The Purbeck Gazette - Issue 251

November December 2020 2019 Issue no. 251 238

You can also read online or download the entire magazine in book format at: FREE WHERE DELIVERED. Magazine Archive POSTAL at: SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE at: www.purbeckgazette.co.uk/catalogue.aspx www.purbeckgazette.co.uk

Purbeck Christmas Challenge!

Pg 12 23 37 R.I.P.Help Danny - Our Friend Pg-43 Save RexDolphin The Brave.

Pg

‘Purbeck Stone’ Review Pg Pg 30 16 - 31 Our Flag Is Now Official!

Climate Change OfBlues!

Mind.Pg Pg24 40- 35 Banish Those Winter

Purbeckian Apple Pg 36 Otter Deaths On ThePunch.

Increase.

Pg 37

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Editor’s note...

W

elcome to the December edition of your Purbeck Gazette! As you read this, we’re in the middle of ‘lockdown 2.0’ and are currently awaiting news that, as planned, shops and businesses will be able to reopen on December 3rd.

At the time of writing, the answer to the above question is an unknown - some believe the current lockdown will be extended, some believe we’ll be allowed out to mingle again for a few weeks to let the next tranche of people contract the virus before we face lockdown 3.0, possibly in February.... all bets are off at this point - what will be, will be.

So! We’ve managed to get together a packed edition for you to read whilst lockdown 2.0 is with us - a huge thanks to all of those advertisers who planned ahead for their scheduled reopening in December and who are communicating with you here, in the hallowed pages of the Gazette. Remember, behind every advert published is a local family, a small business owner or local staff working for larger companies - hoping to keep their jobs and stay afloat. These are not just businesses - they are people. Our people.

So - as always, please do check out the advertising, take it as being personally directed towards you (it is!) and respond to anything that catches your eye. Every penny spent locally at the moment is instrumental to the survival of so very many people. Literally.

This Christmas, whatever the circumstances, reach out to friends and family - even if online, by phone or through smoke signals! Keep an eye out for those who are alone in our community - perhaps pop a card through their door - small gestures can mean so much.

Take care of yourselves and those around you. Survive!

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 January 2021 edition has a deadline of 9th Dec. The February 2021 edition has a deadline of 9th Jan.

Public Notices & Information

Swanage Town Council Meetings - December 2020

ALL ‘IN-PERSON’ MEETINGS PREVIOUSLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ARE SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS - PLEASE CONTACT THE COUNCIL DIRECTLY FOR INFORMATION

Wareham Town Council Meetings - December 2020 ALL ‘IN-PERSON’ MEETINGS PREVIOUSLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ARE SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS - PLEASE CONTACT THE COUNCIL DIRECTLY FOR INFORMATION

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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Danny with Swanage Sea Rowing Club. RIP Danny - you will not be forgotten. Further info on page 43 of this edition. Pic by Roy Edwards.

CONTACT US ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 46 BUSINESS MATTERS 32 COMMUNITY MATTERS 8 COUNCIL MEETINGS 2 FEATURES Big Butterfly Count 2020 44 Blast From The Past 50 Gazette Gardening 42 John Garner writes - Climate Change Of Mind 40 National Coastwatch 28 PASH Plans To Continue This Christmas 14 R.I.P. Danny The Dolphin 43 Swanage Rotary’s Christmas Plans 29 Telling It Like It Is - David Hollister writes 8 The Sacred Land Beneath Our Feet - Purbeck Stone 30 - 31 VIP Bulk Stockists Of YOUR Purbeck Gazette!

52 What’s Changing At Studland Bay? 45 FOOD - Godlingston Manor Kitchen Gardens 36 HEALTH & BEAUTY 47 LETTERS 4 MOTORING 35 NATURAL MATTERS 40 TRADE ADVERTS 53 DIARY SPOTLIGHT 51

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DEADLINE FOR JANUARY 12 NOON,FRI 9th 10th DECEMBER DEADLINE FOR JULY ISIS NOON, JUNE

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

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

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

JANUARY edition deadline: noon, 9th DEC

Lucky Cows...

Dear Editor, Looking from our windows there is a herd of thirty or so pedigree Friesians, grazing the verdant green Purbeck valley. They are the fortunate ones; where their counterparts stand horizon to horizon in the cow lots of America, with only dust and flies beneath their hooves.

When the UK leaves the EU, in the spectre of a trade deal with the USA, where animal welfare standards are significantly lower than our own; and where weight inducement chemicals (some deemed carcinogenic) to maximize corporate gain are administered regularly. The resulting cheaper meat products would make it difficult for British farmers to compete, especially those using organic farming methods. Which might in turn lead to the expansion of agricultural practices that simply don’t belong-leading to loss of bio-diversity, pollinators, wild flowers and arable crops. Despite a comparative standard written into law after a US trade deal, could it culminate as another whopper burger from the widescreen?

It’s not all about ourselves. Once in a mistaken venture in the hills of Devonshire, the DHSS sent me to a “farm”, which it wasn’t; the cattle passively and silently sensing their demise - I didn’t take that job.

Poor global animal husbandry may well have led to the cow lot we’re all in; concentrated and enhanced diets for profit commodified as the W.H.O. long predicted.

Yours sincerely, Myk Hamilton.

We Remember Antoni Dear Editor, The Battle of Britain took place eighty years ago between 10 July and 31 October 1940. Victory prevented a Nazi invasion of Britain. Some three thousand pilots took part, of whom near five hundred and fifty were killed defending this island from the Luftwaffe.

One of those killed was Antoni Ostowicz, a Pole serving with RAF’s 145 Squadron. He was shot down in his Hurricane over Swanage Bay on 11 August 1940. His body was not recovered.

Ostowicz was one of 143 Polish pilots serving in RAF squadrons or in two Polish squadrons. Sir Hugh Dowding Commander -in -Chief Fighter Command was to acknowledge: “Had it not been for the magnificent material contribution by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of the battle would have been the same.”

Ostowicz on 19th July had become the first Pole flying from a British airfield credited with a confirmed victory over a German aircraft. He was to become the first Pole killed in the Battle of Britain. It is poignant to reflect that Ostowicz would die defending these shores such a short distance from Swanage’s war memorial overlooking Swanage Bay. Michael Olizar, by email.

Ship-Watch!

Dear Readers, Carrying on from Robin Brasher’s letter in the November Gazette. While he was holidaying on the Isle of Wight watching the liners sailing up the Solent in the 1950s, I was a crew member on the Mauritania, Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary.

My wife and I have sailed on all three new Queens as passengers. We have

Beer, Ale & Cider Specialists Food served 12 noon - 3pm, 6pm - 9pm High Street, Swanage. 01929 423533 also visited the old Queen Mary and stayed on board.

My daughter, Brigitte, drives past her most days as she works at Millers Children’s Hospital, Long Beach, as a charge nurse in the cancer ward.

We have enjoyed watching all the ships coming and going in Swanage Bay. Terry Meates, by email.

One Way System Abandoned Dear Editor, Six months ago, it was necessary to queue outside supermarkets. Staff manned the doors, counting the number of people who were inside, thus ensuring it was possible to maintain social distancing. This was also practised in non-food shops, once they were allowed to open again, and even in small local shops. I remember going to Purbeck Pets in Wareham, and finding the queue stretching around the corner into Mill Lane. No one complained or grew impatient. We all recognised the importance of these restrictions.

Now it is a different story. Tesco abandoned its sensible one-way system after just a couple of months, closely followed by other supermarkets. The control on numbers of shoppers has also been dropped. How is anyone supposed to follow the government’s advice to ‘make space’ when the number of people crammed into a place makes this impossible?

Every time infection rates increase, the hospitality sector is blamed and penalised, unfairly in my opinion. There may be people who go to pubs and restaurants every week, but that number is probably exceeded by those who make at least one weekly trip to a supermarket. It’s high time the retail sector had some mandatory restrictions placed on its operating procedures.

Yours sincerely, Mrs J Wellstead, by email.

An Environmental Disaster?

Dear Editor, Swanage railway.

Bearing in mind a huge number of people in the UK (used to!) commute every day from their home to their place of work and back, you could be forgiven for assuming most people are not enthusiastic about the effect of trains on their environment.

Generally speaking, the disadvantages of rail travel are legion, including a huge financial outlay, jam packed with people you have never met, it’s eye wateringly expensive and lastly, and most significantly, trains are hugely destructive on the environment. For this reason, you would have thought that to resurrect an outmoded form of railway transport would not be a sensible exercise.

Added to the above, in these days of social distancing, rail travel is simply not realistic or possible, and this may continue well into the foreseeable future.

Steam railway travel is even more uneconomic, a total disaster environmentally in terms of air pollution and noise. Put simply, steam trains kill people with the amount of nitrogen and carbon dioxide emitted into the air.

They expel huge amounts of particulate matter which is a serious threat to people with asthma or other related respiratory problems. Because of their fossil fuel demands, they also support a large network of equally unfriendly industries which further damage the environment. All in the name of entertainment!

So, considering all of the above, the question being asked here is why does Purbeck continue to support this outmoded form of transport? Indeed, there are people who would like to see the railway link reinstated right through to Wareham and beyond! Er, why? One can only assume these

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Square & Compass www.squareandcompasspub.co.uk

Worth Matravers 01929 439229

WE’RE DELIVERING AGAIN! Call to place your order!

Poly containers are being delivered to our wonderful customers again!

We hope to reopen on December 3rd Support your local, independent establishments - long may we remain! people never commuted by train.

The Isle of Purbeck is arguably one of the most beautiful locations in Dorset, perhaps even in the UK, yet, for some inexplicable reason, a few weird diehards want to extend the life of this decidedly antisocial, if not filthy, mode of transport across a spectacularly scenic valley.

I can appreciate that some of the steam engines have become iconic and preservation is to be encouraged. But in a museum, surely?

There are also a number of diesel trains being used on this line and we all know the dangers of diesel pollution, or we should do by now. The other point worth noting is that this facility is hardly used during the winter and while it is supposed to be a ‘tourist attraction’, the journey takes less than ten minutes and very little of Purbeck is actually visible from the train itself.

So, what is the attraction, you may ask? It does, I suppose, cater for a few steam train diehards and train spotting nerds who have nothing better to do with their lives. What is the solution? Well, I think we should keep Swanage train station and a short length of shunting line to cater for those people who wish to see the engines actually working.

Harmans Cross station is an exceptional piece of railway history, maintained by some very enthusiastic volunteers and there is no reason why both it and Corfe Castle stations should not remain as they are. But the ideal solution would be to remove the complete train line and in its place, substitute a tarmac cycle path to run the length from Wareham via Corfe Castle and Harmans Cross to Swanage.

The obvious response is why? Well, for starters, it is infinitely healthier to cycle and less environmentally negative. No more noise and no more pollution.

It would provide an all year-round facility and encourage people of all ages to use it. It would get cyclists off of the overused main road and onto a purpose-built track where they could cycle safely without fear of traffic.

There could be a couple of cafes sited at Harmans Cross and Corfe Castle stations and the history of Swanage Railway could be recorded in purpose built mini museums.

Perhaps the primary advantage gained from this is that it would encourage people to use a completely safe cycle lane and thus promote healthy exercise, and lastly, it would be FREE! Robin Beuscher, email

Top Marks For Wool!

Dear Gazette, (Written as the end of the first half term approaches in October). We as parents have been reflecting on our children’s education.

The Wool Primary strapline is “Rooted in the community to grow and flourish”, this we believe the School have gone above and beyond.

We would especially like to say how grateful we are to the staff team at Wool and particularly Mrs Ellie Griffiths for her exemplary leadership over this challenging year.

Mrs Griffiths has ensured the needs of children and her staff are met in the best possible ways. She is so dedicated and passionate about the Wool CE VA school community and this comes through in her own work.

This dedication has also been modelled and transferred to the whole staff group, creating a culture of excellence within emotional and pastoral care of children as well as creating a thriving learning environment.

Regards, Liz Maidment, by email

Discover Purbeck Survey Dear Gazette, Please could you help us raise awareness of the consultation being carried out regarding the continuation of Discover Purbeck Tourist Information Centre?

We currently provide assistance and advice to the huge number of visitors to our beautiful Purbeck area and also information, tickets, and retail goods to our lovely local community.

Dorset Council is seeking your views about the future of its three Tourist Information Centres in Dorchester, Sherborne and Wareham. The council has launched a consultation to help develop the future of its TICs. I include a link to the online survey as we want to ensure that people have the opportunity to let us know their views (below): www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/TIC-consultation Further information about the consultation is included in the e-survey via the link.

The consultation is open from 19 October and closes 29 November.

Paper copies are available at all Dorset Council TICs and libraries if you are unable to complete the survey online.

Kind regards, Lynn Meaden, Discover Purbeck Information Centre, The Library, South Street, Wareham, Dorset BH20 4LR. Tel: 01929 552740

Open Garden Raises £1000 Dear Gazette, Thank you to all who supported the Open Garden at Greystone Court, Kingston on Sunday 20th September enabling a donation of £600 to be made to Swanage Disabled Club to assist with the maintenance of their minibuses which are used by many of our local groups, as well as £400 to the youth section of Swanage and Herston Football club to assist with the cost of team training.

Although the garden wasn’t ablaze with colour – as it would have been on the original date in June which we had to postpone – it provided an interesting foreground to the stunning view over Corfe Castle which added to the pleasure of the delicious afternoon tea which was enjoyed by many.

Looking forward to next year when – hopefully - the Open Garden will be on Sunday 11th July.

In the meantime, take care, Deirdre (on behalf of the organising team of Ann, Sue, Doreen, Marianne, Barry and Alan)

Supporting Seafarers Dear Editor When I see the cruise ships moored out at sea during the pandemic, I think of all their hardworking crews who cannot simply go home after their shift like most of us can.

These crews spend months and years at sea far from their home, working all hours to give British passengers an enjoyable cruise. I think also of the crews who serve on tankers and container ships, who work 24/7 to supply our island Britain with food, fuel and fridges. These crews spend months and years away from their families, who depend on their wages for survival.

As Christmas approaches, perhaps we can think of these hardworking seafarers. One described his work (on Radio 4 Sunday programme, 1/11/2020): “It’s like being in prison, except you have to work as well”.

We can support these seafarers through charities such as www.sailorssociety.org or www.missiontoseafarers.org Yours sincerely, Sarah Early, by email.

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MATT HILLAN Building Alterations & Maintenance

All Trade Aspects Undertaken Free Estimates Fully Insured

01929 427296 07971 690817 Happy to help and advise

Save Our Paramedics

Dear Editor, Until the time of emailing you I was not aware that there was a possibility of Swanage being deprived of the Paramedic Car and also of the incredible “service” which the Team have provided and at the moment are still doing.

On the recent August Bank Holiday Monday, my wife Margareta Causon, who for many years was employed as a Physiotherapist at Swanage Hospital (having retired in the year 2003), suffered a stroke as she was cleaning her teeth, just after rising from our bed to begin another day.

She is now eighty years old and has always had an optimistic outlook on life and until recently, was able to enjoy playing her flute in the Swanage Town Band prior to the lockdown. However, she regards every year after reaching eighty years of age now lived to be regarded as a “bonus”.

I discovered her in a collapsed condition on our bathroom floor gasping for breath and thought without doubt she would not recover. Within thirty minutes of the paramedics being alerted, they had arrived at our home situated at Locarno Road, Swanage. After they had given her oxygen she began to respond. There is no doubt about it that the speed at which these lads were on the scene saved my wife’s life and I will always be indebted to them.

The town of Swanage undoubtedly cannot do without the facility of the paramedics based in the town as the older generation needing attention unexpectedly is the norm.

It so happened that my wife was taken direct to the Poole NHS Hospital Acute Stroke Unit. Had the Stoke Unit been based in Bournemouth, the time taken to get her there by road would have taken longer. Speed and effective attention is all important in the incidence of dealing initially with a Stroke patient. Thanks to the paramedics and the wonderful kindness and care given my wife at Poole NHS Hospital, she has made a miraculous recovery in that she has suffered no apparent mobility, speech or memory problems and still retains the ability to make decisions if necessary which is a great relief to me.

I would like to make public our appreciation of the many phone calls I received and “Get Well” cards also for Margareta. I would like to make a special mention of David Cook the Conductor of the Swanage Town Band, who received regular phone calls from members of the Town Band who wanted “updates” on Margareta’s progress. She has every intention of taking up her position with the Band when band members are allowed to practice together once again.

I also wish to say a big thank you to the Purbeck Rehabilitation Team who have given Margareta advice and help since her discharge from Poole Hospital. Please see above a photograph which I took of Margareta whilst in her hospital bed. She is happy for this to be included alongside my letter of thanks.

Kind regards, Alan S. Causon,

In Distress Over Car Loss Dear Sir Swanage Ambulance Car I write to you in some distress as I have learnt that the Paramedic car which covers Swanage is to be withdrawn. I recently had cause to use the ambulance service when my husband collapsed at home. I dialled 999 as he did not appear to be breathing and within minutes the paramedic car was at my door. The car was closely followed by the ambulance which took him to Poole Hospital.

I am pleased to say he has now recovered but this was helped by the swift response from the paramedics. The reassurance I had from them, and their calm and professional manner, made the whole experience far less traumatic for us both. I dread to think what may have happened if the car was not available and the ambulance out of town on another emergency.

Please support the petition to keep the service for Swanage as we are already a dangerous distance from the nearest emergency facility. The petition is online at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-swanageambulance-car so please sign it and encourage others to fight to keep this car here to save lives.

Tina Foster, Mermond Place, Swanage, by email

Paramedic Car Withdrawn

Dear Gazette Readers I’m pleased to report that the Town Council has formed a new working party with the remit: “Working to ensure timely access to emergency health services for Swanage”. We want to protect Swanage lives by lobbying for a daytime A&E to be retained at Poole, for newborn intensive care to be reinstated at Dorset County, for road improvements to ease access for emergency vehicles from the West trying to get to Bournemouth Hospital, and to retain our Paramedic Car. We were shocked on 2nd November, having lobbied Dorset Council Health Scrutiny in the morning, to hear that very afternoon that the Paramedic Car will be withdrawn at the end of December. Since then we’ve been calling on Health Scrutiny, Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (DCCG) and the Ambulance Trust to save our Paramedic Car. DCCG has since suggested that a final decision to remove the Car has not been taken, however it seems that the Ambulance Trust are intending to withdraw it.

Can you help? Hearing personal accounts of what the Car has meant to residents and visitors will help to get our message across, please email these urgently to cllrmonkhouse@swnagecouncillors.uk Mel Norris’ petition has gone over 4,000 signatures - can you help by signing and sharing widely: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/saveswanage-ambulance-car Let’s continue to work together to try to Save our Paramedic Car. Thank you and festive wishes! Cllr Debby Monkhouse, Swanage Town Council

Flouting Common Sense?

Dear Editor and Letters, Thank you for your efforts in continuing to publish this much-loved magazine.

I am writing to express my disgust at yet another ill-thought-out opinion from Mr Hollister. I usually skip his page so as not to spoil my day but considering the importance of the issue of Covid, I soldiered on through it only for it to spoil my day.

Mr Hollister fails to realise that it is because people have thought how he flippantly does that we are faced with this lockdown. If EVERYONE had

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taken this disease very seriously and kept to social distancing from the start, then we probably wouldn’t need these restrictions now.

But no, people like Mr Hollister know best, he knows what is right, he knows what is good for us. Mr Hollister falls into that common trap so well apparent on Facebook and Twitter, etc, of thinking that just because an opinion has wobbled from his noddle that it is valid just because it happened.

Swanage and everywhere else would be better served, I think, if Mr Hollister had used his privileged column to exhort us all to be as sensible as possible and not flout common sense because we think we know better.

Perhaps when, god forfend, Mr Hollister is lying in hospital on a ventilator fighting for his life he’ll regret his stupidity and feel guilty about the heart patient not getting his bed.

Mr Hollister is also like all of us in this particular part of the country privileged to live somewhere that has very low numbers of Covid sufferers.

He may think otherwise should he move to Manchester. Obviously, Mr Hollister hasn’t lost a loved one to Covid yet. If we are robbing Peter to pay Paul it is because we don’t have enough resources. Who, Mr Hollister, are you going to let die for your heart patient to live?

Whilst on the subject, because my partner, myself and extended family have had various unexpected need of the health service over the last six months, we have noticed how more efficiently things are being run.

I cannot praise all those involved in care too much, god bless them all.

Alan Rowland, you know where, by email.

Lofty Principles?

Dear Readers, Just a letter in response to David Hollister’s column if you’d like to publish it. First of all thanks for your November edition, in these strange times it was nice to see a touch of normality drop through the letterbox!

Unfortunately, this led me to read David Hollister’s column and instantly I had an adverse reaction. The sheer audacity, the selfish hypocrisy and the sheer lack of understanding of the current situation trailed all the way through his piece.

I fully endorse the thought of supporting local businesses, Jeff Bezos will certainly survive the winter if we neglect his Amazonians for a week or two. But after extolling the virtues of local enterprise and urging everyone to shop locally the very next words were: ‘We went to Zante for a superb two-week holiday’.

By my reckoning the Greek economy doesn’t qualify as a local business, or maybe we are still suffering from the last vestiges of EU control. If Mr Hollister really believed in his fervent views then surely a holiday in the UK would have been at the forefront of his mind with all the small local businesses benefiting, or is this missive just directed at others rather than himself? To quote from his article: ‘Which is why we need YOU to support your local businesses’. Ironic, eh?!

As for the cynical clapping for the NHS, I don’t think I was the only one expressing appreciation for our amazing people, maybe I missed the directive that I was supposed to usurp my actions with cynicism.

And so to Covid-19. These are unusual times and to be honest I would like to see the other side of it all. But these are very difficult times and if people don’t work together to get through it all, it will be a lot worse. As someone who was in extended contact with someone who was found to have been in direct contact with a Covid victim, I spent days waiting to see if I was in trouble. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case but if I hadn’t been as fortunate, who knows what would have been the outcome.

I am careful, very careful, but it is a very easy thing to catch and as such a very easy thing to pass on. I was lucky. To hear Mr Hollister spouting on about how he is not going to be told what to do, I ask a simple question: how will you feel when you inadvertently pass this on to someone who doesn’t survive? Really, how would you be able to live with yourself? To make your own prejudiced choice is a very lofty principle but what about when your actions make the ultimate decision for someone else?

Christmas is what it is. I have grandchildren who are the light of my life and to see their faces wide with delight is priceless, but at the end of the day they will have, hopefully, many, many more Christmases. Just this one isn’t so important is it? They will have Christmas at home, without me, with their mum. Is that really the end of the world?

Fundamentally if everyone adopts David’s attitude of ‘me first’ then we will be in a far bigger hole than the one we are in now, possibly with a wooden box for company. You care about local businesses, why don’t you care more about local people?

For the sake of others, don’t be so selfish.

Thanks, Dave Hill, by email.

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TELLING IT LIKE IT IS...

However It Turns Out - Happy New Year!!

by David Hollister

W

ell, here we are, at the end of yet another year. A year that’s challenged us all and left many of us wondering – what comes next? Many businesses have been forced to close, either because they are not deemed to be ‘essential’ or because the plethora of alarmist Government messages has convinced their customers to stay at home.

So what is an ‘essential’ business? Seems to me that the first casualties are any businesses that provide pleasure to the public; pubs, restaurants, gift shops, hair salons and nail bars, libraries and bookshops.

Anywhere that we could normally expect entertainment; music venues, cinemas, sports venues, etc. Businesses providing jobs for local staff, businesses providing a living to hard-pressed proprietors who have invested their life’s savings and are watching them dismantled piece by piece by a government who actually don’t have a clue and clearly never have. Eight months, billions of pounds spent, 50,000 deaths later, and we’re right back where we were on 22nd March.

Some of the major supermarkets decided to close off aisles with ‘nonessentials’ such as batteries, children’s clothes and shoes, kettles, garden tools etc. In the interests of ‘protecting small businesses.’ Stuff and nonsense.

All the government has done is to drive the small businesses to the wall, and hand billions to Amazon, Netflix and the like – based abroad and who apparently make little or no contribution to our economy. A man who can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I know.

Come on, Boris, don’t you see what you’re doing?

I know it’s the ‘same old song’ but again, I urge you all to sit tight before you start Christmas shopping, and buy locally. Thank goodness the likes of Nixons are still open for essential hardware! So, Click and Collect?

“Collect” your thoughts together and it might just “click” – we are on a wartime footing and Your Local Trader Needs You! Not quite sure who the enemy is; Big business? The Virus? Or our own government?

In May 2016 I wrote a piece in this very magazine simply entitled ‘sorry’; an open apology to readers for being taken in by the Great Brexit Scam.

A scam perpetrated by a few unelected government advisers pulling the strings of a cheerful puppet. Big Red Bus and all, I was taken in! We “wanted our country back”. But back from what? We seemed to be managing OK, and I for one would rather be amongst other friendly nations than alone when it comes to trade disputes with other much larger nations. United we stand, and all that.

So, what’s changed since I wrote: “The M2 will turn into a car park for lorries queuing to get on to the cross-channel ferries, waiting for ill-mannered and poorly-trained staff using unreliable and badlyprogrammed computers to issue the “necessary documentation” from hastily-constructed customs posts whilst the freight either rots or rusts.

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

Vital software needed to keep goods flowing after Brexit won’t be ready in time because the UK government hasn’t given software developers the information they need. There simply isn’t time to build and test new software by the end of December. This will be the first negotiation in history where both parties started off with free trade and discussed what barriers to build.

What’s this got to do with Purbeck? I hear you ask. It’s “got do to” with everyone in the UK – including us in Purbeck. I hope you’re ready.

It’s good to hear that the ferry company has confirmed that their daytime services will continue as normal during ‘lockdown 2.0’. They have also made a commitment to reducing the ferry’s carbon emissions when the new ferry is commissioned in 2032.

They do point out – correctly – that they’re already one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transport in Dorset, saving customers more than nine million road miles every year.

What a shame that the Remembrance Day events were reduced, but what a brilliant job Swanage did in presenting dignified online ceremonies. Well done to the council and the Royal British Legion, and indeed to Swanage TV who covered the event live ponline for those unable to attend. Thanks from all of us who weren’t allowed to be there!

I know I’m always ‘having a pop’ at Dorset Council but on this occasion, I have to sing their praises out loud. Their Registration Service contacted all wedding couples who had ceremonies booked in the ‘lockdown’ period and offered them the chance to bring them forward to the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of that week. In total they brought forward nineteen ceremonies and by the end of the Wednesday, they had conducted forty marriages and civil partnerships in the Register Office, many ‘back to back’.

It was the most that Dorset service have ever completed in a single day.

So well done Dorset Registrars; swept away the ‘can’t do’ officialdom and replaced it with ‘can do – with pleasure’. Congratulations to all those who tied the knot!

You do know, don’t you, that thanks to our CCG (who are those guys?) we are about to lose our Ambulance Car and paramedics. The service will be withdrawn on 31st December. Please continue to support Swanage and other small out-of-the way places who may suffer from this inexplicable decision-making. The petition is still live on 38 Degrees: “Save Swanage Ambulance Car”. Even though I’m a total sceptic about petitions, I’ve signed. So please join me! 20,000 copies, 80,000 readers, we must surely be able to make our voices heard.....?

If I’d realised when I went to a local restaurant in October that I wouldn’t be able to go back till December, I might well have had a dessert …….

And I am definitely staying up on New Year’s Eve, not to see the New Year in but to make sure that the old one leaves…. !! I’ll enjoy Fireworks, the London Eye, the Bryan Adams 2016 New Year concert on video, the warmth of a home fire and a bottle of good wine!!!

Finally, it’s at this time of year when I am proud to say – the Purbeck Gazette is still here, thanks to advertisers and contributors. I’m proud to have done my own little bit in keeping it going even though I’ve missed my regular Friday visits to our Swanage office. Nico, I think you now owe me forty-eight doughnuts………!

Merry Christmas and a Better New Year to all those of you who read and enjoy my column!

The Purbeck Gazette

Talbot Village Trust Helps Grow Sexual Support Service

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albot Village Trust donated £10,000 to Acts Fast to help the charity provide an increased level of support to children and families throughout lockdown and beyond.

Between April and July, the charity took on fourteen new clients, in addition to the forty-five already in progress. Many of the individuals that the charity helped were already vulnerable and isolated, and the lockdown exaggerated this. Acts Fast needed to provide extended support outside of its usual operating hours to cover evenings and weekends, in order to cope with the increase in demand for its services. The Trust’s donation enabled the organisation to fund this increase in operation and allowed staff’s wages to be supplied.

Acts Fast provides support, resources and counselling services for children and their families who have been exposed to sexual violence. Commenting on the support Acts Fast received from the Trust, Chief Executive, Mandy Gulliver, said: “We are eternally grateful for the generous donation which has enabled us to continue providing crucial emotional support during this difficult time to our already fragile clients.”

Russell Lucas-Rowe, Trustee at Talbot Village Trust, added: “I would like to thank Mandy and her team for providing such necessary support during these difficult times. The lockdown has greatly impacted our communities in so many ways and it was imperative that we supported as many charities as we could with our Covid-19 Fund, to ensure an increase in services could be met.”

Talbot Village Trust’s Covid-19 Support Fund was launched in response to the need for funding to help organisations that were adversely affected by the pandemic. Applications for the fund have now closed, but the Trust is now accepting grant applications for its usual fund, before the Trustees meet in spring 2021.

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

JANUARY 2021 EDITION DEADLINE

NOON, Weds 9th December

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Libraries & T.I.C.s Continue Key Services

n line with Government regulations, Dorset Council’s libraries and Tourist Information Centres (TICs) across the county have now closed until Wednesday 2 December.

But many services will still be provided during the lockdown period, including the Order & Collect book service which allow all library members to order up to ten items per library card from your selected preference, chosen by us.

Dorset Libraries have had over 3,000 orders since we launched the Order & Collect service in July. This amounted to around 400 per week in July when libraries were closed, although this number obviously dropped off once libraries started to re-open.

Customer comments included: “I picked up our Order & Collect on Monday. Thank you both so much, it can’t have been easy choosing for a 12 and 15-year-old as the eldest can be picky! Only one duplicate (read before) in each of our three orders so well done. Highly recommend the service, next best thing to the library being open. Thanks again.”

Another customer noted: “Thank you for our books! We used your online service and collected today. So much fun to open the bags and see what you’d picked for me and my eight-year-old, and they all look great. We can’t wait to get reading! It feels like a real treat to have lovely librarians selecting books for us” This is what’s happening over the coming few weeks: Libraries: • Customers can continue to access online resources and virtual activities and events • All twenty-three of our libraries will continue with the Order & Collect book service (non-contact collection service for pre-selected books). People can order online by visiting www.dorsetcouncil.gov. uk/libraries-order-and-collect or by calling 01305 228400 • We will continue with the Home Library Service (non-contact doorstep drops) to people who are housebound – this will be provided by volunteers and Council employees • There is no public access to library buildings for browsing or public computer use • Items can be returned to the libraries via the letterboxes outside each building.

Tourist Information Centres (TICs): • All face to face services at our three TICs (Dorchester, Sherborne and Wareham) have been suspended • We will continue to provide an email/phone enquiry service. Contact details can be found online at https://www.visit-dorset.com/visitorinformation/tourist-information-centre-s Cllr. Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer Services and Communities, said: “It’s a shame we’ve had to close our libraries and tourist information centres again, especially since some locations have only just reopened in recent months, but we must observe the latest lockdown restrictions.

“However, our dedicated employees are doing everything they can to continue providing some key services over the coming weeks that we hope will make things a little easier for our loyal customers and visitors.

“I was very pleased that, during the last lockdown, our Libraries Team saw

o, what have we been up to?

Well, during the period 06 October – 06 November 2020 we dealt with a total of 605 occurrences in Purbeck, of which 180 were recorded crimes and resulted in 39 arrests.

There were also 84 occurrences of road traffic collisions, one of which happened in the high street Swanage which required a multi-agency approach with other emergency services.

On another note, there has been an incident at the Skate Park in Swanage where obscene graffiti was sprayed on the graffiti wall and several ramps were also defaced with graffiti. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please contact us.

As always, we still need your assistance and urge you to keep reporting any suspicious activities to us, this will allow us to identify preventative measures and offenders.

On the 10 of December 2020, the Purbeck South Neighbourhood Policing team will be holding a Q&A session on Facebook between 19:00 -19:30. We will put a post out two or three days in advance.

Feel free to submit your questions on this post in advance or on the day. Please keep your questions to community matters as we cannot discuss issues of a personal nature or specific incidents.

As we draw nearer to the winter/festive period we will be pushing the following campaign on social media and during other events we hold. We always encourage people to join Home Watch/Neighbourhood Watch or even consider becoming a coordinator. Home Watch isn’t just about crime, it’s about looking after vulnerable neighbours, being involved in the community and perhaps being aware of those who are more likely to become a victim of crime than others. https://www.dorset.police.uk/media/1477/security_advice_pack. pdf https://www.dorset.police.uk/media/1484/sheducation_2012.pdf https://www.dorset.police.uk/help-advice-crime-prevention/ home-property-belongings/protect-your-home/ All we ask is that you think of SANTA: Shop safe – Keep your purse or wallet secure.

Always lock your home and car when unattended, even if it’s for a few moments. Never leave items on view in your car or home. Tell your neighbours if you are going away and ask them to keep an eye on your house. Always report anything suspicious.

On a lighter note......

Dorset Police wish you all a Merry and Safe Christmas Finally, if you need to contact Dorset Police please call our Police Enquiry Centre by calling 101 or email 101@dorset.pnn.police. uk. Always call 999 in an EMERGENCY when there is a risk of HARM or a CRIME in progress. Alternatively, call the free CRIMESTOPPERS line on 0800 555 111.

You can also use our website to report a number of issues, from full crime reports to lost property; just use the following link https://www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online/ Don’t forget to visit us on our Facebook page Facebook.com/ Purbeck-police and Twitter - @PurbeckPolice – we really value your support and comments.

You can also see our latest priorities and up and coming events at https://www.dorset.police.uk/neighbourhood-policing/purbeck/ Purbeck Neighbourhood Policing Team

a significant growth in customers accessing our facilities using our online resources and services and this is something we want to encourage as we move ever more into a digital world.

“It’s very important for our young people and some our more vulnerable residents, and we must enable people to access materials to support emotional and mental well-being at this difficult time.

“We’ll reopen as soon as we’re able to, and I want to thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding.”

The Purbeck Gazette

Do You Know These People?!

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n November 5th at 5.30pm in Costcutters, Herston, Swanage, the two individuals pictured (from store CCTV) decided that they could help themselves to quite a lot of meat and alcohol.

Sadly, Chris Tomes of Costcutters was too late to catch them as they jumped in a car around the Steer Road area. The store CCTV system did however capture their images and the incident has been reported to the police. If anyone has any information, please contact either Chris at Costcutters or Dorset Police.

Chris said: “As we are a family business, this behaviour makes my blood boil. If any other local businesses see them please keep your eye out, I would not want anyone else to have goods stolen by these individuals.”

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Residents Urged To Comply With Regulations

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orset Council is appealing to the public to take personal responsibility in line with the latest national restrictions, which are set to last until 2 December. The public has been asked by government to stay at home, avoid non-essential travel and go out only for food, medical reasons, exercise, education or work.

Leader of Dorset Council, Cllr Spencer Flower said: “I know this second national lockdown will bring challenges for many people. But the government has made it clear that significant intervention is needed if we are going to stop the spread of Covid-19 and save lives this winter. I want to reassure residents that Dorset Council stands ready, once again, to support our communities by continuing to provide essential services including paying out financial packages to businesses and supporting clinically vulnerable people.

“We were in Tier 1 until this latest lockdown started, and if we all follow the guidance we hope we will still be in Tier 1 at the end of the lockdown – this is really important for us all. I am calling on the people of Dorset to pull together, as we have done before, to help each other and our communities through this second lockdown.”

Here’s how the November lockdown will affect Dorset Council services: • Household recycling centres, refuse and recycling collections, garden waste collection, commercial waste will all stay open and services will continue • Social care services will continue • Public toilets and car parks will stay open • Beaches, parks, skate parks and our green spaces will remain open for public use • Registration Services (registering a birth or death) will continue, but weddings will not be held and funerals continue to be restricted to 30 mourners • Our country parks’ open spaces will stay open for people to enjoy but visitor centres are closed and the restaurants will only offer takeaway services • Schools, colleges and childcare remain open • Leisure Centres are closed • Library buildings are closed but our book lending scheme will continue online, we have restarted our Order and Collect service and there is a Home Library Service for people who are housebound.

• Tourist Information Centres are closed • History centre and archives are closed Dorset Council is also carrying out welfare checks for people who are isolating, providing emergency grant payments to businesses that have to close, supporting people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, and supporting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

Any residents who are clinically extremely vulnerable and don’t have family, friends or a support network that can help them get things like food or medicine, should request help using Dorset Council’s online form or call 01305 221000. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5pm.

If people are worried about money, redundancy or reduced pay and are finding things tough right now, they should call Dorset Citizens Advice on 0344 411 1444 for free and impartial support.

The Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette

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More Than 410 New Homes For Rough Sleepers Approved

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Thousands of new, safe, long-term homes for rough sleepers Backed by more than £150 million government funding, new homes will be available by end of March 2021 • Taken together, Government spending on rough sleeping and homelessness this year is over £700 million ore than 410 new long-term homes for rough sleepers across the South West have been approved, the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP announced on Thursday 29 October.

Backed by Government investment of more than £150 million, the new homes will be made available in every region of England. This will enable people who sleep rough, or at risk of sleeping rough, to be rehoused in secure, long-term accommodation, providing some of the most vulnerable in society with a permanent place to live and help to rebuild their lives.

These will be available by the end of March 2021 and are part of the Government’s investment of £433 million to deliver 6,000 new homes for rough sleepers by the end of this Parliament. In March the Government

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launched the ‘Everyone In’ campaign to house rough sleepers in safe accommodation, helping to protect thousands of lives during the pandemic.

By September over 29,000 vulnerable people had been supported, with over 10,000 in emergency accommodation and nearly 19,000 provided with settled accommodation or move on support.

Kelly Tolhurst, Minister for Housing and Rough Sleeping said: “The efforts to protect rough sleepers throughout the pandemic have been truly outstanding, and I want to wholeheartedly thank all the charities, councils, housing providers and support groups who have made this possible.

“We want to ensure the progress continues for years to come and the new, safe and supported homes in the region, including in Plymouth, Cornwall and Bournemouth are the cornerstone of our work to tackle rough sleeping and provide a solid foundation for those affected to rebuild their lives.”

In total, 276 schemes have been approved across England, including 38 in London alone, which will provide 904 new homes for rough sleepers.

Outside of London, 238 councils have received approval to move to the next phase of development, encompassing 2,430 new homes.

This funding is on top of the £91.5 million allocated to 274 councils in September to fund their individual local plans for rough sleepers over the coming months, and to help provide short-term and interim accommodation for vulnerable people, as well as the £10 million Cold Weather Payment for councils to help to keep rough sleepers safe this winter.

Once they have the keys to their new home, rough sleepers will be supported by specialist staff to access the help they need, such as support for mental health or substance misuse needs, so they can rebuild their lives, move towards training and work, and remain off the streets for good.

During the pandemic, the government has worked closely with councils and charitable organisations to offer vulnerable people safe accommodation and support.

Thanks to the funding provided by this Government, and the efforts of charities, local government and other partners, in just over two months, more than 90% of rough sleepers known to councils at the beginning of the pandemic were offered accommodation to help protect them.

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Purbeck Artists & Stallholders Gear-Up For A Covid-Secure Christmas Gift Market....

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urbeck Artists and Stallholders are a group of collaborating artists and craftspeople who have held regular markets for the past twelve years. The group is kindly hosted by Worth Matravers Village Hall and supports both Worth Matravers Village Hall fund as well as Burngate Stone Carving Centre.

The Purbeck Artists and Stallholders group offer a wide range of local gifts, produce and quality art, ideal for Christmas! This year we’ll be bringing you a wide range of wooden objects and carvings, stone carvings, jewellery, cards, candles, silver, high quality wooden boxes, handmade socks, garlands, jellies, chutney and much, much more!

This year, we will be complying with all government guidelines with regards to the corona virus, so you are assured a safe shopping experience whilst supporting local artists and craftspeople. Sanitisers and a one-way system will be firmly in place and we will have control over numbers in the hall at any one time, so please be patient if queuing to gain entry!

Our aim is to keep everyone safe whilst supporting the local artists and craftspeople of Purbeck.

So! Wrap up warmly and come and visit us if you can! We intend on opening the craft market at 11am on December 9th and running it through for at least a week. Give us a call if you’re wanting to check if we’re open on 01929 439924.

The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Feeling Festive With Diverse Abilities!

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iverse Abilities, Dorset’s disability charity, has launched a range of fundraising activities to bring festive cheer, including the return of its popular Christmas Treecycling service, sponsored by Maidmans Removals, Waste Management Facilities, and Keyfort Limited.

Bookings are now open to have your tree collected between Saturday 9 and Monday 11 January 2021, across postcodes within the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation. The service has been revamped to ensure operations are Covid-friendly for the volunteers collecting the trees, and the collections will remain contactless.

Naomi Richards, fundraising officer, commented: “If there are any family or work bubbles out there with access to a van, then it would be great to hear from you, as we’d love for you to get involved with the collection weekend. Every precaution is being taken to ensure the safety of our volunteers over the weekend, and we are regularly reviewing plans as the situation develops.”

Following on from the #GrowTogether campaign in the spring, the charity has also launched a range of baubles which can be sent as a kind gesture to close family and friends, the people that Diverse Abilities support, and local care home residents. For £6, plus postage, your recipient will be sent a pair of baubles, one designed by an adult supported by Diverse Abilities, and another by a volunteer. There are two sets available, with two different designs in each set. All proceeds will go towards supporting those with disabilities in Dorset this Christmas.

Naomi continued: “Our #GrowTogether campaign was a great opportunity to send seeds of hope at the beginning of lockdown, and it was lovely to see everyone sharing their pictures of sunflower and sweet peas as they bloomed.

“We wanted to do something similar to this for Christmas, as it’s the time of year to let people know that they are in your thoughts, especially when you may be unable to see them. We also have the opportunity again for people to choose to send a pair of baubles to someone they don’t know, as we loved being able to send some hope to local care homes and to the people we support with our last campaign.”

The baubles are handmade by a local business, Life in Layers, with designs etched into wood and hung on white, festive ribbon.

Diverse Abilities has also launched a range of Christmas jumpers as part of its fundraising efforts for the season.

Four designs are available for children and adults retailing from £20 to £25, plus postage, inspired by traditional knitted jumpers, wreaths, and the charity’s services.

Visit diverseabilities.org.uk/trees to book your Christmas tree collection, or diverseabilities.org. uk/the-christmas-store to see the products available.

The Purbeck Gazette

Decades Of Superb Local Service

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y wife Marguerite and I opened Georgian Gems in 1970, having acquired an interesting stock of jewellery.

The Georgian period was our speciality and we selected wonderful antique jewellery and silver from this golden age of fine workmanship.

Rings, watches, earrings and lockets, all beautifully wrought, remembering nearly all were handmade and finished to a very high standard by skilled craftsmen.

Victorian items inset with precious stones and natural pearls, corals, gilt and shells.

Romantic jewellery set with jewels to spell out dearest or regard.

Diamonds, amethysts, rubies, sapphires, tourmaline, emeralds and garnets, set into precious metals and crafted into entwined hearts or a lover’s knot and inscribed with a personal message for a loved one.

Scottish and Celtic jewellers used natural and locally sourced stones with agate, marble and turquoise, twisted into intricate knotwork designs. The Art Nouveau period gave us luminous enamels, floral wreaths adorned with cherubs and lilies, entwined with foliage. Art Deco, with its clean lines in white gold, silver and chrome, squares and triangles overlaid with striking new patterns, which were dramatic in concept.

Vintage 1940 to 1970 was a much more relaxed time for jewellery and we moved onto much more rounded shapes, textured and using multicoloured precious metals. Today’s modern jewellery and silver gem set items are simple, while staying interesting and desirable.

I have been involved in retail jewellery from the age of twenty-four, before opening Georgian Gems with my wife. I am totally dedicated to my work and hope that the items I sell will give real and lasting pleasure and appreciate in value in the future. Georgian Gems offers good value and a unique personal service, with quality items at affordable prices and individual items that will make you feel special. I am proud to be the centre for those wishing to purchase quality silver jewellery.

Brian Barker S.J.H/Member Gemmological Society, Honorary member of Swanage Chamber of Trade and Commerce.

The photograph in my advert, above right, is of a Russian Faberge Egg – 1896 – which I was able to see as a special guest of Messrs Wartski Crown Jewellers. It was sold for scrap in the USA. A wonderful tribute to the Goldsmiths Guild. Today valued at more than one million pounds, a joy to behold.

Illegal Hunt Offences Witnesses Sought

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fficers are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following reported offences under the Hunting Act in North Dorset. Dorset Police received a report on Tuesday 3 November 2020 that during the late morning and early afternoon an organised trail hunt took place in the area of Hinton St Mary, close to Sturminster Newton.

It is alleged that offences were committed against the Hunting Act 2004 and that a fox was pursued by hounds across the B3092 road between Sturminster Newton and Hinton St Mary.

North Dorset Inspector Simon Perry said: “We are carrying out enquiries in relation to this incident. As part of our investigation I am keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the relevant time and either witnessed something or captured anything of relevance on their dashcam to please contact Dorset Police.”

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 55200165514. Alternatively, to stay 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or call Freephone 0800 555 111.

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The Purbeck Gazette

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SELF STORAGE UNITS From 10ft x 6ft up to 15ft x 16ft For furniture, classic cars, documents Insured & Alarmed At East Stoke, Wareham www.purbeckselfstorage.co.uk

Call 07836 369969

Wareham Town Council Update Julie, our Gazette correspondent, details the goings on in recent council meetings.....

News from Wareham Town Council November his year there will be no Christmas Parade but the Christmas lights will go on and Father Christmas will be working. The Volunteer of the Year award has been postponed until the New Year.

At October’s Extraordinary Town Council meeting, the Neighbourhood Plan was approved for submission to Dorset Council (DC). Thanks were recorded to David and Hilary Evans for all their work on its preparation. There is now more information on www.warehamplan.co.uk including the results of the consultations and the composition of the group.

In response to the Government White Paper, Planning For The Future, the Council stressed that Town and Parish Councils should remain involved with planning and no one should be excluded because they do not have access to digital plans. In addition, the Council demanded government support for Neighbourhood Plans.

Councillor Ezzard called for pressure on DC which is considering deferring the target date for Zero Carbon Dorset from 2030 to 2040. The European Regional Development Fund will help fund low carbon energy projects.

Whether DC will continue to fund tourist information centres is to be decided. DC is proposing to increase the charging period at car parks and is consulting until 6 December on a shoppers’ parking permit. The expected completion date for the Health Centre site is 2023 and 2024 for the Bonnets Lane site.

Benches were to be installed on Shatters Hill and adjacent to the Post Office. Mr Andrews was to move stones engraved at Burngate to near Westgate. Following complaints from residents, Councillor Ezzard cited RSPCA advice on limiting the noise of fireworks. The motion was overturned although Councillors decried the indiscriminate use of fireworks.

Mrs Joyce Spiller, a Purbeck Youth and Community Foundation trustee, in a concise and considered presentation outlined PYCF’s valuable work which continued through lockdown including an outreach programme, working with schools to do walk and talk sessions with one or two children, two days at Carey Camp for young carers, work on the allotment and other outside activities for vulnerable children.

PYCF has helped 1500 young people since 2016, provided employment and volunteering opportunities and run the youth centre which for some children is the one “safe place to be”. PYCF costs £8,000 a month.

Individuals make regular donations; Corfe Castle and Wool Parish Councils fund their local sessions. If you think the Town Council should commit to a regular donation as requested by Mrs Spiller, why not write to the Council in encouragement?

The next Town Council meetings are on Tuesdays 15th December and 19th January. Consult the Council’s website, www.wareham-tc.gov.uk, or ‘phone 01929 553006 for details and to submit questions or comments.

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The Purbeck Gazette

Overall Crime Continues To Drop For Dorset Police

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orset Police has seen a 5.1% drop in recorded crime, according to new figures released on Wednesday 28 October 2020.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics, shows the Force has continued to see a drop in overall crime. In early 2020 Dorset received a ‘Good’ grading from HMICFRS for accurate crime recording, which means the reduction by 5.1% during the twelve months to the end of June 2020 is a real reduction and gives us the tenth lowest crime rate in England and Wales.

Deputy Chief Constable Scott Chilton said: “Dorset remains one of the safest counties in the country to live and visit. “The excellent work done by all our officers and staff to keep our communities safe is reflected in this reduction.

“All crime matters to our communities and we will maintain our focus on providing an outstanding service to the people of Dorset, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Reducing crime is important to everyone and I hope this will help to reassure our communities that we are working with them and partners to focus on what matters.”

The total number of crimes reduced from 54,677 to 51,908 over the twelve-month period, a reduction of 3.6 crimes per 1,000 population.

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “This is great news for Dorset residents, as these figures demonstrate that not only do they live in one of the UK’s safest counties, but one in which crime levels are dropping. I’d like to praise the dedication of all our officers, staff members and volunteers who have worked so hard through this very difficult period to keep people safe.”

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Royal Voluntary Service Knitted Teddy Bears’ Picnic

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uring lockdown when all home visiting services were suspended, our Home Library Service volunteers kept in touch with their clients on the phone, which has been much appreciated particularly by those who live alone and don’t have family and friends nearby.

To keep everybody engaged and busy we came up with the idea of a Knitted Teddy Bears’ Picnic, calling on all crafters stuck at home during lockdown and beyond to help us by making bears, picnic food and blankets – no limit to the imagination! We advertised this county wide in March, and we now have handcrafted items flooding in from the whole area and beyond.

We have been kindly invited by Cards for Good Causes in Dorchester to display some of our creations in their temporary shop in Antelope Walk (the former Tourist Information Centre). Our teddies are sitting there happily, enjoying their picnic and the attention they are getting from all the customers in the shop. Of course, people are able to buy them and take them home – all proceeds and donations will support the work of Royal Voluntary Service in Dorset.

Sadly, due to the second lockdown, the shop is now closed until 2nd December, but we are hoping that many people will read this and come and see our teddies when the shops reopen! If anybody in the community has made bears or other items for us and kindly held on to them until now, can they please get in touch with us on 01305 236666 or e-mail maria.jacobson@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk to let us know and we will arrange to pick them up!

Royal Voluntary Service is a charity supporting our communities in a variety of ways. Our local office is in High West Street Dorchester, and our main service in Dorset and BCP is the Home Library Service which we deliver in partnership with the Library Services. It is available for free to anybody who finds it difficult to get to their local library, providing them not only with a three weekly delivery of individually chosen books and/or talking books, but also a regular visit by a trusted volunteer and a much needed social contact.

The Home Library Service was suspended in March due to the Coronavirus situation, but we are now active again offering a Doorstep Delivery service of books: strictly non-contact and following all safety guidance.

Books are chosen and made ready at the library and are delivered to our readers’ doorsteps by our volunteers who are currently not able to enter the house – but the return of our book deliveries has been very much welcomed by our readers and by our volunteers, who love to have their reading materials back as well as having a chat with their volunteers, even if it has to be at a distance!

For any information regarding the Knitted Teddy Bears’ Picnic or the Home Library Service/Doorstep Delivery Service please contact Maria Jacobson, Service Manager, on 01305 236666 or maria.jacobson@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk.

The Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette

Carbon Emission Grants Grant funding and technical support for Dorset organisations to reduce their carbon emissions will continue for another two years thanks to additional funding of over £5m secured by Dorset Council. he funding, provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), will extend the Council’s existing three-year Low Carbon Dorset programme by a further two years until 2023.

Through Low Carbon Dorset, organisations across the county have been accessing free technical advice and grant funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.

Since its launch in April 2019 the programme has given out 91 grants worth over £2m. And provided free advice to over 100 Dorset based businesses, community groups and publicly funded organisations. This support has helped save just under 4,000 tonnes of CO2 a year – the equivalent of taking around 800 cars off the road.

Dorset Council’s Sustainability Team Manager, Antony Littlechild, has been leading the bid for additional funding and said - “Uptake of this support over the past three years has been phenomenal with over 350 applications received. It has been especially encouraging to see the appetite from Dorset businesses to be more environmentally conscious. We are thrilled to be able to extend the support to even more organisations and projects.”

The Council will continue to work in partnership with Dorset AONB to deliver the programme. Through which they hope to reduce Dorset’s emissions by a further 5k tonnes and help fund the installation of another 5MW of renewable energy in Dorset over the next two years.

Councillor Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said of the recent news ‘The Low Carbon Dorset programme has been hugely successful over the past three years, and we are over the moon that our bid for funds to secure its extension has been approved.

“The programme has, and will continue to be, a core component of the Council’s response to the Climate & Ecological Emergency. These additional funds offer an exciting opportunity to support Dorset in its move towards a low-carbon future.”

Organisations interested in seeking support from the programme can apply through the Low Carbon Dorset website.

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Former Dorset Police Officer Found Not Guilty Of Murder

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former Dorset Police officer who admitted a charge of manslaughter in relation to the death of a woman in West Parley has been found not guilty of her murder. Timothy Brehmer, aged 41, was found not guilty of the murder of 41-year-old Claire Parry on Tuesday 27 October 2020 following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court. He had previously entered a guilty plea to a charge of manslaughter and was due to be sentenced for that offence on Wednesday 28 October 2020.

The plea related to an incident in the car park of the Horns Inn in Christchurch Road on Saturday 9 May 2020 where a woman was found in need of medical assistance. Mrs Parry sadly died in hospital the following day. A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was a brain injury caused by compression of the neck.

Brehmer admitted in court that his unlawful actions had caused the death of Mrs Parry. However, he stated that he did not intend to kill or seriously harm her at the time her injuries were inflicted.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Dixey, of the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), said: “Following a detailed and comprehensive investigation, the circumstances of the case were heard in court and Brehmer was found not guilty of murder. He had previously pleaded guilty to the offence of manslaughter. Our thoughts remain with the family of Mrs Parry and I would like to pay tribute to the dignified way in which they have conducted themselves throughout the investigation. “I would like to thank all those involved in the investigation, including our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service and the prosecution team, for their assistance in this difficult case.”

Following the guilty plea to manslaughter, which was entered at Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday 8 July 2020, Dorset Police commenced misconduct proceedings against Brehmer.

A misconduct hearing was held on Wednesday 16 September 2020 at Dorset Police’s Winfrith headquarters, chaired by Chief Constable James Vaughan. He ruled that the officer would be dismissed with immediate effect and would be placed on the national barred list.

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The Purbeck Gazette

St Edward’s Way Sponsored Walk

In Aid Of ‘Children In Need’ And Corfe Castle Village Hall

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avid Kemp of Corfe Castle was looking for a useful way to gain permitted daily exercise. Having exhausted local footpaths he came across St. Edward’s Way, a new trail connecting Corfe Castle to Shaftesbury.

This looked varied and interesting, linking the Dorset scenery to the dramatic story of St. Edward King and Martyr, who was murdered in Corfe Castle in 978 AD. After a modest burial at Wareham, the King’s body was moved to Shaftesbury Abbey for a more royal interment. David felt the route could be walked in a series of fifteen stages, each being part of a circular walk back to their starting points.

He decided to seek sponsorship for donations to good causes, to be shared equally by ‘Children in Need’ and Corfe Castle Village Hall improvements towards completion of flooring the attic.

David is walking the sections each appropriate day, depending on weather and other factors, accompanied by another member of ‘Double Act’, as Covid guidelines allow. He aims to complete the whole route, about seventy miles, by the end of this year.

Any contributions you are able to make will be gratefully received online via justgiving.com For those wishing to pay by cash or cheques please contact David on 01929 480007 or email davimukem@aol.com or use the sponsorship forms based in local shops.

TOGETHER WE CAN! Watch this space for further Corfe Castle Village Hall and Double Act events.

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MYTIME Nominated As Club’s Chosen Charity

he Dorset Golf & Country Club Captains have chosen MYTIME Young Carers as their charity of the year. John Ahern is the newly appointed Club Captain, Sarah Jenkins the new Lady Captain and Andy Greene the new Seniors’ Captain.

The MYTIME team were warmly welcomed to the club on Saturday 10th October, to spectate at the annual ‘Captains’ Drive- In’, where the new captains, including the junior Vice Captain, Vinny Whalley, take part in a competition to see just how far they can drive the ball.

Funds were raised for the charity in a sweepstake, with members guessing how far all four captains would hit the ball. The winner of this year’s competition was Mike Jenkins, father of the Lady Captain.

John said, “We are thrilled to have been sworn into our new positions at this AGM and to be supporting this fantastic Dorset charity.”

Sarah added, “We decided to choose MYTIME Young Carers Charity as our charity of the year after I read about them in the inflight magazine on a TUI Flight into Bournemouth Airport. MYTIME are a nominated charity of TUI. Their cause really appealed to me. Having had a very happy childhood myself, I felt moved to support the remarkable young carers on whose behalf MYTIME work.

We are in total awe of all that these incredible young people do for their families.”

MYTIME’s CEO Krista Sharp said, “We were so pleased to be contacted

by John and Sarah and we’re so grateful for their support. It will be brilliant to have them and the incredibly active golfing community behind them on board over the coming twelve months. This will allow us to continue to provide essential support to young carers and young adult carers between the ages of five and twenty-five, and to be able to offer them the opportunities and friendship that help to level the playing field.”

About MYTime Young Carers MYTime Young Carers seeks to provide young carers and young adult

carers between the age of five-twenty-five with the support, opportunities and friendship that help to level the playing field.

In the UK, there are an estimated 700,000 young carers, yet only 166,000 are registered as such. This means that the vast majority are facing the challenges of caring for a vulnerable relative, without support from their school or local authority.

It also means that the scale and nature of the challenges young carers face are hidden and often misunderstood. It is our aim to help young carers overcome these challenges, and to create a society which is more aware, inclusive and supportive of young carers.

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Dorset - Best Place To Grow Up!

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new plan has been launched to make Dorset the best place to growup. The new Children, Young People and Families Plan 2020-23 has been drawn-up by the Dorset Strategic Alliance for Children and Young People.

The alliance, which includes schools, the NHS, local councils, the police and voluntary organisations, listened to the views of children and young people before creating it. The plan, which was launched at a recent meeting of Dorset Council, will improve opportunities and services for children, young people and their families.

Cllr Peter Wharf, Chairman of the Strategic Alliance, said: “This is a very ambitious plan to make Dorset the best place to grow-up. It sets out clearly what we are going to do to help all children thrive, this includes helping young children get ready for school, promoting immunisation, ensuring good child care is available, making places child-friendly, supporting well-being and mental health, creating more homes in Dorset for our Children in Care, strengthening our schools and improving opportunities and vocational education.

“We listened to children and young people before drawing-up the plan and their feedback was incredibly powerful. They told us clearly that they want us to make Dorset a kinder, more welcoming place, help the environment and provide more things to do. Thank you to all children and young people who shared an idea – they were brilliant.”

The plan has six priorities, which are: • Best Start in Life – We want Dorset children to have the best start in life • Young and Thriving – We want Dorset children to become happy, successful adults • Good Care Provision – We want Dorset children to be safe and properly cared for • Best Education for All – We want Dorset children to have a great education and enjoy school • Best Place to Live – We want to make Dorset the best place to live

and grow-up (this priority was created in response to feedback from children and young people) • Delivering Locally – We want to serve Dorset children, young people and families as best we can Kate Harvey, Service Director for Children Young People and Families at Dorset Health Care, said: “Working together to deliver this plan will help Dorset be the best place for our children to be born, grow, learn and develop, and have a lifelong impact on people’s health and well being.”

Dave Thompson 0 – 25 Voluntary and Community Sector representative, said: “The new plan is a great step forward, and we look forward to working together with our partners in the statutory sector to deliver.”

Chief Inspector Stewart Dipple of Dorset Police said: “Dorset Police strives to provide an outstanding service to the people of Dorset – this is our mission and is echoed in this strategy. Dorset Police will be working hard in collaboration with all partners to deliver this ambitious plan and keep children and families safe, by doing the right thing and making a difference.”

The plan is available at https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/childrenfamilies/childrens-plan/childrens-plan.aspx , alongside an Easy Read version.

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Household Recycling Centres Remaining Open

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ll ten of Dorset Council’s Household Recycling Centres (HRCs, or “the tip”) will remain open daily during the latest lockdown period, but restrictions will apply on site.

Latest government guidance puts strong restrictions on travel to help reduce non-essential journeys.

Therefore, householders should only take waste to a HRC if it cannot be stored safely at home and no alternative disposal options are available.

All recycling centres will be open from 10am to 4pm daily. Visitors should expect queues to access HRCs due to social distancing measures limiting the amount of people we can have on site at any one time.

Visitors should expect queues to access HRCs due to a reduction in the number of available parking bays, aiding with social distancing and limiting how many people we can have on site at any one time. Re-use areas will be closed to reduce contact with items and encourage visitors to leave quickly after waste has been dropped off.

All usual waste types will continue to be accepted, including garden waste.

Site staff will be unable to assist with carrying items. While face-coverings are not mandatory, visitors should always comply with social distancing guidance on-site, washing their hands both before and after they visit.

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To help reduce the need to travel to HRCs, householders should continue to maximise the use of their kerbside waste and recycling collection services. You can always put out additional recycling, glass and food waste at the kerbside provided it is separated properly and placed in sturdy containers that can be easily and comfortably lifted by one person.

Further information can be found on the Dorset Council website.

Cllr. Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer, Community and Regulatory Services, said: “I’m pleased that we will be keeping our household recycling centres open during this lockdown period, but it’s important that everyone understands that we are not operating a “business as usual” service.

We are urging everyone to ask themselves if their “trip to the tip” is necessary now. Please consider whether popping into a HRC on your way to the shops to drop off a single bag of garden or household waste is a responsible use of the service and your time.

“If you can keep your waste at home without it causing risk of injury, health or harm, please do so until restrictions are relaxed once again.

I’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding. By everyone working together, we can keep our HRCs open for those who need them - it’s one less thing to worry about during these difficult times.”

Temporary Doorstep Library Service

lthough our much-loved Home Library Service had to be suspended due to the Coronavirus situation, we are now providing a temporary non-contact Doorstep Delivery Service to those that cannot easily get to their local library, either short term or long term.

Our volunteers have strict safety guidelines and all necessary risk assessments have been carried out.

Books are chosen by staff at each library, based on individual preferences, and made ready for our volunteers to pick up and deliver to our clients’ front doors.

The volunteers will not enter the house, and they will keep a safe distance at all times; they can also pick up books and return them to the library.

This service is entirely free and is available across Dorset and BCP areas.

We are keen to let more people know that it is available to them if they find themselves unable to get to the library.

To find out more please contact Maria Jacobson, Service Manager Dorset Home Library Service, on 01305 236666 or 07786 635154, or e-mail maria. jacobson@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

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Hockey Club Update

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ave you been unable to play your usual sport this winter due to the pandemic?

Are you missing getting out into the fresh air and playing in a team with like-minded people every week?

If the answers to these questions is “yes”, then read on. Now could be a perfect time to try something new like hockey. Whether you’ve played before or not it doesn’t matter.

With so many sports unable to return back to playing due to Covid-19 restrictions, we’re pleased to say that hockey is most definitely back.

Our season began as planned on September 26th and, with a pause for Lockdown 2.0, we are able to continue to train and play games in all of the government’s C19 Tiers.

Every rule and regulation issued by the government and England Hockey regarding the pandemic is being followed in order to keep our players, officials and everyone else safe.

We’ve been able to start our leagues, playing every Saturday and encourage anyone who is missing playing sport to come and join us. The club trains on Wednesday evenings at the Purbeck Sports Centre from 7.30pm to 9pm (seniors) with Juniors (6-13) training from 6.30pm – 7.30pm during term time.

We run two men’s and two ladies teams who play in the Hampshire leagues and welcome all ages and abilities. We also have a mixed team that goes to tournaments and plays league games in the summer break.

So, if you’re stuck at home on a Saturday when we’re all out on the pitch, get in touch with us. There’s nothing more important at the moment for our mental health than keeping fit and enjoying yourself and this can be done within our safe, competitive environment.

If you’d like any further information please email: secretary@swanageandwarehamhc.org.uk or take a look at our website: www.swanageandwarehamhc.org.uk

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View from the Lookout – December 2020 ’m pleased to say that, despite ‘Lockdown 2.0’, we will remain operational. Following discussions with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, it was decided that, with all the precautions we had put in place to run a watch safely, we could remain open.

It’s a measure of the professionalism of our volunteers that we have been awarded ‘declared facility status’ by the MCA. Having DFS means that we are officially counted in the assets that the MCA can call on in an emergency and this is borne out by watchkeepers being involved in supporting the emergency services twice in the last few weeks.

The end of the year is often a time for reflection. As I write this article, we would normally be preparing to take part in Swanage’s Remembrance Sunday Parade. Sadly, the pandemic means that this is not going ahead and the commemorative events at the town’s war memorial have been scaled back.

We are being asked to mark the two minutes silence at home and also to share stories of remembrance through social media and other means.

I thought it would be appropriate to talk about an act of heroism that occurred within site of the Lookout in December 1943.

On the 21st December HMS Rorqual, a British submarine was being escorted from Portsmouth to Portland by a Free French Navy submarine chaser, the Carentan. She had been seized by the British in 1940 and renamed HMS Carentan but was handed back to the Free French forces in 1942.

With a force 9 south westerly gale blowing, the vessels made slow progress. As they passed Durlston Head, the Carentan capsized. The submarine commander instantly radioed the naval officer in charge, at Poole. He requested the Swanage lifeboat be launched. In an increasing gale and poor visibility, it took the lifeboat three-quarters of an hour to reach the scene, where they found and rescued three sailors clinging to the keel. Four others had been rescued by the submarine but sixteen were still trapped within the upturned hull.

The lifeboat crew could see the faces of the crew looking out of

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the portholes, but it was utterly impossible to board the vessel. The lifeboat crew tried to get the crew to close the portholes to try and maintain the buoyancy of the vessel, but, with the storm and the language barrier, the crew didn’t understand.

The hard decision was made to return to Swanage and try and get cutting gear from a local garage. Sadly, on their return the lifeboat crew found that the vessel had already sunk.

For their bravery, the coxswain and crew received letters of thanks from the Commander in Chief of the Free French Naval Forces. After the war all received medals and certificates from the French Government. I’m grateful to local fisherman, Terry Dyke, for letting me share photographs of his grandfather’s medal and certificate (top left and above).

The incident highlights the bravery, commitment and compassion of the men and women who volunteer for the RNLI and we’re proud to be able to call them colleagues.

Keeping on the theme of commemoration, regular visitors to Peveril Point will have noticed that there is a new memorial plaque on the wall of the Lookout (below, left).

This is to commemorate David Figg, who sadly passed away last year.

David played a major role in the development of the NCI stations in Dorset. He was an Auxiliary Coastguard when the Swanage Coastguard station closed in September ‘94 and he joined his former Station Officer, Ian Surface, in founding the NCI station on Peveril Point.

David stood the first watch on the morning of 15 April ‘95. Working hand in hand with Ian Surface he was also instrumental in helping set up the station at St Alban’s Head and on Portland Bill. He served as treasurer for all three stations for a number of years and was appointed as President of the Swanage Station.

David regularly continued to stand watch, on a Friday, until shortly before his death in February 2019. He is greatly missed by his colleagues and many of us have memories of him making sure that the brass clock in the lookout was wound up and polished brightly.

Many of you will be reading this in December and, on behalf of Swanage NCI, I would like to wish you a safe, healthy and happy Christmas and New Year.

This is Swanage NCI Listening on Channel 65, out.

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Rotary’s Alternative Christmas Plans!

wanage & Purbeck Rotary is hoping to provide some festive cheer and raise much-needed money for local good causes this year.

Covid-19 has already curtailed plans with the cancellation of the hugely popular Christmas Market. With the latest lockdown in place at the time of writing, it is still unclear how Rotary will be able to proceed. The advertisement in this edition sets out provisional plans (above).

Santa’s Sleigh is hoping to tour between 3rd - 19th December, but in a Covid-19 safe way.

Santa’s helpers will not be knocking on doors, but residents can choose to bring out their children to meet Santa (and get some sweets!), as well as donating to local good causes.

New this year, Rotary will have a card reader for contactless donations as well as a bucket for cash - both will be held to enable safe social distancing. Online donations can also be made via www.JustGiving.com/campaign/SantaSleigh Santa may well need to change his plans, so as soon as he knows anything definite, he will let residents know when and where he will be via www.swanagerotary.org, Facebook and Twitter, as well as Purbeck Coast FM and Swanage News.com. Christmas Mail collections will be from the now-closed Swanage Mobility Shop in Station Road.

Collections also from Langton Matravers (Poppy’s Tea Room at Putlake), Harmans Cross (Foleys garage), Corfe Castle (Dragon’s Bakery) and Ulwell, Swanage (Ballard Stores).

With no Christmas Breakfast this year, Rotary hopes to give a Christmas stocking to elderly people on its Christmas Breakfast mailing list who are home alone, thanks to the generous support of local businesses.

Swanage and Purbeck Rotary has traditionally supported an International

Christmas shoebox project for children and this year has been no exception.

Members have managed to prepare over 250 boxes to send to youngsters in Montenegro, Albania and the Philippines, all thanks to the truly wonderful support received from local schools, Rotary’s Business Partners and very generous Rotary club members and Friends.

We hope to see many of you (from a short distance!) joining us outside to greet Santa whilst he’s on his rounds - bringing cheer to the residents of Purbeck no matter what’s occurring in the wider world!

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The Sacred Land Beneath Our Feet.....

World-renowned Purbeckian author, Ilay Cooper, reviews a new book of extraordinary national importance: ‘Purbeck Stone’ By Treleven Haysom The Purbeck Coast - from Seacombe to Anvil Point. The dark cave in the distance is Blacker’s Hole. From ‘Purbeck Stone’

Ilay cooper writes (pictured, left, standing tall above the city of Jaipur in India whilst on a research trip for his revised ‘Guide to the painted towns of Shekhawati’ in 2015)..... hen asked to review Treleven Haysom’s ‘Purbeck Stone’ I refused. Friends since boyhood, how could I act the neutral party on his book?

He introduced me to a new world.

We’d meet at the quarry, then tinkering with metal on stone, and walk along cliff looking for birds. On the way he pointed out different beds, incised ships, initials, dates in the rock face, a wrecked pier. It was the 1950s; a last timber upright remained at Chilmark, a cannon stood at Pier Bottom. We explored precarious lanes of underground quarries. Later, working at the quarry, I grew familiar with a variety of stone. What I know of Purbeck stone I learned from Trev.

His book, ‘Purbeck Stone’, disseminates that knowledge, gathered from his father’s experience in the industry, from other old hands, whose frequent vernacular quotes in the text are always apposite, experts telling what they

know. He listened, read, remembered, sought evidence to fill in forgotten details. His ‘in my opinion’ bears weight. ‘Purbeck Stone’ is born of a long lifetime looking and listening.

The text is dense, diverting, rich in all manner of details. The first chapter is a bucket of cold water: one steps straight into foreign territory, a multitude of oddly-named beds forming the Purbeck series. Here, an introduction with an abbreviated table of beds, if not essential, would help. But only a handful of beds will recur throughout the text. Trev immediately shifts to the most famous, ‘Purbeck Marble’, topmost of the series, which earns a chapter of its own.

Woods and thickets now mark the uneven ground from which marble block was drawn. A map traces the outcrop. At its best from Wilkswood to Afflington, imagine the industry, the labour, whole families, blue clay marring the meadows.

No true marble but a dark limestone, blue, green or grey, dappled with watersnail fossils, Purbeck Marble rose to glorify England’s middle ages.

At its 13th century zenith most great ecclesiastical interiors displayed it, little parish churches might offer a font, a grave ledger, a crossed tomb lid, an altar slab.

Its beauty lay partly in the ability to hold a polish, a characteristic not always exploited. Left tooled, as in Salisbury Cathedral’s pillar drums, its lighter shade still contrasts with the darkness of the slender polished shafts soaring alongside. Marble made the masons, often Corfe men, marblers.

Familiarity allows the author to relate samples to their source. Plentiful bivalves, broad lists, both marked out in white calcite, indicate marble from

Opposite the Ship Hotel, Swanage. Randell’s banker - 1870-80. L-R, back row: Albert Tomes, Septimus Burt, George Norman, Frank Stevens, hidden behind..?, John Haysom, Joseph Phillard, Stephen Haysom, James Coleman. Front: William Haysom, sitting...?, Turner, standing

G&T Lander’s Gallows Gore Quarry, 1931.

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Above: Blue Marble from Quarr

Above: Green Marble. The largest white fossils are unios. Some Green Marble monuments lack these.

Peveril. Loads left there under sail or from Ower bound for Canterbury, London, Lincoln and points beyond. When fashion faded under the Tudors that marble gave way to alabaster then to foreign marbles.

‘Inland Quarries’ examines Purbeck beds lying below the marble. Locally, Burr, next in sequence, became an important building stone, fashioned into the fabric of Corfe Castle, of nearby churches and manors before its eclipse by Cliff Stone. It had a Victorian revival, standing proud and pink as Kingston’s second church. The pink is algae.

The next demand, more commonplace and practical, was for cleaving beds to provide paved sidewalks, floors and, thinner, tiles for roofing. Daniel Defoe, passing through Purbeck in the early 18th century, remarked that it was fulfilling a high demand in London. Where Downsvein and neighbouring beds ran close beneath the surface, vulnerable to frost, the layers were least consolidated, cleaving easily. Soon exploited, the quarrymen were driven to follow these beds underground.

The downland around Swanage was burrowed with underground quarries, but the town’s genteel delevopment drove the quarries west towards Langton, Acton and Kingston. Until the close of the 19th century, The Bankers between Swanage’s brook and quay became the exit point for stone. It left from the beach, from a new, now old, pier then with train the focus shifted to the railway yard. Underground quarries died with WW II, made redundant by modern machinery which could tear the land apart for stone.

Discussing ‘Peveril Point and Durlston Bay’, Trev deals with those quarried outcrops of the same Purbeck beds, some altered in their passage eastwards. Marble appears on the beach. The Peveril ledges are Burr, here hard to work, left to run out to sea. Useful beds above the shore were worked, loaded onto boats then taken to The Bankers or beyond.

‘Cliff Stone’ deals with very different material. The Purbeck beds were deposited in fresh or brackish (sometimes highly saline) water. Cliff Stone, the limestone exposed from Durlston Head to Chapmans Pool and beyond, older than Purbeck, formed under the sea its fossils including marine oysters, large ammonites. Two freestone beds high in the series remain favoured for building. Above them lie a couple of shelly beds, one, Blue Bit, yielding fine slabs at St Aldhelm’s Head, becomes coarse, useless oyster bed at Tilly Whim.

The cherished features of that cliff coast - Winspit, Seacombe, Hedbury, Dancing Ledge, Tilly Whim itself - are man-made quarries, much of their stone lowered into 18th century sailing vessels to be carried eastwards along the coast to Ramsgate’s massive harbour project. They also produced sinks, kerb, staddlestones, ashlar. The last cliff quarry closed in the 1950s.

The ‘Uses’ chapter is richly illustrated by buildings and their furnishings of

fonts, royal tombs, effigies, the filigree canopies that shelter them. There are handsome manor houses, headstones in Newfoundland, London paving, tiled roofs and more kerb. The illustrations include early photographs and paintings of the industry, its transport, the techniques involved. Technology and Trade organisations each earn their own chapter. Such a selection of attractive, unusual pictures shouldn’t distract from an excellent text.

As a reference for its subject, ‘Purbeck Stone’ may be built upon but not surpassed.

A vital addition to any Dorset book-shelf, its importance to periods of English architecture guarantees a more extensive, if specialist, readership.

Like Hutchins ‘History of Dorsetshire’, it is, and will remain, the classic in its field. £35 - large, hardback book. 310 pages. Available at Swanage Bookshop, Station Road. ISBN: 978-0-9955462-6-4

Treleven Haysom, photograph by Millie Pilkington

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Business

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Selling a property?

I recently attended a Zoom strategy session arranged by our Head Office about yield and income mandates in the ‘new normal’. Although it was particularly relevant to portfolios that I manage for clients, it really made me think about the whole concept of income. It was mostly common sense, but sometimes you need to take a step back and view things in life from a different perspective in order to reassess long held assumptions and ideas and to think about why and how you do things the way you do.

Where income is required from a portfolio, investors need to decide whether they are looking for a set yield in percentage terms from their portfolios or a set income requirement in order to, for instance, provide monies to cover monthly outgoings.

If there is a set income requirement, it doesn’t have to be pure income. It can be made up of a mixture of income and capital and this can be achieved in different ways. Where this ‘income’ is derived from a portfolio and a natural income is not sufficient to meet a client’s needs, holdings aimed at growth can also be selected in order for profit to be released from time to time as income is required or capital can regularly be drawn down, ready to pay out as income.

Another alternative is to make use of collective investments where the income that is paid out has been boosted by the careful use of instruments such as covered call options. If you have a managed portfolio, your investment manager will be able to tailor your individual portfolio to suit your income requirements.

With dividends from many companies reduced or suspended, in order to maintain a diversified portfolio for a client at their desired risk level, investment managers may well need to be looking at different ways of producing an income for a client, particularly where the client has a fixed income requirement.

This then led me to think about income compared to expenditure. At the present time, some people will have less income than normal and may be worried about their jobs and future earning potential, whereas some people’s income will have remained much the same, if their job has remained constant and secure or if they receive a fixed amount of pension income. In most cases, I would expect that expenditure has actually fallen as a number of normal activities have been curtailed.

Each person’s circumstances will be different, but it can be very useful to calculate and assess our income and expenditure from time to time, to see if any adjustments or improvements can be made.

Until next month, take care and stay safe.

Kate Spurling, Investment Manager, Redmayne Bentley, Tel: 01202 714 450 kate.spurling@redmayne.co.uk

Kate Spurling, Investment Manager, Redmayne Bentley, Tel: 01202 714 450 Redmayne Bentley is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Members of the London Stock Exchange. The Redmayne Bentley Bournemouth and Poole office is located at 139 Commercial Road, Ashley Cross, Poole, Dorset, BH14 0JD. Follow us on Twitter @redmaynebentley and visit us on the web at www.redmayne.co.uk/bournemouth

If you have sold a property that has been used for anything other than your main residence during your ownership, then from 6th April 2020 you have to declare to HMRC within thirty days of completion any capital gains tax position even if this is nil.

There are penalties for failure to notify HMRC. If tax is payable on the transaction, an estimate of the liability also has to be paid within thirty days.

Do not leave this until you file your self assessment return.

The notification has to be done online through the HMRC website and you will need a Government Gateway ID for this.

You can apply for this at any time and we would recommend making sure you have this before the property is sold in case of any issues or delays.

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Tough Lockdown Decisions Needed...

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n expert employment lawyer has warned that Purbeck businesses need to make ‘tough and quick’ decisions in reaction to the second Coronavirus lockdown.

Kate Brooks (pictured), who is a Partner and Head of Employment/ HR services at Dorset law firm Ellis Jones Solicitors, urged employers to consider their options as soon as possible. The firm has an office in Swanage High Street.

The second national lockdown began on November 5th with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) extended to support businesses.

Kate, who has been recognised for her excellence in The Legal 500 and The Times Top 200 Law Firms guides, said: “These are difficult times for businesses. They have some quick and tough decisions to make in a very short space of time. They have a number of factors to consider, especially in light of the extension of the CJRS on the same terms as its initial introduction in March of this year.

“These include agreement over working from home, long or short-term

changes to terms of employment and whether to place employees on furlough. Some businesses may also need to consider whether redundancies will be necessary or can be avoided, and start any processes required.”

Under the extension of the CJRS scheme, employers can again claim up to 80% (or £2,500) for each employee for the hours not worked.

Other key points include: • Neither the employee nor the employer needs to have previously used the furlough scheme • The employer will be able to bring employees back flexibly • Employers will be responsible for covering tax, NI and contributions • Publicly funded organisations are not able to use the scheme; partially funded organisations may be able to • All employers with a UK bank account and UK PAYE scheme will be eligible • Employees must have been on the PAYE payroll by 23.59 on October 31, 2020 Kate is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association. Ellis Jones, with more than 140 staff and 17 partners, has five offices across the south coast in Bournemouth, Canford Cliffs (Poole), Swanage, Ringwood and Wimborne as well as London.

For more details visit www.ellisjones.co.uk

The Purbeck Gazette

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Company Directors Warned To Exercise Caution When Paying Dividends

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irectors of owner-managed businesses should exercise caution when paying dividends, say leading tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg.

Sunil Bhavnani, Technical director at the firm said: “ Directors of owner managed businesses often pay a portion of their income as dividends, but directors need to be mindful of distributions made illegally where accumulated profits are eroded by provisions and asset write-offs required due to the Coronavirus pandemic.”

He added: “Irrespective of the level of surplus cash, a dividend cannot be paid without the existence of distributable profits. Directors should be aware of the risk of declaring and paying illegal dividends. Whilst there may exist a history of distributable profits, directors must also consider their common law duties to take into account losses, both actual or forecast subsequent to the end of the financial year which may have or will erode its profits available for distribution.”

Sunil said: “Special care needs to be taken this year. Many companies have December reporting dates, and some may not have thought fully about the impact of the current situation on their balance sheet. Issues may arise, for example, due to: • Debts due to the business falling into default • Surplus or obsolete inventory

• •

Impairment of site premises which are not being used Early recognition of losses on contracts that will no longer be profitable “It is not unusual for directors to make judgements on accounting entries as a result of matters such as these as part of preparing their year-end financial statements.

“However, the pandemic will have the impact of devaluing assets for some companies. There is a risk for owner-managers of small businesses that they unintentionally pay themselves a dividend illegally, even if there is sufficient cash available.”

Sunil added: “With company dividends being an important source of income for shareholders in owner managed businesses, directors will need to balance the needs for shareholder return alongside complying with the legal requirements for dividends above.

“In time of uncertainty, an adapted capital management strategy is needed for the business that preserves sufficient cash to act as a buffer for uncertainty and bolster the balance sheet, support and promote investment and capital growth and remain on the right side of directors’ fiduciary duties with respect to dividend policies that safeguard the company’s assets and take reasonable steps to ensure that the company is in a position to settle its debts as they fall due.”

Strong Demand Continues To Drive South West Sales RICS UK Residential Market Survey, October 2020 Survey feedback still pointing to growth in buyer enquiries, agreed sales, new instructions and prices in the South West Near term sales expectations remain positive entering into second lockdown Regional sentiment on the twelve-month sales outlook remains negative emand for new properties as well as new homes being listed for sale across the South West housing market remained strong over the month, according to the October 2020, RICS Residential Market Survey. With current guidelines permitting the market to stay open during the second lockdown, South West respondents expect sales growth to continue for the rest of the year. Moving into next year, the outlook for sales is negative, with respondents citing the withdrawal of government support measures and a difficult economic backdrop as a concern further ahead.

During October, the number of people looking to buy a new property across the region remained positive for the sixth consecutive month, with a net balance of +36% of respondents citing an increase in new buyer enquiries down from +63% reported in September.

In keeping with the growth in demand, the number of new properties being listed for sale also increased for the sixth successive report. A net balance of +11% of respondents reported a rise in new instructions in the South West. This is the longest run of growth seen in the RICS Residential Market Survey since 2016. The number of properties sitting on estate agents’ books remains relatively low in the historical context, but October saw average stock levels move up from 46 to 48 per branch across the region.

As more properties are listed for sale and the pent-up demand continues, the number of agreed sales in the South West continue to rise. In October, +34% of contributors saw a rise in transaction volumes which remains well above the average readings.

As we look ahead, respondents remain positive about activity for the coming three months, with +15% more contributors expecting sales to rise in the South West. The outlook for the year ahead is negative, with -44% of respondents anticipating sales to fall over the longer timeframe.

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The impact of the recent increased sales activity continues to see house prices rise. The three-month price growth expectations remained at a net balance of +25% in October, down from +26% in September. Meanwhile, the twelve-month outlook points to prices rising across the region.

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist commented: “The housing market remains very busy and despite the second national lockdown, the sense is that this will persist over the coming months and into the new year.

“However, there is understandably more caution about activity looking beyond the first quarter of 2021. Aside from the withdrawal of governments incentives, the market may also find the more challenging employment picture a significant obstacle even with interest rates set to remain close to zero for some time to come.

“That said, medium term expectations for house prices and private rents have barely been dented by COVID according to the latest survey. Indeed, the projections still point to increases likely to exceed wage growth highlighting the ongoing issue around affordability.”

The South West’s rental market continues to see a rise in tenant demand, although new instructions being listed for rent fall across the region.* While expectations for rental growth over the near term remain positive for the region, London is the clear exception as a net balance of -55% of respondents foresee rents declining over the coming three months.

The Purbeck Gazette

Motoring

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Dorset Council statement on Parking during lockdown During lockdown, we will be providing free parking in our off-street car parks for NHS workers and care workers only.

If you are an NHS or care worker, please display your permit in your windscreen when using our car-parks.

The Ferry Continues...

Sandbanks Ferry commits to maintaining service throughout November lockdown he Sandbanks Ferry Company has today committed to maintaining the service throughout the national Covid-19 lockdown announced by the Government on 31st October. From Thursday 5th November to Wednesday 2nd December, the ferry will continue to operate services every twenty minutes starting at 7.00am from Sandbanks. However, in anticipation of extremely low passenger numbers at night, the final daily ferry crossing during the lockdown period will run at 9.00pm from Sandbanks.

All classes of passengers will continue to be able to use the ferry to travel to Purbeck and enjoy the local beach and countryside as part of their daily exercise. The Ferry Company complies with the current restrictions for public transport, and as such a number of safety measures remain in place on board the ferry to protect passengers and staff. These include: Details of the ferry timetable can be found at: http://www.sandbanksferry. co.uk/timetable.php. Updates on any daily changes to the service or timetable can also be found at @sandbanksferry on Twitter and on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sandbanksferry.

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Ford Focus 2.0 EcoBlue Tdci Vignale Est, Many Extras, 11,200 miles, Diesel, Automatic gearbox, 2.0 litre, 2019(10), Estate, Dark Mulberry, 5-dr..........................................................................£18,495 Ford Puma ST-Line X First Edition Plus, Our Demonstrator Hybrid Panoramic Roof, 500 miles, Hybrid, Manual gearbox, 1.0 litre, 2020(20), hatchback, Lucid Red colour, 5-door..........£23,495 Ford KA+ Zetec 1.2 85Ps, City Pack, 2017/66), petrol, manual, 5-dr, hatchback Air Conditioning, PAS, ABS, Remote Central Locking, Electric Windows, Service History, One Owner, CD Player, Bluetooth, Hill Start Assist, City Pack,, Electrically Adjustable Folding and Heated Door Mirrors, Rear Parking Sensors, 30468 miles................................................................£7,295 Ford Focus Zetec Edition 1.0 125 EcoBoost Estate, petrol, manual, 2017 (67), PAS, Alloy Wheels, Remote Central Locking, Cruise control and Speed Limiter, Electric Windows, Electrically Folding and Heated Door Mirrors, Service History, Hill Start Assist, and Automatic Windscreen Wipers, Rear Parking Sensors, Air Conditioning..........................................................................£9,995 Ford EcoSport Titanium 1.0 EcoBoost 125Ps, 5dr, in blue lightning, petrol, manual, Sync3 Navigation with 8 inch Touch Screen, Cruise Control and Speed Limiter, Rear Parking Sensors, Electrically Adjustable and Heated Door Mirrors, Alloy Whee ls................................................................................................£16,995

2017 (17) Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.0 Ecoboost 5dr in white, Air Cond, Bluetooth, Electric Windows & Mirrors, Sync 2, Alloys, Radio/CD, 20000 miles ................................................................................£8,995 2016 (16) Vauxhall Viva SL 10, 5dr, in Light Blue, Leather Interior, Cruise Control, Climate Control, Electric Front Windows, Electric Mirrors, FSH, 15000 miles and only £20 a year Tax ......................£6595 2011 (11) Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 S 5dr in Blue, Electric Front Windows, Electric Mirrors, Central Locking, Low Insurance Group, Ideal First Car, Only 54,000 miles ................................................................£3295 2013 (13) Renault Clio 1.2 16v Dynamique Medianav, 5dr in red, Sat Nav, Cruise Control, Bluetooth, USB Connect, Auto Headlights, Auto Wipers, Electric Front Windows, Electric Mirrors, 68000 miles..£5395 2016 (16) Ford Focus Zetec 1.0 Ecoboost (125ps) in Met Grey, Sat Nav, Electric Windows, Bluetooth, DAB Radio, Start/Stop, Only 36000 miles and £20 per year tax, FSH....................................£8995 2014 (64) Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.0 Ecoboost 5dr in Met Blue, Air Con, Electric Front Windows, Electric Folding Mirrors, Rear Parking Sensors, Alloys, Heated Front Screen, Only 23500 miles and £0 Road Fund Licence, FS.............................................................£7995 2015 (15) Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 Design 5dr in Black, Apple Car Play, Electric Front Windows, Cruise Control, Bluetooth, Air Con, FSH, 50500 miles..£5995

We would like to wish all our customers a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

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The Purbeck Gazette

From The Kitchen Garden...

Purbeckian Apple Punch

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t’s December and growth in the garden has slowed right down, but don’t be fooled - life is still very much going on. I realise preparations are well on the way for next season’s harvest by just looking around me; perennial plants and trees have buds wrapped up and ready to go.

However, for now the short daylight hours make sure everything and everyone gets to have a rest to recharge and to recalibrate for the coming growing season. I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s wise to take my cue from my surroundings.

Sometimes though I’m a fool and leave fairly easy jobs until the right time has been and gone and the workload turns into a big job or a time consuming one….note to myself: everything has its time.

On that note, I observe the chickens and the ducks just finishing their moult, fresh, shiny new feathers coming through, pushing their way out and getting my birds ready for cooler and wetter times. Egg laying is totally off the cards right now, but come February, the whole process will be under way once more and I can’t wait.

I have been thinking about using my time in a more efficient way, yet I have to be careful not just to cram more into my day. Looking back over the last season, I could have been growing double the amount easily, the demand was certainly there. However, I also need to make plenty of time to harvest, pick and distribute the produce at its peak-otherwise there’s no point growing it.

Of course, there are always exceptions, and growing flowers is one. Apart from looking and smelling amazing, I try and increase the amount and the variety of flowers, herbs and other flowering plants every year. These are welcomed by the early pollinators as well as the beneficial insect population generally, as well as the birds later on in the year, welcoming their seed heads and of course, my produce can only benefit from more pollinators buzzing about.

I’ve also been working on finding the right spot to place some bee hives.

Now it’s time to prepare the site properly to be able to welcome them in late winter/early spring. I’m so looking forward to increasing my knowledge about beekeeping in a practical way, as I’ve been reading up on it for some time.

Looping back to the beginning of this month’s article, I guess as everything has its time, my time to get stuck in has come and this makes me very happy. I will keep you updated how this new adventure is going but in the meantime, I shall be swotting over some more beekeeping theory while putting my feet up and enjoying a mug or two of hot apple punch.

By Regula Wright, Godlingston Manor Kitchen Garden Apple Punch Ingredients (2 portions): ½ apple, peeled and cubed, drizzled with 1tsp. lemon juice 200ml apple juice 200 ml white wine 2 tsp.vanilla sugar 2 glugs Amaretto liquor or 10 drops bitter almond essence 150 ml whipped cream ground cinnamon Method: Pre heat your mugs with hot water Gently heat the apple juice, wine, vanilla sugar and amaretto in a saucepan Whip the cream Empty the mugs and fill with the apple cubes Pour in the hot apple punch mix Decorate with the whipped cream and sprinkle the cinnamon over the top CHEERS!

The Purbeck Gazette

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A Year With Godlingston Kitchen Gardens!

The Purbeck Gazette

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egula Wright of Godlingston Manor Kitchen Gardens has been writing for us for a few years now and has provided delicious, local recipes for our readers to try most months, as well as updating us on the seasonal changes which occur in the garden.

Below are a few images of recipies from the last year. All are available online in each edition in our magazine archive at: www.purbeckgazette.co.uk Why not try a few out whilst you’re at home?!

Festive Vegetable Wellington - December edition, 2019

Onion Soup with Cheesy Toast - January edition, 2020

Purbeck Rhurbarb Cake - April edition, 2020

Fresh Purbeck Pasta Buttons - February edition, 2020

Fresh Summer Vegetable Tart - July edition, 2020

Vegetable & Rice Soup - March edition, 2020

HAPPY COOKING! Please remember to purchase your ingredients from local producers where possible! Support local businesses - support our community!

The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Climate Change Of Mind

by John Garner Picture: ‘No Planet B’ thanks to Morguefile.com

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s I write a new president has (hopefully!) been elected in America.

Phew. That was a mad four years and no mistake. Whilst DT is off pretending to be a golfer and cracking on with life as if nothing has happened, Joe Biden appears to be getting on with preparing to take over.

I don’t really know much about Joe Biden, but I do know he’s not Donald Trump, a man who seemingly had no time for environmental issues.

Trump declared climate change as being a hoax and was determined to take America out of the Paris climate agreement which many countries signed up to in 2015. He effectively said that coming out of the agreement would boost American industry and speed up economic growth. Lots of great work by President Obama dismantled in an instant. Thankfully, many American states carried on trying to reduce their carbon footprint in spite of the incumbent presidential policies.

Biden, however, seems to have placed the climate at the forefront of his agenda, which is very encouraging. Why should this matter? Because the USA is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China in the world. Maybe Donald was cross that America wasn’t top in that particularly dubious race. Who knows? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t.

Biden wants to restore dozens of environmental safeguards that Trump abolished and has promised a real prioritisation of the environment. He wants to put curbs on oil and gas production and usage. Well, if he’s as sincere as the last bloke wasn’t, then this is a time for cautious optimism.

He’s also promised to encourage other countries to do the same. A politician with an environmental conscience is a very good thing all round.

Because the climate change deniers think things like this: • It turns out that there have been long periods in history that have been either much hotter or much colder. Only just over ten thousand years ago Dorset was locked into an ice age. You only have to go back 750 million years and we were in a tropical climate with boiling seas and searing sun. You see!

• Far from the planet warming up, it’s actually cooling down. In fact, we’re actually heading into a new ice age and glaciers are growing.

• The Antarctic is actually gaining in ice content rather than melting dramatically.

• Sea levels are receding.

• Increasing levels of CO2 have no effect on the climate and anyway the human contribution to CO2 is minimal.

• Climate scientists are in it because it is a trendy discipline and they get really well paid for it. They also cannot accurately predict the weather.

• There is no empirical evidence of climate change.

• It’s all part of the natural weather cycle.

• How can the planet be warming up when there are record levels of

snowfall across the globe?

All the planets are warming up.

The models used to show climate change are unreliable as are the temperature records.

And there are many more dubious, vague and unsubstantiated claims about climate change that any self-interested industrial conglomerate can hang their hats on. If you’ve enough expensive lawyers on your team you can find a way to manipulate your ‘facts’ to suit, or at least delay things long enough to clean up financially. Just look back at the cigarette lobbies and you’ll see what I mean.

But this is Dorset. How does all this rhetoric affect us down here on the south coast? Well a change of attitude and more importantly in some cases, a change in policy can have huge implications.

Between May and September 2019 there were over 2000 discharges of untreated sewage into our coastal bathing areas. Nearly 300 in our vicinity.

We need a change in policy to cover the EU regulations and actually go further to clean up a vital natural environment. You can read more on the Surfers against Sewage website. And you should because only a change in policy can actually stop industry from polluting our waters.

And change of policy comes when those that make the decisions are pressured into making those decisions or are voted out because the public wants change. Or in America, just some sanity.

Things could be looking up. The leader of one of the largest economies in the world has put tackling climate change as one of his first priorities.

This just has to be a step in the right direction.

Ed’s note: At the time of writing/publishing, Joe Biden has been declared PresidentElect by U.S. news sources. However, we do remember the Al Gore situation some years back (crossed the line, was declared President-Elect and yet George Bush then became President....). So, although we do hope to see Joe Biden declared president eventually, this may not end up being the case. Watch this space!!!

• •

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Lockdown Is A Blow To Animal Charity

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iven the most recent government guidelines, Margaret Green Animal Rescue is again being forced to close its rescue centres and charity shops to the public until early December. The impact of this is huge and even though the animals that are currently in rescue will continued to be cared for throughout lockdown, they will be unable to be rehomed until the lockdown is lifted.

Based in Dorset and Devon they have been successfully rehoming animals for fifty-five years and despite this year’s difficulties have managed to stay true to their values of Rescue, Care, Rehome and Support during what has been a very challenging year. Margaret Green Animal Rescue will raise less funds this year from fundraising due to a lack of local events, and with their charity shops and pet boarding closed, their income will be significantly impacted, but the costs of caring for the animals remains.

With many empty boarding units available, they continue to offer assistance to temporarily board animals belonging to frontline NHS workers who may find themselves in a change of circumstance and need support from MGAR. The offer is also being made available to serving police staff and frontline Dorset and BCP Council Social Services care workers.

The lockdown news comes as a big blow, with winter approaching and the need to provide bedding and food for the rescue animals increasing. This means that there is an even bigger urgency to raise funds and the charity are looking at creative ways they can continue to fundraise.

The charity is hoping to reopen for rehoming and boarding on 3 rd December 2020, depending on government guidelines, at which time the charity shops will hopefully begin trading again.

Geoff Wright, CEO commented “We continue to provide the highest care for the animals at our rescue centres. Their welfare is and always will be our priority. Thank you to all our staff and volunteers who have worked so hard in recent months to keep our doors open.

“We are extremely grateful to those who have shopped with us or made a donation, it really does make a huge difference to the lives of rescue animals. If you are able to make a donation this Christmas please do so by following this link: www.margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk/Donate Thank you”.

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Gazette Gardening with Simon Goldsack

Keep Witches Out of Your Garden

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part from Yew and Pine, Holly and Ivy are the only woody plants to defy the rigours of a British winter and retain their leaves. As such they were venerated by the ancient people of northern Europe and formed part of the Winter Solstice celebrations, a festival timed to mark the start of the sun’s return.

Holly and ivy are both very important for wildlife. Holly bushes provide birds with nesting sites and shelter from predators and their berries are an important food source in the lean winter months.

The dense foliage of Ivy clings to walls and trees thus providing shelter for roosting birds on bitter winter nights and cover for hibernating insects.

Groundcover Ivy supports thriving colonies of native fauna.

Mature ivy flowers prolifically in October giving an excellent source of late nectar for insects and finally the black fruit ripens in February providing a much-needed food for blackbirds and pigeons.

Folklore suggests not cutting holly growing in a native hedge and allowing it to stand proud of the hedge to develop into a small tree. It was believed that witches used the tops of hedges to get around the countryside and allowing the holly to block their path with its’ prickly leaves would slow the witches’ progress.

Now, this should be enough for the environmentally minded gardener to get turned on to the virtues of Holly and Ivy, but I hear shouts of ‘yes, but they are green and boring, holly has got vicious prickles and ivy gets everywhere.’ In which case I suggest you look at the following garden forms.

Colourful hollies include: Golden King (top left): Bright red

berries adorn what is already a colourful evergreen and the golden green leaves are not prickly Ilex Argentea Marginata (bottom left) although prickly has a beautiful white varieagation and berries reliably.

Ilex Heckenfee (above) may look prickly but actually it’s very soft and gets smothered with bright red berries.

Most female varieties require one male nearby for pollination.

Ivies are great groundcover or climbers for difficult situations, tolerating near drought and deep shade.

Hedera helix Chester (right) is a small leaved form with creamy white variegation Goldheart (right) has a bright yellow centre to the leaf.

Hedera saggitifolia Variegata (bottom) As the name suggests the leaves are shaped like and arrowhead with a white marking.

So bring some winter colour into your garden and keep those witches at bay!

The Purbeck Gazette

The Castle Visitor Centre is closed, until lockdown restrictions are eased.

The Park, pay and display Car Parks and all paths remain open and the Rangers will continue to work on-site every day.

Our weekly work parties and ‘Shed’ sessions are suspended, however there are still lots of opportunities to volunteer as individuals, or with another person from your household – do get in touch if you would like something to do (including ‘Roaming Rangering’!). We also have some opportunities for you to volunteer from home.

Our ‘Tramper’ off-road buggies remain available (pre-booking only), so that less mobile visitors can still benefit from a visit.

The Park remains open, so do make the most of it! The work carried out in the Pleasure Grounds over the last few years, means that there are plenty of mud-free, sheltered routes to enjoy, and even in the depths of winter, there is lots to enjoy.

December mornings can reveal glorious sunrises that change from yellows, oranges, pink and reds to blues. Another seasonal feature can be a crisp crystalline layer of frost.

In the woodland, the white fruits of Snowberry stand out in the gloom, while resilient Common Daisy flowers appear in the mown verges. Occasionally during daylight, you may hear a Tawny Owl call, from the dark, dense evergreen Holm Oak stands.

The weird fungi Dead Men’s Fingers and Candlesnuff Fungus may be found on rotting logs, while Jays and Grey Squirrels feast on acorns.

We can get signs of spring as Daffodils push up green leaves outside

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the castle. Later in the month look out for Winter Heliotrope flowers by the Small Copse.

At sea, passing Oystercatchers broadcast a “pip, hueep and weeer” call, with Gannets, Brent Geese and Scoter often seen. Fungi appearing on the downs may include Velvet Shank, Yellow Ear Fungi, Snowy Waxcap, Deceivers and Brown Mottlegills.

Although the Castle may be closed, if you are looking for any last-minute gifts, we have Durlston 2021 Calendars and the popular Friends of Durlston Christmas Cards available to be posted out to you. We also have bags of split, seasoned logs for sale and collection. These are ideal for a comforting wood burner or perhaps some seasonal decoration. Larger home deliveries can be made via pre-booking. To buy any of these (or anything else from our shop), give us a ring, or drop us an email.

Another potential gift could be a new Friend of Durlston Membership for a family member or friend. We are offering a special rate Friends of Durlston Membership from December at £30 per household and £25 per individual. This will last for up to (depending on when you purchase it) 15 months expiring end March 2022. Membership offers regular newsletters, discounted parking and dining as well as supporting the Country Park. If you are buying a membership as a present, we can provide a gift voucher.

For regular updates about Durlston, do join our mailing list or follow our Facebook page.

For further information: https://www.durlston.co.uk/ Durlston@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk 01929 424443

R.I.P. Danny - ‘Our’ Dolphin Will Be Missed By All In Purbeck On 26th October 2020, it was announed on the ‘Danny the Dolphin’ Facebook page that Danny had tragically been killed as a result of a boat strike in Portland Harbour. Danny’s body was recovered and sent for postmortem, which confirmed boat strike as the cause of death. Below, we have a report from Marine Discovery Penzance, detailing a little of Danny’s history prior to his arrival in Dorset in 2018.....

Statement from Marine Discovery Penzance: t the end of October there was some really sad news regarding the solitary bottlenose dolphin we used to call Pierre, who on the north coast was called Splashy, and who has until recently been hanging around the Dorset coast, where he was known as “Danny”. The body of a young male bottlenose dolphin was retrieved from Portland Harbour and was in good condition so was taken for postmortem. It soon became apparent the injuries sustained were likely from ship strike and that these killed him. It shows just how dangerous fast-moving, unpredictable vessels can be for dolphins and it appears that solitary animals who have become accustomed to hanging around boats and humans for company are particularly at risk.

We first encountered this juvenile bottlenose in Mount’s Bay in the summer of 2017, and we saw him regularly over that autumn. From chats with colleagues along both Cornish coasts, it soon became clear he was spending lots of time around the harbours of Newquay, St Ives and Penzance and becoming very sociable with boats and boat trips.

We never knew when he would turn up - he would just appear, riding along in our bow wave, and he never liked venturing too far from the shore.

In fact, he would always turn back when we sailed into depths deeper than 30m. I particularly remember the morning of 4th November - my dad had died in the early hours and it was also the morning we had our boat craned out at the end of the season. I had had no sleep and we were passing the time waiting for our craning slot out in the bay, with Pierre cavorting around the boat. I thought how lovely it was that he was keeping me company on that day of all days.

We called him Pierre for no particular reason other than Duncan suggested he may have come over from one of the bottlenose dolphin pods in the Gulf of St Malo, so we started calling him the first French name we could think of!

The last time we saw him was the very same day we were craned back into the water in March 2018 - again he spent time swimming alongside

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the boat as we sailed, looking up at us as we took photos. That was the last time we saw him.

We had hoped he had joined up with the south west’s inshore pod of bottlenose dolphins, which would have been a much better outcome.

Instead he swam east to Dorset and stayed there, getting more and more reliant on humans for company, and getting into more and more danger as he approached boats and watercraft for company, and as they approached him. They called him Danny up there, and we suspected it was the same dolphin.

Annabelle Lowe at Newquay Sea Safaris called us with the sad news that the photos she had seen of the post mortem matched the photos they had taken of Pierre (Danny) in 2017, and that Splashy/Pierre/Danny had been accidentally run over and killed. While it is a very sad outcome, it does show the benefits of collaboration between organisations and businesses, and the way that photo ID can be used to tell us about animals’ movements.

Here is a link to the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, where you can find out details of what happened. It is interesting, though some people might find it upsetting https://www.facebook.com/UKCSIP RIP Pierre/Danny Picture by Tim Crabb

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The Purbeck Gazette

BIG Butterfly Count 2020 Sees Lowest Numbers Of Butterflies Recorded In Eleven Years

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ildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has recently released data about the number of butterflies counted in this year’s Big Butterfly Count (17th July – 9th August 2020). Worryingly this summer’s Count has seen a reduction in the average number of butterflies logged per count of -34% in comparison with 2019 and the lowest average number of butterflies logged overall since the event began eleven years ago. In all, during this year’s Big Butterfly Count, over 1.4 million butterflies were counted across the UK. Dr Zoë Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation said: “Unfortunately, this summer has not seen an abundance of butterflies, across the UK. We do see peaks and troughs of butterfly numbers each year (last year for example we saw a huge influx of migrant Painted Lady butterflies), so the data from the Big Butterfly Count is an important snapshot which, along with our other monitoring schemes, helps our understanding of the rates of decline of butterflies and moths”.

She went on to say: “Coming so shortly after the recent WWF and UN reports on the global biodiversity crisis these 2020 results illustrate the perilous state of wildlife in the UK. However, the fact that so many people take part in this exciting citizen science initiative is encouraging and makes a huge difference to our understanding of how the natural world is responding to the crisis it is in. Now we need to see initiatives both here and across the world to put nature on a path to recovery”.

“The fall in butterfly numbers this summer may be due to a number of factors. An unusually warm spring led many species to emerge earlier than usual. So, we may have only caught the tail-end of the flight period for many species during this year’s Big Butterfly Count. It’s important to look at butterfly trends over longer periods, so our scientists will be using these results alongside our other datasets to get a clearer understanding of what is happening.”

Encouragingly, 2020 also saw the highest number of butterfly sightings ever submitted by the general public with 111,628 participants submitting a record-breaking 145,249 counts this year, an increase of 25% on 2019.

It seems that, in a very dark and challenging year, the opportunity for getting out into nature and helping as citizen scientists was very welcome to people who were able to participate in the Count this year. Butterfly Conservation is thrilled the event was enjoyed by so many people.

While the decline of ecosystems across the world is a cause for great concern, it’s also possible to see the power of joint positive action in this year’s Big Butterfly Count.

As more and more people take an interest in nature and submit their sightings Butterfly Conservation can continue its research and work to protect butterflies, moths and the environment through closer

understanding of the issues they face and finding the solutions to help.

Butterflies and moths are incredibly valuable indicators of the health of our environment. Their declines show not only the effects of human behaviour on the world around us but also the changing patterns of our weather.

As well as being important and beautiful creatures in themselves, they play key roles in the ecosystems of birds, mammals, invertebrates and plants as food, population controllers and pollinators. Their conservation is vitally important.

Julie Williams CEO of Butterfly Conservation says: “A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the Big Butterfly Count this year. This important data is so valuable to our ongoing and vital research helping us to understand what is happening to our butterflies and moths so we can take focused action to protect these fantastic insects and conserve them for future generations.”

SPECIES RESULTS UK – BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT 2020

The Purbeck Gazette

What Is Changing At Studland Bay?

By Julia Galbenu (Dynamic Dunescapes Engagement Officer) tudland Bay is on the move. Under the new Dynamic Dunescapes project, change is starting to happen at Studland. Dynamic Dunescapes, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the EU LIFE Programme, is a nationwide project aiming to restore sand dunes across England and Wales. At Studland Bay, the National Trust has been busy at work getting this restoration project underway.

One of the aims of the project is to re-create patches of bare sand through the formation of scrapes. This involves removing the above ground vegetation and then digging out the soil back to bare sand.

Last month, in the depths of the dunes, twelve areas were marked out. These areas were over-vegetated with heather and gorse, had little bare sand in sight and were no longer home to the rare wildlife that once thrived.

The areas needed their mosaic landscape back. So, in October, the blue areas marked on the map (left), totalling 2.1ha, were cleared.

The heather and gorse were cut, and the invasive pine trees were felled and left to form a dead wood habitat.

The vegetation removal formed the first stage of the restoration process.

The second stage will happen in 2021, when excavators will scrape back the soil to bare sand.

Why does this change need to happen at Studland Bay? Over the past 100 years, Studland’s sand dunes have become over-stabilised and have declined in biodiversity.

Climate change, air pollution and previous overprotective management have all accelerated plant growth and seen our sand dunes slowly turn into heathland and woodland. In the 1930s about 30% of Studland Bay was bare sand, now it is just 2%. The aim of the Dynamic Dunescapes project is to restore 15% of the land back to bare sand. Doing so, will restore the mosaic landscape of our dunes and hopefully see an increase in rare wildlife that depend on sandy habitats.

To enable us to track these changes and ensure that the impact we are having is a positive one, a citizen science project is underway. Come rain or shine, our citizen science volunteers meet every Friday to record data on the dunes. The last couple of months have focussed on sheep’s bit.

This pioneer plant species is a positive indicator, growing only in healthy dune habitats.

As the map shows, the species was found mainly on the edges of the dunes, where these healthy sandy habitats still exist. The hope is that as the Dynamic Dunescapes project progresses, this pretty blue flower will be seen across more of Studland Bay.

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Swanage School has also partnered up with the National Trust and Dynamic Dunescapes.

By embedding Studland Bay into their science curriculum, students conduct their field studies on the dunes and send their data over to help monitor the dunes. Similar stories are happening with Land & Wave and Bournemouth University. The aim is not only to get great data, but to also connect people with the dunes, to learn about them and encourage people to protect them. The conservation and engagement volunteer group go one step closer to making this happen. Either by practically helping the dunes or educating people on why they are so special.

Another big change happening is at Little Sea. This freshwater lake is very unique indeed. It once supported all kinds of strange life due to the high acidity and nutrient poor, crystal-clear water. That was until around 2005, when carp were illegally introduced. The result was disastrous. Carp fed on the rare aquatic plant life and churned up the lake’s sediment. The result was the water turning murky, a dramatic loss of species and a decline in overwintering birds.

Last month was the first step to restoring this ecosystem. A line of deflectors was installed along the eastern edge of Little Sea. Pictured above, the deflectors reduce wave action and sediment movement. Alone, this won’t be enough. So next year in 2021, the plan is to remove carp from Little Sea under licence and then re-home them to more suitable lakes. Cormorants and otters will also be encouraged to inhabit the area to help us achieve our long-term ambition of keeping carp numbers as low as possible.

Studland Bay is such a special site. It is the only place in England to find the earthtongue fungus and one of the best sites to see sand lizards. It is also a playground of sandy hills and endless adventure, for both children and adults alike. Here at Studland Bay, we are really excited to see the restoration underway and cannot wait for our dunes to come back to life!

Want to get involved?

Contact julia.galbenu@ nationaltrust.org.uk for more.

Want to find out more? Follow our Instagram page @StudlandBay_NT or check out the Dynamic Dunescapes website.

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Arts & Entertainment

The Purbeck Gazette

New Mowlem Smash Hit With Locals!

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he Mowlem’s reopening in October was a huge success, with visitors feeling safe and comfortable thanks to the great care taken to make their visit a pleasant experience.

Sadly, renewed Coronavirus restrictions have forced theatres in England to close throughout November, but The Mowlem plans to reopen on 4th December with a screening of Matthew Bourne’s spectacular take on Cinderella, set in wartime London.

December’s programme also includes The Mowlem’s first live event for nine months, with Swanage’s own Karen G presenting an evening of festive music and laughter, featuring local comic Simon Wells and the acoustic duo Tranquility.

Two screenings of Michael Ball and Alfie Boe’s ‘Back Together’, originally scheduled for March, are sure to delight audiences, and there will be a rare chance to see the latest cinematic interpretation of A Christmas Carol on the big screen, an independent British production released just in time for Christmas.

All November’s shows have been rescheduled to January, including Richard Digence live on stage, Matthew Bourne’s Car Man and The Merry Wives of Windsor recorded live at The Globe.

So that seating can be safely allocated, tickets must be booked in advance.

Tickets for all events can be booked online at www.mowlemtheatre.co.uk, by calling 0333 666 3366 (telephone booking available 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday) or by visiting the Box Office on Mondays and Fridays between 10.30am and 1.30pm from December 4th.

The Mowlem has spent several thousand pounds on providing a Covid-safe theatre experience, along with much-needed spending and thousands of volunteer hours on the recent refurbishments and improvements. Public support in the form of ticket sales is vital to recoup some of this spending, and donations are appreciated, particularly when theatres are so vulnerable to coronavirus lockdowns.

Please see The Mowlem’s website at www.themowlem.com for details on how to book tickets or make a donation, and keep up to date with the theatre on Facebook.

Better Access To Music For Children

Dorset Music Service is celebrating £90K of funding from Youth Music to give better access to music for children, young people -and babies this year. he funding is shared across three local organisations: The Arts Development Company, Dorchester Arts and Dorset Music Service.

All will use the funds to encourage and support different projects which include online music clubs for babies, lessons for children and young people and better access to music education online.

The Arts Development Company will use the funds to expand the Babigloo Music for Babies programme, working closely with Children’s Centres and focussing on babies in families who are experiencing isolation, post-natal

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depression and anxiety. Dorchester Arts will work with young people to help them explore music-making. Young people will be mentored by some of Dorset’s young musicians, led by Dorchester Arts’ Youth Music Director Mickey Wills.

It will also create new opportunities for online tutorials to access music via social media. The project has been hosting weekly online sessions on Instagram and plans to begin Covid safe face to face sessions in October.

Dorset Music Service, part of Dorset Council’s Children’s Services and lead organisation for Dorset Music Hub, will explore new ways of delivering music education so more young people in Dorset, and particularly those facing challenging circumstances, can engage with music activities that are relevant and accessible to them.

This project will focus on Weymouth, Portland, Bridport and Wareham areas and will train music leaders to encourage more young people to explore electronic music and song writing, and to develop more out of school programmes.

Clair McColl, Strategic Lead for Dorset Music Service at Dorset Council, said: “We are delighted that Dorset Music Hub partners have received this funding which will go a long way to make sure all young people have access high quality music education. We will continue to work with schools across Dorset to make young people feel the benefits and pleasures that music and creativity can bring.”

Cllr Byron Quayle – Lead member for Education at Dorset Council, said: “Music can transform lives and introduce young people to a huge range of opportunities. Children who get involved in music, arts and culture live happier, healthier lives. The grants will ensure the Dorset Music Hub community can work together and create more musical opportunities for our young people.”

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Matron’s Round - Our Local Hospitals’ Monthly Column

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s everyone is aware, we are seeing a rise in Covid cases throughout the UK, this has impacted on Dorset with the East of the county seeing more cases and subsequent hospital admissions.

This means that we at Swanage Hospital are admitting Covid detected patients on to Stanley Purser ward. These patients are those that still need rehabilitation following admission and those waiting to go home with support or into longer term care.

The hospital has been assessed by our infection prevention and control team and Health and Safety to ensure we have put all measures in to reduce the risk to my staff, patients and visitors to the hospital.

The Ward is working as a separate unit and is segregated from the rest of the hospital to reduce the risk. Visiting to the ward has unfortunately stopped but we have ways of enabling families to visit remotely.

Those of you that have attended recently as an outpatient will have noticed some changes; our outpatient activity is strictly by appointment only with admission of one person at a time and waiting outside until your appointment time.

I would ask that everyone comes to the hospital as close to appointment time as possible, thus avoiding waiting outside for too long, as the weather is changing to our winter climate.

You may be asked to enter and exit via different locations around the hospital, so please check your instructions on your appointment letter.

I cannot stress enough the importance of avoiding coming to any of our outpatient departments if you have symptoms of Covid 19 and follow the guidance regarding testing and isolating.

I would like to reassure you all that the teams at Swanage Hospital are doing a fantastic job working within these challenging times.

Please stay safe and protect yourself and others remember hands – space – face.

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!

CHIROPODY Rachel Ciantar Registered with The College Podiatry & HPCP

Home Visits & Clinic Appointments Comprehensive foot care Diabetic Patient Care

2 Daisy May Arcade, King’s Road East, Swanage

Contact 07979 840542

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Hello From Swanage Medical Practice News from Swanage Medical Practice

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e are now in the second wave of Covid19 with further National lock down measures announced in November.

It seems impossible to predict what will happen next, but NOW is the time for all to review their activities so as to minimise the spread in Swanage, protect the vulnerable and enable Swanage Medical Practice to maintain the preventative, routine and urgent care that is needed.

We continue to ask screening questions before patients enter the building, we ask patients to maintain 2m distance while in the building and all staff seeing patients will be wearing appropriate PPE. This ensures that your risk of passing on or catching the virus at the surgery is kept to an absolute minimum.

We have recently said goodbye to Dr Jeremy Munday who has retired, and Dr Ciara Murphy has left us to return to Ireland at the end of October. We thank them for their many years of service to our patients.

Both will very much be missed by patients and colleagues.

We have been actively trying to recruit to find a Doctor or other suitable replacements, but the local and National GP recruitment crisis continues to thwart us. For the time being patients will be added to existing doctor lists. This will mean that instead of each of us looking after 190 patients per half day we will have 270, increasing our workload significantly.

For these reasons the way we provide care has changed, with your own registered GP who will be overseeing your care from another health care professional such as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Primary Care Paramedic as we expand our clinical team.

Our eConsult system is being increasingly used and we would recommend this as the first point of contact for your GP at the surgery (see our website for details).

For replies to eConsults, passing on other information such as results or asking patients to contact us, we are increasingly sending text messages.

These may come with the opportunity to reply-back to us with any concerns, a photo such as of a rash, your blood pressure or weight.

We intend to increase this method significantly as it is an efficient and quick service for our patients, so please ensure we have your up to date mobile phone number, especially if submitting an eConsult. If you do not want your mobile used for these messages, please let us know as our system will respect this.

Our Medically Urgent Sit and Wait surgery is still in operation, but all patients are assessed as far as possible by phone with photos or video consultations. Patients are then being seen in the most appropriate setting. This will now be called the Medically Urgent Telephone (Sit &

Wait) Service and has been amended, to ensure we have enough capacity to appropriately and safely assess all those with an urgent problem.

These patients will be assessed by our Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Primary Care Paramedic, Clinical Pharmacist or GP depending on the condition. When we have reached capacity for that day, patients will be asked to consider alternatives, such as an eConsult or to ring back when the next session starts. In cases of suspected medical urgency staff can however seek further guidance from the Duty Doctor for immediate management.

Our treatment room appointments are by telephone where possible i.e.

Asthma and COPD reviews, however, we are seeing face to face patients for blood tests, dressings etc.

Swanage Medical Practice is a member of the Purbeck Community Network (PCN) through which an increasing number of resources are being made available. We already use them to coordinate home visits by the Purbeck Paramedic car and Community Matrons. They coordinate the increasing provision of Pharmacists across Purbeck Practices. They are providing Social Prescribers who can guide patients. Please see our website about how to contact them.

A new initiative by the PCN to improve access to general practice across the Purbeck area has started. Each day there will be additional appointments at one of the practices in Purbeck, this might be a telephone consultation or to be seen by a GP and may mean you will need to travel to a different surgery in Purbeck to be seen. This should particularly help when appointments in our surgery are in short supply.

Another initiative this year is early cancer detection, this is particularly important as uptake of care was so difficult during the first lock down and may well come under further strain. So, if you have had an invitation for any screening programmes i.e. bowel screening, mammography or cervical smear test please don’t overlook it. It may be that nationally we lose as many lives from missed cancers as we have from Covid19.

To be clear, if you have any symptoms that may indicate cancer send us an eConsult or book a telephone consultation as soon as possible. There is a dedicated 2-week maximum wait referral service that remains fully operational for any symptoms that suggest even a 3 % chance of cancer.

Once again we are in challenging times and I would like to thank all the Practice staff for their ongoing dedication to your care, for all the encouragement, support and thanks our patients have shown us and I encourage everyone to remember: HANDS (wash), FACE (mask), SPACE (2m) With kind regards, Swanage Medical Practice

Steep Rise In Number Of Mental Heath Incidents Revealed: Steep rise in number of mental health incidents across English police forces as new research shows £1bn cost to NHS from long stay mental health patients · New FOI data shows over 40% rise in mental health-related police incidents since 2015 with one force recording a 248% jump in incidents · £1bn cost to NHS in hospital stays for patients with mood affective disorders including bipolar and depression in last five years · Figures show 87% of mental health admissions to hospital are emergencies compared to 38% for all other conditions he number of police incidents involving people with mental health conditions has risen by 41% across England over the past five years.

New figures released by over half of England’s forty-one police forces under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to digital healthcare platform provider Visiba show that police forces across the country are increasingly dealing with incidents where mental health is a factor.

A police incident can be classed as mental health-related for a range of reasons, from responding to someone in mental health crisis to a suspect with a mental health issue. The findings show that Wiltshire Police has seen a staggering 248% rise in mental health incidents since 2015, followed by Lancashire Constabulary which recorded a 243% jump and Humberside Police which revealed a 177% increase.

In 2015, 213,513 incidents were recorded as involving mental health across twenty-three police forces in England, but in 2019 that figure had jumped by over two fifths to 301,144.

Further research has also revealed the ever-increasing cost burden to the

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NHS on patients needing treatment for mental health conditions.

Analysis shows that the health service has spent over £1bn in the past five years on patients hospitalised with mental health conditions classified as ‘mood affective disorders’ including bipolar affective disorder and depression.

On average these patients spend over a month (37 days) in hospital – a total of nearly 4.5m NHS bed days since 2015/16. Further analysis has shown that 87% mental health hospital admissions were classified as emergences compared to 38% for all other conditions.

Recently published figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists show a ‘looming crisis’ where two fifths of patients waiting for mental health treatment are contacting emergency or crisis services, with one in nine (11%) ending up in A&E. Overall NHS figures estimate the total cost of mental ill health in England to be around £105 billion per year.

Commenting on the findings Tina Marshall, Visiba UK Country Manager said: “A mental health crisis is fast approaching, and as these figures, show both the police and secondary healthcare are under enormous strain.

Meeting the needs of patients earlier on in their mental health journey using digital solutions could play a huge role in relieving pressures on the police and hospitals at a later stage.”

Visiba analysis published in August found that 25.8 million NHS outpatient consultations in England annually could be delivered using digital technology, allowing patients to get help and advice from their consultant without the need for a hospital visit.

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Urge Local MPS For Early Pay Rise For Exhausted Staff Health workers in the South West urge local MPs to back early pay rise for exhausted staff and to protect the NHS housands of health staff across the South West – including nurses, paramedics, cleaners, domestics and porters – are writing to the region’s fifty-five MPs asking them to back UNISON’s call for NHS staff to get an early pay rise in time for Christmas.

Staff employed in hospitals, clinics and ambulance stations across the South West are urging local politicians to put their case to the government for a significant pay rise of at least £2,000 for every worker across the NHS. The NHS pay rise is due next April, but health workers, already worn out from the early stages of the pandemic, say bringing the increase forward would help staff feel more valued as the second wave surges.

Bringing the planned wage rise forward a few months would also place the NHS in a better position to face the future, say South West health workers.

The pandemic has affected staff profoundly and many may choose to leave the NHS, such are the levels of exhaustion says UNISON. Raising pay this year could persuade staff to change their minds and make the NHS more attractive to thousands of much-needed recruits, adds the union.

With the arrival of winter, the second virus wave and the increasing rates of infection, UNISON believes now is the perfect time for the government to show the high regard in which ministers say they hold NHS staff.

UNISON South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: “Health workers across the region are exhausted from the first virus peak both emotionally and physically. They’re now facing a bleak few months with the second wave, a backlog of cancelled treatments on top of the annual winter pressures.

“We can rely on them, as always, to protect and care for us all. But staff are fearful and anxious because they know what lies ahead. Now is the time for a significant pay rise from the government. Workers doing the job would then feel valued, and an increase could help fill the thousands of vacancies in our health service.”

Darren Tudor-Green, healthcare assistant Darren is a health care assistant at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Darren usually works in urology but gave up his role and volunteered to look after Covid-19 patients. His husband also works for the NHS as a surgeon and contracted the virus.

Darren said: “Throughout the pandemic I have worked hard to provide care for patients. We’re willing to put our lives on hold and on the line to ensure they get the best possible care when they need it most. The team in which I work is full of people who, even before the pandemic, put their jobs above everything else and they deserve to be recognised for that.

“I hope the government can see that we really are the key workers that keep the country running.”

Howard Bailey, catering assistant Howard works at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. During the pandemic, he’s been serving both staff and patients while also assisting with food preparation and cleaning duties when the facilities have been busy.

Howard said: “It’s a pleasure working within the NHS. We’ve all been working incredibly hard throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the hospital runs as smoothly as it can for everyone.

“It would be great to see the government recognise our hard work with an early pay rise.”

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JANUARY EDITION DEADLINE NOON, Mon 9th December

EMAIL your copy to: ed@purbeckgazette.co.uk

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Blast From The Past!

This month, A Decade Ago...

t’s almost as if the front cover from ten years ago (pictured, right) is deliberately taunting us with images of some of the aspects of Christmas we seem to have sadly lost this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Father Christmas, delighting huge crowds with his unique, golden boots on a roof top in Wareham, ready to plunge down the chimney, crowds of shoppers enjoying the fabulous annual Swanage Christmas Market, and a group of young journalists - all standing closely together without fear or repremand. How swiftly things can change - bringing forth additional meaning to the saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’.

Let’s just hope that globally, we can struggle though this current situation and come out the other side - enjoying next Christmas in a more traditional and community-wide way!

Our December 2010 edition was, unsurprisingly, filled to bursting with all things Christmas related - On Sunday 12th, elves had told us that Father Christmas was booked to arrive in style in Wareham, ready to delight the gathered crowds before vanishing down the chimney of the Red Lion.

Weldmar Hospice organised a ‘Santa Run’ on Sunday 12th December inviting the community to dress in seasonal fancy dress and take part in a family run for charity.

Local soprano, 13-year-old Jemima Bennett, was a guest soloist at the Belvedere Singers Christmas Concert at St Mary’s Church in Swanage, which expected a packed out church for this annual favourite, just before Christmas. The Swanage ‘Switch On’ ceremony was tallied with the annual Christmas Market on Saturday 4th December. The band ‘Same Old Faces’ were due to delight the attending crowds with some glam rock whist they shopped for Christmas goodies.

The fabulous ‘Heroes Haven’ in Swanage held a fund-raising concert on December 4th at St Mary’s Church, where the Purbeck Arts Club Choir and Orchestra offered an evening of seasonal music for all to enjoy.

And so on - the December 2010 edition is very different to this year’s Christmas edition - almost every page invited our readers to attend a gathering of some sort, whether it be concert, market or show. This month things are very different indeed and we spare a thought for all the voluntary and arts groups who usually work so hard to put on shows, concerts and more for us all to enjoy. Have no fear - you are not forgotten and we all look forward to a time when we are able to enjoy your artistic endevours together as a community once again!

In December 2010, we invited on-board a group of young journalists from the Purbeck School in Wareham. Editor, Nico Johnson, had been working with the students at the school during their lunch breaks to encourage those who wanted to look at writing as a profession. In this edition, they ‘took over’ their first page in the Gazette, writing about things important to their age group and updating the wider community about recent trips they’d taken with the school.

Laura Clarke, Rosie Pocklington and Stephanie Collis penned a piece together entitled ‘Have you really forgotten?’, where they asked readers to have a quick think back to the ‘distant past’, when they were young teenagers themselves. Their article was absolutely brilliant - taking us back to those heady days of teenage angst and reminding readers of a somewhat older age that we pretty much all went through the hormonal madness most teens do - and we all came out the other side!

“Step into the shoes of a teen and you will understand how misjudged we actually are. The sterotypical teenager makes me doubt who I actually am; the general accusations made against young people make me feel like I’ve personally done something wrong. I haven’t. I’m just growing up.

“You probably rebelled. You probably made mistakes when you were our age. Does that mean you can stop us doing the same things? We have to learn the hard way. This means learning from our mistakes, not yours.

Yes, we do have the occasional drink on a Friday night with our friends, but we also enjoy staying in, watching films, playing cards and even doing some school work.

“There are pressures coming at us from every angle. You know what we’re going through and you know what we’ve got coming. So, please support and encourage us. Please show us empathy rather than anger

The Purbeck Gazette

and please don’t make us feel guilt simply because of our age. Growing up is hard enough already without the looming weight of disapproval on our shoulders.”

Columnist, David Hollister, penned his usual motoring column, and being in the winter months, it inevitably mentioned the long-standing and highly dangerous puddle which appears in bad weather on the Valley Road, heading towards Harmans Cross. David had spent the previous year battling to get this problem solved, without joy, and the ‘puddle of doom’ was back - again. Recent reports from 2020 - a full decade later - show that absolutely nothing has been resolved and if, god forbid, a bike rider should hit the water in the dark one evening, death would be a likely outcome. It seems amazing in this day and age that mankind seems unable to create a simple road surface and allow for water drainage and so on.

So - ten years on and residents are still complaining about the exact same highway issues. Years and years of banging on to what were the district and county councils seem to have done absolutely nothing to fix this lifethreatening issue. Are they waiting for that unnecessary death to actually occur? One would hope not, but indicators seem to suggest they are.......

Well known local lady, Carlotta Barrow, invited residents to attend ‘My life in dance’, held at The Arts Club Centre in Commercial Road (no longer there). Carlotta enthralled attendees with a truly fascinating talk about her life - starting with her career as a professional dancer in West End musicals, working in films (such as ‘Stop the World I want to get off’ and ‘Casino Royale’) and working through her days in New York and her time working as a ‘Beat Girl’ on the BBC. The Beat Girls later went on to become ‘Pan’s People’.

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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 JAN is noon, 9th DEC 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.

DECEMBER 2020

WEEKLY EVENTS

EVERY MONDAY 09.00 U3A Table Tennis Group meet at Harmans Cross VH. 09.30 Under 2.5 years old group. Till 11am. at Parish Hall, Wm. 09.45 Toddler Club URC, Sw. Till 11.15 10.00 Table Tennis Club Sw FC All ages/abilities £2.50 Till noon. 480093 10.30 Flowers with Liz at the Purbeck Workshop in Wool. The Workshop provides craft activities free of charge to those touched by cancer - friends and family are welcome too. Unit 6, Woolbridge Business Centre, East Burton Rd, Wool. BH20 6HG. www.purbeckworkshop.org 07757 776907. Email: richris95@gmail.com 13.00 Play and Learn at Wareham’s Children’s Centre, Streche Rd, Wm. Till 2.45pm 13.00 Under 1s and Tums at Chapel Lane, Swanage. Till 3pm 14.00 Pins and Needles at Harmans Cross VH. 14.00 Swanage Digital Champions. Support people in the community to use the internet and gain basic online skills. Booking essential on 01929 423485.

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.

16.00 Colour Me Happy. Adult colouring session at Swanage Library. Drop in.

16.45 Soccer Skills Sw FC First Sch chldn £1 Till 5.45. 425175 18.00 Lesbian and Gay Friendship Group meets every Monday evening for social events and shared interests, such as meals, walking and outings. Ffi: contact Karen via email: outinpurbeck@gmail.com 18.00 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster. Till 7pm 18.00 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Matchplay taster session for prospective new members. First 3 sessions are free. Until 8.30pm.

19.00 Wareham Choral Society meet URC Meeting House, 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.

10.20 Adult Dance Classes. Modern Line dance. Until 11.20am. At The D’Urberville Centre, Wool. Ffi: 01202 243803 or see: www.purbeckdancestudio.co.uk 10.30 Employment Hub at Swanage Library. Until 12.30pm. Book via Skilla dn Learning on 01202 262300.

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

Please call prior to attending events listed to ensure they are still on! 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 Swanage Town Walk. Local historian takes walks lasting 90 minutes. Meet outside the Museum in the ‘Square’. No charge but voluntary contributions welcome.

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.

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; non-members £2.50.

Till12.00. 427067 10.00 Short tennis for adults at Swanage Football Club. All welcome. Equipment supplied. Till noon.

10.00 Breast Feeding Group at Wareham’s Children Centre, Streche Rd, Wm. Offering peer support and breastfeeding counsellor advice. Till 12 noon. Ffi: 552864 10.30 Adult Dance Classes. Modern Line dance. Until 11.30am. At St Edward’s Church hall, Swanage. Ffi: 01202 243803 or see: www.purbeckdancestudio.co.uk 10.30 Play and Learn at Kids of Wool (BH20 6DY) until 12 noon.

10.30 Books and More - at Swanage Library. Reading & discussion group.

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.

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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. 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 09.30 Adult Dance Classes. Latin American & Ballroom dance. Until 10.30am. At the Wareham Scout & Guide Hut, N. Bestwall Rd, Wareham. BH20 4HX. Ffi: 01202 243803 or see: www.purbeckdancestudio.co.uk 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. Antinatal 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 Swanage Town Walk. Local historian takes walks lasting 90 minutes. Meet outside the Museum in the ‘Square’. No charge but voluntary contributions welcome.

14.00 Wareham Happy Cafe. Friendly conversation, talks, activities and some fun to put a spring in your step! Everyone welcome. Held at the Not Just Sundaes Cafe in South Street, Wareham. BH20 4LU. From 5th March 2020 onwards.

FREE. Until 3.30pm.

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

The Purbeck Gazette

(United Reformed Church) in Sw. Cake and bacon butties. Fair 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 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.

19.45 Alcoholics Anonymous Wareham. Talk and tea from 19.15, meeting from 19.45 until 21.00. At Wareham Day Centre, 21 Bonnets Lane, Wareham. BH20 4HB. If you think you may have a problem with alcohol, you are welcome. You can learn about living sober frmo people who do. The first friday of each month is also open to professionals and friends/family of problem drinkers. Ffi: 01202 296000.

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.

19.00 Quiz Night with cash prizes at the Red Lion, High Street, Swanage. All welcome - come along and see if you can win the prize pot!

The Purbeck Gazette

LOCAL TRADE ADVERTISING

53

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54

The Purbeck Gazette

LOCAL TRADE ADVERTISING

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The Purbeck Gazette

LOCAL TRADE ADVERTISING

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!

55

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VIP stockists of YOUR Purbeck Gazette!

Lytchett & Upton Council, Lytchett Minster The Courtyard Craft Centre, Lytchett Minster Crossways Post Office, Crossways The Spar Shop, Puddletown The Post Office, Winfrith Mace Stores, Bere Regis Bartletts Store, Bere Regis Holme Nurseries, East Holme Co-op Food & Petrol Station, Sandford Horsey’s Newsagents, Wareham Premier Stores, Carey, Wareham Sainsbury’s Supermarket, Wareham Purbeck Mobility, Wareham The Hidden Deli, Wool Gillett’s Spar Shop, Wool The Lookout Stores, Stoborough Stoborough Garage, Stoborough Foleys Garage, Harmans Cross St Michael’s Garage, Harmans Cross Swanage News Newsagents, Swanage MColls Newsagents, Swanage Jenkins Newsagents, Swanage Arkwrights Stores, Swange Ballard Stores, North Swanage Costcutters, Herston, Swanage Richardson’s Budgens, Swanage Triangle Garage, Swanage Durlston Castle/Seventhwave Restaurant, Durlston, Swanage The Scott Arms pub, Kingston Corfe Castle Village Stores, Corfe Castle Langton Village Stores & Post Office, Langton Studland Stores, Studland THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING STOCKISTS - SUPPORT LOCAL!