, wrote in saying, “As a denier, heretic and flat-earther in climatology’s (and New Labour’s) Book of Demonology, I would challenge anyone to produce scientific evidence (and not computer models based on assumptions) which unequivocally shows that anthropogenic gases are causing global warming.”

David went on to say: “One thing is clear: remove the scare stories, rhetoric, spin, selective use of data, manipulation of minds and name calling and the Emperor-God of the theory of man-made global warming is exposed and in desperate need of more than a fig leaf to cover-up.”

Bob McGhee, then-Post Master of Swanage Post Office, shared the good news of the successful application by the Swanage & Purbeck Rotary Club along with the Chamber of Trade, to host the Big Picnic, a regional event for National Family Week in the South West region. An exciting event to look forward to on Bank Holiday Monday at the end of May 2010.

Val Burden of Swanage Girl Guides thanked everyone for their generous help and support and reported that the Girl-Guiding Swanage District now owned the Ebenezer Chapel in Bell Street. A decade later, the Guides have a wonderfully renovated headquarters and are still going strong.

Our acclaimed, now Editor, Nico Johnson, asked if we knew where we lived? The gripe carries on to this day – and no doubt beyond - reminding us we live in the Isle of Purbeck and not the Purbecks! Nico went on to explain: “The actual Isle of Purbeck (as opposed to the Purbeck council district), to those of you not in the know, is a land mass separated from the mainland by a river; therefore, an isle.

“The isle goes from Shell Bay, up the river (including Stoborough and Ridge but NOT Wareham), out to the west, skirting and encompassing West Holme before turning south and hitting the sea near Worbarrow Bay (this is the established isle boundary since medieval times). Nico went on to say: “We don’t, after all, refer to the “Londons” or the “Wights” rather than the Isle of Wight, do we? I’m not off for lunch this weekend in “the Corfes” and my house may well be near a hill which is in Purbeck, but it isn’t in the Purbeck Hills; very few of us actually live in ‘the Purbecks’ (Corfe Castle, for instance, is definitely “in the Purbeck Hills”, but Langton Matravers? Please!).”

On a sad note, we announced the passing of Ian Surface during the night of the 7th of December 2009. Ian was a Senior Manager in the N.C.I. and the man largely responsible for building the Lookout at Peveril Point and the development of the National Coastwatch Insitution locally.

David Hollister’s motoring column told of the problems due to heavy rainfall on local roads. David said: “Violent storms leaving huge puddles on the road. We can’t control the rain, so we need to control its effects and that includes a responsibility fairly and squarely on the County Council to ensure that our roads remain safe whatever the weather.”

We have suffered again with this issue in 2019, with flooded roads and blocked gullies - showing some things don’t change with time!

Purbeck Products were encouraging us all to “Eat Purbeck Beef and Save the World!” Christopher Lees said: “Apparently, the environmentalists are worried about the methane-laden burps and farts produced by cattle worldwide. The beef produced by the farmers in Purbeck does not fall into this category. There is no Purbeck Beef produced in feed-lots, fed on grain and Brazilian soya, with its massive carbon burden. Rather, the

environment is enhanced by its production.”

If you have followed and supported our annual ‘Purbeck Christmas Challenge’ over the years and have managed to do your festive shopping, you will probably already know you can’t go wrong with local!

The Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon had been selected as one of the fifteen areas awarded a share of government funding to help meet the challenges of rising sea levels and coastal erosion posed by climate change.

Dorset County Council had joined forces with Devon County Council and a range of other partners under the banner of the ‘Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site’ and had successfully bid for a £376,500 portion of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) Coastal Change Pathfinder Fund.

The money was to be used to support a range of activities aimed at helping coastal communities along the Jurassic Coast to better understand and adapt to the impacts of coastal change.

Now back to the weather! Then-columnist, David Eyles, reported after the wettest November on record, the Met Office were predicting a 20% chance of a colder than usual winter, a 30% chance of an average winter and a 50% chance of a milder one. They were also confidently predicting record high temperatures for 2010, worldwide.

David went on to tell us about the Copenhagen Climate Conference. The delegates were arriving in massed ranks of top-of-the-range BMWs and Mercedes. Politicians and environmentalists were jetting in from all over the planet and keeping Copenhagen Airport busy.

The free buses provided to get delegates from the hotels to the conference centre were empty because the delegates thought themselves far too important to travel by bus. The conference expected calls from Draconian powers for us all to change our behaviour. The environmentalists, apparently even more hysterical in their claims of impending disaster.....

Sea levels will rise because of the volume of polar bears jumping into Arctic waters all at once. Aid will be demanded to save polar bears from drowning. And so it goes on…..

The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Placing Of Planter At Northbrook Cemetary

gathering was organised by Thelma Deacon on 18th November at Northbrook Cemetery to place a planter at the grave of the Unknown Warrior, on a crisp sunny afternoon. The body of this man was found on 17th February 1919, washed up on Swanage beach.

The planter was designed and made by William Spicer of the Veterans Forge, Knitson, with the design of two soldiers and poppies and an inscription remembering all from the Great War. Deputy Mayor-Avril Harris said a few words, followed by Frank Roberts, retired Regimental Sergeant Major. Frank reminded all present about the history of the Unknown Soldier’s grave at Westminster Abbey.

Steve Churchill, Chair of the Royal British Legion in Swanage, said the Homage and Eddie Chinchin played the Reveille and the Last Post after a minute’s silence.

All noted a red admiral butterfly on a nearby tree and white feathers on the ground.

BACK ROW: Eddie Chinchin, Pam Chinchin,Thelma Deacon, Helen Roberts, John Cordery, Avril Harris(Deputy Mayor) John Patrick and Steve Churchill, Chairman Royal British Legion, Swanage.

FRONT ROW: Will Spicer and Frank Roberts

The Isle Of Purbeck Flag is OFFICIAL!

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e have some truly fantastic community news for all in the Isle of Purbeck!

Earlier this year, Swanage Town Crier, Andrew Fleming, set about campaigning to really put Purbeck on the map - officially. Working with many local organisations, groups and with the involvement of the wonderful students of the Swanage School, a competition was launched to design an official flag for the Isle of Purbeck.

Elements of some of the Swanage School’s students’ individual designs were incorporated into one image which encompassed various graphics depicting the Isle of Purbeck. The final, winning design is pictured, above.

Along with the flag competition, Kelp! shanty singer, Pete Sedgewick wrote an anthem for our glorious isle, which has been sung by Andrew, for all to hear, live on Radio Solent, BBC South Today, Purbeck Coast FM and various other media outlets!

During the weekend of 30/31 March 2019 (one of the several ‘Brexit’ deadlines), the geographical boundary of the Isle of Purbeck was ‘beaten’ by a group of community members, led by Andrew (pictured, above right), and it was also run by Tourist Information Manager, Culvin Milmer (as an ultra-marathon!), who completed it in an impressive 11hrs 30mins.

In November, we contacted Philip Tibbetts in his role as Communities

Vexillologist for British County Flags to find out how to register the flag officially. We can now report that the flag has been accepted and is officially now designated as the internationally recognised flag for the Isle of Purbeck.

This means that the flag is now listed online on official flag registries and is the identifying flag for the Isle of Purbeck - now and for always.

Philip Tibbetts commented: “I commend you for running a good process (in the selection for the flag design process). I hope you’ll be pleased to see that I have now added the flag to our registry here: https://www. flaginstitute.org/wp/flags/isle-of-purbeck/ “I have to say I love the innovative and enthusiastic uses you have had for the flag and related symbols. Very best wishes for the future!”

Anyone can now access the flag design and fly it proudly across the Isle of Purbeck - and indeed, further afield!

A huge congratulations to Andrew Fleming and the students of the Swanage School for doing so well - a flag for Purbeck was a huge undertaking with several hoops to jump through, but this community has done it once again and by working together, we have a wonderful flag to be proud of!

The Purbeck Gazette

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Business Capital Gains Tax on Property Sales

Greetings from Redmayne Bentley By the time you read this article, the general election will be done and dusted, there may be some clarity, at long last, on Brexit and we will, hopefully, all have had a good Christmas and be looking forward to 2020 with enthusiasm.

As you will have noticed, I am now writing from a new firm: I am with Redmayne Bentley, based at their Bournemouth and Poole office in Ashley Cross.

I have had 25 years’ experience in the investment management industry in Dorset, having started my career as a university placement student in 1992 at Robson Cotterell in Bournemouth. I later joined the team as a Stockbroker and Investment Manager, after graduating from Bournemouth University with a BA Financial Services (Hons) in 1994.

Robson Cotterell was taken over by Charles Stanley in 2002 and I initially moved to their Bournemouth office, followed by a move to their Dorchester office in 2003.

I remained at Charles Stanley until shortly after the merger of the Bournemouth and Dorchester offices in October 2019. I joined Redmayne Bentley in November 2019 and I was very fortunate to be able to leave one firm on the Friday and immediately start at my new firm on the next Monday morning.

Redmayne Bentley is a long-established firm, started in 1875, and is one of the UK’s largest independent investment management and stockbroking firms, with headquarters in Leeds and Kent, and over 30 offices around the UK. The firm offers execution-only stockbroking, bespoke advisory and discretionary managed services, and also tax-efficient vehicles such as ISAs and SIPPs. Redmayne Bentley has continuously been recognised with quality service and administration awards, most recently ‘Best Stockbroker for Customer Service’ and ‘Best Self-Select ISA’ at the 2019 Investors Chronicle and Financial Times’s Investment and Wealth Management Awards. This is the second consecutive year the firm has been presented with the two titles.

I am really pleased to be joining a firm with such a strong reputation for excellent customer service and I am enjoying being a member of the team at the Bournemouth and Poole office. After spending 17 years with the same firm, it was a big leap but my new colleagues – both in my office and our head office – have been very welcoming and supportive. I look forward to many years of providing stockbroking and investment management services to clients both old and new.

I was born and live in Swanage where I enjoy spending time with my Swanage and Wool-based family and friends, especially on Swanage beach. I am actively involved in the Swanage and Wool communities through my roles as Membership Secretary for Swanage Hospital, as a member of the Purbeck Runners, and as the Brown Owl of 3rd Wool Brownies. I also attend Pam Steele’s Swanage yoga class.

Kate Spurling, Investment Manager, Redmayne Bentley 01202 714450 The Redmayne Bentley Bournemouth and Poole office is located at 139 Commercial Road, Ashley Cross, Poole, Dorset, BH14 0JD. You can follow us on Twitter: @redmaynebentley.

For our website, see: www.redmayne.co.uk. For the Bournemouth and Poole office, see: www.redmayne.co.uk/our-offices/bournemouth-poole

FEBRUARY 2020 EDITION DEADLINE

NOON, THUR 9th JANUARY

A number of significant changes to the way Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is reported and paid come into effect from April 2020. Currently, the usual due date for paying any CGT owed to HMRC on property disposals is the 31 January following the end of the tax year in which a capital gain was made. From 6 April 2020, any CGT due on the sale of a residential property by a UK resident will need to be reported and paid within 30 days of the completion of the sale transaction.

This change will apply to the sale of residential property that does not qualify for Private Residence Relief (PRR). The new rules will mainly apply if you are selling a buy-to-let property or a second / holiday home. The rules will also apply on the sale of any other residential property that does not qualify or only partially qualifies for PRR. There are further changes to the PRR rules which will see the final exempt period for CGT purposes being reduced from eighteen months to nine months from April 2020. This relief applies even if you were not living in the property when it was sold. The time period can be extended to 36 months under certain limited circumstances such as if the property owner is disabled or has to move into care.

Finally, if you let all or part of your main residence, you can usually benefit from letting relief of up to £40,000 (£80,000 for a couple). From April 2020, lettings relief will be reformed. This change means that lettings relief will only be available if you continue to live in the property whilst letting a part of your home.

If you are likely to be affected by these changes and are considering selling an affected property in the near future, it may be worth considering a sale prior to 6 April 2020.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Warnings To Dorset Folk Of Latest Phone Scams

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ith Channel 5’s new ‘Cold Call’ drama bringing home the human destruction that telephone scams can leave behind, people in Dorset are being warned of the latest phone scam to sweep

the UK. Call-blocking specialists, CPR Call Blocker, are urging people in Dorset to hang up if they receive an unexpected phone call which claims you’ve just been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription. The recipient is often then told fraudsters have hacked their account to authorise the transaction, but the payment can be cancelled if they press one. You are then connected to an ‘account manager’ who claims to be able to undo the hack if given access to your bank account.

Also, pressing one connects you to a premium rate number that you then start paying for. The warning comes as viewers of ‘Cold Call’ on Channel 5 have seen the horrific aftermath of falling victim to telephone fraud unravel for the main character, June, played by Sally Lindsay.

CPR Call Blocker Development Manager, Chelsea Davies, said: “Sally Lindsay’s character’s story in ‘Cold Call’ is hard-hitting, but sadly it does portray the reality that many people are being targeted by scammers and the sophistication of telephone scams in the UK is ever-increasing. We hope that by highlighting the latest and most common types of scams out there, people will be more savvy when it comes to saying ‘no’ to unwanted callers.”

A survey by CPR Call Blocker, which won the Queen’s Award for Export earlier this year, revealed that 15% of people in the UK lost money to scams in a 12 month period, with 4% losing more than £10,000, so the negative impact portrayed by the Channel 5 drama is real.

As well as warning people in Dorset about the latest Amazon Prime scam, CPR Call Blocker is reminding consumers of the top scams which are currently causing problems for consumers in Dorset: Bank scams - someone claiming to be from the bank informs you of a problem with your card or account and may ask for security details or to transfer money to a safe account.

Computer scams – someone claiming to be from a well-known IT or telecoms company and tells you that there is a virus on your computer and asks you for access to your computer, or asks you to pay for anti-virus

software which turns out to access your personal details.

Compensation calls – someone claiming that you are entitled to compensation, for example, a car accident you’ve had recently.

HMRC calls – someone calling from HMRC claiming that there is a problem with a tax refund or that you have an unpaid tax bill.

Number spoofing - you are tricked to think that the number that comes up on your caller display is from a legitimate business, like your bank, when in fact it is a scammer. If you are in doubt, hang up and call back from a different phone number, or leave at least 10 minutes before making the call.

Pension scams – someone calling you with a great investment opportunity or the chance to access your pension earlier than planned.

Anti-scam scams – someone calling you claiming that they are working to conquer the fraudsters and maybe selling you some anti-scam technology or demanding money on some other premise.

Chelsea Davies continued: “One of the best ways to protect yourself against telephone scams is to register on the Telephone Preference Service and purchase a call blocker device such as a CPR Call Blocker which simply plugs into any landline phone and features a ‘Block Now’ button which ends unwanted calls and permanently blocks numbers. The device is already programmed to block 10,000 of the most notorious scam phone numbers and can store an additional 2,000 nuisance numbers which can be added by the customer.

“In the meantime, if you suspect you may have compromised your bank account, contact your bank or card provider as soon as possible. It is also advisable to check your bank and card statements regularly for unauthorised charges as a matter of course. Also, if you think you have been scammed, you should report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via www.actionfraud.police.uk.”

CRP Call Blocker is the best-selling and most trusted call blocker brand worldwide and is available from Amazon or www.cprcallblocker.com.

Alternatively, call CPR Call Blocker on 0800 652 7780.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Domestic Abuse.

You are not alone If you are a victim of domestic abuse you might feel frightened and alone. You might not feel able to talk to your friends or family and may feel that you don’t know which way to turn.

At Battens solicitors we are here to help you. You are not alone, and you can talk to one of our solicitors in confidence. Depending on your individual circumstances we will advise you carefully on your options. We will help you decide what, if any, action you want to take against your abuser.

Asking for help is the first and most important step in protecting yourself and, if you have them, your children who will also be suffering.

Domestic abuse can occur in relationships in which people live in the same house or with people whom you share (or shared) an intimate relationship with. We can advise you whether the person who is abusing you is within one of the recognised categories where protection is offered under family law.

The law has recently expanded to include more behaviours that are now considered under as domestic abuse. It does not just include physical abuse; it can include emotional abuse; sexual abuse; honour-based abuse; controlling and coercive behaviour; and financial abuse amongst other more rare forms of abuse. If you feel threatened or intimidated there are steps we can help you take to protect yourself (and any children living with you).

There are a number of orders that we can assist you obtaining including: Non-Molestation order- this protects you from physical violence, the threat of violence or harassing/pestering behaviour.

Occupation Order - this can prevent the abuser from returning to the property or coming within a certain distance.

We can advise whether the application can be made on an “ex parte” basis so you would be protected by the order before the perpetrator of the abuse becomes aware you have been to Court. Breach of these orders could resort in the perpetrator being sent to jail.

We can advise you whether you would qualify for legal aid and if not, provide you with advice on our charges in order to help you protect yourself.

Don’t suffer alone in silence, book an appointment with one of our family solicitors who will help you protect yourself.

For more information contact family solicitor Tracey Parsons on 01305 216209 or tracey.parsons@battens.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2020 EDITION DEADLINE

NOON, THUR 9th JANUARY

Offices in Wareham, Dorchester, Yeovil, Sherborne, Castle Cary, Bath and London

01929 768720

The Purbeck Gazette

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From The Kitchen Garden...

Onion Soup with Cheesy Toast

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’d like to start with wishing all my readers a happy, healthy and fulfilling New Year! May the coughs and colds keep away from you....

January is a funny old time in the growing calendar - short days and low temperatures slow down much activity. Nothing much seems to be happening and yet, here in the mild south, plants stealthily creep on and without much ado the weeds have established themselves, looking a lush, strong green.... and trying to weed on wet clay soil is pointless.

So, as much as I’d like to shift my activities in front of a warm fire, there’s plenty to get on with, catching up and maybe even getting ahead! I really want to concentrate on making my day more efficient for the coming season and getting new poultry runs sorted will make my birds happy and if they’re happy, so am I! During the winter months the chickens, ducks and geese have the whole of the kitchen garden to roam wherever they please; picking, pecking, grazing, preening, dibbling, pond-dipping or snoozing.

However, come February, the ganders will become quite territorial and it would make everyone’s life easier if I get each couple their own house and patch sorted.

The ducks are already laying well and soon enough will be keen to make their nests to sit on their clutch undisturbed. The hens will also need to be contained in their own, new area, as they’d just devastate a beautiful seedbed having a little bit of a scratch and dust bath where I’ve just spent hours sowing crops.... I’m happy to let everyone do their thing but there comes a time when I need order! Of course, everything needs to be fox, badger, polecat and rat proof too!

Soon enough I’ll need to concentrate fully on the new crops but for now, small batches of indoor sowing will suffice. Now is the turn for some alliums - onions and leeks, to be precise. These seeds will quietly take their time germinating in the unheated polytunnel, happy to be transplanted as tiny seedlings into bigger trays and then eventually growing on outdoors.

I love onions in all their variations and feel they’re very much underrated as a vegetable themselves!

As a child having sniffles and coughs my mum used to give me homemade ‘cough syrup’, made out of a chopped-up onion left overnight steeped with a couple of tablespoons of honey.

The resulting liquid actually does calm that tickly cough but of course I’d rather have had the pink stuff out of the bottle! We also had lovely

By Regula Wright, Godlingston Manor Kitchen Garden

warm onion wraps - not to eat, but wrapped in an old jumper and gently laid on the chest - again, a remedy for chesty colds. As I’m sowing the new season’s crop of onions, I’m still using what grew last year and that’s exactly why I appreciate them so much - they’re so very versatile! After a day outdoors, a hot mug of tasty onion soup is hard to beat!

Onion Soup with Cheesy Toast Soup ingredients: (four portions) 1 tbl sp. Oil 50 g butter 1 kg onions (any will do, white, red, shallots or a mix - thinly sliced) Thyme & four Bay leaves 500 ml dark ale or beer 1 litre stock or water Marmite (or salt) & pepper to taste Cheesy Toast: 4 bread slices 100 g mature cheddar 1 tsp mustard 1 egg yolk A few dribbles of Worcester sauce 1 tbl sp. of that bottle of ale or beer Pepper to taste Method: - Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add the sliced onions and cook on a very low heat for 30 minutes or so, until the onions are sticky and brown but not burnt. Pour in the ale and keep cooking until reduced by half. Add Marmite (or salt) and pepper.

- Add the stock or water and bring to the boil.

- Cook for 30 minutes.

- Heat the grill on high.

- Mix together the cheese, mustard, egg, Worcester sauce, ale and pepper.

- Toast the bread on one side only, then pile the cheese mix on each untoasted side, then stick under the grill until melted and bubbly.

The Purbeck Gazette

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What Does 2020 Hold For The Followers Of Fads And Fashions?!

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ere we are on the verge of a new decade which will, no doubt bring us a range of wonderous ideas! The younger generation will be in awe of these and jump swiftly onto the band wagon to try them out! However, I feel sure there will be some of us who will stick with what we know, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Fashions coming up are reported to be for oversized clothes, boiler suits, faux leather and faux fur, along with some rather funky new headwear and handbags I’m sure my Grandma had back in the early seventies – I need to check the loft just in case!

New food ideas are always a much safer bet, they can be tried and tested in the privacy of your own home and be added to the compost heap straight away if necessary!

Vietnamese and Burmese flavours, along with more Middle Eastern flavours are set to tickle our taste buds, with bird eye chillies, coriander, lemongrass, Thai basil, ginger and lime coming to the fore in 2020.

These foods are said to be some of the healthiest - full of fresh ingredients and cooked quickly, thus retaining nutrients and flavours. Veganism is here to stay and even the staunch meat eaters amongst us are enjoying one or two vegetarian or vegan meals every week.

We also have a whole host of “new” ancient grains arriving in stores up and down the country. We are now much more familiar with quinoa, millet, spelt, buckwheat, red and black rice, but 2020 will see amaranth, sorghum, and teff added to the list, to name a few.

Alternatives for sweetness will be more readily available, including sweet syrups made from fruits, pomegranates and sweet potatoes. Children are reported to be getting more adventurous with foods and flavours, which may (hopefully!) help the demise of sugary snacks.

Here are some more foodie trends which may be worth trying: • Kefir Kits • Kombucha • Seacuterie • Flexitarianism • CBD oils, spreads and chocolate • More seed and nut butters, bio-degradable chewing gum and edible packaging.

Finally, a wider and better selection of low or no-alcohol drinks and faux spirits made from botanicals are becoming widely available, making it more enticing to go tee-total!

To date, despite growing publicity in larger towns and cities, dried insects are yet to hit local shelves, with opinion divided as to whether people are really game for switching their protein requirements to being more ‘insect-based’.

However, it’s becoming more widely accepted that these small critters are possibly one of the ‘foods of the future’, so keep an eye out in local stores over the coming months as crickets and such may well start featuring on menus in the near future!

Eat well in 2020!

FEBRUARY 2020 EDITION DEADLINE

NOON, THUR 9th JANUARY

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The Purbeck Gazette

Motoring

Traffic And More Traffic...

by David Hollister

J

ust got back from the annual trip to Derby, visiting relatives and having a few days away from my beautiful Purbeck. Shopping for those few things that I just can’t get locally.

For the first time in many years, we had to use our own car as regrettably no ‘dealer cars’ were available for us to review! Drove up what used to be the ‘pretty way’ – the A429 – but which is now a succession of traffic jams, roadworks, and where what was once a four-hour journey has become a six-hour nightmare.

It’s not just Dorset that has rotten roads and rotten management. The amounts of kerbside litter are prodigious. It’s clear that nobody cares any longer about this once-beautiful countryside as we drive away from Purbeck.

Against all experience and judgement, I took the motorways and the A34 back. Derby to the ferry in four hours. Unusually no traffic jams but it was Monday morning! I hate motorways simply as the first sign of a traffic jam brings on claustrophobia as I know I can’t turn round, or take a side-road as I can on a normal road.

Then there’s the ‘smart motorway’ nonsense where they say: ‘in case of breakdown stay with your vehicle’, conveniently omitting the bit that says: “and either you will cause a multiple pile-up or someone will tank on into the back of you”. But this is progress and a typically British cheapskate answer to an ever-increasing problem.

Have you noticed that when there is a lane closed on a dual carriageway, for road works etc, everyone immediately forms a single file about a mile back? To most people, this seems more courteous and patient — less selfish. But study upon study proves the upstanding early-mergers among us are just creating a single long, slow line of traffic that’s not only frustrating for drivers, it’s inefficient because it minimizes the amount of usable road — and it even causes accidents.

You immediately turn on your blinker and wait until somebody in the next lane lets you in. Or you just stay in your lane and wait for all the polite people to get out of your way before zooming to the front of the line and merging when the lane closes. Watch as people who merged early rage in your general direction! Indeed, Tina rages at me when I do it!

What we all should be doing is called the “zipper merge”; in this system, every car in the lane that’s ending drives all the way up to the front of the line and takes turns merging with the other lane of traffic. (From above, it looks a bit like teeth on a zipper coming together.) Because the system uses all the available road space for as long as possible, it cuts congestion by 40%. It also reduces crashes because all the traffic is moving at the same rate of speed ,rather than some cars going very fast while others poke along.

Have you seen the ‘legal and public notice’ issued by Dorset Council covering the proposed closure of Swanage’s Institute Road, and the associated traffic management measures which they are going to have to take to allow access to south Swanage?

Highway engineers are working with Swanage Town Council to improve the pedestrian experience on Institute Road. About time too; this was in

your Purbeck Gazette at least two years ago - everyone has had more than enough time to comment or explore the mooted options. The scheme aims to improve safety and enhance the street scene, which has a heavy concentration of both pedestrians and vehicles in the same narrow street.

Work, which is being funded jointly by Dorset Council and Swanage Town Council, will start in January 2020 and will take around twenty weeks for the full scheme to be completed. In June 2018, councillors and engineers held two drop-in sessions to discuss the options available with residents.

Yet some of the alternatives they have come up with just beggar belief.

So, here’s how it should really be done!

Improve safety by widening pavements along Institute Road, because people seem incapable of walking on the pavements without straying into the road.

Upgrade the pedestrian crossing on Station Road, with the road narrowed to provide a shorter crossing point. Maybe then people will use it rather than just crossing anywhere willy-nilly. How many times do you see someone just wandering across the road within five yards of the crossing?!

Now here’s where this gets both logical and controversial. Remove the disabled bays outside the Mowlem Theatre and make them delivery bays for commercial vehicles only. Then they can at least access the shops in Institute Road. Whatever they do, don’t put the loading bays on Natwest corner; that’s a recipe for disaster!

Make the whole northern side of Station Road a disabled parking area.

Remove the disabled parking up Mermond Place and put normal parking in, with meters. Common sense as trying to get a wheelchair or a disabled passenger out on the slope is really difficult and dangerous. Net result?

You don’t lose any disabled parking overall and you make it easier for disabled motorists to access their cars. Dump the ‘Police Bay’ altogether, but give police cars freedom to use the loading bays and disabled areas.

Traffic Regulation Orders for the changes of parking/loading bays have already been published, when residents will be able to have a final say during this legal process. You had until December 27th to make your views known (too late now!!), that’s if anyone in authority even gives them a glance; it always seems to me like public ‘consultation’ is just a sop to democracy when they have already made their minds up anyway.

But you do need to know that during construction, the first phase of work will upgrade the pedestrian crossing on Station Road with temporary lights in place to control traffic.

While work is carried out on Institute Road, it will be closed to traffic and some temporary measures will be needed to keep vehicles moving around the town while the work is taking place, so the flow of traffic on Kings Road East will be reversed to allow traffic into town. They will have to leave Shore Road open whilst Institute Road is closed – even if it goes on into the summer – otherwise vehicles going into Station Road will have nowhere to go!

Kerbing will be changed on High Street to let cars turn from Kings Road East into High Street. Parking on the High Street will be temporarily restricted. In short, unless you have a desperate need to go to Swanage – go to Wareham instead!

Finally. Congratulations and thanks to the lads who worked overnight on repairing the A351 at Harmans Cross and turned a rallycross track into a billiard table! Excellent work which we hope and trust will last many years.

The Purbeck Gazette

2019/19 Ford EcoSport Titanuim 1.0125Ps 1.0 litre, blue lightning, manual, petrol, air conditioning, climate control, alloys, remote central locking, cruise control, speed limiter, media nav with 7” touch screen, hill start assist, front and rear parking sensors with camera...................................................................£18,995 2019 (19) Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.0 EcoBoost 100Ps, 1.0 litre, manual, petrol, chrome blue, 5 door, city park, sync3 navigation, air conditioning , speed limiter, front electric windows, Bluetooth, hill start assist, automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, rear parking sensors...............................................................£14,995 2016 (66) Ford Fiesta Zetec manual, petrol, hatchback, shadow black, air conditioning, PAS, ABS, remote central locking, electric windows, service history, one owner, CD player, Bluetooth, hill start assist, 32k miles............£7,495 2013 (13) Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 Tdci 5 Door, Diesel, Manual, Ink Blue, hatchback, air conditioning, Alloy Wheels, Remote Central Locking, Front Electric Windows, Height Adjustable Drivers Seat, Service History, Immobiliser, CD Player, Bluetooth..............................................................................................................£5,795 2018 (18) Ford Mondeo St-Line Edition Estate 2.0 TDC10 180ps AWD 2.0 Litre.

Automatic, estate, moondust silver, diesel, Sony DAB rear view camera, active park assist, front and rear parking sensors, LED adaptive headlamps.......£18,995 2013 (13) Ford KA Zetec 28K miles, manual, petrol, air conditioning, alloy wheels, remote central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, service history, CD player, rear parking sensors...........................................................£4,295 2014 (64) Mercedes Benz CLA class 220CDI AMG Sport 7G-DCT Auto 2.1 litre.

Coupe, 4 door, automatic, diesel, black, every optional extra added, midnight package, full leather package, heated seats, multi spoke black alloys, climate control, remote central locking, cruise control, speed limiter, front and rear parking sensors with camera and self-parking, satellite navigation, 34,900 miles. ............................................................................................................................£16,995

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2016 (16) Vauxhall Corsa SE 1.4 5Dr in Met Blue, Air Cond, Alloys, Front & Rear Parking Sensors, Heated Screen/Seats, Cruise Control, Bluetooth, Apple car play, Only 20000 miles, FSH.........................£7995 2018 (67) Vauxhall Mokka X Active 5dr, in black, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, smartphone connectivity with Apple Car play, DAB radio, electric windows, electric heated and folding mirrors, climate control, 28000 miles with FSH and balance of manufacturer’s warranty…........................................................…£11,795 2018 (18) VW Golf GT Estate 2.0TDi, in met grey, 7-speed, auto, 8” touch screen, sat nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth, cruise, CD/MP3/USB and SD card reader, electric windows, electric mirrors, start/stop, only 12800 miles, just serviced, balance of manufacturer’s warranty until May 2021…......................................................................................£15,995 2016 (65) Nissan Note Acenta 1.2 5dr, in white, cruise control, Bluetooth, electric windows, electric mirrors, air con, radio/CD player, 29500 miles with FSH and only £20 road fund license................. £6,495 2015 (65) Audi A6 2.0 TDI Ultra S-line, black edition in met grey. grey leather interior, sat nav, cruise control, Bluetooth, Audi music interface, front and rear parking sensor, DAB radio, cruise control, Bose sound system, full Audi service history, 28000 miles. Only £30 year road tax fund…..................................................................... £18,795 2016 (16) Vauxhall Meriva 1.4T SE automatic in met brown, air con, alloys, Bluetooth, electric windows, cruise control, only 16900 miles with FSH…........................................................................................£8,695 We would like to wish all our customers a prosperous New Year!

Look out for our new Car Finder page on our website We now have Trade access to 1000s of cars of all makes & models.

‘Click’ on the Car Finder link page at: www.foleysgarage.co.uk

Swanage Road Safety Improvements Set To Start

W

ork will start in January to improve the safety of Institute Road and enhance the pedestrian experience along the busy route.

Dorset Council and Swanage Town Council have been working together for a number of years to develop a scheme that balances the needs of businesses, residents and visitors to the town, with the options discussed at drop-in sessions during June 2018.

Residents’ and businesses’ feedback from the sessions has been incorporated into the design where possible.

The work will eradicate long-running safety concerns of heavy vehicles mounting busy pavements to pass vehicles in the loading bay by widening pavements, raising the pavements to full height and removing the loading bay. New loading bays will be introduced at either end of Institute Road.

Kate Tunks, Service Manager for Infrastructure and Assets, said: “It’s been difficult to design a solution that provides everybody with what they would like but there is no questioning the fact that the pedestrian environment on Institute Road must be improved.”

On Monday 6th January, work will start on Station Road to upgrade the pedestrian crossing to a puffin crossing and to widen the pavement to provide a shorter crossing point. This could take up to three weeks, depending on gritting duty demands, but will be completed without the need for traffic control.

From Monday 27th January, the gang will move into Shore Road to rebuild the traffic island so that traffic will be able to safely pass the new loading bay on Institute Road, this will take one week but may need some traffic control.

On Monday 3rd February, kerbing on the High Street will be changed in preparation for the reversal of Kings Road East, with the altered kerb alignment allowing drivers to turn right onto High Street.

The main works on Institute Road are currently planned to start on Monday 10th February. At this point, the road will close to vehicles. There will be no vehicle access along Institute Road throughout the work due to its narrow width and the work needed to widen the pavements. Pedestrians will be unaffected. This phase of work will take sixteen weeks.

Work on Institute Road includes building new kerb lines, installing new

drainage systems and rebuilding the pavements up to their new, higher level. This is taking place along the length of the road and on both sides of the carriageway.

Kate continued: “We know that closing Institute Road to traffic will require residents and businesses to adapt but there is no other way to get the work done, and we’re doing what we can to keep the town accessible for shoppers. The one-way flow on Kings Road East will be reversed to ensure drivers can still get into the heart of the town, and High Street will become two-way with the help of temporary signals. Smaller, local roads will become busier as drivers look to avoid the closure and we’d ask for your patience during these months.

“We’ll be ensuring that Institute Road is left safe and tidy to provide good access during Easter and the May Bank Holiday weekends.”

The Institute Road improvements will cost around £450,000 and are being funded by Dorset Council, Swanage Town Council and Section 106 money from developers.

Pictured - Insitute Road, Swanage, December 2019, prior to work starting.

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WINTER IS HERE! January often brings a case of the blues to many of us - there’s a lull after Christmas and the short, cold, grey days make us want to huddle-up indoors and ignore the world.

However - the world continues to turn and it’s up to us to drag ourselves out of our warm houses and get out and about a bit - even if just to get the blood flowing again!

Whether you feel the need to detox, get fit, shop for a bargain, get spring cleaning and redecorating or simply enjoy a meal out with friends, the following pages feature local businesses who want to tempt you out and about this January.

Keep our local economy strong in 2020 and start as you mean to go on - support our local businesses (and therefore our community!)

The Purbeck Gazette

Swanage Railway wishes our members, supporters, friends and passengers “A Happy and Prosperous New Year”.

On Wednesday 1st January 2020 Swanage Railway will be operating a steam hauled service between Swanage and Norden via Herston Halt, Harmans Cross and Corfe Castle.

An ideal opportunity for a winter ramble across the Isle of Purbeck to blow away the cobwebs and make good that New Year Resolution!

After New Year’s Day, we will next be operating February School Half Term: Saturday 15th – Sunday 23rd February. Kids Go Free during this half term holiday!

The 2020 January – April Timetable has now been published together with the 2020 programme of events including our steam and diesel galas and classic transport rally.

The 2020 Wessex Belle Dining Train Programme is now on sale featuring the ever-popular Saturday Night Wessex Belle, Friday Night Bistro and Sunday “Dorsetman” Luncheon trains.

Full details of our timetables, fares, events and dining trains 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 (answerphone) or email: iwanttovolunteer@swanagerailway. co.uk

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Please Prove Me Wrong....

by John Garner

T

his month’s column is short of my usual timid attempts at humour.

It doesn’t seem appropriate to make light of the subject.

At the time of writing, we are a week away from another general election. When/if you read this, you’ll be either celebrating or cursing the party in power. I have no idea which party or representative is currently patting themselves on the back in victory in what has been undoubtedly the ugliest, most dishonest and aggressively bitter election I have ever witnessed.

The high number of politicians stepping down before this election on the basis that they were getting frightening amounts of abuse is something no one should have to tolerate. Intimidation and democracy make uncomfortable companions. Lies and false promises equally uncomfortable.

I just hope that the more and more outrageous promises dreamt up in the desperate bid for votes will be honoured. However, history tells me this will not be the case.

However, whilst brexit seemed to dominate most discussions, there was a much more important debate to be had. I heard someone say that brexit is a momentary blip in history, but a planet being destroyed will go on until it’s done.

The debates pre-election seemed to be usual fare of answering the question with lies, made up ‘facts’, dirty tricks and slagging off the opponent’s point of view. But mainly of not answering the questions at all. Witness the car crash of the 50,000 ‘more’ nurses’ interviews on breakfast television or the ‘neutral’ stance on Europe respectively made by the main two party ‘chiefs’. The former incidentally gave me the first and possibly only occasion to say well done Piers Morgan. I never thought I would here myself say those words.

I could not stomach many of the debates. Within minutes of utter tosh I was turning off as I’m sure lots of people were. With the exception of by far the most important debate on climate change. Tellingly the Tories and Brexit party didn’t show up. All the other main leaders did. Now, whether or not they were also just vote collecting or whether they were truly passionate about the subject, only time will tell. But the fact that these two leaders were absent on the most important issue of this election or any future election…anywhere in the world, was perhaps a testament to their priorities. Just so you know, I have a very high disregard for most politicians, not just the members of the two parties mentioned. It’s based on them repeatedly disregarding their own ‘facts’.

I was listening to a podcast about the Icelandic government recently. They have a much better gender equal system than most but still recognise there is some way to go. Various politicians spoke in what wasn’t their first language on a range of topics with great passion and knowledge. But the thing that struck me most was their lack of arrogance and the need to build on what they had already done. The anniversary of the incumbent’s election was acknowledged if not necessarily celebrated by the opposition parties sending flowers. Debates didn’t seem to be based around shouting, making animal noises and drowning each other out as we often see and

here in our own parliamentary squabbles.

All of which has resulted in a forward-thinking country with equality and climate at the forefront of its thinking and strategy. Were I Icelandic, I would be very proud of the job my politicians were doing. I’m not. I’m from here and my political representatives do not make me proud. In fact, I can’t think of the last time one did. Yet I can think of hundreds of occasions where I’ve felt at best exasperated and at worst incensed by their language and behaviour.

None of these views really help this article to settle into the nature matters section of this magazine, although you may have noted a few discreet references to the state of the climate. As the planet’s weather becomes more and more extreme, the highest agenda item in any political debate should be the environment. Repetitive soundbites might hoodwink the electorate into voting for this or that ‘leader’, but they won’t help secure the future of the planet for subsequent generations unless they act on the proposals they’ve often hastily put forward in the run up to an election.

I truly hope I’m wrong. I promise to take all this back if, on election, the party in charge continues to put climate change at the top of their agendas and more importantly act on it. And wouldn’t it be nice if, whatever the outcome, they all decide to put other differences to one side and work together for the common good of the planet.

Regrettably, I fear this won’t happen. During the leaders’ debate last night, the two main party leaders had an hour to state their cases. I didn’t hear the environment mentioned once. Admittedly I spent a lot of time shouting at the television, but if it was discussed it was for the briefest of moments.

It is by far the most important issue facing all of us and yet it has been a bit player in the election circus.

With the exception of the climate debate special, I have heard it mentioned far too infrequently. If it is not addressed directly it will be too late. On the few occasions that it has been debated, we should expect any claims to be honoured. If not, then on both accounts, I paraphrase the words of Greta Thunberg: “How dare they?”

Picture: Glacier, Anchorage, Alaska. Prince William Sound. Courtesy of Morguefile.

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Otter Deaths Increasing In Dorset

orset Wildlife Trust (DWT) has been made aware of a rising number of otter deaths in Dorset this past autumn. Most deaths have occurred on roads and are thought to be due to otters resorting to using roads as recent rainfall has left them unable to swim under bridges in rivers.

Small ditches and streams are also holding more water, enabling otters to move through the landscape more easily, bringing them into increased contact with roads in Dorset.

Otters are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. They mainly feed on fish and are well suited to life on the water as they have webbed feet, dense fur to keep them warm, and can close their ears and nose when underwater.

In Dorset, otters are regularly seen on the river Stour, however they are mostly shy nocturnal animals and their presence is normally detected by their distinctive sweet musky smelling faeces (known as spraints) which are deposited in prominent places, DWT Living Landscape Manager, Amanda Broom said, “After almost disappearing from England in the 1970s, otters have made a gradual recovery. In Dorset we are fortunate to have a wonderful network of rivers which support this beautiful enigmatic creature.

Dorset Wild Rivers, a Wessex Water funded partnership project, enables

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us to work with farmers, landowners and fishing clubs to look after and further improve the health of rivers so that they can continue to support otters and other wildlife.”

DWT is also working with Dorset Police to help ensure safety for road users when an otter is found. Dorset Police advise people not to stop on dangerous bends in the dark and to consider their own safety and that of others if they find an otter in the road.

If an injured otter is found in the road, contact Dorset Police if causing a hazard to drivers. If there is no hazard, then you should call the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 who will advise on what to do with the carcass. If fresh, some carcasses may be sent to Cardiff University for post-mortem examination as this can provide a valuable insight into health and biology.

If medical assistance is needed for an injured otter, please phone the RSPCA National Emergency number: 0300 1234 9999.

For any suspicious circumstances of otter deaths, this must be also be reported to the police via 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk as a wildlife crime.

Evidence of snares or home-made snares such as cable ties, an appearance of being shot, trapped or poisoned should always be reported.

Image: Otter © Paul Williams

Advice On How To Keep Your Shoot Safe

f you’re a gamekeeper, shoot captain or shoot owner, then please consider the following advice from Dorset Police which could help to prevent you from becoming a victim of anti-shoot/activist crime. Please ensure you have measures in place, should activists arrive on a shoot day.

Leading Up To Shoot Days • If your shoot is in a remote area, then it’s worth making a note of the drive meeting points with grid references and keeping this to hand should you need this in the event of an emergency. Consider using Google Maps or Ordnance Survey maps.

• It’s also worth thinking about purchasing body-worn video (body cams).

You can buy good quality ones for approx. £100 - £150. Well worth the money for your protection/evidence gathering.

On a Shoot Day • When you meet on the morning of a shoot day with guns, beaters and the picking up team, please make sure that everyone attending the shoot is briefed as to what to do if activists arrive during a drive.

• Make sure all shoot participants; Guns, Beaters and Picking-up staff are all aware of the Police numbers 999/101 and what info will be required from them if they call Police.

• Make sure that during a drive, during briefings or at break times of the shooting day, all vehicles must be kept in sight especially if dogs/guns are left in there. If you need to keep a window open for your dog then make sure you keep an eye on your vehicle at all times. Dog theft is on the rise, especially trained gundogs. Make sure no weapons/ammunition/dogs are left in the vehicle when unattended or parked in an isolated location.

• Make sure as many people as possible in the group have a fully charged mobile phone that can record video and has a built-in camera. Team radios are also good to make others aware of activist’s presence around the shoot area.

• It’s also recommended that people within the group carry a notebook and pen/pencil for recording evidence. Always good to have these as back-ups in case mobiles don’t work/run out of power/get wet/broken.

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Gazette Gardening with Simon Goldsack

Winter flowering heathers ring a little joy and sparkle to the winter months with some wonderful winter flowering heathers. Not only are the flowers long lasting and very pretty but they also are an important source of nectar and pollen for any bees that venture out on the milder days of winter.

We are very fortunate to live in the Isle of Purbeck where we have some very beautiful and ecologically important heathland (heath and the heather that grows on them forms on the acidic soils of the Poole Harbour Basin to the north of the chalk hills.) These heaths extend to Hardy’s cottage in the west to the far side of the New Forest near Southampton.

Our local Dorset heather is Erica ciliaris (left) and it flowers in summer, but I want to focus on the Winter flowering forms of Erica.

Erica carnea (below) is the mountain or winter heather, flowering from December to March. There are many, many forms with flowers ranging in colour from white through pink to deep magenta.

Erica x darleyensis (above, right) was a chance seedling found on a nursery in Darley Dale, Derbyshire.

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Subsequently many more forms have been bred and again the colour range and flowering time is similar to E.carnea.

Both species have golden foliage forms which can create interest at all times

of year even when they are not in flower. The other benefit of the two species is that they are slightly lime tolerant, so you don’t have to have acid soil to grow them, just dig in plenty of grit to improve the drainage if you have a clay soil.

In the 1970s, heathers were pretty much exclusively grown in association with conifers (pictured, below), but they are so much more versatile than that.

In this picture (above), the golden foliage of the heather is mixed with stems of dogwood and assorted evergreen shrubs to create an eye-catching winter display.

Below, the patch work of heathers are mixed not only with conifers but also the standing stones, coloured stems and the soft grasses.

Holme will have a marvellous selection of winter flowering heathers from early January.

There is also up to 25% off all plants for Holme customers and 15% off compost, pots, stoneware, garden sundries and even bird feeders and food, so it is a great time to pick up a bargain ahead of the new gardening season.

The Purbeck Gazette

Adders were seen on five January days last year at Tilly Whim steps. Nearby the Black Redstart was noted upon the wave cut platform below.

More unusual were the reports of both a Crane and Red Kite passing overhead. Three years in a row we have had reports of an individual Grey Seal at this time whilst passing pods of Bottlenose Dolphins have been seen for two consecutive years.

Gannets, Scoter, Brent Geese and divers such as the Redthroated Diver may also pass in good numbers.

Possible flowering plants include Charlock (with pale yellow crucifer shaped flowers) Ox Eye Daisy, Rough Hawkbit and of course the naturalised garden escapes Winter Heliotrope and Greater Periwinkle.

Do join David Leadbetter, on the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland “New Year Plant Hunt” at Durlston. Signs of future flowers come in the form of green leaves belonging to Alkanet Cleavers, Cow Parsley, Crow Garlic, Primrose, Snowdrop, Three Cornered Leak, and the sometimes-spotted leaf of the Lords & Ladies or Cuckoo Pint.

Perhaps your New Year’s resolution might see you begin

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volunteering at Durlston. It’s a great way to meet people, make a difference and share or develop your knowledge about the local natural and historic environment. An easy way to have a go is to SIMPLY try one of our three weekly work parties, or even just pop into one of our informal Shed sessions.

On New Year’s Day families might be encouraged to take an invigorating cliff top walk for refreshing sea air. Young children could be motivated by the promise that they can pop into the Wild Wednesday session. Being in the Belvedere Room this means adults can enjoy superb coastal views whilst the kids create arty crafty “makes”. The Shed’s stove be lit for a “Cuppa and Chat” and “Willow Weaving”. Whilst the former offers cake the later means a magic wand, a decorative tree, or a small basket could be taken home.

If you or your family need some mental and physical stimulation after the festivities, then why not try our Introduction to Orienteering. Aimed at ages six plus you can learn to read an orienteering map and navigate a simple course. Perhaps this or a Dorset Nordic Walking taster might lead to a new hobby!

For more details, visit the Durlston Events webpage: www.durlston.co.uk/events.aspx

Margaret Green Animal Rescue

New Year, New You! ew year, new challenges, lots to explore, lots to enjoy especially at Margaret Green Animal Rescue’s Church Knowle Rehoming and Visitor Centre, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5NQ. Getting out in the fresh air is perfect for blowing away those January blues and is great for the mind, body and soul so, a visit to the centre is an ideal way to do this and to meet the rescue animals along the way.

You can also take a look in the recently revamped shop, which now features a timeline on how the Charity has evolved since it was first founded in 1965 by Margaret Green.

As the charity approaches its 55th year, the teams are proud to uphold Margaret’s legacy as they continue to Rescue, Care, Rehome and Support around 1,200 rescue animals a year across centres in Dorset and Devon.

So, make a date to visit this January and get back to nature. www.margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk

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Enjoy A ‘Sprig Of Thyme’ With The Mayday Singers

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ome in from the winter cold and enjoy an hour of song with the Mayday Singers followed by scrumptious tea and cake, in the gorgeous setting of St George’s Church Langton Matravers.

Our Musical Director David Fawcett has chosen a celebration of Irish and English folk songs including the lyrical song cycle, The Sprig of Thyme by

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 2020 Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 20th – 23rd of August 2020 ickets are selling like hot cakes for the Purbeck Valley Farm! The fabulous family-friendly Purbeck Valley Folk Festival takes place 20th – 23rd of August 2020, bringing not just the best folk and world music to the farm, but actually a whole weekend of fun for folk followers of all ages.

Bands for the 2020 festival hail from Mexico, France, US, Canada and all parts of the UK. Saturday night headliners are Mexican world music award-winners, LOS DE ABAJO, a nine-piece band on European tour, famous for their ‘cybertropico chilango’ rhythms.

As always, there will be plenty of danceable Celtic music, including PLANTEC from Brittany, and Elephant Sessions from Scotland. New for Purbeck is a special hip-hop folk show by The Demon Barbers of acrobatic boogie moves coupled with traditional clog dance.

Of the top folk concert performers, Drever-McCusker-Woomble headline the Saturday afternoon session. A major coup for the festival is Magpie Arc, a concert band including Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr and Adam Holmes.

From America come songwriters Laura Cortese and the Dance Cards, The Once and ex Nickelcreek stars, Sara and Sean Watkins.

Of course, Purbeck Valley Folk Festival isn’t just a great music festival.

There are a huge number of craft workshops and demonstrations, including traditional wood turning, blacksmithing, crochet, tie-dye, jewellery-making and pottery.

The healing area has yoga, meditation, massage and loads more. And there are so many children’s activities that they will be kept busy all day and not get bored!

More information and tickets: www.purbeckvallefolkfestival.co.uk; https://www.facebook.com/pg/purbeck.folk

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John Rutter. Over the years we have raised thousands of pounds for local charities. This concert is in support of the Purbeck Youth Music Initiative: a community project that exists to bring opportunities to young people to experience and participate in music of all kinds across Purbeck - for example, starting to play a new instrument, singing with the Purbeck Youth Choir, playing with Swanage Big Band, the Purbeck Instrument Loan Scheme and the Rotary Young Musician Competition. There is so much talent which needs to be recognised and encouraged!

The group was started by Sue Haysom and a small group of friends who thought it would be fun to sing at 6am on May morning (hence our name) and for two years sang from St George’s church tower!

When a new vicar arrived his health and safety concerns prevailed so singing had to take place outside the church. We still have some original members singing with us: Sue herself, Brenda Harris, Marjorie Glassock and Mary Sparks.

We rehearse in Langton Village Hall. If you love to sing and enjoy A Capella singing and a wide variety of musical styles, do consider joining us!

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A Shared Holiday Experience...

“The holiday was the most wonderful experience and the volunteer carers were exceptional.” (Janet, Holidaymaker) re you living with a disability and in need of a holiday? Would you like to meet new friends and have fun sharing a week of outings, activities and great food? The Green Island Holiday Trust provides a unique holiday experience for local people living with a disability or longterm illness. Each summer, a touch of holiday magic is created by bringing together small groups of holidaymakers with teams of dedicated volunteers.

Staying alongside the holidaymakers, the volunteers are on hand to provide personalised care and support 24/7. This means that whilst the holidaymakers are enjoying a break, their carer’s are able to benefit from a valuable week’s respite. When the Trust was founded in 1991, the holidays were held on Green Island in Poole Harbour, hence the name of the charity, before being relocated in 2005 to Holton Lee, a well-being centre set in 350 acres of tranquil countryside, between Poole and Wareham.

The holiday groups stay in two accessible cottages at Holton Lee, surrounded by woodland, open heath land, an abundance of wildlife and with stunning views of Poole Harbour. Indeed, the cottages provide the perfect base for on-site activities such as carriage riding, bird watching and woodcraft.

Offsite there are opportunities to explore the local area and for trips out on St Elin, the Trust’s boat, and the Swanage Railway. During the week

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holidaymakers also enjoy musical entertainment, can have a go at some art and craft, treat themselves to a pamper session or just spend time relaxing and chatting. Appreciation of their memorable holiday experience is echoed time and again by holidaymakers who spend a week at Holton Lee. ‘When can I come again?’ is the one question being asked as group members bid an emotional farewell to one another on the last morning. They depart with happy memories of a week of fun and friendship.

In 2020, the Trust will be organising six holiday weeks; two in June, two in July and two in September.

For further information please call Wendy on 01202 375006, Email: organiser@greenislandholidaytrust.com or visit our website at www. greenislandholidaytrust.com to download a 2020 Holiday Request Form.

Talbot Village Trust Support Burngate

albot Village Trust has donated £1,200 to the Burngate Stone Carving Centre to help renovate and refresh the charity’s space.

Burngate Stone Carving Centre, which is based in Swanage, provides traditional stone carving workshops and art-focused courses for children, adults and elderly members of the community throughout the year.

It is an educational and charitable trust that provides lessons for people to learn more about traditional stone carving skills. In addition, the centre hosts an art and sculpture exhibition throughout the year, featuring the work of local artists.

Using Talbot Village Trust’s donation, the charity carried out some muchneeded renovations to its workshop, which had not been updated for a number of years. This work has allowed the centre to display the project work of users in a fresher, brighter area.

One of the main beneficiaries of the refurbishment were members of the Out of the Blue group, who are affected by a variety of mental health issues such as rural isolation, depression and anxiety.

Julia Munn, Trustee at Burngate Stone Carving Centre, said: “We are very grateful to Talbot Village Trust for funding the much-needed renovations of our centre. The atmosphere that our visitors come to us for is a big part of the welcome that we offer. We are delighted to have been able to make our surroundings fresh and tidy, to provide the best possible experience for our visitors.”

Russell Lucas-Rowe, Trustee of Talbot Village Trust, Trustee at Talbot Village Trust, commented: “We are very happy to have contributed to the refurbishment of such a beautiful space. The inside of the building is

now as welcoming as the area it is set in. The work that the staff do with different members of the community is so important and valuable, and we are so pleased that they have a newly-updated centre that provides a positive impact on those who attend their classes.”

Talbot Village Trust meets biannually and is accepting applications for funding from both previous and new applicants in the area before the Trustees meet in spring 2020.

Please go to www.talbotvillagetrust.org for more information.

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Matron’s Round - Our Local Hospitals’ Monthly Column

What’s your pledge? hope you had a very Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year! Here at the hospitals we have been deliberating The Purbeck Pledge organised by Live Well Dorset, which was started in 2015 to encourage those living and working in Purbeck to think about their physical and mental health and ways in which they could feel good. The idea behind the Pledge is that individuals, couples, families or colleagues pledge to make a change in their lives to feel better.

Live Well Dorset supports people living in Dorset to access Health and Wellbeing information, advice and support on Weight Management, Stop Smoking and Alcohol Reduction. The Live Well Dorset Office is open Monday – Friday 9.00 – 18.30 you can contact them on 0800 840 1628

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alternatively submit an enquiry or complete a short assessment to see how they can help you at: https:// www.livewelldorset.co.uk/purbeck-pledge/ Previous pledges have been about increasing physical activity, reducing alcohol intake and walking a mile or more on a regular basis. You can see what is happening at https://twitter.com/lwdorset There are organised activities such as Walking for Health in Swanage, General Gardening at Hardy’s Cottage in Dorchester or Gardening Volunteers at Upton Country Park in Poole and Sing and Stroll in Bridport. You can search for events and activities to help your Pledge at https://dorsetlnp.org.uk/events/ Getting up and out and about will do wonders for physical and mental health. Make the most of getting outdoors: a simple walk around the block, spend time in the garden or exploring the open spaces; woodlands and coastline on our doorstep.

I encourage those who are able to make the most of the amazing outdoor spaces we’ve got in Purbeck. It needn’t be a big change, but a simple commitment to make a change in one or more areas of your life. Share the inspiration for change with your neighbour, friends and family.

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!

Getting Back On Track After Christmas!

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t isn’t easy after over-indulging at Christmas, sitting and feeling a bit “lethargic” after all the boxsets!

No doubt you are being bombarded with invitations to don the lycra at your local gym. If the thought fills you with horror, don’t panic! The best antidote for “dark January” is to get out there into the great outdoors, into the beautiful Dorset countryside. Increasing your activity doesn’t need to be difficult and starting with a brisk stroll can be a much easier way to shed those pounds and start feeling more energized.

If you are worried about old injuries playing up if you start to exercise, at Wareham Physiotherapy we can advise you. From a basic New Year “M.O.T.” to a tailored package of guidance and treatment to help you get fitter, we can help.

After a thorough assessment of your problem, treatment options include gentle “hands-on” manual

therapy to loosen tight muscles and mobilise stiff joints, exercises for you to then maintain the improvements we have achieved in the clinic or if required, ultrasound or acupuncture for pain relief.

If you would like to know more about the services we offer, the prices and how to find us, please go to our website at www.warehamphysio. co.uk or ring us for an appointment on 07765 129786.

We look forward to meeting you and if you quote PGJan20 when you book, before the 31/01/2020, we are offering a 25% discount on our online prices.

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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

New Balance Class In Swanage - Led By Specialist Physiotherapist

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e are excited to be starting a new Balance Class at Swanage Therapy Centre on Monday mornings. This will be led by Holly Sizer, a physiotherapist who specialises in rehabilitation and neurology.

Who will benefit?

Anyone who has lost confidence with their walking and balance. You may be able to garden and walk across the Purbeck hills or you may be more restricted and have experienced trips or falls. There will be two classes and it will be tailored to your ability and needs.

Problems which can contribute to loss of balance as you get older are: • Slower and less effective reaction times • Loss of muscle strength • Stiffness at the ankles and other joints which affect the ability to make adjustments • Reduced ability to shift weight quickly or sufficiently enough We know that all these factors can improve with the correct practice.

The balance class will target these areas in order to improve confidence, walking and balance and reduce falls risk.

The class is an hour long and will be circuit-based.

If you are interested in coming along to the class or finding out more information, please contact Swanage Therapy Centre on 01929 426506 Holly Sizer (Dorset Neuro Physio) who runs the classes has specialised in neurology and rehabilitation for over sixteen years.

She offers home visits and runs a Neurology and Dizzy Clinic at Swanage Therapy Centre.

Contact Holly directly on 07967 096742 for home visits.

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The Purbeck Gazette

Sport Swanage Walking Football Club Swanage over 60s extend lead at top of the table wanage over 60s has been in action twice during the month and another two wins see them extend their lead at the top of the division.

The over 60s kicked off the month with an away visit to AFC Bournemouth. Swanage kicked off facing a very professionally turned out AFC Bournemouth who looked set for business. Swans quickly got into the groove with the midfield of Colin Pearce, Ivor Hughes and Brian Hunt linking up with Derek upfront to keep the AFC Bournemouth defence under constant pressure.

With three minutes before the break, Hughes latched onto a lovely through ball from Hunt to put the ball firmly into the bottom corner of the net. With AFC reeling from the goal Swans took full advantage and only one minute later with an almost replica move Hughes scored a 2nd. HT 2-0 Bournemouth came out in the second half determined to get back into the game. However, Swanage was determined to defend their lead and stayed organised with solid defending by Andrew Vince kept Nick Surman, the stand-in goalkeeper, reasonably untroubled except for a couple of good solid saves. Swanage always looked dangerous on the break and with minutes to go Swanage ran the game down to a well-earned 2-0 away win.

With Swanage carrying a 100% record and having beaten AFC Bournemouth 2-0 away it was time to welcome them for the reverse fixture and were pleased to welcome back regular goalkeeper Ricky Scott from injury.

The start was delayed slightly due to traffic problems encountered by the Bournemouth squad on the way and that may have been the reason for their slow start as Colin Pearce prodded Swanage ahead in the opening thirty seconds with his first touch.

The game then settled down into an even contest and twelve minutes later Bournemouth equalised with a long-range strike. Shortly afterward Andy Vince regained the lead for Swanage as the Bournemouth keeper allowed a shot to squirm under his body and with Mark Kilby scoring just afterwards, Swanage went into the break 3-1 to the good.

Bournemouth started the second half in a purposeful fashion and reduced the arrears. However, Swanage then began to control the match with Ivor Hughes pulling the strings in midfield and three further strikes from Kilby enables them to build an unassailable lead.

Swanage always looked comfortable in defence with Brian Hunt and Colin Pearce putting in sterling performances.

The game was put to bed in the final minute when Colin Blackmore

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latched onto a fine through ball from Hughes to make it 7-2. The over 60s now sit six points clear at the top of the league.

December sees the over 60s take on Dexter’s of Hamworthy away and the over 50s take on AFC Bournemouth (50s) at home. The over 50s are joint top with Dorchester Town.

Outside the league, Swanage also travelled to Bournemouth for an over 70s friendly on a wet and windy morning. The match was played on the superb 3g surface at Littledown and involved mainly over 70s players, although Swanage included a few of their 60s.

The opening ten minutes were evenly contested but Swanage took the lead through a quick break with Andy Vince netting with a firm drive.

Bournemouth equalised just before half time with a long-range effort that Ricky Scott got a hand to but could only palm into the roof of the net.

The second half continued to be evenly contested but Swanage retook the lead following a free kick on the edge of the Bournemouth box when Vince tucked away his second of the game.

The score line stayed the same until the last few minutes with Scott rarely threatened in the Swanage goal. However two late goals added a gloss to the score line with Ivor Hughes netting a superb third and Matt Piper prodding in a great cross from Brian Hunt.

The match was played in an excellent spirit with a return fixture promised for the future.

If people would like to come and watch any of the home games, please follow us on our Facebook page. Swanage Walking Football.

Swanage & Wareham Rugby Football Club SWANAGE & WAREHAM 24pts WALCOT 21pts. n their latest game in Southern Counties, Swans welcomed Walcot, from Bath, to Bestwall last Saturday.

Swans started on the attack in the first ten minutes, but could not penetrate the Walcot defence, when suddenly an interception by the visitors two minutes later, had a Walcot centre braking clear to score a converted try. (0pts – 7pts).Swans replied 5 minutes later when from a scrum, the ball was spread out along Swans three-quarters and back inside to fly half Steve Woolley who touched down in the corner. (5pts – 7pts).

Most of the play was in the Walcot half and Swans were looking good.

After 27 minutes, another backs move had Swans outpacing the visitors defence and once again Steve Woolley was on hand to finish a wonderful try. He added the extras (12pts – 7pts). Swans continued to have the upper hand and on 32 minutes another move along the three –quarters had once again had Steve Woolley going in for his hat trick of tries in the corner. (17pts – 7pts) The second half started well for the visitors for after 42 minutes a chip over Swans defence the ball bouncing over Swans line with a centre touching the ball down for a converted try. (17pts – 14pts).

Walcot were a different team after the interval, and Swans were on the defensive and were making several unforced errors. From one of these

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errors the ball went out to the Walcot fly half who chpped the ball over Swans defence and a winger was there to give Walcot the lead. The try was converted (17pts – 21pts.), after 60 minutes.

Swans then started to improve their game and moved into the Walcot 22 with some decent play.

It looked that this play was going to be in vain, but with 5 minutes to go a penalty took Swans with an attacking line out on the Walcot 5 metres line.From the line out Swans powered over the try line but the official decided it was held up. From the resulting scrum, Swans powered their way to the line, Walcot infringed and the referee awarded Swans a Penalty Try. (24pts – 21pts).This meant Swans had picked up a bonus point try giving themselves 5 league points.

Swans team:-M.Spencer, T.Haw( I Matacagi 55), W.Wade, J.Desmond, R.Ferguson, S. Woolley,W.Slack, Z.Wyburgh(S.Waterman 58) C.Foskett, N.Audley M.Seaton, D.Collins(J.Scott 60), M.Roberts, F. Watkins K.Jones.

NEXT GAMES - January 4th Swanage & Wareham 1st XV v. Yeovil (SCS) Home, 2.30 p.m.

Swanage & Wareham 2nd XV v. Oakmeadians Away, 2.30 p.m.

Swanage & Wareham 3rd XV v. East Dorset , 2.30 p.m.

RON BUTLER (Publicity Secretary)

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 FEB is noon, 9th JAN 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.

JANUARY 2020

Wed 1st * Wild Wednesday Session At Durlston Country Park. Art and craft activities for kids in the Belvedere room. * Steam Operated Service At Swanage Railway. * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:30 National Coastwatch Institution Tea and Cakes for sale at the Peveril Point lookoput station.

Thu 2nd * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 19:30 ‘Last Christmas’ (12A) At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

Fri 3rd * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 14:30 ‘Last Christmas’ (12A) At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

Sat 4th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 09:00 King George’s 5K A free informal 5k walk, jog or run, Victoria Ave, Swanage. All welcome. Ffi: Pete Smith 07876 567584.

Sun 5th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:00 Dorset Countryside Volunteers At Rempstone Forest (Purbeck) where we will be cutting gorse to help restore heathland. We welcome new people and provide brew-ups at break times. For details see www.dcv.org. uk, email DCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text or message 07923-498760 for us to contact you.

Mon 6th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Bring a friend for FREE Members can bring a friend for FREE to any excercise class at the Purbeck Sports Centre, Wareham.

Tue 7th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Bring a friend for FREE Members can bring a friend for FREE to any excercise class at the Purbeck Sports Centre, Wareham.

Wed 8th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Bring a friend for FREE Members can bring a friend for FREE to any excercise class at the Purbeck Sports Centre, Wareham.

14:00 Stoborough WI Meeting At Stoborough VH, West Lane BH20 5AJ. Speaker: Roger Cooper on the Metropolitan Police. Visitors welcome.

Contact: stoboroughwi@hotmail.com 19:30 Movie Night - Green Book At The Isle of Purbeck Golf Club.

Thu 9th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Bring a friend for FREE Members can bring a friend for FREE to any excercise class at the Purbeck Sports Centre, Wareham.

Fri 10th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Bring a friend for FREE Members can bring a friend for FREE to any excercise class at the Purbeck Sports Centre, Wareham.

10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles, ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

19:30 Purbeck Railway Circle Meets at Harmans Cross Village Hall. “Maids of all Work: the SR Moguls”. A presentation by Jim Boudreau. Refreshments and railway raffle. Doors open 7pm. Ffi 421 913.

19:30 Dick Whittington At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

Sat 11th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Bring a friend for FREE Members can bring a friend for FREE to any excercise class at the Purbeck Sports Centre, Wareham.

10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles,

ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

14:00 Dick Whittington At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

15:00 The Mayday Singers “A Sprig of Thyme” At St George’s Church, Langton Matravers. £5 entry on the door. Tea and cake. Retiring collection for Purbeck Youth Music Initiative.

19:30 Dick Whittington At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

20:00 Ma Polaines Great Decline Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 12th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Bring a friend for FREE Members can bring a friend for FREE to any excercise class at the Purbeck Sports Centre, Wareham.

10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles, ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

14:00 2 Man Ting Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Mon 13th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles, ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

Tue 14th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles, ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

14:00 Purbeck Parkinson’s Meetings All Saints Church Hall Swanage 2pm till 4pm FFI – T. Lander 01929 425970 or D. Peters 01929 551962 Wed 15th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles, ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

14:30 Studland History Group Meets in the Village Hall for a talk by Helen Baggot, “Posted In The Past”. All welcome. Ffi the Secretary 01929 439245 Thu 16th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles, ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

14:30 Purbeck Ass’n of the National Trust At Carey Hall, Mistover Rd, Wm. ‘The Bankes’ Archive’. David Beardsley talks about what we know of the Bankes family of Corfe Castle and Kingston Lacy, from the historic family papers in the Dorset History Centre. All welcome. £3 incl refreshments. Ffi 01929 427300.

Fri 17th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:00 Shop Dorset Makers At Grange rd, Creech, Wareham. Art, textiles, ceramics, soaps, local produce and gifts. 10-5 weekends.

19:30 Dick Whittington At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

19:30 Barn Dance At Swanage URC Hall, High St, Swanage BH19 2NY with live band Maiden Oak and Mal Derricott calling the dances. BYO. Ffi: Janet Rees 07880335012 Sat 18th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:30 Free Iyengar Yoga Class At Studland Village Hall, Swanage BH19 3BT Come and celebrate the National Iyengar Yoga Day with us and bring a friend or two. Suitable for all including beginners and those new to Iyengar Yoga. All fitness levels welcome (please declare any health issues before the start of the class). Email semraoreilly@yahoo.co.uk to book your place.

14:00 Dick Whittington At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

19:30 Dick Whittington At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage.

20:00 Hands of the Heron Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229

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Sun 19th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 10:00 Kingston Maurwood College Open Morning Dorchester DT2 8PY. Ffi: 01305 215215 14:00 FM Pocket Orchestra Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Mon 20th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org Tue 21st * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org Wed 22nd * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org Thu 23rd * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org Fri 24th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org Sat 25th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 14:00 The Arealists Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 26th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 16:00 Re-dedication of the Bells Service At St Mary’s Church, Lytchett Matravers.

Mon 27th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org Tue 28th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org Wed 29th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org * Sustainable Swanage Meeting Venue TBC. Ffi: See our Facebook page and www.litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk/sustainable-swanage 19:30 Movie Night - Fisherman’s Friends At The Isle of Purbeck Golf Club.

Thu 30th * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.org 19:30 Langton Matravers Historical Society At Langton Matravers Village Hall. A talk by by Peter Sills on The Purbeck Ball Clay Industry and The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum of which Peter is Chair.

Fri 31st * 50% off for locals At Monkey World. Simply show proof of postcode (DT, SP or BH). Ffi: monkeyworld.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 Wareham Short Mat Bowls. Meet at Furzebrook Village Hall. New members welcome to come along and meet us!

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

The Purbeck Gazette 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, Church St, Wm. Till 9. New singers always welcome.

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 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 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.

09.30 First Steps Parent & Toddlers’ Group. Swanage Methodist Church till 11.30am during term time. Ffi: Sylvia Garrett 425420, office hours.

10.00 Men & Women’s Mixed Walking Football Club at Swanage Football Club. Come and try! All levels welcome, even if you’ve never played before. Come and join in or just come along to watch a very friendly group of people playing football. Until 11.30am. Call Nick on: 07745 907509 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 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 Wareham Short Mat Bowls. Meet at Furzebrook Village Hall. New members welcome to come along and meet us!

14.00 Swanage Walking for Health Group. Walks of 60-90mins, various locations. Walks are very social, for a range of abilities. Walks start from car parks at Studland, Corfe, Arne, Durlston, Langton, Acton, Worth and Kingston. Ffi: 481000.

14.00 Harman’s Cross Village Hall Art Group Till 5 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.

The Purbeck Gazette 19.30 Women’s Walking Football Club at Swanage Football Club. Come and try! All levels welcome, even if you’ve never played before. Come and join in or just come along to watch a very friendly group of people playing football. Until 9pm. Call Nick on: 07745 907509 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.

19.00 Give Rugby A Try! FREE! at Swanage & Wareham Rugby Club, Bestwall Rd, Wm. We’re looking for new players, so come and have a go!

Until 9pm. Over 18s only. Call John C. on: 07970 500357 Ffi. 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; nonmembers £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.

Coaching given. Till 8pm or later. Ffi: 424591 18.30 Sw & Wm Hockey Club Junior (6-14yrs) Training, Wm Sports Centre.

Until 7.30pm. Email: swanagewarehamhockey@outlook.com 19.00 Wm Bridge Club at the Library, South St. 552046 19.00 Swanage Depression Support group. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month at the Lower Hall, Salvation Army, Kings Rd East, Sw. BH19 1ES, until 9pm. Ffi: Nick on: 07766352062 or email: nickviney@hotmail.com or call Mary on: 01929426896.

19.00 Wareham Depression Support group. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday each month at Not Just Sundaes, South Street, Wareham.

BH20, until 9pm. Ffi: John: 01929556315 or 07871 727278 or email: johnoneil905@yahoo.co.uk 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.

19.00 Give Rugby A Try! FREE! at Swanage & Wareham Rugby Club, Bestwall Rd, Wm. We’re looking for new players, so come and have a go!

Until 9pm. Under 16s-18s only. Call John P. on: 07725 567541 Ffi. 19.00 Purbeck Runners meet at Beach Gardens Pavillion, Sw. 19.30 Swanage Musical Theatre meet Swanage Bay View Complex Rehearsal Room. All welcome. Ffi: 426161 19.30 Sw & Wm Hockey Club (13+ years) Training, Wm Sports Centre. Till 9pm. Email: swanagewarehamhockey@outlook.com 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 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster.

Till 9.30am.

09.00 Carey Crafters meet every Thursday at Carey Hall, Mistover Road, until 12.30pm (come anytime between). No age or gender restriction. All crafts welcome we have a wide variety!. Come along and share your craft or learn a new one! Conntact Donna on 07870 993311 or Helen on 07368 352737 ffi.

09.00 Swanage Painting Club. Catholic Church Hall, Rempstone Rd, Sw.

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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 Wyvern Savings & Loan Credit Union opens until 12 noon at Not Just Sundaes, South Street, Wareham, opposite the Library. A secure place to save and loans available at fair rates. Call in for a cuppa and a chat, or call 01305 268444.

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.

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. Anti-natal mums welcome. Till 3pm. Ffi: 552864.

13.00 Wareham Area Men’s Shed meets at Purbeck Connect, Sandford Lane, Wm. Ffi: call Chris on 554758, Harold on 792591 or Mike on 288045 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.

17.45 Swanage Youth Club. Learning Difficulties and disability (age 11-25) night. Till 7.30pm 18.00 Isle of Purbeck Arts Club. Weekly evening Art Group. Aimed at beginners, at Purbeck New Wave Gallery, 25 Commercial Rd, Sw. BH19 1DF. 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 Over 40s Men’s Walking Football Club at Swanage Football Club.

Come and try! All levels welcome, even if you’ve never played before.

Come and join in or just come along to watch a very friendly group of people playing football. Until 8.30pm. Call Nick on: 07745 907509 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 David Fawcett, 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 08.45 Coffee @ 112 - Drop In For Coffee! Catch up with friends at 112 High Street (United Reformed Church) in Sw. Cake and bacon butties. Fair

48

trade stall. Donations for ‘Besom in Purbeck’ and church funds.

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 Wareham Area Men’s Shed meets at Purbeck Connect, Sandford Lane, Wm. Ffi: call Chris on 554758, Harold on 792591 or Mike on 288045 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.

10.30 Do you want to volunteer in Swanage? Meet the team at the Volunteer Bureau in Swanage Library! Until 12.30pm.

11.00 Swanage Library Rhyme Time, ages 0-4, until 11.30am.

11.00 Toddler Time For Under 5s And Carers. Wareham Library. Stories, songs and crafts. Every Friday, including school holidays. Ffi: 01929 556146 14.00 Wareham Short Mat Bowls. Meet at Furzebrook Village Hall. New members welcome to come along and meet us!

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 18.00 Purbeck Youth Choir at the United Reformed Church Hall, Sw. 8-18 years old. Till 7pm. Ffi: Jay Buckle on: 07947 866945 18.30 Sw Bridge Club Mowlem Community Room. 421840

The Purbeck Gazette 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 Lego and Megablok Mayhem at Swanage Library, until 12 noon.

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.

10.00 Give Rugby A Try! FREE! at Swanage & Wareham Rugby Club, Bestwall Rd, Wm. We’re looking for new players, so come and have a go!

Until noon. Under 6s-16s only. Call Claire on: 07799 842225 Ffi. 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.

J.A. Construction (Dorset) Ltd.

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

Also available for Plumbing, Electrics & Carpentry.

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

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

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Highest standards guaranteed Fully certified & insured No hidden charges & no VAT Call Steve at Pile-Up on 01929 553861 or 07974 529017

JIM BAGGLEY BUILDING SERVICES Ltd Renovations, Alterations, Extensions, Kitchen Fitting, New Cut Roofs, Loft Conversions, Upvc Windows & Doors, Carpentry & Joinery

Tel: 01305 852311 or 07469 793452 Email: jessjimbaggleyltd@gmail.com

The Purbeck Gazette

LOCAL TRADE ADVERTISING

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

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

TEL: 01929 422980 BRIAN MOORE

Michael B. Alberry

INDEPENDENT TELECOM ENGINEER

DECORATOR

(Ex-BT)

Repair of phone lines & broadband HALF BT PRICES!!

07858 458997 - 01929 554886

Property Decoration & Renovation

07796 640538 01929 424882

50

The Purbeck Gazette

LOCAL TRADE ADVERTISING

SANDIE’S BARBERSHOP 191 HIGH STREET, SWANAGE Open Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm, Sat 8.30am - 3pm We are closed on Sunday.

Late night Thursday till 7pm

01929 426364

Brickcraft Construction

Extensions Artificial Lawns

Building Contractors Patio/Paving Garden Walls

Insurance & General Building Work Undertaken

Call Charlie on 07973 834175 or 01929 405075 www.brickcraftconstruction.com

Roy Osmond Ltd Traditional Forge Works Light Fabrication, Security Grills, Hand & Balcony Rails, Fire Escapes & Bespoke Work Stainless Steel and Glass Balconys

Telephone on: 01929 400520 or mobile: 0779 6044859

NJA Specialist Tree Care All aspects of Tree Surgery & Hedgework undertaken Fully insured and NPTC Qualified Free Quotations and advice 07703 210647 or 01929 481600

ROOFING SPECIALIST SPARROW’S Over 30 years Membership Federation of Master Builders

NO JOB TOO SMALL 01929 421156 07974 077885 The Premier Trade Organisation High Performance Flat Roofing Specialists Re-Roofing - Slating & Tiling Roof Repairs - UPVC Facias & Gutters Chimneys Removed or Repointed sparrowroof@gmail.com

LOCAL TRADERS USE THEM OR LOSE THEM FOLKS!

KEEP IT LOCAL

SWANAGE & DORSET SCAFFOLDING & ROOFING All aspects of Residential & Commercial Scaffolding Flat Roofing - Re-roofs, Slate or Tile, All repair works

Emergency Call Outs - Free Quotations & Estimates Temporary Roof Coverings - Fully Insured

OUR PRICE WON’T BE BEATEN

01929 424553 01258 858214 07813 346993

The Purbeck Gazette

51

LOCAL TRADE ADVERTISING

WAREHAM GAS SERVICES For all your plumbing & heating requirements Servicing of appliances available Contact Steve: 07714 386457 or 01929 288521

Lic: 3452941 Reg: 542421

Join our trusted Trade advertising section and let locals know what services YOU offer!

Six month block (single trade advert) £158.76 (inc. VAT)

USE OUR LOCAL TRADES PEOPLE OR LOSE THEM!

Man & Van available to hire

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

07767 479438 Fully licensed & insured