The New Blackmore Vale Magazine - Issue 90

Hospital improvements will ‘bring huge benefits for

EXTRA services are coming to Blandford Hospital, part of £2.9 million revamp.

The hospital, which is run by Dorset HealthCare, has been awarded £2.9 million by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to upgrade facilities and relocate services currently based at the Blandford Clinic in nearby Salisbury Street.

Over the course of this year, building work will take place enabling the hospital to provide:

• midwifery and health visitors

• school nursing and immunisations

space on-site or in nearby roads. And if you are unable to find where you need to be, please ask the friendly hospital reception team for help.

Work at the hospital will run until the end of the year. It will focus on improving patient experience by upgrading existing clinical areas, offices, reception areas, the public entrance and dedicated waiting areas.

England committing to significant investment in the future of Blandford and surrounding area. This investment will bring huge benefits for patients and our staff.”

• paediatrics

• podiatry

• mental health services

Throughout the refurbishment, existing hospital services and clinics will run as usual but there will be slight disruption on-site, including reduced car parking and redirection signs in place.

Anyone travelling by car to the hospital should allow more time to find a parking

For more information on Blandford Hospital visit www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/ blandfordhospital.

New consultation rooms will also be created, along with extra utility spaces and storerooms.

Helen Lawes, Dorset HealthCare’s Locality Manager for North Dorset, said, “We’re delighted to be consolidating our services to one site in Blandford to create a modern community care hub for the area.

“It’s an exciting time for the hospital, with NHS

‘Smashed’ drink-driver Anton Hull has jail sentence extended on appeal

A DRINK-DRIVER who filmed himself saying he was “smashed” minutes before a crash that killed 29-year-old Sarah Baker has had his prison sentence extended.

Anton Hull, of Galhampton, was jailed for six years at Taunton Crown Court in November last year after admitting causing death by dangerous driving in the August 2022 crash at Anchor Hill, near Wincanton, that killed Ms Baker.

The 21-year-old was arrested after the crash, which happened at just after 11pm, after witnesses reported he “stank of booze”.

He required medical treatment at Yeovil District Hospital, where a blood test was taken, with it being estimated he was around one-and-a-half to twice over the legal drink-drive limit at the time of the crash.

During the investigation, police found Hull had been drinking at a South Cadbury pub before the crash, consuming rum and lager, before being refused service for being drunk.

As well as being jailed, Hull was handed a nine-year driving ban, as well as being ordered to complete an extended re-test before being given his licence back.

However, after the sentencing, the case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Attorney General’s Office, for being too lenient.

And on Wednesday, at the Court of Appeal in London, Lord Justice William Davis increased his sentence to nine years and three months behind bars.

Sentencing Hull in Taunton last year, His Honour Judge Edward Burgess, said: “Your dangerous driving killed Sarah Baker,

having made a selfish decision to drive despite warnings, knowing full well you were too drunk to do so.

“Your driving was significantly impaired, and you used your phone to record yourself driving in an intoxicated state.

“Words cannot do justice to the enormity and needless tragedy of this incident.

“You have no one to blame but yourself for your injuries.”

And Sarah’s family paid tribute to a “caring, loyal and generous daughter, sister, cousin and niece”.

“The immeasurable pain we feel is so unnecessary when Sarah’s death was entirely preventable,” they added.

“The utterly selfish act of one individual has ended her life and ruined those lives around her.”

Riverbank footpath finally re-opens

WORK to stabilise a Sturminster Newton river bank has been completed.

The bank of the Stour, between the Mill and the bridge, has been strengthened during work by Dorset Council.

Almost 500 nails, between eight and 12 metres long, were drilled to secure the embankment to the bedrock.

This method was selected over piling, a similar process to hammering, in order to

minimise vibrations.

The footpath has been closed for years in order to protect residents as the ground slowly fell into the water.

The final part of the process, which sees the pavement laid and fence installed, is currently taking place. Following an arrangement with the town council, trees will be replanted on land east of the bridge.

Portfolio holder for highways, travel and environment, Cllr Ray

Bryan, said: “Many thanks to local residents, motorists and the town council for your positive support and understanding throughout these essential stabilisation works.

“Our team, and our contractors, Heidelberg, worked in some challenging conditions, including heavy rainfall that caused higher than normal river levels.

“They have done a fantastic job that has created a safer

place for all.”

Cllr Carole Jones, ward member for Sturminster Newton, added: “The workforce on site have been fantastic.

“Many a morning they were there from 7.30am, not leaving until almost dark.

“It really is so wonderful not to see the awful blue and red plastic railings anymore and I would like to thank all of the residents of Stur for their patience – we got there.”

Yeovil man in his 20s dies after A30 Babylon Hill crash near Sherborne

THE victim of a tragic crash on the A30 near Sherborne has been named locally as Yeovil man, Liam Congdon.

It is understood Mr Congdon, in his 20s, was killed after a crash involving a blue Mini Cooper and a blue Volvo articulated lorry, at Babylon Hill at around 4pm on February 20.

Dorset Police confirmed a man from Yeovil had passed away after the crash, having been taken to Bristol’s Southmead Hospital by air ambulance.

Sergeant Geraint Butler, of the Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the young man who sadly

died, and officers are doing all they can to support the family at this extremely difficult time.

“We owe it to them to conduct a detailed investigation to establish the full circumstances of this collision and I would again urge any witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage of the incident to please come forward.

“From our enquiries so far, we believe there were at least two vehicles in the vicinity whose occupants are likely to have witnessed what happened that we have so far not been able to trace. We would urge these people to please make contact with us.

“We also understand an

off-duty nurse stopped to give assistance at the scene and we would be keen to speak to this individual and take their account.

“Furthermore, I would urge anyone travelling in either direction on the A30 between Yeovil and Sherborne around this time of the collision to please review any dashcam footage to see if they have captured anything of relevance, including the movements of the vehicles involved prior to the collision.”

Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police via www.dorset.police.uk, by email to scit@dorset.pnn.police.uk, or by calling 101, quoting incident number 55240026506.

Through the roof

FIREFIGHTERS took off the roof of a car to free an injured person after a crash near Sturminster Newton.

The incident, in Bagber, happened at around 8.45pm on February 22.

Fire crews from Sturminster Newton and Blandford responded to the call.

“When crews got on scene, they made quick work of removing the roof of the car to allow the casualty to be easily removed from their vehicle without causing them any further harm,” a Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said.

New £14m NHS outpatient department opens

DORSET County Hospital (DCH) has opened its new £14 million outpatient department.

The scheme to refurbish the Outpatient Assessment Centre, at South Walks House, in the town centre, saw two floors of the building converted into permanent clinical space.

Funding came from the NHS England Elective Recovery and Community Diagnostics Programme, and a 20-year lease was signed for the premises with Dorset Council.

DCH started running a pop-up Outpatient Assessment Centre on one floor of the building in November 2021 as a temporary measure to tackle NHS waiting lists.

Now, the funding has been used to expand and enhance the centre, with two floors of dedicated clinical space allowing staff to run more outpatient clinics and offer diagnostics appointments such as x-rays and scans, as well as day case local anaesthetic procedures and general health and wellbeing services.

Arts University Bournemouth students designed the internal artwork to create a welcoming space and help patients find their way around, and volunteers will also be on hand to offer support.

Chief operating officer at DCH, Anita Thomas, said: “We are delighted that our new Outpatient Assessment Centre has opened at South Walks House.

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“It will give us additional clinical space and facilities to reduce waiting times for outpatient and diagnostic appointments, and ensure patients receive the right care and treatment more quickly.

“Clinicians across different specialties will work together to find the best treatment options for patients. People will be signposted to the services they need on the day, so they can see the healthcare professionals they need at the same appointment.

“Patients will also be able to access a wealth of health and wellbeing information and advice on-site which will support their treatment.”

The first clinics to be held at the new centre include orthopaedics, rheumatology, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, orthotics and phlebotomy, with many more due to run in the coming months.

Bus routes saved after council deal

We realise talking about divorce or separation is very personal and so we are offering virtual appointments by Zoom. As an alternative, we offer a one off FREE telephone appointment for initial advice on Wednesdays 9am – 1pm

We realise talking about divorce or separation is very personal and so we are offering appointments at our offices. For new clients seeking initial advice a FREE appointment can be booked on Wednesdays 9am – 1pm.

To book an appointment please call us on 01747 852377

To book an appointment please call us on 01747 852377

Offices in Shaftesbury – Sturminster Newton – Gillingham

UNDER-THREAT bus routes in Somerset – including the 58 service between Wincanton and Yeovil – have been saved for another year.

Somerset Council and First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset, have agreed a deal to ensure four routes can continue.

It was feared the services could be lost as the council looks to cut costs amid a financial crisis and falling passenger numbers.

Last autumn, the council stepped in with funding to save the routes – but as it faces a £100 million funding deficit, the subsidy was at risk of being axed.

Now, routes 25 (Taunton –Dulverton), 28 (Taunton –Minehead), 54 (Taunton – Yeovil and 58 (Yeovil – Wincanton) will

continue.

The agreement will keep the services running until the end of March 2025. The 54 and 25 will continue to be supported using Government funding from the Bus Service Improvement Grant (BSIP Plus), provided by Somerset Council, and Buses of Somerset has agreed to run the 58 and 28 services without subsidy.

Buses of Somerset will continue to run and promote the services for a further year while working with Somerset Council and Somerset Bus Partnership to maintain an ongoing campaign to encourage bus use.

Figures show that bus use has increased by 32 per cent across the county between January and June 2023 thanks to initiatives such as fare capping and the Bus It campaign.

Caravan park plans overturned

PLANS to install 40 caravans for Ukrainian refugees on land outside Blandford have been refused after an appeal.

The scheme, submitted by Savills on behalf of Bryanston (RFE) Ltd and The Rothermere Foundation, would see the units built on land at Deer Park Farm for up to five years.

A planning appeal was launched after Dorset Council failed to make a decision on the scheme – but indicated to the inspector it would have refused it.

Crash biker critical

A BIKER suffered lifethreatening injuries in a crash near Milborne St Andrew.

The incident happened on the A354 at 6.14pm on February 23, involving an orange Kawasaki motorcycle between Milborne St Andrew and the A35 Puddletown bypass.

Police attended, along with the ambulance service, and the rider – a Weymouth man in his 30s – was taken by air ambulance to Southampton General Hospital with injuries that were believed to be life-threatening.

Sergeant Lee Savage, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “I would urge anyone who was travelling along the A354 in the area on the evening of Friday 23 February 2024 to please review any dashcam footage to see if they have captured the collision or the motorcycle involved in the moments leading up to it.

Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police via www.dorset. police.uk, by email to scit@ dorset.pnn.police.uk, or by calling 101, quoting incident number 23:514.

The initial application said the units would be used to house Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

However, planning inspector Neil Pope refused the appeal, citing five ‘main issues’: the scheme would not accord with national and adopted planning policies; the impact on the character and appearance of the area; the impact on heritage assets; flood risk implications; and the effect on Greater Horseshoe bats in the area.

Issuing his refusal, Mr Pope said:

“Unlike the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme where refugees live with a host, it is unclear to me what, if any, mechanism or support would be in place to help foster social interaction with the existing community.”

He continued: “The creation of a not insubstantial caravan park within this part of the countryside would be at odds with, and considerably detract from, the parkland setting to the town and this area of charming valley pasture.”

Gardens open for inspiration this spring

AS gardeners across the country look forward to longer days and warmer weather, Dorset Open Gardens invites visitors to help raise money for charity as part of the National Garden Scheme.

Check www.ngs.org.uk for the most up-to-date details about opening times.

Frankham Farm

Ryme Intrinseca, Sherborne DT9 6JT

This large and lovely farm garden has been created since 1960 by the late Jo Earle for year-round interest. Deep borders surround the lawns near the house, filled with a variety of roses, unusual shrubs and trees, clematis and other climbers. Spring bulbs through to autumn colour. A wonderful range of tree species, some quite rare and planted a long time ago – particularly oaks.

There’s also a large, productive vegetable garden. Sorry, no dogs.

Frankham is a working farm (organic arable & livestock) which includes woodland walks underplanted with spring bulbs and camellias. It has a ground-level tea room with Frankham-grown lunches plus tea and cake.

Open Sunday, April 21, (12-5pm). £7, children free.

The Old Vicarage East Orchard, Shaftesbury SP7 0BA

Hundreds of different snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, tulips and many other bulbs and winter flowering shrubs. A stream meanders down to a pond and there are lovely reflections in the swimming pond, the first to be built in Dorset. The new acre has been planted with several unusual trees. Wildlife garden, pond dipping, swing and other children’s attractions.

Open Friday, April 26, and Sunday, April 28, (2pm5pm), £5, children free. Visits also by arrangement from January 2 to December 3.

Love to learn

LEARN, laugh, live! is the ethos of Shaftesbury and Gillingham u3a, whose members will be promoting the group to visitors at Shaftesbury Library next week.

The warm and welcoming group of retirees and those taking time out meets on the first Thursday of the month at New Hall, Charlton,

Shaftesbury SP7 0PL.

Meetings are varied with regular speakers and presentations, offering a lively programme. The opportunity to expand learning and sharing of interests is offered through 30 or more groups led by members.

For more information look online at www.u3asites.org.uk/sgu3a/home.

The event at the library is on Friday, March 8, from 10am-noon.

Easter funday craft fair

CATTISTOCK is holding its first craft fair, along with a scarecrow trail and Easter egg hunt through the village, on Easter Sunday (March 31).

The event, in aid of the village’s nationally important St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church and local hut, will include artisan professionals and gifted local amateurs.

Stalls in the church and village hall include metal work, soft furnishings, woodwork, pottery, botanical illustrations and felt work.

Visitors will have the chance to purchase unique jewellery and stunning gemstones, including some fossilised pieces.

Hot drinks and a selection of homemade bakes will be available in the village hall. The event runs from noon-5pm.

On yer bike!

THE Westland Classic Motorcycle Club is holding two runs this summer in aid of good causes.

Its 32nd Spirit of the Sixties run in aid of Yeovil Freewheelers EVS is for classic motorcycles, scooters and trikes on Sunday, May 19.

The start and finish is at Yeovil Rugby Club with a lunch stop at Nothe Fort, Weymouth.

Entry is £18 in advance, £25 on the day, with no fee for learners and under-18s.

The club’s 36th annual Coast to Coast ride in aid of Headway (Somerset), for classic motorcycles, scooters and trikes, is on Sunday, July 7.

It is from Lyme Regis to Minehead with a lunch stop at Sheppy’s Cider Farm, Taunton.

Entry is £15 in advance, £25 on the day, with no fee for learners and under-18s.

Volunteer marshals go free.

For entry forms and details go to www.wcmcc.org.uk

The club has organised the rides every year for the last 30 years to raise money for the Freewheelers (Blood Bikes) and Headway, a charity which supports people who have suffered serious brain injury.

In that time it has raised more than £130,000 with all the money from motorcyclists’ fees going direct to the charities.

Frankham Farm, near Sherborne

The Old Vicarage, near Shaftesbury

Generous donation helps rural church fund repairs

THE Dorset Historic Churches Trust has stepped in to help Holy Trinity church at Chilfrome, near Cattistock, repair its roof.

The small size of the local community meant raising the money would be difficult and the trust has provided £6,000 towards the cost.

Trust chair David Grant (second from left) presented a cheque to Simon Toswill and Mark Addison earlier this month as representatives of the church.

The presentation was followed by a church service where the Rev Daniel Ingles formally thanked the trust.

Shaun Leavey, Deanery area representative for the trust, said: “Yet again this was a situation where a historic church in a rural area of Dorset would have struggled to find the money to make crucial repairs.

“It is to help with such situations that Dorset

Platinum Award-Winning Care 2022

We have been awarded this much sought after accolade for our work with Gold Standards Framework

Historic Churches Trust exists.

“Supporting the trust with donations, and participating in its annual fundraising on Ride & Stride Day in September, are crucial to its ability to help out with repairs to our county’s many historic churches.”

“Your

Summer at the station

THE Spetisbury Station Project is holding a tea party at the old Spetisbury station this summer.

The team of volunteers will be serving Pimm’s, soft drinks, teas and coffees, and tasty treats. The Blandford Ukulele Group will be performing at 12.30pm.

A selection of railway books, DVDs and gifts will also be available at the event on Sunday, July 14, from 10am-2pm.

Donations to the Spetisbury Station Project will be accepted on the day with all proceeds helping to maintain and improve the station site.

More details at www. spetisburystationproject. co.uk

News

Q&A

Matthew Coleridge

Renowned choral composer

How long have you been a composer?

I wrote a Christmas carol when I was eight, however, I didn’t begin to compose properly until my early thirties. I’d been working as a Music Arranger, and suddenly got the urge to compose choral music. After a couple of very short a cappella pieces, Requiem was my first attempt at anything ‘meaty’.

What got you into composing?

My grandfather composed a lot of music, so I always just assumed that writing music was something everybody did. I certainly didn’t grow up wanting to be a composer; I wanted to run a recording studio and work in music production. The composer bug didn’t bite me until I became a father.

What did you study?

I didn’t: I have a D in A-Level Music, and have never had a lesson in either composing or conducting.

What are your achievements that you are most proud of?

I’m not sure proud is the correct word, but I’m very privileged to have been able to conduct my music in some wonderful buildings, such as Exeter Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey, with choirs of 200 singers.

Can you tell us a little about your ‘Requiem’?

I think it’s a powerful piece of music, full of beauty and emotion. People always seem to be moved by different passages, but there’s usually somebody in either the choir or audience who is in tears by the end of it.

I started writing it when my son was born. He would be having a nap in the room whilst I was sitting at the piano writing. So, whilst it’s pretty unusual to be writing music which is, in effect, a Mass for the Dead whilst cuddling a new-born baby, perhaps that’s what really makes it such a life affirming piece of music.

What has been your favourite performance of your ‘Requiem’ so far?

Out of the performances I’ve conducted myself, I think it was the concert at Truro Cathedral last summer. All the lights were dimmed just as we were about to start singing, so it created a really special atmosphere. It was also the first time I’d conducted a concert from memory, so I felt a real connection with the choir.

How have you worked with Leweston on the ‘Requiem’? We started off with a full-day singing workshop in October, getting to know the piece and beginning to delve into the depths below the surface. Since then I’ve had a couple of sessions with Leweston Choral Society and it’s great to see how much progress they’ve made and the confidence that is building in their voices. Recently, I had my first session with their orchestra to explore the piece with them.

When will you be conducting ‘Requiem’ with Leweston Choral Society?

Friday March 22nd - it’s one of seven UK performances that month, so quite a hectic start to Spring!

Butterfly counters

VOLUNTEERS are needed this summer to check on the health of endangered Duke of Burgundy butterfly populations in south west Wiltshire.

The Shaston Ridge – the ridge running south of the A30 between near Donhead St Andrew and near Burcombe – is a national stronghold for the species, and the aim is to conserve it for the future.

Andrew Graham, a member of the Wiltshire branch of Butterfly Conservation, who lives in Tisbury, wants to recruit a small team of volunteers to record the Duke of Burgundy in its flight period between mid-April and mid-June.

The Duke of Burgundy is the UK’s fastest declining butterfly but in south west Wiltshire they are faring better than elsewhere as connections still exist between populations.

Andrew said: “However, knowledge of its distribution and population sizes is far from complete.

“We have records from all along the ridge, but they have not been collected in a consistent manner.

locations which previously held the species been visited recently.”

He wants to recruit a team of volunteers to help undertake “timed counts” for Duke of Burgundy.

This is a simple method of recording a single species which involves walking a set area and counting the number of Duke of Burgundy butterflies seen.

All training will be provided and no experience is necessary.

The survey will take place between Mid-May and Mid-June and some training will be run before the flight season starts.

Andrew will be able provide ongoing support to build up skills and share information about individual sites.

“Nor have sites with potential, or all

Anyone who would like to take part

through Tisbury Natural History Society at tisburynathist@gmail.com

Male Duke of Burgundy on a cowslip photo by Bob Earle, inset photo by Neil Hulme

Our loose Canon

Be a Barnabas – give the gift of encouragement to all those around you and they will recognise it

by Canon Eric Woods

I AM writing this column on a wet, windy Wednesday afternoon in Sturminster Newton. This morning I braved the elements to attend the midweek service of Holy Communion at my parish church, St Mary’s. When I arrived, I was greeted by another Mary – our Vicar – who was eager to share with me a letter she had had from a visitor to another of her churches, St Thomas à Beckett’s, at Lydlinch.

Apparently he had noticed the latest of my little books on sale there (all proceeds to church funds). Entitled Done on the Cross, it tries in just 24 pages to explore something of what, in the words of a medieval poem, was actually “done” on the Cross – what was achieved there; what difference it made to the human condition, and how it matters to me and to you. I wrote it especially for this season of Lent, soon to be followed by Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter.

Our visitor had no change on him, but took the booklet away intending to send a cheque for the cover price of £3 to the Vicar. But he was so helped and encouraged by it that he sent instead a cheque for £20 for Lydlinch Church. He called it “an answer to prayer”.

I cannot tell you how moved I was by Mary’s tale. First, that the visitor had been helped by my humble efforts, and had responded so generously. But second, by the fact that Mary was so eager to pass on this piece of encouragement. Believe me, the clergy do not always treat their colleagues with such generosity of spirit. They are as vulnerable as any of those who work in big institutions to petty jealousies and meanness of heart. It should not be like that, but there it is.

“Look how the Christians love one another” wrote Tertullian at the end of the second century – and he was being sarcastic.

So my Vicar was being, as I told her, a Barnabas, and I appreciated it greatly. Barnabas? Yes, one of the second wave of apostles, and a great supporter of and fellow missionary with St Paul. Barnabas was not his given name, but the nickname the other apostles gave him. It means “son of encouragement”. How lovely that they gave him that name because “encouraging” was what he did, and did often. Encouragement is one of the most precious things we can give to one another: it brings affirmation and healing. It costs nothing. It is an act of love. Yet how seldom we encourage one another as we should.

A long time ago the English poet and painter William Blake – immortalised in the hymn known today as Jerusalem – wrote that “He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars: General Good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite and flatterer.” Exactly. So why not aim this Lent to be a “Barnabas” to those around you – and give them the gift of encouragement in these difficult times?

Photo by Adrien King on Unsplash

Into the FOLDE

AN independent bookshop in Shaftesbury is a regional and country finalist in The British Book Awards 2024.

FOLDE Dorset, which is on Gold Hill and specialises in nature writing, has been recognised in the Independent Bookshop of the Year category.

“We are over the moon to have made it through to the finals for our region,” said FOLDE co-founder, Amber Harrison (pictured below, on

the right).

Karen Brazier (on the left), Amber’s co-founder, said: “We owe much of our success to our local community. Shaftesbury is a very special town.”

The regional and country winners will be announced on March 12.

They will then be put forward for the Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, which will be announced at a ceremony on May 13.

PHOTO: Matt Austin

Spoilt for choice at Shirley Allum Fashions & Lingerie

The lingerie department at Shirley Allum Fashions and Lingerie is one of the largest in the Southwest. With over 2500 bras in stock from cup AA to K and band sizes 30 to 48, you will be spoilt for choice. Our bra fitting service is second to none and as 7 out of 10 women wear the wrong size bra chatting with any one of our trained and qualified bra fitters is essential. You won’t see them reaching for a tape measure though, instead the girls fit the bra to your body, after all we are all wonderfully different and time and consideration should be given when you are buying a bra, our team will guide you with care and patience with a good sense of humour. Our range of brands include Fantasie, Wacoal, Triumph, Charnos, rosa Faia, Royce and many more.

The advice and care our staff give is never more important than when you are recovering from breast surgery. At Shirley Allum Fashion and Lingerie, know that you have a safe haven where you will be looked after and advised with discretion and care when you feel at your lowest. We genuinely feel that having breast surgery is traumatic enough, without the

trouble, fear and sometimes embarrassment of finding a bra when you are at your most vulnerable. We pride ourselves in stocking the ‘Anita’ range of mastectomy bras for pre-surgery and post-surgery needs.

The masters of this craft, ‘Anita’ know how a woman wants to feel, comfortable yet feminine. The staff will guide you and advise the best fit for your individual needs.

Those ladies who have been through surgery do not pay VAT on their purchase of any mastectomy bra (please ask for details).

Along side the fabulous range of bras, Shirley prides herself in having an excellent collection of night wear from great brands such as Cyberjammies, Cotton Real, Damella, Slenderella and Mey. We also stock shape wear, petticoats and vests to suit all age ranges and tastes, don’t miss out on the offer of 3+1 packs of knickers from Sloggi and the new Anita Pocket Pants.

Shop for Mother’s Day from the beautiful new ranges arriving daily across the store. Join our V.I.P Rewards Scheme and collect points as you shop, ask our wonderful team for more details.

300 Years of Stourhead: Celebrating Women’s Legacies

In 2024 Stourhead is celebrating 300 years since it became a home. Opening on 8 March (International Women’s Day), Stourhead House is showcasing the lives of the women who lived here and the female makers and creators who helped turn this grand Country House into a home.

A pioneering widow, a voracious reader, a doting grandmother - Stourhead House has been home to some incredible women over the last 300 years. Whether wives, mothers or grandmothers in the Hoare banking family, each Lady of the house brought their own ideas of how home should

look and feel.

But those who lived at Stourhead aren’t the only women who made it what it is today. Amongst the paintings by notable male artists are those by pioneering women who followed their passions and made a name for themselves at a time when just being female was enough to set the odds against you; this includes artist Angelica Kauffman who the Royal Academy of Arts are also celebrating this spring. Visit Stourhead this spring to discover the influence women have had at Stourhead.

©National Trust Images / Betsy Ogilvie

©National Trust Images / James Dobson

Puppy presentation

DEMENTIA Friendly Gillingham were more than happy to present a ‘Companion Puppy’ to the residents of The Old Rectory Care Home in Stalbridge, after they were nominated by Sharon Chalke, one of the carers who works there.

Anne King, representing Dementia Friendly Gillingham said, “Keith and myself had more than a warm welcome when we arrived, because the place was full of pythons and spiders, who

were entertaining the residents.

“As soon as we brought the ‘puppy’ out, he really did capture the hearts of the residents and staff as well. As you can see in the photo, he was completely unfazed by the python; although I must say that snake was too close to me for comfort!

“Puppy will be given a name by the residents, who are each going to suggest a name and draw it from a hat.”

Call us on 07879 992000

www.lizziepriceshadingsolutions.co.uk Covering

news

GARDEN designer and Chelsea gold medal winner Alex Graham joined FILGroup members and friends at Fovant to give a talk on the history of the National Garden Scheme (NGS).

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the benefits of gardens and outside space on people’s health has received more recognition, and the charity now raises millions of pounds each year supporting all aspects of nursing.

Members would like to thank Alex for an interesting and informative talk and for showing photographs of some of the beautiful gardens which open under the NGS.

FILGroup meets every second Thursday of the month in Fovant village hall and everyone is welcome.

The March meeting is a fun workshop and a classic tea. For more info, email filgroup15@gmail.com.

STEPPING INTO SPRING WITH LIZZIE PRICE SHADING SOLUTIONS

As we step into Spring with the gardens starting to burst with pops of colour and our thoughts begin to turn towards outdoor living and enjoying the sun our range of outdoor products including Louvred roof Pergolas, Awnings, Verandas with glass or polycarbonate roofs which can also be used for Covered Walkways and Carports are a great way to extend your outdoor space and enjoy your garden in all that the British Spring and Summer brings. Our extensive range of Plantation Shutters, Blinds & External Roller Blinds will protect your home from the sun creating cooler indoor spaces and blackout options to help you sleep peacefully in the summer months. We will personally deal with you from the initial in-home consultation, where we will identify your needs and then provide you with a quotation for the most suitable solution. All products are professionally fitted by us and guaranteed. Contact us for a free in-home consultation by email enquiries@lizziepriceshadingsolutions. co.uk or phone 07879 992000.

(Left to right) Mimi the python, with her keeper, Annie Kings (Dementia Friendly Gillingham), two of the Old Rectory residents, Keith Ashman (Dementia Friendly Gillingham), Julie Guyatt, carer

True or false?

THE ladies of Blandford Evening WI held a Call My Bluff evening, hosted by Morgan Antell, assisted by Peter and Marion Eldrit, to celebrate the group’s 11th anniversary.

The team presented 10 items in turn, and gave three descriptions of each, with the ladies left to decide which one was true.

Team Morgan present the evenings as a fundraiser for air ambulance organisations and have a number of collections, so the same selection is never used. They cover the east of Dorset, while another team cover the west side.

Anyone who would like a Call My Bluff evening can contact Morgan on 01202 822869.

Di Hinton provided two superb homemade cakes.

Shield your home from Care Costs & Inheritance Tax with a Living Trust.

How a Living Trust protects your estate:

1. Care Costs:

Placing your main home into a living trust can ring fence the property from any potential future care costs. Thus, protecting your inheritance.

2. Asset Protection:

By transferring ownership of your home and other assets to a living trust, can help protect them from creditors, divorce & remarriage, and other potential claims, including care costs.

3. Inheritance Tax Planning:

A living trust can be part of an estate planning strategy to minimize inheritance tax liability. By placing assets into a trust, they can be excluded from your taxable estate upon your passing, potentially reducing the amount of inheritance tax your beneficiaries would owe.

4. Revocable Nature:

One of the advantages of a living trust is that it is revocable, meaning you can make changes to the trust or even revoke it entirely during your lifetime. This flexibility allows you to adapt to changing circumstances or wishes.

5. Trust Administration:

When you establish a living trust, you typically designate yourself as the trustee, thus maintaining control over the assets and allowing you to continue using and managing them as you did before. Should you move home the trust stays in place and protects your new residence. The effectiveness of a living trust in achieving your specific goals will depend on your individual circumstances. Oakwood Wills offer a free consultation in the privacy of our own home.

Tel 07832 331594, email: info@oakwoodwills.co.uk.

Unpicking the puzzle of Roman mosaic

A FASCINATING talk this March sheds new light on the stunning Roman mosaic unearthed at Hinton St Mary in the 1960s.

In September 1963, an internationally important Roman mosaic was discovered at a forge in Hinton St Mary when a post hole was being dug for another building.

The British Museum started an excavation of the site in April 1964, which indicated that it was part of a large, wealthy estate. The Museum lifted the mosaic for protection, but the excavation was never completed.

Evidence points to a late construction of the site at around AD350 and only a brief occupation of around 50 years. The remains indicate that they were part of a series of small separate buildings, not a villa, suggesting they could possibly have been an early Christian shrine.

In the summer of 2021, a team of archaeologists engaged in a collaborative effort to re-excavate the site. The group involved Vianova Archaeology, The British Museum and students from Cardiff University. Digs were made at Hinton St Mary in the summer months of 2021, 2022

and the final excavation 2023.

The dig in 2022 revealed a second mosaic just 10-15 yards from the original. Only part of the border of this mosaic remains, but the work indicates that it, like the first mosaic, was of a high standard of workmanship. Other finds included coins, pottery, bones and oyster shells.

Dr Peter Guest, one of the excavation supervisors, will be talking about the results of the excavations and exciting new

interpretations of the Hinton St Mary villa complex at Stour Hall, The Exchange, on Wednesday, March 13, at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available from The Exchange, £8 for Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust members, £10 for non-members.

Village Shops: How local and national suppliers can combine to offer customers the best shopping experience.

What makes a good village shop? Convenience, full shelves, friendliness, an instore bakery, perhaps a post office? How about local produce and reasonable prices?

These last two points are often seen as contradictory. Local produce can be more expensive than national brands because the

businesses involved are smaller and have higher production costs.

‘Local business offers products which are unique to the area, of exceptionally high quality, absolutely fresh, and as the food has had less far to travel, better for the environment. National brands provide reassurance as they are more easily recognised and cost less’, says Andrew Stevenson-Hamilton who owns the Child Okeford Village Shop. ‘Our aim is to provide a choice of either.’

The Child Okeford Village shop supports over twenty local suppliers and they all have a great story to tell: From family owned Buttling Butchers to Mere Trout Farm, Dowdings Cider to Cerne Abbas Brewery, many have won prestigious awards in their respective fields.

Customers are encouraged to visit the suppliers to see how the products are made and Meggy Moos Dairy Farm by Shroton welcomes a steady stream of customers, who bring their families to buy fresh milk and visit the beautiful dairy herd.

village should they wish.

The shop tries to match at least one value product for each premium equivalent with all displayed side by side. The shop recently joined forces with Spar who provides statistics on the most loved national brands and Andrew uses his local knowledge to stock the village favourites. It’s a winning combination that has helped the Child Okeford Shop to reach the finals of the Countryside Alliance Village Shop of the year awards.

If you are passing, Andrew would be delighted to welcome you.

Voting is now open: to vote please scan the QR code on the attached advertisement or go to

https://www.research.net/r/CAA24SWBiz

Although the shop is proud of the local products it stocks, it also realises that there is a need to offer more affordable produce too.

Child Okeford is about seven miles equidistant from the supermarkets of Shaftesbury and Blandford, and with buses being few and far between, and transport costs high, there are many who depend on the village shop to buy their basics. Andrew aims to stock a wide enough range of value products to enable his customers to live from the shop without needing to leave the

Don’t forget to pick up your next issue of the New Blackmore Vale Magazine, how the post office still plays a vital role in the local community.

Local butcher Paul Buttling

A visit to local supplier Leopard Dairies

Town hall revamp crawls ever-closer

Blandford has been waiting over 30 years for much-needed restoration and remedial works, but the end might be in sight by

Nicci Brown

There were cheers of approval, congratulations and relief from members of the public and council staff when town councillors in Blandford voted unanimously to progress the latest proposal for restoration of the town’s Grade I listed Corn Exchange, Town Hall and Council Chamber, which has been under consideration for over 30 years.

Extensive works to the complex were given planning and listed building consent by Dorset Council in January.

The alterations to the Grade 1 listed building, parts of which date back to the early 1730s, will improve public access, making it more useable, and include works to the stage, the installation of a new staircase, lift, ramp and sliding doors, solar panels for the roof and reinstatement of some of the original features.

Councillors have already authorised fees and costs of just over £450,000 for the project since 2020.

Nearly two-thirds of the total £3.7 million cost of the project has been secured, through confirmed grants from the William Williams charity, the Community Ownership Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, a private donor and funds allocated by the town council itself.

The council now needs approval of an application for a loan of around £1.3 million from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB), the government-backed organisation that finances many public projects. The loan will be paid back over the next 50 years at a cost of £100,000 a year – a sum already included in the council’s precept for council tax in the current year.

At the January vote, town clerk Linda ScottGilles explained that, to keep down the overall cost, works to the office had already been removed because of their lack of public impact.

“The Town Council has been accruing funds/ funding for this project for many years. However, building costs have increased significantly since the pandemic and we do not have sufficient funding to proceed without the PWLB loan.”

Councillors agreed to apply for the loan, with no increase in the council tax/precept for the purpose of the loan repayments.

Blandford’s longest-serving councillor Haydn White said: “After 30 years of waiting to see this happen, it gives me great pleasure to propose”. The town’s second-longest-service councillor Lynn Lindsay seconded his proposal, which was approved unanimously in a recorded vote. A start date has not yet been agreed, due to the need for a value engineering process. However it is hoped to be at the end of March or beginning of April. The project should take 68 weeks to complete, during which time the complex will be closed to the public.

Wimborne’s new retirement village available to reserve from April.

With just over a month to go until the elegant mix of Retirement Living Plus properties are released for off-plan sales, Wimborne’s newest community on Station Road will offer a relaxed, independent lifestyle.

Overlooking a beautiful village green, The Old Market Village is split into two developments. Exclusive to the over 70s, Market House will feature 68 one and two-bedroom luxury apartments, while The Old Market Gardens will offer 32 stunning two-bedroom bungalows for the

over 65s. The beautifully appointed, low-maintenance properties will combine well-equipped kitchens and bathrooms with bright and spacious living areas. Designed to provide the exact amount of independence needed to suit their lifestyle, homeowners will be able to enjoy freshly prepared meals from the bistro, domestic assistance and tailored, personal care if required, from a dedicated on-site team 24/7. Properties will also benefit from well-appointed balconies and patios. Safety and security are at the forefront

for all homeowners at The Old Market Village, with secure entry systems and accessible 24-hour emergency call points. A wellness suite will offer a range of treatments. There is ample parking available to homeowners with extra space for guests, while a scooter store and cycle store provide additional travel options.

For more information on

The Old Market Village, call 0800 882 1605 or search mccarthystone.co.uk/Wimborne.

Next stop: family fun!

Head to Shillingstone

Station’s family fun day this Easter for eggs galore and plenty of interesting information about railways.

On Sunday, March 31, from 10.30am–3pm, station volunteers will be running a quiz or children aged up to 12 years (with adult help if needed), activities for younger children, and signal box tours. All quiz entrants will receive an Easter treat!

The museum and other attractions – including the shop and cafe – will be open as usual.

The cost for the quiz is £2 per

child, no booking needed, but if you’d like more information please ring 01258 860696 during the Station’s opening hours: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm.

Both events are in aid of North Dorset Railway, which is entirely run by volunteers with all funds raised put towards the maintenance and development of the railway for the benefit of the community.

Festival seeks your family’s stories of Normandy landings

THE Sturminster Newton Literary Festival 2024 D-Day project is seeking contributions from local people whose family members took part in the invasion of Normandy 80 years ago in the Second World War.

These will be used to create an exhibition of family testimonies and images to go on show in The Exchange Gallery, Sturminster Newton, from June 6.

The exhibition will be formally launched on June 9 alongside author events commemorating the invasion.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the exhibition should send up to 500 words describing their forbear’s experiences in June 1944.

Submit a typed version via email to sturlitfest1@gmail. com or deliver a hand-written account to the town council offices in Sturminster Newton marked FAO Cllr Pauline Batstone – D-Day 80th Anniversary Project, by Friday, March 29.

Sturminster Newton Literary Festival runs from June 8-16 and the full programme will be announced in March. Visit www.sturlitfest.com for more details.

More than just books…

STAFF and volunteers at Blandford Library run a range of regular clubs and activities. Monday sees the library open for a warm welcome a free hot drink – cuppa and company, from 10.30am til noon.

Blandford Library’s shared reading group is held fortnightly on a Monday, from 2pm-3.30pm. Come along and enjoy stories and poetry in a completely new way. The group leader will read aloud and then facilitate discussion about what you have read.

Expect lively conversation, thoughtful discussion, surprises and a new appreciation of the power of words!

Shared reading is suitable for all ages and abilities, including those with earlystage dementia and carers. Do you like to knit, crochet, embroider or more? Come along to craft and chat, a friendly, informal craft session on the third Tuesday of every month (10.30am-midday). Bring your project and materials and enjoy crafting in company.

Rhyme time on a Tuesday afternoon (2pm-2.30pm) and Thursday morning (10am-10.30am) is a great way to introduce

babies and toddlers to the joy of a library. Join in with spoken rhymes and meet new friends.

Enjoy a fun session of sensory play, stories and rhymes, explore the library and spend time with other parents and carers who have young children with additional needs at SENsational story and play on the first Saturday of every month from 11am11.30am.

Saturdays are busy at Blandford, with library gets lively from 11am-11.30am

(ages 3-8), Lego club from 2pm-3.30pm (ages 6-10), and code club from 4.30pm5.30pm (ages 8-12).

The reminiscence group meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month from 11am-midday. It’s a friendly, informal way to share recollections and fond memories about a variety of topics from times gone by.

Would you like to improve your digital skills? Book a session with the library’s digital champion, who will guide you through the basic skills using your own device or a library computer.

These sessions occur once a week on alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call the digital hotline on 01305 221048 to book a session.

Blandford library

The Tabernacle, DT11 7DW

blandfordlibrary@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk , 01258 452075

Monday 10am-6.30pm

Tuesday 9.30am-5pm

Wednesday Closed

Thursday 9.30am-6.30pm

Friday 9.30am-1pm

Saturday 9.30am-4pm

Sunday Closed

Contemporary

Gillingham Showroom

01747 833 789

Unit 21, Kingsmead Business Park, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5JG

Opening Hours

Monday–Friday: 9am–5pm

Saturdays by appointment only. Closed Sunday.

www.solsticekitchens co.uk

Hands-on helpers

ALMOST every weekend of the year, whatever the weather, a small group of volunteers can be found doing hands-on nature conservation work somewhere in the Dorset countryside.

The group is Dorset Countryside Volunteers (DCV); this year it’s celebrating 50 years of volunteer work in the county.

DCV provides at-cost labour to organisations that manage land for the benefit of wildlife in Dorset, including Butterfly Conservation, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC), Dorset Wildlife Trust and the National Trust.

In winter, DCV typically carries out work such as grassland and heathland management, hedgelaying and coppicing. In warmer months, volunteers can be found clearing litter from beaches, drystone walling, maintaining public footpath infrastructure, fencing, or removing Himalayan balsam (an invasive plant species).

To mark its 50-year milestone, this February DCV will be creating something special at Kingcombe Meadows nature reserve in West Dorset.

DCV has done conservation work there for many years. The farm that time forgot, Kingcombe Meadows is almost untouched by artificial fertilisers and pesticides and was recently granted National Nature Reserve status (in conjunction with the nearby Powerstock Common reserve).

One of its most striking features is a network of thick historic hedges. Old maps reveal that there were once even more hedges here, with some six having been ‘grubbed out’ at some time.

Dorset Wildlife Trust, which owns and manages this reserve, has welcomed DCV’s offer to restore one of these ‘lost’ hedgerows. It is hoped that the restored hedge will not just stand as a lasting legacy of DCV, but that it will also benefit wildlife long into the future and enhance visitors’ enjoyment of the beautiful Kingcombe Meadows nature reserve.

New volunteers are always needed to help DCV continue its work. There are many reasons why people volunteer. Jane, who’s been a DCV volunteer for many years, finds that against the backdrop of all the bad news about the environment, DCV

provides “an opportunity to do something practical and positive”, a point echoed by another DCV member who says “in my own small way I feel like I'm helping to make the world a better place.”

Anyone who wants to try out working with DCV will be given a warm welcome (under-18s are welcome but must be accompanied by a responsible adult).

Volunteers can choose how much time to give. Training, tools and hot drinks are all provided!

Details of the group’s forthcoming tasks are available at www.dcv.org.uk. For more information, contact the group co-ordinator on coordinator@dcv.org.uk or call 07923 498760.

Luxury residential care

What is a respite stay?

A respite stay offers a temporary, supportive environment for both caregivers needing a rest and individuals requiring care. It’s designed to provide residents with a peaceful and nurturing change of scenery, just like a well-needed holiday, while giving caregivers an important pause from their responsibilities.

For those needing care, respite stays provide a refreshing change of pace from their daily routine. These breaks offer them the chance to interact with new faces, engage in different activities/outings, and enjoy a variety of experiences that might not be available in their usual setting. Such changes can stimulate their minds, uplift their spirits, and enhance their overall well-being. Additionally, respite care can offer a preview of the

care home experience, easing transitions should full-time care become necessary in the future. Our charming light and airy ensuite bedrooms offer total comfort, and our beautifully appointed communal areas are the heart of our homes. Here, guests can engage in social interactions or simply enjoy the elegant and comfortable surroundings. These spaces are perfect for relaxing with a book, engaging in like-minded conversation, or participating in any of our planned social activities. Furthermore, our safe,

beautifully landscaped walled gardens that are now springing into life allow residents to take some gentle exercise and a breath of fresh air.

We recognise the joy that good food brings, and we provide delicious homecooked meals. Dining with us is always an anticipated event, where residents can savour nutritious and flavourful dishes in the company of others, making mealtimes a delightful experience. For a small charge, residents are also welcome to invite guests to join them for lunch or dinner.

Respite stays not only supports the physical and emotional well-being of the person receiving care but also allows caregivers to recharge, knowing their loved one is in our safe and caring hands.

Please do get in touch to find out more.

Signed tank tours

THE Tank Museum at Bovington is running more British Sign Language tours this year.

Fans of military history can dig deeper into the story of armoured vehicles in a format that supports their needs, with subtitles on video content and hearing loops on the new exhibitions.

Rosanna Dean, head of visitor experience, said: “Our BSL tours ensure all our visitors can experience the stories of historically significant tanks, and their crews.”

The hour-long tour takes place in the museum’s Tank Story Hall exhibition that features the 32 most important tanks in the history of armoured warfare, from Little Willie, the first working prototype, to the current main battle tank, Challenger 2.

BSL tours are available on March 16 and October 19. Tours are free with every museum ticket and booking is essential.

For more information visit tankmuseum. org/british-signlanguage-tours

Vindication at last

THE story of a trailblazing but long forgotten swimmer is told in the new film Vindication Swim, parts of which were shot in Dorset.

The biopic focuses on the life of Mercedes Gleitze, who in 1927, at the eighth attempt, became the first British woman to swim the English Channel.

Mercedes was then forced to do the swim again – her ‘vindication swim’ – to protect her legacy after a rival came forward claiming to have accomplished the same feat.

Vindication Swim was partly filmed in Dorset at Compton Abbas Airfield.

Falklands War hero David Morgan, who in 1982 was involved in the last dogfight by a British fighter pilot in which enemy aircraft were destroyed, brought his flying skills to the set, piloting a vintage Tiger Moth aircraft to recreate an iconic moment from Gleitze’s career.

Mercedes was photographed in the water during her vindication swim by a circling biplane commissioned by the Daily Mail to cover the event.

In homage to this, celebrity photographer Dave Hogan also participated in the filming at Compton Abbas, portraying the celebrity

Walking challenge

WALKING group the North Dorset Ramblers will be walking the 50-mile length of the White Hart Link this spring and summer – and everyone is welcome to join them.

The route has been broken into seven manageable walks of between six and 10 miles and each section will be led by a trained Ramblers walk leader.

The first section from Gillingham to Shaftesbury will be walked on Wednesday, March 6, starting at 10am (booking required).

The waymarked route was completed in 2019 and has been devised as a circular link taking in the major towns in the north of the county.

Starting in Gillingham, the ramblers will be walking to Shaftesbury, Blandford, Sturminster Newton, Stalbridge and finally back to Gillingham.

The link uses existing public

rights of way and quiet lanes, and passes through some of the iconic countryside, villages and towns of the Blackmore Vale.

Why “White Hart Link”? The Blackmore Vale was once known as the Vale of the White Hart.

Legend has it that a white stag that was protected by Henry III was killed by a bailiff of Blackmore Forest. He was fined and imprisoned, and for years the vale paid a fine of White Hart Silver.

Anyone who feels up for a local walking challenge this year can find more details about the walk and how to book by following the link from the North Dorset Ramblers website – www.ramblers.org.uk/ go-walking/ramblers-groups/ north-dorset-group

More information can be found on the website, www. whitehartlink.uk

photographer of the 1920s who captured images of Mercedes during her swim.

Vindication Swim is written and directed by filmmaker Elliott Hasler.

It stars British-Irish actress Kirsten Callaghan, who trained for months in the English Channel before filming began, to play Mercedes Gleitze in her debut role.

The film also stars John Locke (Darkest Hour, Poor Things, The Favourite) alongside James Wilby (Maurice, Gosford Park, Howards End) and Douglas Hodge (Joker, The Great, Black Mirror).

Gleitze became the first person to complete many other swims around the world, including the Straits of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles and distance between Robben Island and Cape Town.

Vindiction Swim is released on March 8, International Women’s Day, to acknowledge the spirit of a woman who achieved so much despite the confines of her era.

Kirsten Callaghan as Mercedes Gleitze; PHOTO Studio Essy (Inset) Callaghan and John Locke; PHOTO Stewart Weir

Take to the skies

YOUNG James Hall, year 11 head boy at Budmouth Academy, Weymouth, has won a top award at Dorset Gliding Club.

He has been awarded the Dennis Neal Trophy for Most Improved Junior Pilot at the club, a nationally accredited Junior Gliding Centre.

He started gliding in October 2022 and has completed more than 90 flights, with a total flight time over 15 hours.

His initial goal is to achieve clearance for solo flight and the award of the British Gliding Association (BGA) Certificate, followed by development through the BGA gliding badges and diplomas.

Longer term, he plans to obtain his private pilot’s licence and to join the armed forces as a pilot.

His inspiration is his grandfather, Geoffrey, an RAF bomber pilot (DFC & Bar) who subsequently became a senior airline captain on the Boeing 747 with BOAC, now BA.

James is also active in his local Air Cadets Squadron (1606 Weymouth) and has been on multiple camps and completed courses on radio, cyber, first aid and shooting.

James is working towards his DofE Gold Award and enjoys Explorer Scouts, piano and football.

GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN who were under the age of 12 years on 1 January 2024

PARENTS of children resident in Blandford Forum only (not periphery villages) who have a child/children who were under the age of 12 years on 1 January 2024 are invited to apply for consideration of a grant from the TED George Fund. For an Application Form, please telephone 01258 451810 in the first instance, or write or email by Wednesday 20th March 2024 to: The Clerk to the Trustees

Blandford Forum Almshouse/General Charities

Barnes Homes, Salisbury Road

Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 7HU

Email: clerkbfc@googlemail.com

T E D George Fund-The Blandford Children’s Fund (Administered by the Trustees of The Blandford Forum Almshouse/General Charities)

Registered Charity No: 230853

The Blandford Forum Almshouse Charity complies with Data Protection Regulations

TED George Fund – The Blandford Childrens FundRegistered Charity No: 230853-6 (Registered 31 August 1967)

TED George Fund – The Blandford Childrens FundRegistered Charity No: 230853-6 (Registered 31 August 1967)

Tom Edward Dray George lived at The Laurels and then at Cedars in Park Road in Blandford. He was, among other things, a Grocer by trade. When he died, he left the sum of £5,000 to be invested into a Trust called The Blandford Children’s Fund. This sum has now increased somewhat, and it is the interest on that investment from which grants will be awarded.

The grants available from this small fund will reflect the income from investments in any one year.

Tom Edward Dray George lived at The Laurels and then at Cedars in Park Road in Blandford. He was, among other things, a Grocer by trade. When he died, he left the sum of £5,000 to be invested into a Trust called The Blandford Children’s Fund. This sum has now increased somewhat, and it is the interest on that investment from which grants will be awarded. The grants available from this small fund will reflect the income from investments in any one year.

Trustees will consider applications for grants for various uses, including help towards the cost of books, stationery, school uniform & shoes, educational trips, educational equipment for your child.

Trustees will consider applications for grants for various uses, including help towards the cost of books, stationery, school uniform & shoes, educational trips, educational equipment for your child.

To be eligible for a grant children must live in Blandford (not the surrounding villages) and be under the age of 12 on 1st January 2024.

To be eligible for a grant children must live in Blandford (not the surrounding villages) and be under the age of 12 on 1st January 2024.

As well as administering the TED George Fund, the Blandford Forum Almshouse Charity is responsible for the administration of several smaller charities aimed at helping individuals or families who are experiencing financial hardship, or students up to 25 years of age of Blandford Forum who are embarking on an Apprenticeship or educational course.

As well as administering the TED George Fund, the Blandford Forum Almshouse Charity is responsible for the administration of several smaller charities aimed at helping individuals or families who are experiencing financial hardship, or students up to 25 years of age of Blandford Forum who are embarking on an Apprenticeship or educational course.

Apprenticing and Education Foundation (A&E) - The purpose of this charity is to benefit young persons who have attended a school in Blandford Forum for a minimum of 2 years (and who have not attained the age of 25 years). Grants may be awarded to help towards apprenticeships, further education, or transition into employment. A&E may provide financial assistance towards the purchase of clothing, tools instruments or books etc related to an Apprenticeship or educational course. If eligible, an application form will be provided.

Apprenticing and Education Foundation (A&E) - The purpose of this charity is to benefit young persons who have attended a school in Blandford Forum for a minimum of 2 years (and who have not attained the age of 25 years). Grants may be awarded to help towards apprenticeships, further education, or transition into employment. A&E may provide financial assistance towards the purchase of clothing, tools instruments or books etc related to an Apprenticeship or educational course. If eligible, an application form will be provided.

Relief in Need - The Relief in Need Charity is intended for the benefit of residents of Blandford Forum, individuals or families who are experiencing financial hardship. Grants may be awarded towards household items or provide other assistance as considered appropriate. An initial telephone call or email to the Clerk will clarify eligibility.

Enquiries for assistance from either charity should be sent by letter to the above address or by email to clerkbfc@googlemail.com

Relief in Need - The Relief in Need Charity is intended for the benefit of residents of Blandford Forum, individuals or families who are experiencing financial hardship. Grants may be awarded towards household items or provide other assistance as considered appropriate. An initial telephone call or email to the Clerk will clarify eligibility. Enquiries for assistance from either charity should be sent by letter to the above address or by email to clerkbfc@googlemail.com

James Hall being presented with the Dennis Neal Trophy for Most Improved Junior Pilot by Nick Barnes, chief flying instructor at Dorset Gliding Club

Great British Bake Off star creates a stir at Gillingham care home

A star of the Greatest British Bake Off visited a Gillingham care home to judge the residents’ best bakes.

Carole Edwards appeared on Season 13 on Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off in 2022. The popular baker visited residents and their families at Fern Brook Lodge care

home to taste 19 different bakes while the home’s chef, Louise, kept the scores. The colourful creations were split into categories for residents, relatives, and the care home team, with Carole enjoying a host of flavours including Dorset apple cake, shortbread, Victoria sponge and Welsh rarebit muffins. Afterwards, Carole took a tour of the care home, which is part of the Care South family, to view the facilities and to meet some of the other residents, as well as the home’s kitchen team.

Carole said: “They all did very well. It was great to see what the residents had made. Some of the bakes looked very professional. I’ve had a lovely time at Fern Brook Lodge. It’s a beautiful home and everyone I have met is so warm and friendly. It seems

to be a very well-run home.”

Fern Brook Lodge resident, Joy, loved watching Carole taste the cakes in the home’s largest communal lounge known as The Brook. Afterwards she said: “I enjoyed it very much. It was very good. I like baking and always used to make a Victoria sponge cake for my family to have after a roast dinner.”

Fern Brook Lodge provides specialist residential, respite, and dementia care. A dedicated activities team are based on site, where they organise a daily programme of events to bring residents together to be entertained and to build friendships.

Care South, a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity, has care homes in Dorset, north Devon, Somerset and West Sussex, and home care offices covering east and west Dorset, and North East Somerset and south Somerset.

For more information about the care services available, go to care-south.co.uk or call Care South on 01202 712463.

Walk to remember

THE granddaughter of an officer who fought in the Battle of Kohima in the Second World War is set to follow in his footsteps.

Charlotte Carty, from Milborne Port, will walk 77 miles in 39 hours in north east India, with her three children and 20 fellow descendants of those who fought in the battle and others, to mark the 80th anniversary of the event.

The walk replicates what her grandfather Lt Col Bruno Brown and his men did to escape the advancing Japanese.

The men made it to Kohima and then fought for two more weeks surrounded until relief finally arrived.

Charlotte said: “They were all extraordinary men, but sadly, as part of The Forgotten Army, too few people know of them. We are trying to change that.”

The Battle of Kohima in 1944 was known as the ‘Stalingrad of the East’.

Historians believe it was key to the Allied victory in the war as it held back Japanese forces in their attempt to invade India.

An Indian Army regiment – the Assams

– fought alongside the 4th Battalion of the Royal West Kents in a bitter and bloody struggle under the command of Colonel Brown and Field Marshal Bill Slim.

Their efforts were aided by exceptional civilian support from the local Naga people.

Kohima was once voted Britain’s Greatest Battle in a competition the National Army Museum ran and those of both Indian and British heritage with forebears who fought there have long considered a way to pay tribute to them and commemorate those who were lost.

The walkers, who also include the grandson of Field Marshal Slim, will set off at midnight on April 1, exactly 80 years after the start of the battle, beginning their trek over the hills from the village of Jessami to Kohima.

The walk will honour the memory of the soldiers who fought, and highlight the key support provided by the local Naga tribes, in a war that was not their own.

Dig this great day out for all the family!

Digging around for a great gardening day out? Look no further than this year’s Gillingham & Shaftesbury Spring Countryside Show. Taking place 20th and 21st April, horticulture is at the heart of this year’s new-look event. Enjoy a host of gardening talks and workshops from renowned garden experts. From advice on plastic-free gardening to great gardening ideas for kids, interactive sessions will get you going home armed with inspirational growing tips and no doubt new plants!

Keen crafters will love the Hands-On marquee where visitors can enjoy trying felting, willow weaving and many other age-old rural skills. With a focus on a great day out for all the family, there’s free tractor and trailer rides sponsored by Friars Moor Livestock in Sturminster Newton, hilarious pig racing and Keystone cop clown capers as the UK’s only Arena Comedy Car Act and Slapstick Stunt Show hurtles into the main show ring on the Saturday and Sunday. There’re farmyard animals and the brilliant Lamb National.

Think Grand National but with sheep! Children up to age of sixteen go free and there’s brilliant savings to be had with early bird discounts for advance tickets. Visit www.springcountrysideshow.co.uk

Charolotte Carty (above) will be walking 77 miles in 39 hours in memory of her grandfather, Lt Col Bruno Brown (left) and other participants in the Battle of Kohima

Events

The ninth Curcus Cider & Music

Festival promises fun for the family

THE Cursus Cider & Music Festival returns in Maypromising “music and good vibes”.

Now in its ninth year, the event runs across the spring bank holiday, May 24 to 26 at Myncen Farm, Cranborne Chase.

Just 500 tickets are available,

FUNDRAISER FOR ANIMAL CHARITIES. Saturday 16th March, 10.30 till 12pm. Vicarage School Room, Gillingham. Stalls/refreshment/raffle.

JUMBLE SALE at Marnhull

Royal British Legion, DT10 1HR. On Saturday 9th March. Doors open at 10.15am

ROCK AND ROLL. 60’s MUSIC also Stevie Caine singing Elvis songs. Tuesday 12th March, 2pm till 4pm. Vicarage School Room. Queen Street, Gillingham. Refreshments & Raffle.

which organisers say means it is a “friendly, inclusive event with none of the queues, high prices and hassles of a big festival”.

On the bill, music will come from the likes of Mista Trick, Black Water County, Millie Manders & The Shut Up, Nick Parker, The Freeborn Brothers, Gecko, Slackrr and Skimmity

LYN’S BINGO at Marnhull

Royal British Legion on Monday March 4th. Eyes down 7pm

SHERBORNE DIGBY HALL MONTHLY MARKET

Saturday March 2nd.10-3 Antiques, Arts, Crafts, Food & More Tel: 07717-454643

RNLI LIFEBOATS. Your invitation to join us for a Thanksgiving Sunday 10 March 2024 at 6pm Sherborne Abbey, Dorset. A special occasion to mark the RNLI’s 200th Anniversary. By kind permission of the Reverend Martin Lee Rector Sherborne Abbey.

Hitchers, with more acts to be announced.

Also on offer for the whole family is a DIY Den activity area for kids to make friends and explore different skills.

The DJ tent, rural craft demonstrations, camp fire and tuk tuk rides combine for a “diverse and fun experience for everyone”. Live-in vehicles are welcome as well as tent campers.

earth, fun and inclusive event.

“Whether you’re a seasoned festival-goer or complete beginner, you are welcome to Cursus for a bank holiday to remember.”

Adult weekend tickets start at £99, with discounts for children. Previous years have sold out in advance so early booking is recommended.

Festival organiser, Kev Davis, said: “We’re proud of our reputation as a down to

“RETIRED? COME AND DISCOVER what the u3a is all about.

Shaftesbury Library Saturday 9 March 10:00am - 12 midday.

EASTER BINGO

Winterborne Stickland Sports Club

In aid of repairing the Club House

Thursday 28th March

Doors Open : 6:30pm

Eyes Down : 7 pm

Lovely prizes - Families welcome!

Contact 07714 364750

CAR BOOT SALE + ARTISAN MARKET Winterborne Stickland Sports Club

Sunday 17th March

Sellers 9:30 am Buyers

10:30am to 1:30 pm

Proceeds to go towards the Club House

Contact 07714 364750

For more information and full details of attractions on offer, as well as tickets to the festival, log on to www. cursusfestival.com.

JUMBLE SALE MARCH 9th at 9.30am in Verwood Memorial hall, entrance 20 pence In aid of Woodlands Methodist Church

JUMBLE SALE FOR TEA AND CHAT 16th March 2pm

Damerham Hall SP6 3HN entrance 50p

Refreshments,Raffle Jumble brought after 10am

BLANDFORD PROBUS - Speakers and Social Events - Come and Join us at the Langton Arms!

https://probus.org.uk/blandford/

JUMBLE SALE

SATURDAY 16th MARCH, 1pm - The Hooper Hall, Lydlynch DT10 2JA. Donations welcome Friday/Saturday morning.

• Anglican High Mass at Wimborne St Giles: First Sunday of each month at 11am. BH21 5LZ.

• Benefice of St Bartholomew: Lent lunches, 12.30-2pm –March 7, village hall, East Knoyle; March 14 – St Andrew’s, Donhead St Andrew. Everyone welcome. Proceeds to British Red Cross and Alabaré. Mothering Sunday services, March 10 – 9.30am, Sung Family Service, St Leonard’s, Semley; 11am, Sung Eucharist, St Mary’s, East Knoyle.

• Blandford Methodist Church: Sundays – everyone is invited to Sunday services at 10.45am and to stay for refreshments. Thursdays –coffee and a chat from 10amnoon. Fridays – lunch club for the over-55s from noon at £5 per meal. Phone Joyce Wild on 07817 505543 to book. The church is anxious to offer help to all those in need – call church steward John Cornish on 07799 516735 or leave a message.

• Chalbury Church: Fourth Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Cheap Street Church, Sherborne: Taize service – half an hour of prayer, meditation and music on the second Sunday of the month at 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

• Digby Memorial Church Hall: The Mothers’ Union’s next meeting is on Friday, March 22, at 10am in the Griffiths Room. Nick Pascoe, a retired prison governor, will talk about prisons. Everyone welcome!

• Hinton Martell: Second Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Horton Church: First Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Horton & Chalbury village hall: Third Sunday of the month, 9am Breakfast Church.

• Kingston Lacy: Second Sunday of the month, 9.15am Holy Communion. Fourth Sunday of the month, 9.15am Family Service.

• Lower Stour Benefice: Sunday, March 3 – 10.45am Together Communion at St

Mary’s Church, Blandford St Mary. Sunday, March 10 –9.30am Communion at St Mary’s Church, Blandford St Mary; 11am Communion at All Saints, Langton Long; 11am Family Service at All Saints, Tarrant Keyneston. Coffee and cake – Spetisbury 10-11.30am first and third Monday each month. Coffee and cake –Blandford St Mary 10-11.30am Thursday, March 21.

• Lillington: All morning services at Lillington now begin at 9.30am.

• Longburton Lent lunches: St James’ Church, Longburton, on Tuesday, March 19, 12.30pm–1.30pm. Soup, bread and cheese. Donations for Christian Aid.

• Longburton Village Café: Tea, coffee – free refills – and great cakes for just £2 in the village church of St James, Tuesdays March 12 and 16, 10.30am-noon.

• Our Lady’s RC Church, Marnhull: Mass Sunday, 9am and 6pm.

• Shaftesbury Quakers (Society of Friends): Meets for one hour each Sunday from 10.30am at the Quaker Meeting House, Abbey Walk, Shaftesbury SP7 8BB.

• Sherborne Abbey: Monday to Saturday, 8.30am Morning Prayer; The Sepulchre Chapel. Mondays, 9am CW Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. Tuesday, noon CW Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. Wednesday, 10.30am Holy Communion with Homily; The Lady Chapel (alternates CW and BCP). Thursday, noon BCP Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. Friday, 9am Ecumenical Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. First Friday of the month, 9am Requiem Holy Communion; The Sepulchre Chapel. Third Friday of the month, 11am Remembering the Fallen. Saturday, 9am CW Holy Communion; The Sepulchre Chapel.

• Sherborne Churches

Together: The Sacred Heart & St Aldhelm Parish is supporting CAFOD by having a Lent lunch on Wednesday, March 27,

11.30am-1.30pm in the church hall. Homemade soup with bread, cheese and apples, £3.50.

• Sacred Heart, Tisbury, and All Saints’ Wardour Catholic Parish: Sunday Mass times –Sacred Heart, Tisbury 9am, coffee after Mass; All Saints’ Wardour 10.30am.

• Shapwick: Third Sunday of the month, 9.15am Holy Communion.

• Sherborne Quakers: Meet Sundays 10.30am in the Griffiths Room, Digby Memorial Church Hall. Everyone welcome.

• St Benedict’s RC Church, Gillingham: Sunday, 11am.

• St Gregory’s, Marnhull: Stephen Binnington will play a 30-minute programme of Chorale Preludes for Passiontide, on Tuesday, March 19, starting at noon. An opportunity to reflect on Lent and Passiontide through the music of Bach, Brahms, Parry and others. Entry is free but a donation towards church funds would be appreciated. Sunday services 8am and 10am. Other services please visit the website at www.stgregorysmarnhull.org. uk.

• St John’s CofE Church, Enmore Green, Shaftesbury: Service every Sunday at 11.15am; parish communion on the first Sunday of the month; prayer services every other Sunday.

• St Mary’s, Sturminster Newton: First, third and fourth

Church

Sundays – 11am Holy Communion; second Sunday – 9.30am Morning Prayer; fifth Sunday – 11am Benefice Holy Communion; second and fourth Sundays – 6pm Evensong; Wednesdays – 10am Holy Communion.

• St Peter’s, Hinton St Mary: First, second and third Sundays, 9.30am Morning Prayer. Fourth Sunday, 9.30am Holy Communion.

• St Thomas’, Lydlinch: Second and fourth Sunday, 11am Holy Communion. Third Sunday, 6pm Evensong.

• Witchampton Church: Third Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Sherborne Abbey: Proposals to provide new toilet and vestry facilities, and improved accessibility, at Sherborne Abbey are available to view on the abbey website and in The Lady Chapel. Feedback is welcomed on the plans either via www.sherborneabbey.com/ new facilities or in writing to the Parish Office.

• Sherborne Community

Larder: Held in the grounds of St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Close DT9 4DU every Friday 9.30-10.30am. The Larder aims to help reduce shopping bills. Membership not more than £5 a week – members receive at least three times that value in food and sundries. To sign up – –visit on a Friday or request a form from FSSouthernCentral@ fareshare.org.uk

WINCANTON LENT LUNCHES. On Fridays. 8th March, Catholic Church, 12.30 till 2pm. 15th March, Parish Church, 12 till 1.30pm. 22nd March, Quaker Barn, 12 till 1.30pm. Open to all

WEST CAMEL INDEPENDENT METHODISTS

Meeting at All Saints Church, BA22 7QB. Activities in March: Sunday 3rd 4pm — United “Sunday @ Four” with tea. Sundays 10th, 17th. and 24th 4pm. — Afternoon services. Good Friday March 29th 10.30 am — United Service on the Village Green. Easter Sunday March 31st. 6pm — United “Easter Praise” service. Contact: 01935 850838 or Geoff.mead@yahoo.com

JOIN US AT ST PETER’S CHURCH, Dorchester on Saturday 16th March between 12.30 and 1pm for our lunchtime concert in Lent, when we offer a performance of Pergolesi’s ‘Stabat Mater’. This plaintive choral masterpiece will be sung by vocal consort. Spend a truly restful and reflective half an hour with us in the midst of your busy Saturday. Admission is free and all are very welcome.

Arts & Entertainment

Orchestra’s spring concert in aid of church tower

SHAFTESBURY Symphony

Orchestra promises a programme of popular and rousing works for its spring concert to raise money for the restoration of the clock tower of St James’ Church, Shaftesbury.

The orchestra has an established tradition of supporting projects at the church including the restoration of the large rose stained-glass window.

Andi Blows, church warden at St James’, said: “We are delighted that the orchestra continues to perform in the wonderful acoustic of the church and makes music for us all to enjoy.

“The generosity of audiences has enabled us to make improvements to this beautiful building and to keep it as a valuable community resource.”

The concert will open with one of Brahms’ most popular pieces.

His Academic Festival Overture was written to honour the University of Breslau and is

based on a number of student songs, popular at the time, with Brahms intending to show the joyful side of his character.

This is followed by Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances with the swirling rhythms and harmonies of the Eurasian Steppe.

The final piece is Dvorak’s 7th Symphony. Dvorak was well known for being influenced by the folk music of his native Bohemia and this piece is no exception with beautiful lyrical tunes.

The concert is free of charge, but a retiring collection will be held for the church tower with refreshments available for a donation.

The concert is on Sunday, March 17, at 4pm at St James’ Church, Saint James’s Street, Shaftesbury (SP7 8HL).

LONDON-BASED gypsy-jazz band

Latchepen are heading back to Dorset for four dates this month following a sell-out tour last year.

The quartet, born out of a collective admiration of Django Reinhardt and anything that swings, perform jazz on strings, with influences ranging from Romani music to bebop. The band is made up of Matt Holborn (violin), Kourosh Kanani (guitar), Dave Kelbie (guitar) and Simon Read (bass).

Latchepen are visiting Dorset with the county’s touring arts charity, Arstreach, and are at Sydling St Nicholas village hall on Thursday, March 7, Winterborne Stickland

Pamela Hall on Friday, March 8, Powerstock Hut on Saturday, March 9, and Studland village hall on Sunday, March 10.

Tickets are available online at www.artsreach.co.uk.

St James’ Church in Shaftesbury

Arts & Entertainment

Artist Mary exhibits five decades of work

ARTIST Mary Tambini is staging an exhibition and launching a book at Shaftesbury Arts Centre next week, alongside a show by photographer Justin Orwin.

Mary’s exhibition is not entirely a retrospective but includes work produced and exhibited over the past 50 years.

Mary lived in London for many years where she taught art and ceramics, had a studio and ran a gallery. She has exhibited her work in a range of London galleries, as well as nationally.

The show in Shaftesbury includes paintings in oil and acrylics, etchings and prints, large and small scale.

The largest is 6ft-plus of swimmers – swimming has been a theme she has returned to over the years and she still swims regularly.

Mary, who lives in Child Okeford, has also been inspired by the landscape since arriving in Dorset 20 years ago,

She has worked in a number of styles, and as a potter and ceramicist, and produced a range of 3D work over the years.

Her book, It’s Not the

Hammer that Hurts will be launched Sunday, March 10, from 3-5pm.

It is the story of her life and a multi-generational memoir, remembering her mother’s life as well as her own, and spanning the century from 1918 to the present with locations from Ireland to India and Dorset.

It is also a psychological analysis of how her father’s abuse affected her family and how she managed to ‘stop the rot’.

The exhibition will also include the work of local

photographer Justin Orwin, featuring a diverse range of subjects from Iggy Pop to the shores of Abruzzo.

Justin has had a lifelong passion for photography but only took it seriously enough in 2001 to go ‘professional’.

He says he has spent the past 20 years photographing ‘absolutely everything’, but now, in partial retirement, is concentrating on more personal projects.

The exhibition at Shaftsbury Arts Centre runs from March 6-19 and is open 10am-4pm daily.

Festival punches above weight

MUCH-LOVED local music event the Cursus Cider & Music Festival returns to Dorset on the Bank Holiday weekend May 24-26, promising more great live music and good vibes.

Now in its ninth year, Cursus is an intimate festival with just 500 tickets available.

The result is a friendly, inclusive event with none of the queues, high prices and hassles of a big festival.

The music offering punches well above its size with the likes of Mista Trick, Black Water County, Millie Manders & The

Shut Up, Nick Parker, The Freeborn Brothers, Gecko, Slackrr and Skimmity Hitchers already announced and more yet to come.

Cursus, on Myncen Farm, near Blandford – the home of Cranborne Chase Cider – is family-friendly with a dedicated DIY Den activity area for children to make friends and explore different skills.

The DJ tent, rural craft demonstrations, camp fire and tuk-tuk rides make this a diverse and fun experience for everyone.

Live-in vehicles are welcome as well as tent campers.

Festival organiser Kev Davis said: “We’re proud of our reputation as a down-to-earth, fun and inclusive event.

“Whether you’re a seasoned festival-goer or complete beginner, you are welcome to Cursus for a Bank Holiday to remember.”

Adult weekend tickets start at £99 with big discounts for children.

Full information about the festival can be found at www. cursusfestival.com

Prohibition and a G&T

MILBORNE Port Opera (MPO) will be going back to the Prohibition era for its next show, The Drowsy Chaperone.

The amusing musical, which won several awards on Broadway, is being sponsored by the Mounters Gin microcraft distillery, based near Sturminster Newton.

Audience members can enjoy a gin and tonic during the interval and win a bottle in a prize draw every evening.

“Drowsy” is an American euphemism for comedic drunk.

Anthony White, MPO’s chair, said: “Mounters Gin is making a valuable contribution to our production budget and we thank them enormously for their support.”

The Drowsy Chaperone, at Milborne Port village hall, opens on Wednesday, April 3, and tickets go on sale today (Friday, March 1) – book online at www.mpopera.co.uk.

The Levels in flood

PHOTOGRAPHS by renowned Somerset-based photographer Matilda Temperley, reflecting on 10 years since the devastating floods of 2013-14, are going on display at Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury.

The Under the Surface exhibition will feature photographs from her publication Under the Surface: Somerset Floods, alongside previously unpublished colour photographs taken during that winter.

Newly commissioned photographs, reflecting on changes to the Somerset landscape over the past decade, will also be on show.

The exhibition runs from Saturday, March 2, to Sunday, May 19.

Mary Tambini will also be launching a book at Shaftesbury Arts Centre

Ukraine: Are we serious?

I VISITED Ukraine in 2019, travelling to Kyiv and Odessa, and I saw a country under pressure but setting itself proudly apart from Russia. Ukraine’s reputation was for corruption, but even as challenges remain, Ukraine’s reputation today is for courage, innovation and suffering. Media interest fluctuates but the suffering is continuous. Here we are again, at another media milestone. Two years since pre-meditated but miscalculated Russian invasion. Ukrainians may take only passing interest in this milestone, focused as they must be on living as best they can.

A question I ponder is our will to support from further West but still in Europe, and more sharply considered against the very real chance of

another Trump presidency. Do we want Ukraine to win, or just not lose, or just not lose too badly? Are we prepared to

give the means to win? It’s hard now to think back to the counter-offensive that fizzled out last summer. With hindsight it was always a stretch. Even my vaguest Joint Services Staff College recollections tell me that an operation like that would have been the most enormous risk without air superiority, of which Ukraine had none. As an ex-Royal Engineer I’d have been pretty sceptical of getting to Crimea in one piece.

What if this was our fight and we were pleading with a Trump to stand by its commitments? In NATO, an attack on one is an attack on all. Ukraine is not in NATO, but I think this is our fight, because it is not just for Ukraine. This is about whether we have what it takes to defend our way of life. I think this is

part of what the outgoing Chief of the General Staff meant with his recent talk of being ready to raise a citizen army. Does it seem such a stretch of the imagination? How did people feel in the mid-1930s?

Post-80s governments balanced their books using many budgets but on none more so than Defence. The post-1989 peace dividend was cashed many times over and the results are all too clear in the outdated and poorly supported kit our understrength and undervalued armed services personnel use today. If we want to defend ourselves comprehensively then we can’t keep paying third party, fire and theft insurance. With our allies, let’s give Ukraine what it needs to win and take our own defence more seriously.

Need for right houses in right place

I JOINED so many of the community in and around Blandford welcoming the decision by the Planning Inspectorate to refuse permission for the development at Deer Park Farm for 40 caravans – notionally for Ukrainian refugees but actually the most poorly disguised Trojan Horse for future housing development. This is an important site and I am delighted it will remain undeveloped.

Having written the above I am reminded of the prayer of St Augustine “Lord, make me pure but not yet”. It is always tempting to say that we ‘welcome housing development but not in my town, village etc but I do know of a lovely development site 20 miles away. I am no NIMBY, and north Dorset has been absorbing a considerable amount of development in recent years. It is good news that Dorset Council has a five-year land supply – while in Government

Conservative MP for North Dorset

Simon Hoare

we have removed arbitrary housing targets. This will give local communities more say over what goes where.

The merits of home ownership are obvious. It allows one to sink deep community taproots and a sense of belonging; it is a tangible manifestation of the beneficial product of the work ethic; it helps provide stability in relationships and the raising of

family; and it creates an accruing financial reservoir from which one’s own needs can be met and/or provide the helping hand to the next generation.

The challenges of development in are often location, scale in proportion to the existing settlement and impact on access to vital public and infrastructure services for the existing population. Design and density also are important factors. The reputation of developers and development is also enhanced when they stick to their promises regarding investment in infrastructure and the provision of affordable housing via Section 106 Agreements. Resiling from these disappoint existing communities leaving them feeling cheated and taken for a ride. The solution to that sits solely with the developer.

We also need to understand the moral, as well the economic case, for providing new homes. The question ‘I have a house,

why do we need new housing here’ cannot be seen as being rhetorical. If we want stable communities, and for local families to be able to raise the next generation near to where they were brought up and where the supportive nexus of family and friends exist, then new housing is needed. If we want ‘Dorset plc’ to flourish, then we need new housing to accommodate the workforce, not just in the private sector but for the wider public sector. If we want to house people across the age and wage spectrum then we need new housing across a range of type, price, purchasing, tenure and rental options. There is obvious benefit in doing so.

I am passionate about social mobility and the desirability of the next generation having more opportunities than our own. I see it as part of our social contract. So let us make the case for the right housing in the right places. It is the right, and as argued above, only thing to do.

Gary Jackson, North Dorset Liberal Democrats

Gaza and the right to protest

THE ironic curse ‘May you live in interesting times’ is surely our present reality. Of the troubling issues we face, Gaza and Ukraine stand out particularly at the moment, along with the increasing political right-wing drift around the world. Behind it all looms the spectre of ever increasing climate change.

The horror of Hamas’s barbaric attack in October last year was swiftly followed by the horrors of Israel’s continuing response. While our Parliament ties itself in knots, simply trying to agree how to word the call for an end to it all, innocent Palestinians are being slaughtered in their thousands. Indefensibly, many of them are women and children.

The UK is complicit while it continues to supply Israel with military equipment. The Green Party has called on the Government to back an immediate ceasefire that ends

fighting by all sides, frees the hostages, lets in humanitarian aid and creates space for dialogue. A huge challenge certainly, but one we must surely address if we are to have any semblance of being a civilised society.

The steady pull of the far-right on politics is deepening divisions around the world,

including the UK. You can’t claim the moral high ground, and condemn the authoritarian behaviour of other countries’ rulers, while happily making money doing business with them. Neither can you claim the moral high ground when you are actively carrying out your own suppression of public protests, in particular that of environmental movements.

One of our most precious fundamental rights is to protest, but our present government’s attitude is that public protests must only be done in a way that makes them easy to ignore. The last thing this Government wants is more light to be shone on its disastrous environmental record. Rather, it wants to placate the far-right in a desperate attempt to hold the Conservative party together as the next general election approaches.

Scientists began warning us

decades ago of the dire consequences of global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Since 1995 annual international conferences have generated a lot of hot air but failed to stop the steady increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Increasingly desperate protests by concerned citizens have mostly resulted in hostility from the media, with the Daily Mail, for example, branding protesters ‘eco-zealots’ and recommending French police tactics of tear gas and baton charges.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023 are designed to have a chilling effect on public protests, and now the Government is even urging judges to prevent protesters telling juries why they are protesting. We’re on a slippery slope, and we lose our right to effective protest at our peril.

Housing in Dorset: Agenda for change

DORSET has a housing emergency caused by a failure of local and national housing policy over the last 14 years. Dorset has around 4,500 households on the housing register, and more than 300 households in costly temporary accommodation.

40% of Dorset wages are low wages. In the Dorset Council and BCP Council – next door – areas, more than 5,000 homes are second homes, holiday lets or just left empty. The answer to this is not to turn the situation into a ‘cash cow’ for the council by simply introducing a council tax premium on second homes, but to find ways to discourage it.

House prices are 10-12 times a typical salary for the area, meaning many people here can’t afford to buy their own home. Families and young people feel they have to move away from the communities they grew up in to find somewhere they can afford to live.

local rents. This means that most actual rents are much higher than the housing allowance and tenants with low incomes must find the difference. This pushes up homelessness and creates rough sleeping.

Housing inequality is changing the population make-up of Dorset and damaging the viability of local services and businesses. At current rates we can expect well over half of the population to be over 65 within the next 10-20 years.

n Significantly increases the proportion of new homes for social rent for local residents.

n Supports community-led and co-operative housing programmes.

n Works with the incoming Labour Government to strengthen restraints and restrictions on second homes and Airbnb where local housing need has not been met.

So called ‘affordable housing’ is nothing of the sort because rent prices are tied to house prices and demand for rental homes greatly outstrips supply. The Government definition of ‘affordable’ is ‘80% of the market rent’, while the local housing allowance is set by averaging the lowest third of

Those who are elected this May to be Labour councillors will seek to ensure that Dorset Council:

n Recognises that good housing is a universal right and produces a new housing strategy within that context.

n Works with the incoming Labour Government to enable Dorset Council to build more council homes through a different funding process.

n Acknowledges that the private rented sector currently provides much of the non-owneroccupied housing in Dorset and works with the local branch of the National Residential Landlords Association towards raising and enforcing standards in the private rented sector.

n Reviews the council’s homelessness policies and homeless and the housing advice service to ensure they provide fair, humane and supportive practices that includes the quality and location of temporary accommodation.

Ken Huggins on behalf of the Green Party in North Dorset

Gerald Davies, on behalf of Dorset Labour

Politics

Great to be at Apprenticeship Awards

SUCH a pleasure to attend Wiltshire College Apprenticeship Awards ceremony in the county town on Thursday. Fantastic achievement across the board. A big thank you to local employers who have supported the learning provided by the college. Apprenticeships and skills from horticulture to hairdressing power our economy.

It was good to attend the defence logistics school at Worthy Down near Winchester for apprenticeship week. It has recently been rated highly by Ofsted. Defence as a whole is the biggest single employer of apprentices in the UK with roles at all levels from aircraft engineering to catering. I feel enormously privileged to serve as a minister in the MOD, surely one of our most dynamic engines for upskilling the UK workforce and for social mobility.

It’s not been a great week in the Palace of Varieties. Mercifully I missed the

Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire

Dr Andrew Murrison

Speaker/Gaza ruckus as I was visiting sailors and marines in Devon. For cunning arch lawyer Sir Keir Starmer to browbeat the Speaker into overruling procedure – ostensibly on the grounds of his MPs’ safety but more likely in my view to get his party off the hook on Gaza

– is jaw-dropping.

To paraphrase what Churchill rather unkindly said of the US, Sir Keir always does the right thing – but only after exhausting all other options.

We saw that in the tardy reaction to clearly unacceptable remarks by his candidate in the Rochdale by-election. We’re left with the dismal impression that anti-Semitism only matters to the extent that it’s an electoral liability. The Rochdale handbrake turn comes hard on the heels of yet another screecher, this time crashing Sir Keir’s flagship £28 billion spending pledge to sort out the environment. That one had become a big liability in Sir Keir’s campaign to bamboozle the public into believing his party had come over all sensible after he’d booted Jeremy Corbyn out. Yep, that’ll be the same Mr Corbyn he’d energetically campaigned to get into Number 10.

It’s hard these days to get our wonderful national media interested in anything other than

hysteria and hype. But setting aside the constant diet of outrage, there are less shouty things quietly making life better. For example, many of my constituents are reliant on land based businesses. They will be pleased, I hope, with this week’s announcement by the PM of a £427 million package of grants for British farmers linked to productivity and resilience, the largest ever of its kind.

I am eagerly awaiting the finalisation of sanctions on those responsible for the murder of the remarkable Alexei Navalny. The Russian people through time have been cursed by the tyrants and despots that have led them. Navalny and his brave supporters offer a glimpse of the bright future awaiting Russians when Putin’s parasitic grip finally falls away. Until that day, I’ll be wearing my official sanction by Putin’s Russia as a badge of pride – even more than the bronze Duke of Edinburgh award and swimming badges I won at school.

Out and about meeting constituents

PARLIAMENT has recently been in recess, so I took the time to invite residents of Baltonsborough and Wincanton to meet with me to discuss politics and raise issues of concern.

Subjects discussed by constituents included Gaza, local government funding, the difficulties of negotiating the benefits system, the state of Somerset’s roads, the cost-ofliving crisis, fair funding for early years education and mental health support for young people.

Members of my team joined me to speak with constituents one-to-one at the event and will be following up on the issues raised.

I will hold more events like this around the constituency

when I will next be near you.

I was delighted by the news that Somerset Council and First Bus South have reached an agreement on the future of the 54, 58, 25 and 28 bus services. I have been working hard to keep these services running and held meetings with Somerset Council, First Bus and Somerset Bus Partnership to try and ensure an agreement was reached.

Last Friday, after a further meeting with relevant stakeholders, I caught the 54 bus to Somerton, where I was about to speak with users about their experiences.

I would like to thank everyone who has signed my petition and supported the campaign. I am keen to ensure that vital bus routes throughout Somerton & Frome are not only maintained but improved.

I also tabled a motion in Parliament last week expressing concern that bus provision has decreased 28% since 2011 and urging the Government to pass my Public Transport (Rural Areas) Bill.

This bill would guarantee minimum levels of public transport to areas of education, employment and health services in rural areas.

over the coming weeks and months, so please check my social media platforms to see

There is a strong sense of relief that this service has been saved, and now we must ensure that the service is improved.

If you would like to get in touch with me, please do write to me at sarah.dyke.mp@ parliament.uk.

Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton & Frome

Sarah Dyke

Politics

Falklands visit and Second Homes tax

LAST week, the Foreign Secretary and I had the honour to join our Armed Forces in the Falkland Islands to see the important work they do and the important services and defences they provide in an increasingly fragile world. I know many of my constituents fought in the Falklands War and I was moved to go to two war memorials to pay respects on our behalf to the 255 members of the British armed forces who laid down their lives.

Second homes in West Dorset will be subjected to a 100% council tax premium from April 1 2025. In addition to the Second Homes tax, from April 1 this year, properties classified as long-term empty and unoccupied will pay a 100% council tax premium. I have consistently campaigned for the introduction of a Second Homes tax – back in September, I raised this issue directly with the Chancellor. We have a particularly high concentration of second homes in West Dorset, unlike other parts of the

Conservative MP for West Dorset

county. This is especially so for our villages and hamlets, including those in and around Sherborne and Bridport. Recent figures estimate that there are now more than 2,000 second homes in the county, many of which are unoccupied for long periods. It’s an issue that affects much of rural Britain, and it’s unfairly preventing hard-

working, locally born residents in West Dorset from getting onto the property ladder. It also risks zapping the life and character out of our rural communities.

The introduction of a Second Homes tax in West Dorset is only permissible because of the Government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which I voted in favour of at every stage in Parliament. The legislation also allows for greater localised control over the growth of short-term lets, which are an additional issue in rural areas. New regulations will be introduced by the summer aimed at addressing the rise in properties used as short-term lets. This includes mandatory registration of short-term let properties and the introduction of a new separate class of planning terms. In addition, where there are local concerns with the over concentration of short-term lets, Dorset Council can require a planning application where a dwelling seeks change of use. Taken

together, these measures represent a significant step towards protecting our local communities and our way of life in rural Britain.

In other news, neighbouring Somerset Council – which is unfortunately controlled by the Liberal Democrats - has approved its budget for the coming financial year. Eyeopening measures taken include huge cuts to non-statutory services, council tax increasing by 5% – the Lib Dems originally wanted to increase it by 10%! – and the sale of assets. These decisions have been taken by the Lib Dems to plug a £100 million black hole in their finances of their own doing. Selling-off the family silver and implementing deep cuts to local services is simply kicking the can of bankruptcy down the road.

As always, if I can help, you can contact me by email at hello@chrisloder.co.uk or write to me at House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

Chris Loder

This picture of Peveril Point, Swanage, was taken by Meyrick Griffith-Jones of Wincanton Camera Club

Letters

Village homes plans not ‘sustainable’

BOURTON is an ancient settlement on the old road to London. It is the most northern settlement in Dorset.

To confront the Danes, Alfred the Great mustered troops from three counties here in the 9th century.

Today, the village and its hinterland lie at the edge of services in those three counties.

In 2011, the population of the village was 822. By the 2021 Census this had grown to 947, a 15% increase.

There has been no concomitant growth in employment nor in any service or amenity. There are four centres of employment in the village of any significance –primary school, pub, petrol station/small convenience shop/ Post Office and a fencing company.

Beyond that there are farms, myriad sole traders and those working from home.

Amenities, other than the natural world surrounding the village, are the church and the village hall, neither particularly vibrant post-Covid.

There is a small GP surgery in the adjoining parish working at full pelt. The primary school is full and is already turning away the children of new residents.

The village today has around 400 households. Two planning decisions yet to be made and one already determined are set to add almost 100 new houses, all this while we are still absorbing an earlier 30-plus development.

That the village be deemed “sustainable” under these circumstances is risible, certainly a distortion of the commonly accepted meaning of the word.

There is no extant plan or demonstrable requirement for this increase which would result in at least 150 more cars.

Every new family will have to travel for schooling, leisure, work, shopping, healthcare… dentistry.

Furthermore, within five miles east, west and south, those same three counties have sanctioned thousands of houses in swathes across Mere, Gillingham and Wincanton.

Joined up? I doubt it. Each authority typically pursues its own, local, parochial path.

So, why pave over this remote, rural landscape, wreck a village adjoining a precious National Landscape – formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – a village with heritage buildings and special views, an active village and just the second community in the whole of Dorset to make its own Neighbourhood Plan?

Because they can, not because they should. It could happen because the democratic credentials of this Local Planning Authority look wafer thin as it seems not to consult beyond its offices and its professional coteries.

It could happen because an applicant can state in all seriousness – I paraphrase: “I know the present situation supports the village’s Neighbourhood Plan but if you don’t let me build on this greenfield site then your precious housing land supply might slip back under the threshold and the weighting in such judgements would revert to being in favour of the developer. So please roll over early, just in case, eh.”

It might be funny if it were not so sad, so greedy and so unnecessary.

Mike Chapman Bourton

Ideas to trim welfare bill

IT is clear that public expenditure on welfare is getting out of hand and cannot go on increasing indefinitely.

We have to return to a situation where people take more responsibility for themselves and their families.

It used to be possible to pay money to a relative under covenant – the predecessor of Gift Aid.

For example, it was a rite of passage to send a son or daughter off to university with an allowance paid under covenant, so that they could recover the tax.

That arrangement was stopped in favour of student loans, and perhaps also it was being abused.

But the transfer of income from richer to poorer did represent “levelling up”.

At the other end of life, perhaps we should now allow contributions for the care of an elderly relative to be paid free of tax.

This could help to take some of the cost of care off the public purse.

Mike Keatinge Sherborne

Rose-tinted view of our freedoms

IT was interesting to read Simon Hoare’s rose-tinted view of the state of democratic freedoms in the UK – New Blackmore Vale, February 16.

If Mr Hoare really believes everything is perfect in the UK, can he consider the following ways the current Conservative government has manipulated the electoral system to favour its own party at the expense of real democratic freedoms.

For example, the requirement to produce ID at all elections when there is virtually zero electoral fraud in the UK. This has already reduced turnout at recent elections, especially among minorities and young voters.

Permitted ID includes passports and driving licences, which many in this group do not have, and ID which young people do have, like travel passes and college named tags, have been ruled out.

But travel passes for the over

60s are allowed as ID – older people are more likely historically to vote Conservative. The independent Electoral Commission has recently produced a critical report on this situation.

The Conservative government has also extended the right to vote to any British citizen living abroad in spite of them not having a home in the UK or paying any taxes. Again, in the cynical view that these people will vote Conservative.

They have also increased the maximum spending limit per party to £35 million for the next general election in the belief their rich banker friends will bail them out, as their membership has fallen drastically in real terms, and the general population has turned against them.

Finally, the UK does not have ‘an advanced Parliamentary system’. It is antiquated, housed in a crumbling former royal palace with an undemocratic first past the post system.

This system denies fair votes to the electorate and leaves smaller parties unfairly represented in the House of Commons.

The UK needs genuine democratic freedoms and a fair electoral system which will never happen under a Conservative government.

Stephen Page Via email

ID voting rules

disproportionate

TORY MP Simon Hoare – New Blackmore Vale, February 16 –says that “freedoms must be defended”.

Following the last general election there were four prosecutions against voters without the right to vote, yet his own government wasted £18m of taxpayers money on new, more onerous laws requiring upgraded ID from voters, many

unable to comply for genuine reasons.

Tory MP Chris Loder in the same issue complains about the Lib Dem’s bid in Somerset to increase council tax by 10%, yet he will be well aware that his governments have cut funding to all local authorities by 40% over the past 14 years without any real means for them to make up these losses of income.

Thus, all local authorities are reducing social services and education, closing libraries, day centres, leisure centres, youth clubs, parks and so on.

Oh, for some honesty from our MPs.

Roland Britain Gillingham

Restrictions on right to protest

SIMON Hoare MP reminds us to appreciate and value the democratic freedoms we enjoy in the UK, wherein we enjoy the rights to “speak and write freely on whatever topic we wish without fear of incarceration or worse” – New Blackmore Vale, February 16.

I would point out that the present government has recently passed two anti-protest laws – the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023.

These laws contain measures designed to restrict the right to peaceful protest – aimed primarily at climate protesters – but which apply to anyone wishing to call the government to account on whatever matter.

Today, in the UK, anyone protesting peacefully may now be arrested and imprisoned. The same applies to anyone the police might consider to be likely to protest.

Mr Hoare voted in favour of both bills.

At the last election the Conservative party received 43.6% of the popular vote – yet attained a majority of MPs and formed a government.

I would question that our electoral laws are “fit for purpose” and urge the Minister

to start the implementation of proportional representation.

The Government has implemented the requirement for voters to carry photo ID in order to address electoral fraud – which may or may not be a significant problem in the UK.

The measure has been shown to restrict access to the democratic rights of some sectors of society and should be reversed.

The turnout at the Kingswood by-election was 37%. This may reflect the low regard many voters have for politicians and the current-day political process.

Surely, it is time we had politicians who can command respect and measures to increase the engagement of voters in elections.

Perhaps we even require legislation to make voting compulsory, as does Australia.

We certainly have democratic freedoms to celebrate in the UK – just not as many as Simon Hoare thinks we have.

Susan Gaisford Via email

‘Wild meat’ and deer numbers

WE would like to respond to the letter ‘Pheasants aren’t wild food’, New Blackmore Vale, February 2.

We want to clarify that the wild meat the children at Tops Nurseries are eating currently is venison.

A pheasant dish is being prepared, yes, but the meat we are using for this is of the highest welfare and quality standards, assured with Aim to Sustain Assurance.

The number of wild deer in the country is at its highest for a millennium, with an estimated two million roaming across Britain.

Such high deer numbers mean damage to woodlands, peatlands, crops and wildlife habitats, as a result of overforaging.

It means 75,000 car accidents a year and suffering to the

animals themselves through a dense proliferation of diseasebearing ticks and competitive winters.

Without natural predators such as wolves or lynx, we need human interaction and careful management of such an abundant wild species.

In this country, five million acres of land and 500,000 hectares of woodland are managed for conservation by game producers.

When managing deer numbers, the stalkers are barely covering their costs currently with game dealers paying as little as £20, when it should be closer to £60.

By creating a market for this wild meat in schools, we are supporting the sustainable, essential, careful, researchdriven management of our countryside.

We are not doing it for “fun”, we are doing it for the future, and for the children who will one day be the caretakers of our environment, too.

Eat Wild Development board for all wild meat in the UK

Never a word on Labour policies

ONCE again the unhappylooking Alan Cross, on behalf of Dorset Labour, takes up his half page being critical of the Conservatives – New Blackmore Vale, February 16.

I’m not saying that some of it isn’t justified, but it’s the same old things from him and never a word about Labour’s policies and what we have to look forward to when we have a Labour Government.

Neither do we hear from him about why his party changes its collective mind on proposed policies promised several years ago.

Nor do we hear about anti-semitic views within the party or the pro-Palestinian opinions of several Labour MPs.

Come on Alan, let us know what we have in store in a

Labour Government?

Nick Smith Via email

Sour, carping, vituperative

THE contributions to the New Blackmore Vale’s pages by Labour’s Alan Cross vary from the sour and carping to the downright vituperative, indeed hysterical.

It is all so negative, certainly by comparison with Lib Dem MP Sarah Dyke.

I may not necessarily agree with her politics, but I think she is to be commended for always adopting a calm and thoughtful tone, and for avoiding meanminded, personality-led attacks on her opponents.

Roger White Sherborne

Explore Access Land near you

IT’S in the news this morning how much Access Land is inaccessible.

Dorset has hundreds – I haven’t counted them – of Access Land sites but nearly 30 of them are inaccessible unless by permission or trespass, as they can’t be reached by a public right of way.

Access Land was created by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and includes Common Land, mountain, moor, heath and down land.

Everyone has a right to roam and explore it, but it gets very little publicity, so I doubt if most people know it exists!

If you want to discover and explore Access Land near you, visit the Dorset Explorer website and, by juggling your way through it, click on ‘Countryside’ and scroll down to Rights of Way.

Click on that, and then on the various types of Access Land: Dedicated, Open, Common and Village Greens.

Then get out and explore it!

Chris Slade Via email

Arrow words Wordsearch Crossword

Words With Multiple Meanings

HOLD UP

OVERLOOK SANCTION SCREEN SEED SHOP SKINNED TEMPER TRIMMING

1 5 10 11 12 13 15 17 19 20 23 24 25 26 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 14 16 18 21 22

Across 1 Soap for washing your hair (7)

5 Nuisance (4)

10 Entirely (7)

11 Prolonged pain (5)

12 Swiss grated potatoes dish (5)

13 Magical potion (6)

15 Additions (6)

17 From the top, in music (2,4)

19 Respectable (6)

20 Unmoving (5)

23 Coffee-shop order, perhaps (5)

24 Mutt (7)

25 Stair (4)

26 Australian currency (7)

Brain chain

Down

With several parties (12)

2 Loathes (5)

3 With several parties (12)

for life (6)

4 Key gas required for life (6)

6 Imported curios (7)

curios (7) 7 Hamleys products (4)

7 Hamleys products (4)

8 Deprives of food (7)

14

Human beings (7)

9 Relating to the movement of ships (12)

14 Human beings (7)

18

16 Sugar syrup (7)

Back to the original speed, in music (1,5)

18 Back to the original speed, in music (1,5)

21 Computer bug (5)

22 Small devils (4)

Jumbo sudoku

Place 1 to 9 once into every black-bordered 3x3 area as well as each of the 54 rows indicated by the coloured lines. Rows don’t cross the thick black lines.

Across

Killer sudoku

1

4

10

11

12

13

14

Cryptic crossword

Across

Down

1 Good lecturer given award in round form (5)

1 Good lecturer given award in round form (5)

4 Article by artist and writer in popular language (6)

10 Obtain hint regarding new fit dog running loose (3,4,2)

11 Capture element in tennis? (3)

12 Discuss free entertainment (5)

4 Article by artist and writer in popular language (6)

2 Supple man under bed in Paris (5)

3 By the sound of it, send request for payment to monkey? It’s firmly fixed (5-2)

10 Obtain hint regarding new fit dog running loose (3,4,2)

5 Amuse oneself taking top off weapon (5)

11 Capture element in tennis? (3)

12 Discuss free entertainment (5)

6 Begin roughly penning a line in Asian language (7)

7 Name location for hearing (4)

13 Working journalist with a variable character at some indefinite time (3,3)

13 Working journalist with a variable character at some indefinite time (3,3)

8 Semiprecious stone in a narrow opening

14 A group supported by second joint to leave vessel (7,4)

14 A group supported by second joint to leave vessel (7,4)

9 Old reasoning contained in dream concerning set of beliefs? (11)

18 Sport restricted on island requires skimpy garment (6)

18 Sport restricted on island requires skimpy garment (6)

20 In part, bestow elegant requirement in bathroom? (5)

23 Eggs round Virginia (3)

15 Equipment kept among poor English group soldiers (7)

20 In part, bestow elegant requirement in bathroom? (5)

16 Supply fully if stay’s gone wrong (7)

23 Eggs round Virginia (3)

17 Heads off some louche youths loosely wanting substance in a cunning fashion

24 Young female in charge in California of fine pedigree (9)

19 Husband in wild city affected with desire?

25 Pair of extras given farewell (3-3)

24 Young female in charge in California of fine pedigree (9)

25 Pair of extras given farewell (3-3)

26 Accept, we’re told, service getting held back to a very great degree (2,3)

21 West Indies cricket club taken with a form witchcraft (5)

Down

26 Accept, we’re told, service getting held back to a very great degree (2,3)

Killer Sudoku Place numbers 1 to 9 once each into every row, column and bold-lined 3x3 box. No didgit may be repeated in any dash-lined cage, and all the digits in any cage must add up to the value shown in that cage.

18 Sport restricted on island requires skimpy garment (6)

20 In part, bestow elegant requirement in bathroom? (5)

23 Eggs round Virginia (3)

24 Young female in charge in California of fine pedigree (9)

25 Pair of extras given farewell (3-3)

26 Accept, we’re told, service getting held back to a very great degree (2,3)

22 Search thoroughly company initially marketing book (4)

2 Supple man under bed in Paris (5)

3 By the sound of it, send request for payment to monkey? It’s firmly fixed (5-2)

5 Amuse oneself taking top off weapon (5)

6 Begin roughly penning a line in Asian language (7)

7 Name location for hearing (4)

8 Semiprecious stone in a narrow opening (5)

9 Old reasoning contained in dream concerning set of beliefs? (11)

15 Equipment kept among poor English group of soldiers (7)

16 Supply fully if stay’s gone wrong (7)

17 Heads off some louche youths loosely wanting substance in a cunning fashion (5)

19 Husband in wild city affected with desire? (5)

21 West Indies cricket club taken with a form of witchcraft (5)

22 Search thoroughly company initially marketing book (4)

Acreman’s new online platform

ACREMAN St Auctioneers & Valuers has joined forces with Auctionet UK, its third online selling platform.

Bidders can place bids on items at any time up until the end of the auction – duration usually seven days.

The highest bid so far on a Rolex GMT MASTER II Oyster Perpetual gents watch is £6,054, with bidding set to end on Friday, March 8.

Acreman’s General Antiques & Collectors auction is on Thursday, March 28, at 10am, with a Jewellery, Silver & Watches auction on Friday, March 29, at 10am with viewing Wednesday, March 27, from 9am-4pm.

Upcoming specialist auctions are: Textile, Fashion & Apparel –Friday, April 19; and Garden & Architectural – Thursday, May 30.

Acreman is accepting consignments for its upcoming sales and is happy to advise on anything prospective sellers may be considering for auction.

Photos can be emailed to auction@acremanstreet antiques.co.uk or items can be assessed at Acreman’s premises at 121 Acreman Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PH, Monday to Saturday 9am-4pm.

Anyone who has anything they would like to consign should contact Gill Norman on 07908 333577 or 01935 508764 or by email at auction@acremanstreetantiques.co.uk

Valuation days offering free appraisals on items being considered for auction are held every Wednesday 10am-4pm.

Automobilia and enamel signs

CHARTERHOUSE is selling a collection of automobilia and enamel signs in its specialist sale of automobilia on Wednesday, April 3.

“The market for automobilia and enamel signs is particularly strong at present, which is why the owner has decided to auction his collection,” said Richard Bromell, from the auction house.

The owner, who lives in Devon, has amassed the collection, including vintage superchargers and 30 enamel signs, over the past 30 years.

Charterhouse is accepting further entries for its specialist auctions of Automobilia on April 3, Watches also on April 3, Classic Cars on March 27 and

Classic Motorbikes on March 7.

Richard and the Charterhouse team can be contacted for advice and valuations at The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne, on 01935 812277 or via rb@ charterhouse-auction.com

Richard Bromell with a rare Aeroshell enamel sign from the collection estimated at £800-£1,200

Tudor manor’s contents for sale

THE magnificent Sandford Orcas Manor, nestled at the divide of Dorset and Somerset, is the genesis of Duke’s next major auction.

Duke’s will rouse history from its sleep, breathing new life into the Tudor manor in a special auction of the contents on Wednesday, March 6.

The house and contents have been admired by antiquarians, historians and writers for over two centuries and upon entering through the oak-studded front door it is impossible not to be enchanted and bewitched – the stone floors are worn, the oak panelling and doors are deeply patinated and the air is laced with the aroma of old books and wood smoke.

Countless treasures adorn the chambers and halls of Sandford Orcas Manor, including a

masterwork oil painting by Philips Wouwerman (1619-68), called A Cavalry Skirmish

Philips Wouwerman was one of the great artists to emerge through the ascendancy of the Dutch Golden Age and just one of many master craftsmen whose works are to be sold in the auction on March 6.

Get in touch to order a catalogue at sandfordorcas@ dukes-auctions.com or 01305 265080.

Jewellery, silver, furniture and more

CLARKE’S Auctions at Semley has a variety of interesting collectible items and modern and traditional furniture in its next sale on Friday and Saturday March 8 and 9.

Among the lots are a fine pair of French bronze Marly horse groups after Guillaume Coustou – French 1677-1746 – each 38cm high and estimated at £200-£400, and a Rene Lalique opalescent glass Ceylan vase decorated with budgerigars and converted to a table lamp estimated at £450-£550.

The furniture section includes period chests of drawers, mahogany dining tables, sets of William IV and Victorian dining chairs, G-Plan furniture, Italian design chairs, a George III Irish oak dresser, armchairs, sofas and other furniture with estimates ranging

from £20-£40 to £500-£800.

The jewellery section features diamond brooches, an 18ct gold Albert chain, sovereigns, diamond bracelets and rings, and the silver section includes traditional four-piece tea services, a Danish Georg Jensen Mitra 12-person canteen of cutlery, silver milk jugs and cutlery.

A colour catalogue is available at the-saleroom.com and easyliveauction.com and viewing days are next

Wednesday and Thursday, March 6 and 7, from 9am-5pm.

The premises are open for live bidding on sale days.

For valuation queries, phone Richard Clarke or Karen Marshall on 01747 855109 at the main offices on Kingsettle Business Park, Station Road, Semley, Shaftesbury SP7 9BU.

Philips Wouwerman’s A Cavalry Skirmish is on sale with Duke’s

US Army officer’s engraved revolver sells

THE interest in antique firearms was strong, as ever, at Holts’ last auction, with locally consigned guns achieving impressive results on the international market.

In the ‘collectable’ area of the market, condition and provenance were key.

This was proved by a Colt.36 Navy percussion revolver (pictured) consigned at a Holts Westcountry valuation day.

The engraved revolver, connected to Major General Nathaniel Banks – US Army, 1816-94 – sold for an impressive £3,000.

2023 proved that Holts’ market is robust with results better than any previous year.

This was underlined with a sold percentage of 81% on the day, with participation in the popular online auction of unsold lots the following week resulting in a final 90% sold total.

Bidding was intense over all

platforms and was a global affair, running true to form, with domestic interest taking just over 50% of the lots offered.

Holts is holding local valuation days from Friday, March 1, in Sturminster Newton.

For a full list of venues, see Holts’ website or contact David Thurgood by phone on 01297 306123 or by email at westcountry@holtsauctioneers. com.

Thursday

by Sally Gregson

PERHAPS one of the most desirable of winter-flowering shrubs is the witch hazel. It bears intricately twisted lemon-yellow or soft red-orange flowers that seem to relish the cold and frosty temperatures of true winter.

Hamamelis mollis is a native of the forests of central and eastern China. It is famed for its strong perfume and clusters of twisted petals along its bare branches. They are quite sensitive to lower temperatures – they screw up their faces tightly on cold nights, and unfurl when the morning sun warms them, thus protecting the open petals from damaging icy winds.

The broad, hazel-like leaves follow the flowers later in spring and turn a golden yellow

Witch hazel star of winter season Time for a little lawn care

by Sally Gregson

AFTER a long, wet winter it can be dispiriting to look out on a ragged brown area of grass, fondly dubbed “the lawn”. But with spring around the corner, all is not lost. Late winter is a very good time to scarify the grass, pulling out the mat of dead leaves and eradicating any perennial weeds. It’s worth hiring a scarifier to help with what is a heavy job. And perhaps allowing a couple of days to do the work, especially on a larger lawn.

First prepare the area of grass to be treated by marking out strips as wide as the machine itself. This will help keep the rows straight and prevent passing over the same patch twice. Rake up the debris and take it to the local tip. There will be quite a lot –maybe too much rubbish for your compost heap to handle. And your lawn will look terrible.

in autumn. The whole shrub can slowly reach 3m in height and spreads to about 2m in width after 10 years.

Over time witch hazels have been crossed and bred to produce flowers with a hint of red and orange. The best of them have been selected, named and commercially propagated. One of the most interesting is named for Jelena, the late wife of Robert de Belder of Kalmthout Arboretum in Belgium. It has large, copperyorange flowers. The family was famous for raising very many beautiful cultivars and growing them in the Arboretum.

Witch hazels are easy to grow in the right conditions. They like deep, rich soil that is slightly acid in its pH, although contrary to popular assumption, a low pH is not essential. They

Home & Garden

do seem to tolerate a certain alkalinity, but they would not thrive in shallow soils over chalk. However, if your garden soil has a high pH, try planting a vigorous variety such as H. mollis ‘Pallida’ beneath an oak tree, or near conifers. Oak and conifer leaves can acidify the soil beneath and create a ‘woodsy’ texture. And collect plenty of leaves in autumn to condition the soil further. This makes an excellent mulch that

has a fairly neutral pH. It will improve the structure of the soil, aiding drainage and yet increasing its moisture-holding capacity.

A newly planted witch hazel will benefit too from regular drenches of rainwater in a dry summer. Collect any that falls in a barrel and keep it for watering those special woodlanders, and they will repay you during the winter with clouds of perfumed golden flowers.

Then, on a still, dry day, rake over the bare soil in the patches to help sow new seed. It’s important to re-seed any bare patches with grass-seed that is specific to the area and its use. There is seed suitable for heavy traffic that makes a lawn that will endure lots of children’s games and busy footfall, right up to very fine grass suitable for a bowls pitch

that looks green but is quite delicate. You will need about 25 grams per square metre. So, an estimate of the number of patches, plus a bit extra should be enough.

Using the kitchen scales, calculate the weight of each handful. And scatter them evenly, in two directions, on the patches. Cover the areas with pieces of netting to prevent the

It is important to re-seed any bare patches with grassseed specific to the area and its use

birds from having a picnic. If you insert sticks to hold old CDs, that should deter the birds from getting entangled in the nets.

The remainder of the grass will be ready for a spring ‘weed and feed’ dressing later on in March to help promote a healthy green sward. And by late April the lawn will be looking verdant again.

Hamamelis mollis is a native of the forests of central and eastern China

Deadline

place your advert is the Friday before publication.

St

All

MAN

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Tel: 01935 814272

Mobile: 07814246332

NPTC

Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.

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Concrete bases, patios, gravel, fencing and much more. We also deliver compost, pots, bark, logs and other gardening products. 01458 241230 or 07950 261510

ASBESTOS REMOVAL

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Collection and Dismantling BY Registered Hazardous Waste Carrier Call 07973 444620 or 01722 414478

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Dave buys all types of tools Call 01935 428975

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FOR COPPICING, PRUNING, woodland clearance, leaf blowing, hedge cutting, strimming etc. Call David the Electric Gardener on 07786 658708

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LAWN MOWING AND HEDGE CUTTING SERVICES, ShaftesburyBlandford & local villages. Please call Trevor 07970 012130

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£60.00 a transit load.

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Domestic and Commercial Carpets,Vinyl,Luxury Vinyl Tiles, Laminate and Wood Flooring.

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NOW

TREES R US

Get your garden ready for winter. Trees, hedges, patios, turf & fencing call Peter 07976 667130

LOGS FOR SALE, £130 per crate. Hay for sale £5 per bale. made with no rain. Tel: 01258-857865

GOOD QUALITY DRIED BARN STORED WOOD FOR SALE

Also any garden clearance. For more information please contact Andy 07773 254174

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AND CHIPPING - Your local mobile service07760 469411

LOGS R US

1 ton pickup load of logs £100 double load £180 dumpy bag £80

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Kingsmere Surfacing are your Local Driveway Specialist Installation Company

Kingsmere Surfacing are your Local Driveway Specialist Installation Company

Kingsmere Surfacing are your Local Driveway Specialist Installation Company

Kingsmere Surfacing are your Local Driveway Specialist Installation Company

Kingsmere Surfacing are your Local Driveway Specialist Installation Company

Kingsmere Surfacing are your Local Driveway Specialist Installation Company

Services

Kingsmere Surfacing are a specialist driveway company working within Dorset, Wiltshire & Somerset. We can transform the look of your home, by laying a new surface to your driveway, giving a beautiful, eye catching and individual look.

Kingsmere Surfacing are a specialist driveway company working within Dorset, Wiltshire & Somerset. We can transform the look of your home, by laying a new surface to your driveway, giving a beautiful, eye catching and individual look.

Kingsmere Surfacing are a specialist driveway company working within Blackmore Vale Dorset, Wiltshire & Somerset. We can transform the look of your home, by laying a new surface to your driveway, giving a beautiful, eye catching and individual look.

Kingsmere Surfacing are a specialist driveway company working within Dorset, Wiltshire & Somerset. We can transform the look of your home, by laying a new surface to your driveway, giving a beautiful, eye catching and individual look.

Kingsmere Surfacing are a specialist driveway company working within Dorset, Wiltshire & Somerset. We can transform the look of your home, by laying a new surface to your driveway, giving a beautiful, eye catching and individual look.

Kingsmere Surfacing are a specialist driveway company working within Dorset, Wiltshire & Somerset. We can transform the look of your home, by laying a new surface to your driveway, giving a beautiful, eye catching and individual look.

Kingsmere Surfacing are a specialist driveway company working within Dorset, Wiltshire & Somerset. We can transform the look of your home, by laying a new surface to your driveway, giving a beautiful, eye catching and individual look.

We offer a most attractive and versatile choice of surfaces for both classic and contemporary driveways.

We offer a most attractive and versatile choice of surfaces for both classic and contemporary driveways.

We offer a most attractive and versatile choice of surfaces for both classic and contemporary driveways.

We offer a most attractive and versatile choice of surfaces for both classic and contemporary driveways.

We offer a most attractive and versatile choice of surfaces for both classic and contemporary driveways.

We offer a most attractive and versatile choice of surfaces for both classic and contemporary driveways.

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We offer a most attractive and versatile choice of surfaces for both classic and contemporary driveways and specialise in fully SUDS permeable drainage surfaces.

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25 Years’ Experience

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Fully Insured & Licensed Approved Contractor

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Fully Insured & Licensed Approved Contractor

Local Services

ARCHITECTURAL, BUILDING & ELECTRICAL

J& C Handyman Services

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No job too small. Please call with your requirements. 01963 364457 07368 516658

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KBB KITCHEN FITTER, all aspects of kitchen fitting undertaken. 30 years experience, free estimates given. Tel: 01963 364550 or 0789 0841827

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Failed Double Glazed Units UPVC Windows and Doors Shower Screens, Balustrades

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New build, refurbishment, restoration, extensions, garden buildings. Free estimates.

Call Dom on 0 073 99 649 62 8

w www escape totheoffice co u k

HANDYMAN, reliable and experienced Call Chris 07413 678076

L R MASONRY GENERAL BUILDER, Stone work, Brick work 07971-982565

llewie30roberts@gmail.com

Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.

ALL IRONWORK. Handrails.Gates. Railings. Repairs. Restoration. 01258 880301

B.LUCAS

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25+ Years Experience, City & Guilds Qualified Extensions, Renovations, Alterations, New Build, Plastering, Floor and Wall Tiling, Brickwork, Blockwork, Stonework and Patios, Fencing and Decorating.

FREE estimates, No VAT 01747 228827 07809 362919

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HARD/SOFT LANDSCAPING such as natural stone walling/concrete and slabbing/ steps/hand lay tarmac / fencing/ trees & shrub removal and general garden clearance. Please contact on 07399 521377 or mail malcgin@hotmail.com

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All aspects of building and plumbing catered for.

Tel: 07970 437786

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Purchase advice, Virus Removal, New PC Setup/ Installation, Internet Connection, Upgrades, Computer/ Software Tuition - Call Gregg on 01963 370713

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M & M PAINTING & DECORATING. 30years experience. Fully insured, clean & tidy. References available. FREE no obligation quote. Tel: 07534952486 / 01305-849380

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G.O.T. DECORATING

City and Guilds qualified Interior/exterior Decorating Free Quotes no VAT Tel 07736644452 go.tanner93@gmail.com

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01963

Time to sow for festival’s chilli competition

ORGANISERS of the Great Dorset Chilli Festival, held near Sturminster Newton in August, have launched a chilli growing competition.

The competition, in which chilli enthusiasts vie to produce the best-looking plant, is an established part of the event.

Festival director Miles Halton said: “Much like a village horticultural show, the chilli plant competition attracts many entries from across the region.

“Growers compete for a traditional rosette, and the competition tent is hugely popular with festival visitors.”

Chilli plants are fun and easy to grow and can look spectacular – but the seeds need

to be sown now for summer fruiting.

The festival competition has two classes – one for the new chilli variety Cardiff Queen, developed by Sea Spring Seeds, near Bridport.

It produces mildly hot fruit on short trailing plants and is ideal for growing in pots.

Any chilli plant can be entered in the open class.

Plants will be judged on appearance, development, condition and fruit by two commercial chilli seed growers, Michael Michaud of Sea Spring Seeds and Matt Simpson of Simpson’s Seeds.

The winner of each competition class will receive a £50 gift voucher from instore

and online cookware and gardening retailer Harts of Stur, based in Sturminster Newton.

The Great Dorset Chilli Festival is on Saturday and Sunday, August 3-4, at the Stock Gaylard Estate, near Sturminster Newton (DT10 2BG).

The event is the 13th festival and will feature food, music, entertainment and competitions.

Festival organisers have a limited supply of Cardiff Queen chilli seeds to give away.

For a copy of the rules and to claim the seeds, email info@ greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk

TRADITIONAL COUNTRY PUB

SERVING FINE FOOD AND DRINKS

Peter and Karlene are delighted to invite you to the Plough Inn at Manston and look forward to seeing you soon.

We are delighted that our renovation and expansion project has been well received by customers as have our food and beverage offerings. After a very long search, we now have a fully staffed kitchen and offer our full lunch and dinner menu every day from Tuesday lunch until Sunday lunch. We are closed after lunch on Sunday and all day Monday. We offer a wide range of beers, cider, wines and spirits as well as a range of non-alcoholic options.

A Pub With Warmth And Atmosphere

The bar and snug have been refreshed but retain all the old features that made this cosy area so attractive. And, by popular demand, we have a new wood burning stove to provide atmosphere and warmth whenever needed! We have a completely new kitchen, beer cellar and new male, female and disabled washrooms. The old conservatory is now an insulated garden room and we have a new dining area which can accommodate a further twenty guests.

Hearty Food And Distinctive Drinks

By experimenting with our menu and listening to our customers we have developed a popular menu ranging from light snacks to exciting specials and everything in-between. Please look at our menu and see if you can spot your favourite country pub meal. For Sunday lunch, in addition to our full menu, we offer a traditional roast with all the trimmings. Our range of drinks has evolved in response to customer demand and caters for all tastes. But most importantly we have built a wonderful team to look after you all and ensure a great experience at the Plough.

We hope to see you soon, Cheers, Peter & Karlene

Cardiff Queen produces mildly hot fruit on short trailing plants

Enford Farm Shop

Durweston DT 11 0QW

Half a pig approx £130.

Home reared and locally produced meats, game, deli, f ruit, veg, f ree range eggs and lots more.

Follow us on Facebook for all our latest meat pack deals and what’s in f resh that week. Chicken

Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am-5.30pm. 01258

Teals’ efforts reap reward

A POPULAR Somerset food market and eatery has been recognised as a leading business.

Teals, off the A303 at South Cadbury, is a farm shop offering produce grown locally, as well as boasting a butchery and restaurant – both featuring menus sourced in the area.

Now, the venue has been awarded B Corp Certification, which recognises businesses’ commitments to ‘balance profit and purpose’.

“We’re incredibly proud of the work the team has put in to enable us to meet B Corp’s rigorous performance measures,” a spokesperson

said.

“Our values have always included balancing the interests of all our stakeholders, not least the communities in which we find ourselves, and it’s great to know we’re doing okay on that front.

“As both a retail and hospitality business we are in a unique position to connect our region’s wonderful producers with customers and other businesses, something the B Corp evaluation process complimented us on.

“Rather than certification being the end of the process however, we’re seeing it as the start of the next stage and already looking at what we can do differently and better in the areas of people and planet.”

Health & Wellbeing

A letter from India: Inside an Ayurvedic centre

THE music and chanting started at 5am today. There are loud speakers all down the street and on the churches. The Hindu festival of Shiva is happening at the moment and chanting is pounded out of these speakers for miles. This is then rivalled with the Christian churches also blasting out.

The horns from endless cars, lorries and busses, tuk tuks, scooters and bikes, together with the yelling of the birds to make themselves heard over the human noise, is an assault to the senses, exciting and baffling.

The tolerance here is staggering, imagine having this in England when people complain if their neighbours make a noise.

We are day seven into our Ayurvedic experience. On arrival we went to the Ayurvedic doctor who came up with a programme for us all. This consists of various medicated ghees – clarified butter and herbs – being drunk first thing in the morning in increasing

amounts for five days, which travels around the body collecting the toxins and taking them to the intestines. It is followed by copious quantities of warm ginger water to keep the nausea away.

You then have an hour of being massaged to release all the knots and tensions in the body, before being patted and rubbed with a hot bag of herbs which includes garlic, turmeric and lemon, as well as lots of different leaves. The heat brings the blood to the surface and herbs draw out and soak up the toxins released by the massage.

This has been followed by warm oil being poured over the forehead, which is deeply relaxing, although not so relaxing trying to get the oil out of our hair!

All this, for the ladies, is done stark naked, which had all our English proprieties squeaking a bit. For some reason the men get loin cloths.

Our diet during this time is lots of fruit and raw or lightly

steamed vegetables. Yesterday we had our last day of ghee, which was 100mls, which had to be knocked back in three gulps – it is better if you can’t taste it and don’t think about it. Today we eat as normal and tomorrow is “purge day”, where, we hope, we get rid of it all!

Needless to say, there has been much talk of bowel movements, in fact, it is our

main topic of conversation!

There have been complaints that the massage is too vigorous with bolshy spells and refusals to do the treatments, dizzy spells and headaches, but secretly, once they all stopped fighting it, I think even the men are quite enjoying it.

n Fiona Chapman is a naturopathic herbalist; email Pellyfiona@gmail.com

Medics put anaesthetic methods to test

SOMERSET doctors and patients have been praised for efforts in research into the use of anaesthetic.

The Volatile Vs Total Intravenous Anaesthesia (VITAL) study, aims to answer whether total intravenous anaesthesia – given through the patient’s veins – is a better option than the more commonly used volatile anaesthesia –inhaled through a breathing tube while they’re asleep.

Dr Agnieszka KubiszPudelko, from Yeovil District Hospital (YDH), and Dr Tom Teare, from Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH) in Taunton, have been working with

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s (FT) research team to recruit patients who need major surgery into the study, where they’ll be randomly assigned one of the two options of anaesthetic.

Dr Kubisz-Pudelko said:

“We’re honoured to be taking part in this exciting study alongside 39 other NHS trusts in England, where we’re looking to test whether the way we maintain anaesthesia –intravenous or inhalational –during a procedure is related to the patient’s outcome, as well as looking at its cost effectiveness.

“More than 1.5 million people need a general

anaesthetic for major surgery every year in the NHS, and we want to recruit 2,500 of these patients into the study, a good representative sample that should give us a picture of which option works best.

“During a total intravenous anaesthetic, the patient breathes oxygen through a tube, but is kept asleep by drugs given into a vein.

“Many anaesthetic doctors believe patients recover more quickly using this technique, and a number of smaller studies that have already run suggest that patients prefer this option, too.

“The evidence for this type of

anaesthetic has been really positive so far and has given us a good indication, but it was from very small clinical trials, so we’re hoping the VITAL study will bring more clear evidence.”

She said the research could help people recover after major surgery.

“If we know which technique works better, it could mean we can help our patients return home earlier after surgery, as well as giving them a more positive all-round experience,” she added.

“Our findings should help doctors to select the best method to improve care and reduce harm for many patients.”

Therapists Timi and Anita do massages at the centre

Meditations in nature: Ode to Orion

by Susanna Curtin

IT is nearly midnight, but before I go to bed there is just time to take a stroll around my garden. I want to check out the wildlife in my pond, listen to the tawny owls and admire the night sky.

Carefully shining a torch into my pond, I uncover lots of activity. The newts are really busy tonight, hanging out in groups in the shallows or playing among the pondweed. There are palmates and smooth newts, and to my delight, a male and two female great crested newts – the male showing its beautiful, jagged dinosaur spine and its white tail stripe.

I am also surprised to see a female palmate already laying her eggs, testament to this very mild February. Each egg is laid singly and is folded into the leaf of a water plant in order to hide and protect it from predators such as dragonfly nymphs.

Although enthralled by their antics, I do not wish to disturb them too much. So eventually, I leave them to it and draw up my bench to just sit still for a while to enjoy the clear moonless night and my favourite constellation of Orion that is taking centre stage overhead. It is shining brightly 1,350 light years from Earth with each light year being the approximate equivalent of 6 trillion miles.

I am not sure why I love the Orion constellation so much.

Perhaps it is because of its size and symmetry, and the sheer dominance of this mythological Greek hunter in our winter skies. It is one of the original 48 constellations defined by the Egyptian astronomer and mathematician, Ptolemy, in the 2nd century. In Greek mythology, Artemis, the Goddess of hunting and nature, is said to have placed Orion in the stars after he was killed by a scorpion. Now looming silently over my garden, the hunter contains two of the 10 brightest stars in our galaxy – Betelgeuse, also known as Alpha Orionis, which is a red giant and one of the largest stars we know, and Rigel – Beta Orioni – which is a blue-white supergiant and is the seventh brightest star seen from Earth.

Orion’s belt is perhaps the most famous asterism in the night sky with its three equidistant-looking stars that make it so recognisable that it appears in myths and legends across the globe. In fact, they are many light years apart and not equidistant at all. Then, trailing down from Orion’s belt, is the hunter’s sword which is made of three fainter stars. The middle one of these ‘stars’ is not actually a star but the Orion nebula – known as M42 – a smudgy giant colourful cloud of dust and gas once thrown out by the explosion of a dying star.

Orion is located on the celestial equator making it visible in both Northern and Southern hemispheres. I remember being so surprised when I arrived in New Zealand that I could still see my favourite constellation, albeit from an entirely different perspective. I was so taken aback that I booked a place in Auckland observatory one night to look through its huge telescope to see the Orion nebula – a sight that almost brought tears to my eyes given the colour, scale and complexity of what we can see in our universe.

Skychology is a new body of science that has found that when people look at the stars, it makes them feel calmer by helping to

put life problems into a greater perspective. It also provokes a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty and vastness of our universe, and a sense of privilege to be here to behold it.

As a lifelong star gazer, I connect my fascination with the stars to memorable times with friends and family – the camping trips, expeditions in faraway places, socialising around a firepit and night hikes where stargazing has always played a part. But then again, I also love moments of solitude, like this, under the stars as a time to pause, reflect and ponder. It always helps me to fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.

n Dr Susie Curtin (email curtin. susanna@gmail.com).

Orion is shining brightly 1,350 light years from Earth with each light year the approximate equivalent of 6 trillion miles

PHOTO: Neil Bundle

The ‘why’ makes it happen

by Alice Johnsen

GoodOaks Homecare are finalists across four categories at the Home Care Awards 2024!

Local Visiting and Live-in homecare provider GoodOaks have made it through as finalists at the sought after Home Care Awards.

I WAS listening to plans in a fundraising meeting recently. The conversation was focussed on the ‘hows’ rather than the ‘whys’ until someone remarked that it is always much easier to raise money for a specific aim rather than a charity as a whole.

We all agreed, and it shifted the pace of our discussion in a good way.

The annual awards set out to pursue examples of expertise in companies

This specific focus can be applied to many other parts of our lives. If we want to be a person that does a specific thing, that is a wish, but it is not enough. If we want to run, it is good to have a specific reason or goal. If we want to study, it is good to want to study to achieve X so we can apply for Y job.

Sometimes free flow just doing something for the joy of doing that thing – reading a book, for example, is enough. But if we want to achieve specific progress, goals and reasons are a good way of ensuring we meet that progress.

Live-in Care Expertise -

Displaying how the service grew by 50% in one year, with record satisfaction scores and improved outcomes across the service.

The key thing about setting goals is they must be flexible. Your progress may be less or more than you had envisaged. Many external factors will affect how you learn, achieve or succeed. So, if the goals start being a hindrance rather than a

Having a good reason to do something sounds so obvious and small but it is really what decides whether or not we succeed.

- Using their care expertise to deliver targeted learning to help people across the sector and those who are caring for a loved one with no experience in care.

Team Support Expertise - Their strategy is to focus on quality, rather than quantity, of locations, with fewer, larger, locations that we can support fully.

support structure, they need adapting.

Nutrition and Hydration Expertise - 2023 saw collaborations with universities on research projects and other groundbreaking projects to upskill the care sector.

Training and Development

In the early years of a business, you cannot really know how hungry your market is, how smoothly your product will be created, how many unforeseen costs will accumulate, until you are in the thick of running your business. So, flexibility in targets and goals is essential.

The Services are known for putting people through what on the face of it seem pointless training and repetitive drills, such as making and remaking beds, changing uniforms many times a day or show parades where kit is inspected to a high degree. Superficially, a somewhat meaningless way to fill the hours of training but, of course, behind it is the essential process of building resilience, discipline, attention to detail and stamina. People say once they have grasped the reason for being treated thus, it makes it easier just to accept and get on with it.

Director Ben Ashton commented “Being nominated across four categories is just brilliant - It reaffirms the immense impact of The GoodOaks Way and how we are striving to create the next generation of homecare provider built on partnership, innovation and a deeply held commitment to transform the lives of families across the UK.”

If we know why something is happening, we can put a greater effort into achieving it.

GoodOaks provide Live-in and Visiting Homecare to clients in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. For more information please call 01202 125882

n Alice Johnsen is a life coach based near Sherborne (07961 080513; alicejohnsen.co.uk).

Having a good reason to do something sounds so obvious and small but it is really what decides whether or not we succeed

Motoring

Stonehenge tunnel plans: Court ruling blow for campaigners

CAMPAIGNERS have lost a High Court challenge to “pig-headed” plans for a tunnel for the A303 near Stonehenge.

After a three-day hearing in December, Mr Justice Holgate largely dismissed Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site’s (SSWHS) case demanding the decision to approve the plans be reviewed.

said most parts of the group’s case were “unarguable” and that evidence presented provided “no basis for undermining” the decision to allow the scheme.

However, the group said it would appeal the decision, if it can raise the £15,000 to apply for permission – and a further £40,000 should permission be granted.

Historian Tom Holland, president of the Stonehenge Alliance, said: “This is a devastating loss, not just for everyone who has campaigned against the Government’s pig-headed plans for the Stonehenge landscape, but for Britain, for the world and for subsequent generations.”

SUNRISE

Mr Justice Holgate’s verdict

John Adams, chair of the Stonehenge Alliance and a director of SSWHS, added: “In the face of Government indifference to the harm this road will cause the World Heritage Site, we had no choice but to bring this legal action.

“While this judgement is a huge blow and exposes the site to National Highways’ state-

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sponsored vandalism, we will continue the fight. In the dying days of this Conservative Government, which has inflicted so much damage on the country, we cannot let it destroy our heritage as well.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper (Con, Forest of Dean) approved the plans – which would see a tunnel created and eight miles of the A303 redesigned – in July last year.

Then, in September, cultural body Unesco was reported to have warned that Stonehenge’s status as a World Heritage Site could be under threat if the plans went ahead.

The decision was welcomed by National Highways, which said it would “help to unlock congestion and transform journeys for millions of people using the A303 between the south east and south west”.

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Valets

Courtesy Cars

Collections within a 5 mile radius

Concessions for Pensioners, Armed Forces and Emergency Services

Concessions

15B Sunrise Business Park, Higher Shaftesbury Road

Blandford DT11 8ST

15B Sunrise Business Park, Higher Shaftesbury Road

15B

Tel: 01258 459798

Blandford DT11 8ST

Blandford DT11 8ST

Tel: 01258 459798

Email sunriseservicecentre@hotmail.com

Tel: 01258 459798

Email sunriseservicecentre@hotmail.com

Email sunriseservicecentre@hotmail.com

www.sunriseserviceandmotcentre.com

www.sunriseserviceandmotcentre.com

National Highways says the project would ease traffic around Stonehenge PHOTO: National Highways

VOLVO XC90. 06. Diesel. 4x4. Estate. Been standing. £1000. Tel: 07740-378644

YAMAHA YZFR 125cc. 2016. MOT OCT 2024. METALLIC BLUE. IDEAL RELIABLE FIRST BIKE.

Tel 07917-565582 / 07702-254779

Tel: 07918-627092

STORAGE FOR CARAVANS, boats and cars at Enford Farm near Blandford. 01258 450050 / 07704 813025

CAR OF THE WEEK

2021 (21) Abarth 595 1.4 T-Jet Ltd Edition Monster Yamaha, 7000 Miles, Blue/Black, 17” Alloys, Apple & Android Car Play, Full History, £1000 In Upgrades

£16695

2021 (21) Ford Fiesta 1.0 T Ecoboost ST Line Edition, 1 Owner, 40,000 Miles, White..........................................................................................£11695

2019 (19) Ford Fiesta Active X 1.0T Ecoboost, 1 Owner, 9500 Miles, Half Leather, Sat Nav, Rear Camera, Half Leather............................£12995

2018 (68) Nissan Qashqai 1.5 DCI Tekna, 2 Owners, 47,000 Miles, Alloys, AC, Half Leather, Sat Nav, Panoramic Roof, Met Blue........£12695

2017 (67) BMW 118D Sport, 46,000 Miles, BMW Service History, Alloys, Sat Nav...................................................................................£11295

2017 (67) Vauxhall Mokka X Active Turbo 1.4, 2 Owners, 34,000 Miles, Alloys...................................................................................................£9695

2017 (67) DS 3 1.2

CABRIOLETS

2018 (18) BMW 218D M Sport Convertible, 63,000 Miles, 18” Alloys, Sat Nav Met Grey..............................................................................£12995

2015 (15) Fiat 500C 1.2 Pop Star Cabrio, 19,000 Miles, Alloys, white with red roof..................................................................................£6995

ARRIVING SOON

2018 (18) Peugeot 208 1.2 GT Line 5dr, 38,000 Miles,............................£

2013 (63) Mercedes SLK 250 AMG Sport Auto, 57,000 Miles, Full Leather Heated Seats, Air Scarf, Sat Nav...............................................£

Are you thinking of

In the modern era of internet scams, fraudulent buyers & sellers, legal implications, fluctuating vehicle values

your DVLA obligations as a registered keeper of a vehicle, it can be a difficult and sometimes worrying prospect to sell your vehicle privately.

You may not have the time to deal with potential buyers, or you may not want them visiting your house, buyers will often try to push you for the lowest possible price, advertising will often be expensive, does that person have valid insurance to test drive your car, there are many things to consider so why put yourself under pressure.

If you are you considering parting ways with your car or van, contact Jason Crew at Crews Car Sales in Shaftesbury for a FREE no obligation quotation. Crews have been established for over 70 years and have been offering a friendly, quality assured service through 3 generations of the Crew family. Crews will normally be able to offer a better price than many other well know car buying companies. Crews don’t charge fees for

2021 (21) Fiat 500X 1.3T Lounge Automatic SUV 5dr. 148bhp, petrol, 6 speed automatic gearbox, high seating, big boot, good ground clearance, cruise control, partial leather, parking sensors, hill start assist, automatic lights & wipers, 12,300 miles

2012 (62) Ford Fiesta 1.25 Edge 5dr. 82bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, heated front screen, air con, parking sensors, cambelt kit has been replaced, 63,700 mile.£4850

2014 (14) Smart ForTwo 1.0 Passion Automatic

Convertible 2dr. 71bhp, petrol, 5 speed automatic gearbox, sat nav, electric peel back roof, clearance car to be sold with MOT until September, Cat D for minor damage & then repaired in 2016, Free road tax, 60mpg, normally a £7000 car but very cheap due to Cat D, 20,500 miles

£4000

2016 (66) Vauxhall Astra 1.4 Design 5dr. 100bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, cruise control, auto lights, low mileage example with only 43,500 miles ............£7850

your car or van?

payment and they also complete all associated paperwork for you, even obtaining a refund on any un-used road fund licence (Tax) that is paid back directly to you from the DVLA. Most vehicles will be considered for purchase but please remember, a nice clean & tidy vehicle with a good service history is always going to be worth more than a vehicle that requires a lot of work. Crews will always be honest with valuations and will try to offer you the best possible deal. The process is simple and easy, get in touch with Jason at Crews on 01747 854789, please have your vehicle registration number and current mileage available so that we can start the process of a valuation. If you are pleased with your valuation guide price, the whole process can be completed very quickly once we have seen your vehicle so contact Crews today. Crews can be easily found, located on a main road site at Five Square Motors, (Bosch Garage), Salisbury Road (A30), Shaftesbury, Dorset. SP7 8BU, we are just ¼ mile from the Royal Chase roundabout in Shaftesbury.

2019 (19) Vauxhall Crossland X 1.2 Elite Estate MPV 5dr. 82bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, high seating, parking sensors, cruise control, 51,900 miles ...........£9650

2007 (07) Volkswagen Polo 1.2 S 3dr. 64bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, ideal 1st car, MOT – July, air con, alloys, selling on behalf of a staff member, only 66,800 miles

£2350

Announcements

FONTMELL MAGNA NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN CONSULTATION

Fontmell Magna’s Neighbourhood Plan Review is now open for consultation. Feedback on the reviewed plan is welcome from 12th February to 31st March 2024. For details of how to submit feedback online please go to the Fontmell Magna Parish Council website: www. fontmellmagnapc.co.uk.

For details of how to inspect paper copies of the plan and obtain paper feedback forms please contact the Clerk via np@fontmellmagnapc.co.uk or phone 07702 667083.

GOODS VEHICLE OPERATOR’S LICENCE. TRADING AS ONWARDS & UPWARDS SCAFFOLDING LTD.

Is applying for a licence to change their operators centre from Ralph Down Farm, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2HP for 6 goods vehicles to Plot 12, North Dorset Business Park, Rolls Mill, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2GA Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings) near the operating centre(s) who believe that their use or enjoyments of that land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Hillcrest House, 386 Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS9 6NF, stating their reasons, within 21 days of this notice. Representors must at the same time send a copy of their representations to the applicant at the address given at the top of this notice. A Guide to Making Representations is available from the Traffic Commissioner’s office.

GOODS VEHICLE OPERATOR’S LICENCE

DAVID CAHILL TRADING AS CAHILL WELDING SERVICES LTD

of Unit 5 & 6, The Saw Mills, Middlemarsh, Nr Sherborne, DT9 5QW is applying to change an existing licence as follows: To keep an extra 36 trailers at the operating centre at: Cahill Welding, The Marsh, Henstridge Airfield, Templecombe BA8 0TN. Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings) near the operating centre(s) who believe that their use or enjoyment of that land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Hillcrest House, 386 Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS9 6NF, stating their reasons, within 21 days of this notice. Representors must at the same time send a copy of their representations to the applicant at the address given at the top of this notice. A guide to Making Representations is available from the Traffic Commissioner’s office

THANK YOU

PETE CLEMENTS

Gloria and family would like to thank everyone who carried out Pete’s wishes of Last of the Summer Wine (Pete would have loved it). Also the family would like to thank everyone for the kind messages and cards, Katherine Shean for the flower arrangements, Keith Shirland, Merefield and Henstridge for the funeral arrangements and Shaftesbury Football Club for a lovely spread. Finally a very big thank you to Rose, Carissa, Jane and the Weldmar team and also Caroline from MNDA.

IN MEMORIAM

DOROTHY VICTORIA TITE

A Celebration of life. Service will be held at St Mary’s Church, Sturminster Newton. Friday 15th March at 2pm No flowers, Donations for the Cats Protection League. Dorothy stated no black to be worn.

DEATHS

BRUCE PIKE

Peacefully on 10th February 2024 at Chestnut Lodge Care Home, Yeovil. Aged 82 years of Henstridge. Beloved husband of Valerie. Adored brother of Brian, Marion and Margaret and a much loved uncle.

Private cremation. Donations if desired for Alzheimer’s Society (cheques made payable to the charity) can be sent c/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge BA8 ORB. Tel 01963 362570

SYLVIA HOLDEMAN

Peacefully passed away on 7th February 2024, at home surrounded by her family. Aged 78 years of Child Okeford. Beloved wife of Derek. Loving mum to Ros and Janet. A much loved granny, sister and mother-in-law. Funeral service at St. Nicholas’ Church, Child Okeford today, Friday 1st March at 1.00pm, followed by interment. At Sylvia’s request, please wear casual/colourful clothing. No flowers please. Donations if desired, for Dorset County Hospital Charity can be made online at peterjacksonfuneralservices.co.uk or cheques made payable to the charity can be sent c/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge BA8 0RB. Tel 01963 362570

FRANK BURTON

On 9th February 2024, peacefully in Alderney Hospital, Poole aged 87 years, of Gillingham. A much loved Husband to Brenda, Dad to Mark, Guy and Simon and a loving Grampy and Great Grampy. Private family cremation. All are welcome to share memories of Frank at North Dorset Rugby Club, Gillingham on Monday 18th March from 1.30pm onwards. Donations for RSPB or Prostate Cancer UK may be made online at www.mhfd.co.uk or sent to Merefield & Henstridge F/D, Ridgemount, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 0BU. Tel: 01747 853532.

Please make any cheques payable to the individual charity.

Announcements

DEATHS

HANSFORD

Teresa Philomena ‘Tot’ of Sherborne

Passed away peacefully at Eastbury House Care Home, on 12th February,2024, aged 96 years. Widow of Frank, loving mother to Sue, devoted nan to Rob and great nana to Keiran and Annabelle.

Funeral Service will take place at Yeovil Crematorium on Wednesday 6th March, at 12.40pm.

Please wear something bright.

Donations in memory of Tot for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance may be sent c/o A.J. Wakely & Sons, 16 Newland, Sherborne, DT9 3JQ or donate online at www.ajwakely.com (please make cheques payable to the charity)

ROMA VERONICA GLAZE

On 6th February 2024, peacefully at home aged 96 years, of Shaftesbury. Wife of the late Bill, much loved Mum to Graham and Rosemary and Mother in law to Cindy and Gordon. A much loved Grandma and Great Grandma who will be sadly missed by all family and friends.

Funeral service takes place at Salisbury Crematorium on Thursday 14th March at 11.00am. No flowers please, but donations for The Garden Project, Shaftesbury Plus Day Centre (Trinity Centre) to help and support those with Dementia can be made online at www.mhfd.co.uk or sent to Merefield & Henstridge F/D, Ridgemount, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 0BU. Tel: 01747 853532. Please make any cheques payable to Merefield & Henstridge Ltd.

GREEN

Brian Richard

Peacefully on 15th February 2024 in Westminster Memorial Hospital, Shaftesbury. Aged 76 years, of Marnhull. Beloved Husband of Judy. Much loved Dad of Matthew and Steven.

A dearly loved Grandad and Father-in-law. Funeral service at St. Gregory’s Church, Marnhull on Tuesday 12th March at 11.00am, followed by interment. No flowers please.

Donations if desired, for Weldmar Hospicecare can be made online, at peterjacksonfuneralservices.co.uk or cheques made payable to the charity can be sent c/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge BA8 0RB. Tel 01963 362570

SHEILA LAWRENCE

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of our wonderful mum, granny and great granny. She will be greatly missed.

Join us for a celebration of her life at Holton Church, Friday 8th March at 12pm. No flowers please, but donations are invited for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance

DEREK FRANK SUTER

Passed away peacefully on 12th February 2024. Aged 90. With family by his side. A beloved husband, dad, grandad, great grandad and a friend to so many.

He will be forever in our hearts and so sorely missed. Grateful thanks to all who cared for him and the wonderful staff at Yeovil District Hospital.

Funeral service to take place at Yeovil Crematorium on Monday 11th March at 10.40am

Family flowers only please, but donations if desired, for Young Lives Vs Cancer, a charity dear to his heart.

Please contact L.C Hill & Son, Funeral Directors, Mere. Tel: 01747-860361 for details

HAMILTON-BROWN MARGARET

On 15th February 2024, aged 89 years.

Beloved wife of Jimmy, mother of Martyn, David, Karen, Richard and much loved grandmother.

Family funeral service will be followed by a Service of Thanksgiving. Details to be announced later. Family flowers only, donations if desired made payable to MDS UK Patient Support Group may be sent c/o Grassby Funeral Service, 8 Princes Street, Dorchester, DT1 1TW or can be made online by visiting www.grassby-funeral.co.uk

Porter Norman (Uncle Buck)

passed away suddenly at his home on 11th February 2024, aged 75 years. A beloved husband, brother, father and grandfather sadly missed by all the family. Funeral Service at Salisbury Crematorium on Wednesday 6th March 2024 at 2.00.pm. Family flowers only please but donations for The Wiltshire Air Ambulance C/o Chris White 12 South Street Wilton SP2 OJS

Announcements

DEATHS

UPSHALL PETER JOHN

On 12th February 2024 age 85 years. Loving husband to the late Peggy, father and grandfather. Funeral service to be held at St Mary, St Cuthberga & All Saints Church, Witchampton on Thursday 7th March at 12.00pm Family flowers only please, but donations if desired for Dementia UK can be made online at www.funeraldirector.co.uk/peter-upshall or sent to Douch & Small Funeral Directors, 7 Leigh Road

Wimborne BH21 1AB. Tel 01202 882936

PETER GEOFFREY SPITAL

aged 76, on 19th January 2024 at Theydon Bois. Much loved son of the late Geoff and Bridget Spital of Donhead St Mary, brother of Francis and the late Tim and uncle of Linden and Cliff. Funeral service at St John the Baptist Church, Charlton, Shaftesbury on Wednesday 20th March at 12.00 noon followed by refreshments. Please notify questritson@aol.com if you would like to attend. No flowers, please. Any enquiries and donation details via Merefield & Henstridge F/D, Ridgemount, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 0BU. Tel: 01747 853532. www.mhfd.co.uk

BRYANT

Mary Leah

Aged 87 years, formerly of Wincanton. On 11th February 2024, peacefully at West Abbey Nursing Home, Yeovil. Mary will be sadly missed by her family and friends. Funeral Service at Yeovil Crematorium on Wednesday 6th March at 11.20.a.m. Family flowers only please, donations in memory of Mary are being invited for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. C/O Harold F.Miles, Funeral Directors, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES. Telephone (01963) 440367

BRICKELL

Martin Jeffrey

Passed away peacefully on 19th February aged 76 Beloved husband of Maureen Adored father of Amanda, Laura and Shelley Treasured Grampy of Leah, Amy and Grace and great grandson Harrison. Martin was the mayor of Blandford Forum and was a much loved and respected local man. He will be sorely missed by all his family and friends Always in our hearts. Funeral details will be on the Harbour View Crematorium website.

Elizabeth Wilson ‘Née Baker’

Peacefully on the 19th February 2024. Liz aged 65 years of Marnhull. Much loved Mum, Nanny and Sister. Funeral Service at Yeovil Crematorium on Monday 4th March at 2pm. Family flowers only please, donations if desired for Weldmar Hospicecare. C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, High Street, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0RB. Tel – 01963 362570.

BRIAN FREDERICK KING

On 15th February 2024 peacefully in Salisbury District Hospital aged 87 years, of Gillingham. Much loved Dad, Grandad and Great Grandad. He will be sadly missed by all family and friends. Reunited with Wendy. Private cremation. All are welcome to join the family at The British Legion, Gillingham from 1.30pm. onwards on Thursday, 7th March.

No flowers please, but donations if desired for The Stars Appeal, Salisbury District Hospital may be made online at www.mhfd.co.uk or sent to Merefield & Henstridge F/D, Ridgemount, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 0BU. Tel: 01747 853532

DEATHS

Gillian Mary Brooke (nee McKay Forbes)

passed away at home in Thornford, Dorset on 17th February 2024 aged 90. Beloved mother of Emma, Clare and Alice and grandmother of Nick, Alex and Archie.

Much loved ‘Gran’ to her wonderful carers from Heartfelt Care who helped grant her wish to stay at home in her final years. The kindness and support of Dr Lewis and the Apples Surgery in Sherborne, and latterly their district nurses services, was second to none. Thank you to everyone involved in her care. Direct cremation with memorial service at a later date. Forever loved, forever missed.

Bernard William Hayes “Bernie”

Of: Sturminster Newton, Passed away peacefully On 21/02/2024. 83 years Old Funeral Service to be held at St Marys Church Sturminster Newton On 18/03/2024 at 1pm

If you wish to make a donation in Bernard’s Memory, please visit his Tribute site at: https://bernard-hayes.muchloved.com

Or send cheque made payable to Cancer Research uk c/o Co-operative Funeralcare, Greenacre House, Salisbury Road, Shaftesbury, SP7 8BS Tel: 01747-858968

KERBY

Sheila Mavis

Peacefully on 14th February 2024 in Yeovil District Hospital, aged 87 years, of Kington Magna. Beloved Wife of the late Robin. Dearly loved Mother of Tim, and the late Colin who sadly passed away on 28th January 2024.

Loving Nan, Great Nan, Mother in-law and Auntie. Funeral service at All Saints Church, Kington Magna on Thursday 14th March at 11.30am. No flowers please.

Donations if desired, for Cancer Research UK can be made online at peterjacksonfuneralservices.co.uk or cheques made payable to the charity can be sent c/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge BA8 0RB. Tel 01963 362570

Don’t miss out!

Turn to page 28 for our Easter Deadlines

The New Blackmore Vale Magazine DEADLINES

Display ads must be booked by Wednesday the week prior to publication, with final copy submitted by the Friday.

Classified ads may be accepted after this, HOWEVER these will be subject to space.

Recruitment

BLACKMORE VALE JOBS GROUP

BRAMALL GARDENS

requires a new team member to join our established Landscape Company, initially with our grass cutting team. Hard work and reliability are essential requirements, along with a clean driving licence . To apply to join our hard working team in Marnhull Dorset, please ring 01258 820394

Envvironment & Renewables Technician

Working as part of a team, this is a hands -on role that involves the servicing of gas engines, maintenance and day-to-day operations of our Hydrogen production facility, methane gas and leachate extraction system at the Canford energy facility.

Some mechanical aptitude is essential for this role, and the ability to drive mobile plant would be advantageous.

Full training and PPE will be provided.

Part of your role will include emergency call -out cover (one week in three) for which a daily allowance will be payable.

45 hours per week, £17-£19 ph depending on experience.

Canford Renewable Energy Ltd, Wimborne, Dorset

Tel: 01202 612504 ● Email: info@c-r-e.co.uk

Recruitment

POP UP PIZZA TRAILER MANAGER REQUIRED.

An area of our business we wish to grow, with the support of the successful applicant. Full training will be provided. Experience with trailers/catering desired, not essential. contact@hiddenpizza.co.uk

HOUSEKEEPER/COOK required for a family near Tisbury, Wiltshire. This will be a full time live in or out position. The successful applicant will be required to work with other household staff. Key competencies: organisation, team work, honesty, proactiveness, energy, perceptiveness, flexibility, communication, reliability, sense of humour & must be happy around dogs. Full clean driving licence essential. Applicants should send their CV and covering letter to Mrs Vicky Macaskie vm@fonthill.co.uk.

Gardener/Grounds Maintenance Person

Required to help maintain commercial & private sites. Based near Wincanton

Some experience is preferred but training can be given.

Driving licence essential

Contact Mike on 07738824952 or email greenmanservices@gmail.com.

GP SURGERY LOOKING FOR AN ADMIN/TRAINEE DISPENSER. IT skills required but training will be given. Must be flexible to cover staff leave. Please contact: Georgia at Silton Surgery. 01747-840226 or email silton. surgery@nhs.net

Closing date for applications 15th March 2024.

DIGITAL/GRAPHIC DESIGNER - WINCANTON

Blackmore Vale Publishing Ltd is looking for a creativeminded Digital Designer to join our in-house team. Helping to produce content across our portfolio of publications, your daily role will include;

· Adverts (print & digital)

· Advertorial layouts

· Competitions

· Web design

· Brochures/leaflets

· Social media

As a company we’re growing rapidly, giving the right candidate room to grow with us. Previous design experience is essential.

To apply, please send your CV to; kye.harman@blackmorevale.net

We are seeking to recruit an inspirational and forward-thinking STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Technician.

Recruitment

P/T GARDENER

REQUIRED nr Charlton

Horethorne, one morning a week. Pls. call Camilla

07545-825224

A.P.STEPHENS AND SON REQUIRE A FULL TIME BRICKLAYER and Labourer, driving license needed. Call Luke 07818297152

Yard Manager/ Concrete Batcher

Blandford Concrete are looking for a new Yard Manager and Concrete Batcher. The successful applicant would be responsible for:

• Serving customers onsite both face to face and by telephone.

• Ordering materials and dealing with suppliers.

• Running the concrete plant and managing the weighbridge.

Hours are: 7am-5pm – Mon-Fridays, plus some Saturday mornings, 7am-12pm. Good rates of pay.

It would be bene cial that applicants have previous managerial experience and some knowledge of the building trade. Telehandler ticket would be preferred but not essential as training will be provided.

Please apply either by email to: admin@farwellplanthire.co.uk or telephone: 01258 455219

CHILD OKEFORD BLANDFORD DORSET DT11 8HN

Part Time/Job Share School Secretary/Head’s PA

A well organised, skilled professional and versatile team-player is required from April 2024 to run the School Office and to assist the Head. A good sense of humour and a can do, flexible attitude are vital. A willingness to take part in the wider life of our school is essential.

This is a part-time / job share, term time only role: 8.30am – 5pm two days a week plus Saturday mornings.

We are committed to recruiting the perfect fit to join our team; start date and numbers of days worked may be flexible for the right candidate.

Closing date for applications:

5pm Friday 8 March 2024

Interviews w/c 18 March 2024

To apply, or to discuss the role, please email office@hanfordschool.co.uk

www.hanfordschool.co.uk

Hanford is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Registered charity number 00306828

PART TIME CHEF/COOK REQUIRED at Sherborne Golf Club. Hours will be variable from week to week. Would suit semi-retired person or someone looking for a non-committed weekly schedule.

Flexibility is our main aim due to the nature of the business. Email your cv to bar@sherbornegolfclub.co.uk

SELF EMPLOYED EXPERIENCED GROUNDWORKERS/PLANT OPERATORS

We are looking for an experienced Groundworker who can also operate a 360° Excavator for local interesting contracts, working as part of a team.

Applicants must be con dent in their ability to carry out all aspects of groundwork to a good standard with attention to detail. We o er a safe working environment with good rates of pay. Local work and an opportunity of long-term employment with a friendly family run business.

If you are that exible, skilled groundworker who can also operate plant to a good standard please call, Martin on 01258 455219 or email admin@farwellplanthire.co.uk

Night Care Assistant

Full time £12.44 an hour

Millbrook House in Child Okeford are looking to recruit a Night Care Assistant to work three nights a week, 8.00pm until 8.00am, totalling 36 hours on a two-week rota. Overtime is available.

You will be required to provide personal care and assistance to our residents and to complete night checks. There is a small amount of domestic work to undertake. You will be required to administer medications if required. Experience in residential care is essential for this position, but further training will be provided for the right person. Please call us on 01258 860330 or email ginih@bramleycare.com to request an application form

Recruitment

EXPERIENCED STOCK PERSON / GENERAL FARM WORKER

Required for beef herd and mixed arable farm in North Dorset. Main duties will include feeding, bedding, and maintaining a high level of cleanliness. There will be seasonal work on the arable side.

Must have excellent communication skills and demonstrate the correct attitude to animal welfare, be trustworthy, organised, and able to work alone as well as part of a team. Full driving licence and tractor/loader experience essential. Salary and conditions are dependent on experience. Accommodation could be made available for the right candidate. Please send applications to churchfarmmarnhull@icloud.com.

RETIRED GENT. Now writing informative books on the Property Game. Seeks Copy Writer 3hours weekly. Cash payment. Tel: 07740-378644

TIMBER BUILDING ERECTOR

Required to lead a team of erectors. Applicants must be confident in their ability to carry out all aspects of carpentry necessary to erect a timber building. Must have good communication skills and be able to work as part of a team.

Please call Nigel 07850 234441 or email nigel@sparkford.com

blackmorevale.net/jobs

GARDENER/HANDYMAN REQUIRED, for Cucklington Garden. 1 day a week. Tel: 01747-841265

The New

Blackmore Vale Magazine

BLACKMORE VALE JOBS GROUP

For jobseekers and employers

NOW ON Facebook

Independent Boarding and Day School for Pupils aged 4 -18 GSA/CISC

Independent Co-educational Boarding and Day School Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form The Society of Heads/CISC /IAPS

PART TIME TEACHER OF EQUINE MANAGEMENT

Driver Required

Required from September 2024

PA

We are seeking a well-qualified, dynamic and enthusiastic teacher to teach BTEC Equine Management course (Level3).

We are seeking to appoint a School Minibus Driver to start at the end of August 2018 The role entails driving the School vehicles on designated routes collecting children in the morning and dropping off in the afternoon at prearranged points You will also assist with some basic maintenance and cleaning of the fleet. The primary qualities sought are a genuine commitment to the welfare and safety of young people You must hold a valid PCV Manual, (D or D1) Licence.

You will be a qualified teacher with extensive knowledge of equine physiology, nutrition and husbandry as well as good practical knowledge.

The ability and willingness to contribute to the extra-curricular life of the school and the willingness to support the new Equestrian Academy is required.

Hours: 20 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 0630 to 0830 and 1730 to 1930 Term Time only. Rate of Pay: £9.69 per hour plus holiday pay

For further information and to download an application pack please visit our website: https://www.leweston.co.uk/information/work-with-us

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 13th March 2024

Interviews: w/c 18th March 2024

Please send your CV with the names of two referees to the HR Manager, Leweston School Leweston, Sherborne, DT9 6EN or email: recruitment@leweston.dorset.sch.uk www.leweston.co.uk

Leweston is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required. A Catholic Foundation which welcomes pupils of all Denominations Leweston School Trust is a registered charity number 295175

Blackmore Vale Magazine

The New Don’t miss

Turn to page 28 for our Easter Deadlines

Part-Time Handyman required at Ferne Park, Berwick St John

1. Flexible hours

2. Anything from sweeping stable yard, moving hay bales, minor repairs, painting, paddock maintenance etc

3. Experience with horses/animals not a requirement, but may be helpful!

4. Good pay

Please get in touch with addison.road@dmgt.co.uk if you are interested!

Independent Co-educational Boarding and Day School Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form

Independent Boarding and Day School for Pupils aged 4 -18 GSA/CISC

The Society of Heads/CISC /IAPS

Driver Required

Domestic Assistant

We are looking for an organised, friendly and cheerful Domestic Assistant to join our committed Domestic team whose role is to ensure that the school is cleaned to a very high standard.

The hours are 30 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 0500-1100.

Benefits include staff discount, free uniform, free on-site parking, generous pension scheme, death in service benefit and generous holiday allowance.

We are seeking to appoint a School Minibus Driver to start at the end of August 2018 The role entails driving the School vehicles on designated routes collecting children in the morning and dropping off in the afternoon at prearranged points You will also assist with some basic maintenance and cleaning of the fleet The primary qualities sought are a genuine commitment to the welfare and safety of young people You must hold a valid PCV Manual, (D or D1) Licence.

Rate of pay: £11.25 per hour

Please send applications to recruitment@leweston.dorset.sch.uk

Hours: 20 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 0630 to 0830 and 1730 to 1930 Term Time only. Rate of Pay: £9.69 per hour plus holiday pay

For further information and to download an application pack please visit our website: https://www.leweston.co.uk/information/work-with-us

Closing date for applications: Friday 15th March 2024

Leweston is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Please send your CV with the names of two referees to the HR Manager, Leweston School Leweston, Sherborne, DT9 6EN or email: recruitment@leweston dorset sch uk www.leweston.co.uk

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required.

A Catholic Foundation which welcomes pupils of all Denominations Leweston School Trust is a registered charity number 295175

An enhanced DBS check will be undertaken by the School.

Closing date: 15th August 2017

Pets

Recognising pain in animals

by Lynn Broom Longmead Veterinary Practice

RECOGNISING pain in animals can be difficult for their owners and, as vets, we frequently see pets who are in pain, but their owners do not realise this.

Pets vary in their response to pain and will vary their behaviour in many ways. Acute pain may be shown by yelping, but this response is relatively rare. Some breeds of dog such as greyhounds will often overreact to relatively mild pain whereas other breeds such as springer spaniels may not make any sound even with a broken leg.

Chronic – long term – pain rarely involves any kind of vocalisation. Almost without exception an animal which limps is limping because they are painful. Rarely nerve damage or mechanical effects on limb extension can cause a limp but pain is much more likely to be the cause.

Cats are exceptionally good at hiding pain and they often display much more subtle changes. Becoming less active

or jumping up on to surfaces less often occurs with arthritic pain. Inability to reach less accessible parts of their body to groom due to pain can be seen by matted or scurfy hair along their back towards their tail. Overgrown claws can develop in less active cats due to less wear on the claw tips.

Arthritis is a common cause of chronic pain. Even if you manipulate affected joints you may not get a pain response.

BUSYPETZ

EVERYTHING FOR OUR FURRY FRIENDS

Dog, cat and small animal food. Grain-free, vegetarian, frozen, gluten & sugar-free chews, natural treats. Soft toys, leather toys, leads & collars, coats, cool & heat pads, veterinary bedding, shampoo, towels...even microchipping! Come and get your wild bird food for the winter.

COMPULSORY MICROCHIPPING for Cats & Dogs 2024 – book yours now - call or pop in store

Check-a-chip service is free

Friday 9am to 5pm & Saturday 10am to 1pm. oad Robin, Gillingham SP8 4PJ, opposite the Onestop ailable. Email: enquiries@busypetz.co.uk .busypetz.co.uk Facebook: Busypetz

Call: 01747 706152

Dogs which are stiff getting up and improve while exercising frequently have arthritic pain. They may still want to go for walks but be less inclined to chase a ball or play with other dogs. They may even become grumpy towards other dogs because they know that playing may lead to more pain if an arthritic joint is over extended or twisted beyond the point of comfort.

Muscle loss is often evident.

Dogs with sore back legs will often have broad shoulders but become progressively narrower towards the tail – this occurs due to disuse of the back leg muscles as the dog uses its front legs primarily to minimise pain. Asymmetry of muscles is due to pain on one side. Dogs which choose to sit or lie down differently are often changing their posture to limit the pain caused by ‘normal’ postures.

Changes in defecation and urination can occur. Dogs may start defecating walking along because it is painful to keep still and ‘posture’ for normal defecation – they may even start passing faeces indoors due to incomplete defecation outside due to pain. Dogs which used to cock their legs to urinate may stop doing so. Cats may find using a litter tray more difficult.

Often the only way to confirm if your pet is in pain is to trial pain relief. Seeing changes in behaviour in response to pain medication or noticing deterioration in activity or behaviour after stopping it can be a very useful diagnostic aid.

Some dogs, such as greyhounds, will often overreact to mild pain

MID DORSET CATS PROTECTION

Cats looking for new homes

n Jellybean (10 weeks). Shy little girl looking for a quiet home with no other cats. Very affectionate once she gets to know you.

n Olaf (five monthst). Looking for the right home with patience and love.

OUTDOORS CATS LOOKING FOR HOMES –FARMS, STABLES ETC

FOR details, please call our helpline on 01258 858644 or visit our website, www.cats.org.uk/blandford

LOST CATS

If you have lost a cat contact us via our website, phone or Facebook. Please provide a contact phone number so we can get in touch with you quickly if needed.

n Bengal cross, Poundbury, missing since January 26.

FOUND CATS

If you regularly see a cat in your garden or down your street that you don’t think has an owner, please give us a call. It may be a lost cat that could be reunited with its owner.

n Black cat, Blandford, could be un-neutered tom or neutered later in life.

n Tabby cat, Blandford, small, very sweet, has been hanging around since August.

Enhancing your cat’s life through enrichment

by Raychel Hill

CATS are fascinating creatures with complex needs beyond mere food and shelter. Feline enrichment, the process of providing stimuli and activities that enhance a cat’s physical health, mental wellbeing and natural behaviours, is crucial for ensuring a fulfilling and enriched life for our beloved feline companions.

Here are some of my feline enrichment tips.

n Interactive play: Engaging your cat in interactive play sessions is a great start. Wand toys with a ‘catch-able’ prey are good – in long sweeping motions – to mimic prey. We ideally want to avoid feather wands and laser pointers as these types of toys are less likely to provide your cat with the satisfaction of the ‘catch’ and be more frustrating for them.

n Environmental enrichment: Cats like the feeling of plenty of space and the ability to observe from above. We can use 3-D space to further enrich their environment, like using shelves, large cat trees, window perches etc. They also appreciate privacy, so it’s important to provide hiding spots where they can retreat. In addition,

scratching is an important territorial behaviour for cats and, of course, they prefer a full stretch – so either floor or large posts is a necessity for them.

n Puzzle feeders: These are not just for dogs! Encourage natural hunting/foraging behaviours and provide mental stimulation by using puzzle feeders or treat-dispensing toys during mealtimes. You can DIY these activities by using things such as cardboard boxes, toilet rolls and even scrunched up paper.

n Sensory stimulation: Introduce sensory experiences like cat-safe plants, catnip or interactive toys that appeal to your cat’s senses of sight, smell and touch.

n Cat-friendly interactions: Although they have evolved as solitary hunters, they tend to benefit from quality time spent with their human counterparts. Cats thrive with a routine, so set some predictable time aside to spend with your cat, either playing, cuddling or even sitting quietly together.

n Raychel Hill BSc (Hons) MA CCAB APBC-CAB FABC ABTC-CAB; owner of Pet Peeves Animal Behaviour & Teaching; email raychel@ petpeevessomerset.co.uk.

Rockies go down in top of table clash

by Avril Lancaster

Shaftesbury 1 (Pitman)

Moneyfields 3 (Laycock, Hazell, Franklyn)

VISITORS Moneyfields picked up a deserved win in this top of the table Velocity Wessex League Premier Division clash.

All the goals came in the second half after a tetchy first half.

Brett Pitman headed home Dan Bartlett's cross for his 48th goal of the season to give the Rockies the lead.

Moneyfields hit back in the 58th minute when Callum

TENNIS

PHOTO: @simonlewis_photography

FOOTBALL

Laycock flicked the ball in.

A similar move resulted in Josh Hazell converting from close range before James Franklyn completed the job for Moneyfields with eight minutes left.

Greg Peel had a goal ruled out for offside. All three goals came from wide positions with identical results.

The Rockies face top of the table AFC Stoneham next weekend.

Attendance – 187.

Swim Fit & Multi-Sport

Improved flodlights

PLAYERS at Wincanton Tennis Club can enjoy improvements to the facilities this season.

The four courts have been repainted, keeping their classic purple and green colours, and the playing surface improved.

Major improvements have also been made to the floodlights which are now brighter, more easily managed and brighter.

The new season promises an open day, club evenings, the club tournament, social tennis, a full programme of adult and junior coaching and inter-club matches.

PETANQUE

Mortals up and running

MERE Mortals Petanque Club were officially formed last month and registered with Petanque England.

Play started last summer when scrub and weeds on the old swimming pool site next to the primary school were cleared and two pistes established.

Mere Mortals entered the local Nadder & Stour League and finished a creditable 3rd in the Nadder division. A Mere Mortals couple also won the

GOLF

WINCANTON Golf Club results.

Seniors Monthly Stableford –February 13: 1 Kevin George 39; 2 Kees Schouten

Seniors Greensomes – February 20: 1 Philip Dewar/Graham Rick 40; 2 Richard Strong/Chris Dibben 39

league doubles.

Numbers have increased gradually and play has carried on throughout the winter on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

The town council are encouraging and looking to improve the playing terrain.

Petanque – boules – is an easy to play great outdoor activity for all ages, nine to 90.

The club give free tuition and have spare boules.

For more information, contact Colin Senneck, chair Mere Mortals Petanque Club on 01747 706008 or email colin2423@sky.com

Monthly Stableford – February 24. 1 Joe Atkins 38 ocb; 2 Jim Stephen 38; 3 Simon Lenton 37.

34; 3 Colin Jacobs 33.

ocb; 3 Simon Lenton/Brian White 39; 4 Chris Mieville/Trevor Mills 37; 5 Kevin George/Pete Starkey 36; 6 Keith Williams/Phil Francis 34; 7 Harry Eden/Steven Ireland 32.

Football action from Shaftesbury FC against Moneyfields

“When

The sweet smell of spring is in the air

by AJ Selby

“A dry March and a wet May; fill barns and bays with corn and hay.” Anon

ONCE again spring is almost upon us and although I never tire of the changing of the seasons, that first sniff of air, not musty and damp winter air, but a fresher, cleaner and optimistic air, the smell of spring is just wonderful.

And then there are the snowdrops and aconites carpeting the floor of some local gardens and in the hedge bottoms along the green lanes. Does any plant give more optimism for the coming seasons than the snowdrop? There are many cultivated variations but it’s a delight to walk in a damp wood and find a few clumps of naturalised blooms brightening up the forest floor.

Any walker will also notice that the birdsong has started to increase, from a few notes of a lone robin a month ago to a mini-chorus now, which won’t

be fulfilled until the summer migrants arrive. However, it’s a great time to get out and see how many birds you can identify before the influx and while there are few leaves on the trees and shrubs – the main players are the robin, wren, blackbird, song thrush, blue tit, great tit and dunnock. All of these can be picked out with the naked eye and have distinctive songs. The robin’s call is fairly weak and wistful, while the wren packs a huge punch for such a small bird – look for them low down in the undergrowth.

The blackbird and song thrush are often seen on higher, bare branches with the latter offering a delightful and captivating tune which increases in intensity, length and variation as we move towards summer.

The blue tit has a busy song as he forages for insects, whereas the great tit will belt out his ‘tcher tcher’ from a high position. The dunnock – old English for dun-coloured bird

– hunts around in hedges and then pops up for a burst of song before continuing with his day.

Alongside these easy to learn favourites are the chaffinch and goldfinch, who are not afraid to show themselves as they sing. Then overhead you will hear the quick ‘kark kark’ of the carrion crow or a similar tune but slower and more deliberate of the rook. The old country joke is that you can tell a rook apart from a carrion crow because rooks are social birds seen alone and carrion crows are solitary birds found in groups! Try and find a rookery as March is nesting time and it is quite a sight as dozens of birds circle round fighting for twigs and build their nests against a stiff spring breeze –another wellknown country saying is ‘when the rooks nest high, the summer will be dry’, the presumption being that they will nest lower if rain is foretold to keep drier with more foliage above them.

March is also the time when the first amphibians appear, and as a boy, finding frog-spawn was always a delight, some being carried home in a bucket to the garden pond. I also like to look for the grass snake on warm, still days as they come

out to bask in the early rays. And, of course, there are the insects – the most underrated and undervalued group of wildlife on the planet. They keep man alive with their pollination and rubbish clearance, and, indeed, food for the higher orders. Early bees can be seen searching for plants in flower – there is a lovely mahonia not far from my house in full flower now in the second half of February and its scented yellow flowers are a joy and a magnet for early insects.

Then there are the butterflies – the usual species that shows itself early is the brimstone, the original butter-coloured-fly – where the word butterfly came from. You can’t miss its bright yellow wings fluttering over a hedge or along a tree line, and when you see one you know that spring is truly here. Add in my marker bird, the chiff-chaff, which always appears between March 9 and 22 – or has done for the last 55 years that I have been noting its song in my diary – and you can look forward to more and more activity as mammals come out of hibernation, insects appear out of chrysalis cases and the drip drip of more bird visitors from warmer climes become apparent.

Spring really is the most wonderful time of year – new life, new beginnings, new optimism and warmer days just over the horizon. Up until the end of April, the leaf cover in woodland is low or nonexistent, so it’s a great time to learn your birds as by May the trees will be swallowed up in a blanket of beautiful greenery. Get the kids out to spot birds, to learn a few species and recognise song – I did just that many decades ago and it has given me a lifetime of pleasure and wonder that has never diminished.

the rooks nest high, the summer will be dry,” according to an old country saying

Farming

Forthcoming Dairy Sales

GREENSLADE TAYLOR HUNT

GTH Farm Sales

Telephone: 01278 410250. Email:

Telephone: 01278 410250. Email: livestock@gth.net

SEDGEMOOR AUCTION CENTRE

SEDGEMOOR AUCTION CENTRE, NORTH PETHERTON, SOMERSET, TA6 6DF (M5, J24)

NORTH PETHERTON, SOMERSET, TA6 6DF (M5, J24)

Others £96. Overall Ave £67.10. BREEDING EWES (204) to £143 (2x). FRIDAY 30TH BREEDING EWE SALE (459) to £122. GOATS (11) to £187. Overall ave £92.64. RAMS (12) to £225 (2x). Others £136. FRIDAY 30TH STOCK RAM SALE (72) to £610 for a powerful shearling. Others £470.

Further details at www.gth.net

Tuesday 10th November at 10.30am with the Heifer Calves

MARCH

Tues 5th

The November Collective Dairy Sale of 305 DAIRY CATTLE

The West Country’s Gateway to National Abattoirs Returns for Monday 2nd November 2020

Forthcoming Dairy Sale

n 87 Freshly Calved Cows & Heifers from Beneknowle, Bettiscombe (x14) Birchwood (x18 Dispersal) Clevian, Dinnaton, Dorset (x11) Hinton, Huntlodge, Lilylane, Peacehay & Rothereld Farms LLP (x12, Crossbreds)

SEDGEMOOR AUCTION CENTRE. The Dispersal Sale of 186 NMR Dairy Cows and Heifers for JE Scutt & Son (removed from Badlesmere Court Farm, Faversham, Kent for convenience of sale).

n 16 Incalf Cows from Rothereld Farms LLP (Crossbreds)

Sedgemoor Auction Centre

n 37 Incalf Heifers from Dayhouse, PT & JC Hinds (Pedigree), Rothereld Farms LLP (Crossbreds) & J & J Waldron

North Petherton, Somerset, TA6 6DF (M5, J24) Telephone: 01278 410278 www.gth.net

n 3 Holstein Bulls from Beneknowle & Woodstone

TOTAL STOCK FOR THE WEEK 6158

n 8 Bulling Heifers from Greathill & Mr D Thorner

PRIME CATTLE (93) Steers UTM av 187.4ppk to 213.5ppk & £1,327.28. Others 209.5ppk, 209.0ppk, 208.0ppk & 206.5ppk. Others £1,293.63, £1,287.00, £1,283.12, £1,280.30 & £1,261.77. Heifers UTM av 180.7ppk to 214.5ppk (2x) and £1,310.50. Others 204.5ppk, 204.0ppk, 199.0ppk (2x) & 197.0ppk. Others £1,233.42, £1,205.05, £1,201.20, £1,168.50 & £1,138.32. BARREN COWS (56) Continental av 118.5ppk to 119.5ppk and £808.40. Others 117.5ppk. Native Beef av 103.6ppk to 126.5ppk and £906.75. Others 124.5ppk & 118.5ppk. Others £882.97 & £861.77. Dairy av 97.8ppk to 113.5ppk and £966.89. Others 112.5ppk & 109.5ppk. Others £945.73 & £914.63. FINISHED SHEEP (654) Lamb ave 202.94ppk to 231.0ppk and £115.00. Others 230.0ppk, 220.0ppk & 219.0ppk. Others £113.00, £108.00 (5x) & £106.50.

Stock from across the West Country, sold to buyers from throughout the Nation

Forthcoming Special Sales

n 40 Yearling Heifers from Sutton Hall Farms

Returns for Saturday 24th February 2024

n 52 Heifers Calves from Hinton, Pensdown, Thakeham & Mr D Thorner

To Include The Dispersal Sale of 62 HOLSTEIN AND FRIESIAN DAIRY COWS AND HEIFERS

Comp: 47 Dairy Cows & Heifers Inmilk &/or Incalf; 12 Incalf Heifers & 3 Maiden Heifers

n NMR HERD AV: 8039 KGS. 4.11%BF; 3.34%P; SCC=127

n HERRINGBONE Parlour; CUBICLE Housed

n CLOSED HERD for 13 years

DAIRY CATTLE (94) Heifers to £1950. Others £1900 (2x). Cows to £2050. Others £1850. (1065) STORE CATTLE & STIRKSFORWARD STORES (796) Steers to £1915 (HEX). Others £1910 (BRBX) £1900 (AA) & £1865 (2x LIMX). Heifers to £1860 (BAX). Others £1690 (BRBX) £1685 (BAX) & £1670 (BRBX). SUCKLERS (11) to £1380. GRAZING COWS (23) to £1615 (LIMX). STIRKS (269) Steers to £1210 (CHX). Others £1165 (LIMX) £1140 (LIMX) & £955 (BRBX). Heifers to £1295 (LIMX). Others £1025 (LIMX) £995 (LIMX) & £990 (LIMX). CALVES (402) - Beef Bulls to £450 (BRBX). Others £420 (BRBX) £410 (2x) (CHX & AA) & £390 (CHX). Heifers to £405 (2x AA). Others £390 (2x BRBX) £345 (AA) & £310 (AA). Black & Whites to £210 (3x). (3609) SHEEPSTORE LAMBS (2319) to £169. Others £168 & £164. Overall Ave £128.61. CULL EWES & RAMS (1036) Ewes to £235. Others £210 & £205. Rams to £174. Overall Ave £114.45. BREEDING EWES (9) to £66. COUPLES (58E & 106L) to £302 (£100.67/life). Singles to £265 (£132.50/life). Overall Ave £78.03/life. GOATS (37) to £185. Overall Ave £132.81. ORPHAN LAMBS (44) to £40. Overall Ave £1948. (65) PIGS – WEANERS (27) to £65. Overall Ave £31.74. FINISHED PIGS (23) to £195. Overall Ave £165.78. CULL SOWS (5) to £180. Overall Ave £165.40. CULL BOARS (1) to £65. STORES (9) to £68 (2x). Overall Ave £65.67. WEANERS (27) to £65. Overall Ave £31.74.

For GDW Isaac & Son (Removed from Beer Farm, Broadhembury, Honiton, Devon)

The large selection of high yielding milkers and dispersal sale cattle (including Pedigree, Commercial and Crossbred) coupled with all types of dairy youngstock makes this one of our most comprehensive sales to date just when dispersals are starting to slow down across the country. Please note that Social Distancing will be in place and we ask that only one purchaser per farming business attend. Online Bidding Available on Marteye.

NOVEMBER: Thurs 19th

For full rules on market attendance and up to date sales list please refer to our website and/or Saturday market report.

NOVEMBER: Sat 7th

Monthly Catalogued Sale of Organic Store Stock 10am

Ring 2: Saturday 7th November

Monthly Catalogued Sale of 125

Suckler Cows, Calves, Heifers & Bulls Approx 12.30pm Ring 1

Entries to date include:-

The West Country’s Gateway to National Abattoirs Returns for Monday 26th February 2024

PRIME CATTLE (70) Steers UTM av 258.3ppk to 284.5ppk & £1,967.01. Others 269.5ppk (2x) 267.5ppk & 265.5ppk. Others £1,933.28, £1,862.60 & £1,849.25. Heifers UTM av 257.8ppk to 287.5ppk and £1,816.02. Others 275.5ppk, 273.5ppk & 269.5ppk (4x). Others £1,792.18, £1,773.88 & £1,751.75. Steers OTM av 244.4ppk to 264.5ppk and £2,018.14. Heifers OTM av 250.0ppk to 265.5ppk and £1,721.55. BARREN COWS (31) Continental av 167.8ppk to 187.5ppk and £1,308.75. Native Beef av 161.9ppk to 194.5ppk and £1,327.78. Dairy av 157.0ppk to 184.5ppk and £1,483.38. FINISHED SHEEP Hoggs (808) ave 330.4ppk to 346.0ppk and £190.00. Others 345.0ppk, 343.0ppk & 342.0ppk. Others £187.00, £186.00 & £185.00.).

SEDGEMOOR AUCTION CENTRE Dispersal Sale of milking and incalf heifer portion of the 9,160 kgs CIS recorded dairy herd being 200 Holstein Friesians for MB & LC Haskell (Removed from Beaulieu Wood Farm, Dorchester, Dorset for convenience of sale).

n The dispersal sale of 50 Incalf Suckler Cows (Sim, Ch, Lim, He & AAx) all pd’d to calf Feb onwards to Ped Charolais bull for NB Needham & Sons, Old Henley Farm, Dorchester (changing farming policy).

n 3 Bulls – Ch, He & Lim

n 42 Continental Cows & Calves – 6 Ped Lim cows & calves

n 14 Native Cows & Calves

n 58 Incalf Cows & Hfrs – 1 Ped Lim & 1 Ped He For further information contact Meg on 01278 410278

Forthcoming Special Sales

Sat 7th Fortnightly Sale of Pigs 11am

For an up to date sales list please refer to our website https://www.gth.net/sedgemoor-auction-centre

MARCH

Sat 2nd

Sat 14th ***CANCELLED*** Collective Catalogued Sale of Purebred Poultry **CANCELLED***

Monthly Catalogued Sale of Organic Store Stock 10am Ring 2

Sedgemoor Auction Centre

Thurs 19th ***CANCELLED*** Monthly General Sale of Antiques and Furniture ***CANCELLED***

Sat 21st Fodder Sale 1pm

Saturday 9th March

North Petherton, Somerset, TA6 6DF (M5, Junction 24)

Telephone: 01278 410278

Monthly Catalogued Sale of Suckler Cows, Calves, Heifers & Bulls Approx 12.30pm Ring 1

TOTAL STOCK FOR THE WEEK 7143

** Live bidding on MartEye, please register in advance at gth.marteye.ie **

Stock from across the West Country, sold to buyers from throughout the Nation

Sat 9th

Sat 9th

Mon 18th

Wed 27th

Fri 29th Sat 30th

Anticipated entry of breeding bulls, cows & calves 50+ Further entries being taken

Returns for

Saturday 31st October 2020

Special Sale of Busk Calves 11am Ring 3

Fortnightly Sale of Pigs 10am

Easter Show & Sale of Suck Lambs 9.30am

DAIRY CATTLE (73) Heifers to £2080. Others £2020. Cows to £1840. Others £1720. (1184) STORE CATTLE & STIRKS - FORWARD STORES (933) Steers to £1365 (FLE). Others £1300 (AA) £1295 (LIMX) & £1270 (LIMX). Heifers to £1265 (CHX). Others £1235 (CHX) £1200 (LIMX) £1155 (LIMX) & £1150 (HEX). GRAZING COWS (2) to £615 (LIMX). Others £580 (LIMX). SUCKLERS (4) Cows & Calves to £850 (4x). STIRKS (247) Steers to £880 (LIMX). Others £870 (3x LIMX & BRBX) £855 (BRBX) & £835 (LIMX). Heifers to £818 (LIMX). Others £720 (BRBX) & £700 (AA). CALVES (408) - Beef Bulls to £400 (CH). Others £398 (BRBX) £390 (BRBX) & £388 (BRBX). Heifers to £300 (2x BRBX & CHX). Others £285 (CHX) £278 (BRBX) & £275 (LIMX). Black & Whites to £182. Others £165. (4675) SHEEP Store Lambs (2720) to £100. Others £99, £96 & £95. Overall Ave £74.88. Cull Ewes & Rams (1197) Ewes to £137. Others £133. Rams to £166.

Wed 25th Orange Market Dedicated Sale for bTB Restricted Cattle. Store Cattle – 15 Months & Over, Prime Cattle & Barren Cows.Stock to be booked in with the market office by 18th November. Licences to be obtained from Truro Trading Standards on 03000 200301 or Sale commences 4.30pm

Fri 27th Monthly Seasonal Catalogued Sale of Breeding Ewes & Ewe Lambs 3pm

Orange Market Dedicated Sale for bTB Restricted Cattle. Store Cattle – 15 Months & Over, Prime Cattle & Barren Cows. Stock to be booked in with the market office by 20th March. Sale commences 4:30pm. DEFRA general license required

Good Friday – Market Office Closed

Sat 28th Monthly Sale of Native Store Cattle 10am Ring 2

Normal Store Market – please book your stock in with the market office on 01278 401278 by Thursday 28th March

NOVEMBER: Sat 21st

SEDGEMOOR AUCTION CENTRE. The Collective Fodder

Auction of Hay, Silage and Straw. Entries to be in by Monday 9th November 2020.

Farmer Parish enters the world of podcasts

THE former Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, Neil Parish, has released a new farming and environmentthemed podcast this week.

Neil, a Somerset beef and arable farmer, has dedicated much of his working life to politics and agriculture, as chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee and currently rears 50 Devon and Hereford cattle on his farm near Bridgwater.

On his We Can Do Both podcast, he highlights important issues surrounding food security, interviewing farmers and environmentalists, who showcase how good food can be produced alongside the natural environment.

Neil said: “I have a genuine concern about the future of farming and food production, which needs to be a lot higher up the agenda.

“The guests on my podcast have a vast amount of

experience and knowledge in managing the farmed environment, and I want to help share their stories, air their frustrations and raise awareness of what can and is being done to produce high quality food while protecting nature – hence the name We Can Do Both

“Anyone with an interest in the countryside should take a listen.”

Fellow Somerset farmer James Winslade, who farms on the Somerset Levels, is the first guest on the podcast.

James said: “Neil has been a

huge supporter and helped farmers greatly during his time as a member of parliament.

“This podcast is fantastic publicity and will share our stories on how we grow food while managing the landscapes around us.

“Thank you Neil for continuing to raise awareness of the issues we face on the farm to more people.”

The podcast episodes, which run for 30-45 minutes, are

informative, interesting and have some humour thrown in for good measure.

Following the podcast launch of We Can Do Both, where two full episodes are available for download, further episodes will be released monthly.

Episodes can be downloaded by visiting streaming platforms such as Spotify, Google and Apple or by visiting https:// shows.acast.com/we-can-doboth-pod.

Tel:

Mob:

Neil Parish at home on the farm with his beef cattle

HEDGELAYING AND HEDGE TRIMMING.

Tel: 01747-855198

R&W FENCING SERVICES

Agricultural, paddock and stock. Tel: 01258-880892 or 07980-036250

SHEEP GRAZING WANTED. 10miles of Henstridge 07789 717534

DAVIS FENCING LTD

Agricultural, Equestrian & Forestry fencing Land clearance/Estate management. 07707-069096

davisfencingltd@gmail.com

SHEEP KEEP WANTED. Anything considered. Tel: 07564 277083

2 POLL DORSET RAMSDetails Tel: 01202-622805

LARGE HAY BALES.

5 string. 8ft. £23.00 each Tel: 07918-627092

HEDGE LAYING & PLANTING, coppicing. Experienced crew available call 07929 995747

ROUND BALE WRAPPED

HAY, June 2023, no artificial. 30 bales, can load. Near Shaftesbury. £35ea. 07745-614859

New guide helps farmers build a resilient farm from the ground up

As farmers know, soil is an important natural asset and good soil health is crucial to all farming systems.

In a new practical guide designed to be a starting point on all things soil, Cornish Mutual is offering trusted advice in the areas farmers are seeking answers. Outlining the foundations of good soil health and the farming practices needed to achieve it, including farmer case studies, ‘Building a resilient farm from the ground up’ also signposts further information and specialist services to help farmers secure a sustainable future.

Knowing more about the soil on your farm opens the door to increased farm productivity, environmental stewardship and long-term resilience. Understanding its physical, chemical and biological condition is critical to unlocking its full potential.

“Building a resilient farm from the ground up forms another part of Cornish Mutual’s service expansion to support farmers address the demands of an increasingly challenging climate,” said Peter Beaumont, Cornish Mutual Managing Director. “Good soil health is central to a resilient farming system, so we want to help our Members realise their soil’s true value and adapt to the changing conditions.”

To find out more about the new guide and how Cornish Mutual can help you improve your soil health, contact your local Field Advisor or email soil@cornishmutual.co.uk.

Lameness in cattle is a serious issue, causing potential pain and distress to the affected animal, as well as financial implications to the farmer through loss of milk yield, treatment costs and possible early removal from the herd. By regularly mobility scoring a herd you can identify lameness early. Many milk buyers now insist that all dairy herds are mobility scored at least 4 times per year.

How we score:

• As a scorer we assess the prevalence and severity of lameness within the herd by observing the cattle walking one at a time in a straight line, on a flat surface (usually as animals are leaving a milking parlour)

• All animals are identified by freeze brand or ear tag and assigned a score of 0 (good mobility) up to 3 (severely impaired mobility)

• A report will then be generated and submitted to your milk buyer if required

Top tips to get on top of lameness and reduce the cost to your farm:

• Carry out frequent mobility scores (ideally quarterly)

• A mobility score gives a great overview of the lameness level in your herd, and is a good way to monitor improvements, especially if any lame cows are treated ASAP after the scoring day

• Invest in training a member of staff so that they can pick up and treat lame cows ASAP

• An easy to use foot trimming crush – the easier it is to work with, the more likely it will be to get used!!

• Routine trim all cows at drying off

• Work with your foot trimmer to ascertain the main lameness lesions that they are finding

• Work with your vet to identify the risk factors for the lameness found on the unit

• Ask your vet to perform an environmental assessment to see if areas such as housing, walkways and holding areas could be improved

How can we help?

Foot trimming & mobility scoring visits by our experienced vet technicians.

Synergy offer a wide range of training courses including foot trimming and locomotor scoring.

For more information or to discuss your herd’s mobility please call us on 01935 83682 or visit www.synergyfarmhealth.com

a new poll unveiled at this year’s NFU Conference showed overwhelming support from the public for British farmers and growers.

Ahead of the next general election, 94% of respondents to a survey carried out by Deltapoll said it is important that government backs British farming and food production.

Meanwhile, 81% said that it’s important that the food they are buying is produced in Britain rather than imported from overseas.

The poll also revealed that

nearly half of respondents believe the amount of money being spent by government on UK farming should be increased.

Outgoing NFU president Minette Batters said: “This new research clearly shows two key

things – first that food is something that connects with people, both in the head and the heart, and second that farming is important to everyone in this country, whether they live in rural areas or not.

“It comes as no surprise that the British public want whoever

‘Horse panel’ sharing expertise

TWO vets, two farriers and two physios will be sharing their knowledge about horses at a special event at The Old Powerhouse, Bryanston.

The panel of equine professionals is made up of vets Jen Palfreyman and Julian Radburn, farriers Abby Bunyard and Harry Spinks, and physios Alice Walker and Lily Jackson.

4FLYTE SO FANCY

RANGER 6 CHICKEN COOP with 9 foot run. Plus, 4 Pekin bantams! Urgently need new home. All offers considered. Tel: 01963 220658

is in power to demonstrate how they plan to boost sustainable home-grown food production and care for the environment.

“Support for British food and farming will be a deciding factor in the general election and all political parties should take note.”

They work together to improve horse performance and wellbeing, whether it’s the family pony or the world class event horse.

The social evening with fork supper, licensed bar and raffle will see all proceeds donated to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

The event is on Monday, March 25, at 6.30pm and tickets are £25 – phone Damory Vets on 01258 452626 or email office@ damoryvets.co.uk

SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR SALE

Tel: 01258 472288

Mob: 07977 936109

New and second hand containers - blue/green - all with box locks

Farming Equestrian

ADVICE SINCE 1858

SADDLE, GOOD CONDITION, stirrups and leathers, with front knee rolls. For jumping & hunting. 17” £120 Tel: 01963-220443

QUALITY HAYLAGE, hay and straw. 3ft, 4ft and 6ft bales. Collect or delivered. Call Mark

07860 759996 or 01300 345293

QUALITY JUNE MADE MEADOW HAY, possible delivery. 07950-569543 Stalbridge

The New

Blackmore Vale Magazine

Don’t miss out!

Turn to page 28 for our Easter Deadlines

Book

Email:

STANDING

STRAW AUCTION

ON-FARM MACHINERY AUCTION

Tuesday 19th March 2024

Wednesday 28th June at 6.30pm Bindon & Pinhay

Forest of Bere Farm, Ashley, Kings Somborne Hampshire, SO20 6RA

Genuine Dispersal of Combine, Tractors, Telehandler, Arable Machinery, Workshop Equipment, etc.

STANDING STRAW AUCTION

The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon, Dorset 830ac of Standing Straw

Including: John Deere S680i Hillmaster Combine c/w 630R Header 1400hrs (14), Johne Deere 6250R Premium 3,000hrs (19) & 6215R

• 461ac Wheat

Wednesday 28th June at 6.30pm

• 237ac Winter Barley

Bindon & Pinhay

Ultimate 5,650hrs (16), Case Farmall 95A with Forestry Kit 800hrs (19), Manitou MLT 840-137 Telehandler 1,780hrs (15), John Deere X748

• 132ac Oats

The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon, Dorset

830ac of Standing Straw

• 461ac Wheat

Friday 30th June at 12 noon Durweston

• 237ac Winter Barley

• 132ac Oats

Travellers Rest Farm, Durweston, Blandford, Dorset 6,220 acres of Standing Straw

Ultimate Ride-On Tractor, John Deere M740i 24m Trailed Sprayer (19), Jarmet P328 12m Sprayer, Moore 3m Uni-Drill Unused (23), Vaderstad Rapid 6m Drill (17), Vaderstad Biodrill (13), KV Accord 6 Row Maize Drill, Massey Ferguson MF30 Drill, Vaderstad 4m Topdown (12), HE-VA Stealth 3m 6-leg Subsoiler (21), McConnel Shakerator, 4m Combi Cultivator, Kverneland LD85 5f Plough, KRM M35W Fertiliser Spreader (21), Twose 12m Cambridge Rollers, AW Ultima Xtra 16T Grain Trailer (17), 2 x AS Marston 14T Grain Trailers, Galucho 4t Tipping Trailer (11), Protec P180 Post Driver (20), Sutton Eco 230 Road Brush (16), Stocks AG Vario Broadcaster (15), Bush Hog 406 Rotary Cutter (12), Twose EO280 Hyd Offset Topper (16), Lindana 660PH PTO Woodchipper, Cherry 14ft Grain Pusher, Albutt 2t, 1.5t, 1t & 0.5t Telehandler Buckets, Bag Lifter, Man Cage, Dung Gab, John Deere 900kg Block Weight, MX 1200kg Block Weight, John Deere Wheel Weights, Chainsaws, Leaf Blowers, Grain Sampling Equipment, Welders, Wheel Changer, 2 x 20’ Shipping Containers, 2 x John Deere Starfire 3000 Receivers (RTK), 2 x John Deere 10.4” Cab Monitors, 2 Way Radios, etc.

• 2,442ac Wheat

Friday 30th June at 12 noon

• 2,006ac Winter Barley

Durweston

Travellers Rest Farm, Durweston, Blandford, Dorset

• 1,557ac Spring Barley

• 178ac Oats

6,220 acres of Standing Straw

• 37ac Oil Seed Rape

• 2,442ac Wheat

• 2,006ac Winter Barley

Friday 7th July at 12 noon

• 1,557ac Spring Barley

• 178ac Oats

Wynford Eagle

• 37ac Oil Seed Rape

The Grain Store, Manor Farm, Wynford Eagle, Dorchester, Dorset 1298 acres of Standing Straw

Friday 7th July at 12 noon

• 599ac Wheat

Wynford Eagle

• 281ac Winter Barley

The Grain Store, Manor Farm, Wynford Eagle, Dorchester, Dorset

• 119ac Spring Barley

• 229ac Oats

1298 acres of Standing Straw

• 599ac Wheat

• 281ac Winter Barley

• 119ac Spring Barley

• 70ac Oil Seed Rape Full catalogues available at

• 229ac Oats

• 70ac Oil Seed Rape

Full catalogues available at symondsandsampson.co.uk

On behalf of J & J Kelly (Having sold the farm). Online bidding available

GRASS KEEP

Frog Lane Farm, Frog Lane, Motcombe, SP7 9NY

Grass Keep

Including: 1995 Same Silver 80 4wd (6,800hrs), 1988

Same Explorer 70 4wd with Loader (4,700hrs),1973

342.36 acres (138.55 ha) of productive pasture land. Available by informal tender as a whole or in two lots for grazing and/or mowing.

Lot 1: 244.21 acres

Lot 2: 98.16 acres Tenders close 12 noon Friday 22nd March

Further suitable entries welcome.

etc.

Ford 4000 (fully restored), 1976 International 454 2wd, Marshall SM6 Drop Side Silage Trailer, Markham 3t Tipping Trailer, PortAgric 6’ Topper, Ransomes TS59 & TS90 & TS91 Ploughs, Krone AM242Z Mower Conditioner, Feeders, Stationary Engines, Signs, Bygones, etc.

Contact Greg Ridout: 01935 382909 / 07817 517467

Please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467

Further suitable entries welcome.

Please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467

Marshall SM6 Drop Side Silage Trailer, Markham 3t Tipping Trailer, PortAgric 6’ Topper, Ransomes TS59 & TS90 & TS91 Ploughs, Krone AM242Z Mower Conditioner, Feeders, Stationary Engines, Signs, Bygones,

DORSET | DEVON | SOMERSET | HAMPSHIRE | WILTSHIRE | CORNWALL | LONDON

PROPERTY AUCTION 21 MARCH AT DIGBY HALL, SHERBORNE AND VIA LIVESTREAM

Minterne Magna Guide £840,000 (whole)

98.96 acres of arable, pasture, and woodland offered in three lots of 21.26 ac, 34.85 ac and 42.85 ac.

Freehold

Burraton House | 01305 236237

Milborne Port Guide £125,000 A 3 bedroom cottage in need of renovation, enjoying a quiet location on the edge of the village.

CTB C; Freehold

Sherborne | 01935 814488

Bournemouth £175,000

A refurbished 3-4 bed maisonette with a private entrance. Ground Rent: £300p/a

Service Charge: £200p/a

Buildings Ins: £85p/a

CTB B; Leasehold

Wimborne | 01202 843190

Closworth Guide £375,000

A substantial detached property within grounds of 0.76 acres with a 2.67 acre paddock and a range of outbuildings.

CTB D; Freehold Yeovil | 01935 423526

Nether Compton Guide £230,000 (whole)

28.89 acres of sloping and gently sloping pasture land offered in three lots, all with road access.

Freehold

Yeovil | 01935 382901

East Morden Guide £125,000

A period bungalow in 0.12 acres for renovation/replacement (STPP) with an option to purchase an additional 0.19 acres.

CTB D; Freehold

Wimborne | 01202 843190

Dorchester Guide £225,000

An attractive Grade II Listed Georgian style premises over four floors with vacant possession, to suit various uses (STPP).

RV £1300; Freehold

Dorchester | 01305 236237

Bryanston Guide £395,000 A detached 3 bedroom bungalow in an idyllic rural location with scope for renovation and extension (STPP). 0.68 acres. CTB E; Freehold Blandford | 01258 452670

Tincleton Guide £80,000 5.89 acres of pasture land situated on the banks of the River Frome with direct road access.

Freehold

Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244

Milborne Port Guide £150,000

A detached 2 bedroom bungalow of non-standard construction in an elevated position with a garden and garage.

CTB C; Freehold

Sherborne | 01935 814488

Hinton St George Guide £350,000 A well-presented bungalow of non-standard construction in 0.30 acres situated on the edge of a sought-after village.

CTB C; Freehold

Ilminster | 01460 200790

Beaminster £550,000-£650,000 A terrace of interlinked accommodation with scope for use as an HMO or to split into 3 or 4 separate dwellings (STPP).

CTB A; Freehold

Beaminster | 01308 863100

Yeovil Guide £75,000 A well-proportioned mid terrace 3 bedroom property for complete renovation with a courtyard garden.

CTB A; Freehold

Yeovil | 01935 423526

Milborne St Andrew Guide £175,000

A re-development opportunity comprising a substantial dwelling with barn and outbuildings in 0.16 acres.

CTB E; Freehold

Blandford | 01258 452670

Cricket Malherbie Guide £350,000

A former coach house in 0.25 acres in an idyllic location with scope for remodelling/ refurbishment

CTB D; Freehold

Ilminster | 01460 200790

Weymouth Guide £695,000

A pair of semi-detached dwellings and a range of outbuildings in 1.24 acres with scope for conversion, or re-development (STPP). Situated in a quiet position CTB C and D; Freehold

Poundbury | 01305 251154

DORSET | DEVON | SOMERSET | HAMPSHIRE | WILTSHIRE | CORNWALL | LONDON

Sturminster | 01258

Sturminster | 01258

Cheselbourne

Guide £325,000

A Grade II Listed detached, 2 bedroom, countryside cottage with spacious garden and an off street parking space, situated in this rural village. CTB Exempt Dorchester | 01305 261008

South Cadbury Guide £650,000

A detached 3 bedroom bungalow offering exceptional rear views a substantial garden and ample private parking nestled in a picturesque rural village. CTB F

Sherborne | 01935 814488

Sturminster Newton

Guide £365,000

A delightful double fronted 3 bedroom town house with enclosed rear garden, garage and allocated parking in the centre of town. CTB C

Sturminster | 01258 473766

Henley, Buckland Newton Guide £980,000

A large detached 3 bedroom bungalow with stables and outbuildings occupying an elevated position with stunning views over its own land and the surrounding countryside. In all 8.83 acres. CTB E

473766

Stourton Caundle

Guide £365,000

A very well presented 2 bedroom detached chalet style house with views and a garage in the heart of this thriving and active village. CTB D

473766

Shroton Offers in the Region of £445,000

A wonderful end of terrace 2 bedroom village cottage of great charm and fully updated and extended situated in a desirable village with amenities. CTB D

Sturminster | 01258 473766

Country Matters 2024 is Here!

The 2024 edition of Symonds & Sampson’s award-winning magazine, Country Matters, is now available. Editor and Senior Partner Mark Lewis has been pleased with the initial response from regular readers “The magazine is put together by a small, in-house, editorial team, with partners and staff across our sixteen offices contributing articles or photographs.

“The magazine is divided into four sections, as follows:

Professional and planning: For this section, we’ve curated a mix of advice, opinion, information, and inspiration – starting with insights from an agricultural valuer. Next, we explore the cleanliness of our rivers, the pros and cons of tree planting, and strategies for deer population management. There’s an overview of local nature conservation, a trip to Salisbury Plain and a bike ride along the Imber Path. Switching gears, we have advice on schedule of condition reports, agricultural tenancies, and rural grants. We take a scenic journey along the South West Coast Path, peep into the world of Studland Bay naturists, and learn about British maps. There’s time to celebrate with the Society of Dorset Men, glean advice on unearthing your ‘hidden gem’, and discover why we’re in favour of sprinklers. Then we admire the humble brick, look at ways to improve energy efficiency, and get a town planner’s view on electric vehicles.

Agriculture: Rural pursuits take centre stage here, starting with highlights from our farm dispersal sales. There’s advice on preventing machinery theft, and a reminder to get your kit valued. Then we introduce you to some characters attending our agricultural auctions, acquire a taste for Dorset-made food and drink, and suggest positive steps to help farmers’ mental health.

We talk about storks, sing the praises of the region’s cathedrals, then it’s back to 1974 to remember the best film releases. We offer fashion tips on country-chic, decode environmental terms, explore ‘slow’ farming, and visit Frome Market. Then it’s over to our Agriculture ace, Andrew Tuffin, to sum up the farmland market and share his top ten of 2023.

Agency: King Charles and Queen Camilla open this section as we recall their visit to Poundbury. There’s an explanation of guide prices and tips for moving home. Then we raise a glass to Brewery Square, take to the high seas, and share memories of Enid Blyton. We dip our toes into the history of sea bathing, get to grips with ropemaking, and then steer the conversation around to cars. There’s a look at the pick of our ‘solds’, and a review of new homes.

We hear why motorbikes are marvellous, discover the meaning of Pack Monday, and explore the legend of St Augustine’s Well at Cerne Abbas. Next, we look at the lure of ley lines and learn how to place garden décor. The Lettings team share their considerable knowledge, we take a design detour via weathervanes and Christopher Wren, then return to discover our ‘best lettings’ list. There’s advice on downsizing, a few words from a churchwarden, and we answer the question of whether gundogs make good pets. We round things off with a tale of deadly cargo, a look at commercial rent reviews, and a flashback to 1984.

Auctions: We begin this section with our ‘best lots’, rewind to 1924, and then share our Auction dates for 2024. There’s an appreciation of Barbara Hepworth, your essential Auction Q&A, and an entertaining piggy tale. We share our rostrum rituals, discover surprising links between the West Country and London, and hear about the small stone pillar with a big story.

And Finally: Did you come along to a country show last year?

Then you could be featured in our fabulous photo spreads, they are usually the best-read pages of the whole magazine! If you enjoy an adrenaline rush, we have features on mountain climbing, ziplining and racehorse ownership. You can catch up with our charitable endeavours, test your local knowledge with our fun quiz, and then settle back to enjoy the grand parade.

“The magazine sets out to entertain, inform, and educate. Most importantly, however, we hope you enjoy reading it. All feedback is very welcome.”

Country Matters 2024 is available to read on the Symonds & Sampson website, or please do visit your nearest Symonds & Sampson office to collect your copy.

Children’s home plan for cottage in Somerset village submitted

A SOMERSET cottage could become a registered children’s home if plans are approved.

Care firm Inspire Together has applied to Somerset Council for permission to change the use of Wheelwright Cottage, in Top Street, Kingsdon, to that of a children’s home.

The application said the three-bedroom cottage would be used to provide accommodaton for children in care.

In a covering letter for the planning application, Jo Allen, head of operations at Inspire Together, said a recent report by Ofsted revealed a lack of registered placements for young people.

“By opening Wheelwright Cottage as a registered children’s home, we aim to

contribute towards solving this issue by providing a safe and suitable environment for children requiring residential care,” he said.

Inspire Together, established in 2022, was “dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of individuals with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs”, he went on.

“Opening Wheelwright Cottage as a registered children’s home aligns perfectly with our mission, as it allows us to offer specialised care and support to vulnerable children, ensuring their wellbeing and development are prioritised,” the application added.

He said the cottage would have a “positive and lasting impact on the lives of

vulnerable children”.

The application also noted how North Somerset Council and Devon Council had expressed a “particular requirement” for homes in the region - though Kingsdon is in the Somerset Council area.

“By aligning with the goals and recommendations of Ofsted, fulfilling the mission of Inspire Together, and meeting the expressed need of local councils, we are confident this project will make a substantial positive impact on the lives of the children it cares for,” the letter added.

For more details on the plan, and to make a comment, log on to the Somerset Council website at www.somerset.gov.uk and search for application reference 24/00296/COL.

Competition authority launches probe into property firms

AN investigation has been launched into eight housebuilders over “evidence” thy shared commerciallysensitive information.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had found evidence during a study into the provision of

homes in the UK that indicated “some housebuilders may be sharing commercially sensitive information with their competitors, which could be influencing the build-out of sites and the prices of new homes”.

“While the CMA does not consider such sharing of

information to be one of the main factors in the persistent under-delivery of homes, the CMA is concerned that it may weaken competition in the market,” the CMA said. It went on to confirm it launched an investigation, under the Competition Act 1998, into

eight companies: Barratt, Bellway, Berkeley, Bloor Homes, Persimmon, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey, and Vistry.

“The CMA has not reached any conclusions at this stage as to whether or not competition law has been infringed,” a spokesperson said.

Inspire Together has applied for permission to change the use of Wheelwright Cottage in Kingsdon

Picture: Google

£475,000 Wincanton

£294,000 Wincanton

Thinking of moving in 2024?

As we move towards spring now is the ideal time to contact us for a free valuation and marketing advice. Many potential buyers are registering with us wishing to purchase a property in the coming months within the local towns and villages.  If you are considering bringing your property to the market we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please call 01963 34000 to arrange an appointment or email wincanton@hambledon.net

£395,000 Bourton

£250,000 Wincanton

£725,000 East Melbury

An

shower, family bathroom, integral garage, air source heat pump. EPC Rating: B. Freehold.

exceptional detached cottage set in ½ acre of gardens, with a further ½ acre paddock. Comprising stunning sitting room, kitchen/breakfast room, garden room, large study, downstairs shower room, four bedrooms, upstairs bathroom, double garage, ample off road parking and stunning countryside views. EPC Rating: F. Freehold.

A 4 bedroom town house with versatile and spacious living accommodation. Kitchen/diner with French doors to rear garden, cloakroom, spacious sitting room, master bedroom with en-suite, garage and gardens. EPC Rating: D. Freehold.

Delightful three bedroom town house comprising welcoming entrance hall, spacious living room with French doors to garden, cloakroom, stylish fitted kitchen, master bedroom with en-suite, allocated tandem parking for two cars. EPC Rating: C. Freehold.

blackmorevale.net

PROPERTY TO LET

OFFICE/STORAGE TO LET. From £24 p/w. Work units

1250 sq ft £55 p/w Tel: 07811 837061

LARGE DOUBLE ROOM, single occupancy only. All bills included. On top floor. Blandford town center. Older person preferred. Sky TV, Wi-Fi. Contact Landlord for more details. Tel: 07896-498462 prefer text.

SELF-CONTAINED ACCOMODATION on quiet farm near Yeovil 01935 891817

2 INDUSTRIAL UNITS FOR RENT

Approx 1800 sqft each. 3 phase possible Melcombe Bingham. 07725 910364

STORAGE. Secure unit. fully tarmacked with electricity and lighting. Ideal for vehicle, general storage or business use. 4.6metres wide. 6.2meters deep. 3.7meters high. £400 pcm. Winterborne Whitechurch. Tel: 07950-019293

Turn to page 30 for our Easter Deadlines 28

SECOND FEMALE TO SHARE HOUSE in Gillingham. £575 per month. includes bills. Tel: 01747-822162 / 07427-691721

RURAL OFFICE TO LET. Modern conversion. 450sqft. Fibre broadband. Quiet location. Durweston. Dougal 07899 927170

400186

HOLIDAY PROPERTY TO LET

LAKE COMO, ITALY (Menaggio).

Available for rental from mid-May (minimum 5 night stay)

gorgeous recently refurbished cottage with stunning views of Lake Como. Sleeps 4. Garden and Terrace, fully equipped.

Very close to Italy’s second oldest 18 hole golf course. Special launch promo price of £215 per night plus cleaning.

Please contact lh@lucydenardi.eu or 0781 2823981

Puzzle solutions (from pages 40-41) Edition 90 Sudoko Jumbo sudoku Cryptic crossword

CLASSIFIED ADS

NEW GAS FIRE, boxed unused, remote control, silver surround, brass grate. Cost: £440.00. offers half price or less.

Tel: 01749-813001

PORTABLE MASSAGE TABLE, good condition, includes facehole. £75. Tel: 07771-795442

SMALL DOUBLE BED, as new, with mattress. £450 Tel: 07565-367757 No Offers.

AVIATION BOOKS. Books on motorbikes and cars. General every day books. £100 whole lot. Tel: 01963-362010

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS

MENS BROWN TAUPE COUNTRY STYLE JACKET

(Gordon Clarke-Tailored in Germany)

100% Wool. Size 38R. NEW £35 Tel. 07767-221364

TUG OF WAR ROPE: £10. Garden Parasol + Base : £20. Tel. 07754 841324

BRANDED BEER LAGER and cider glasses. Mix of well-known UK and EU brands. Approx 5 cases. Free. Tel: 07771-349263

MIRROR BATHROOM CABINET in Anthracite. Size 400mm. Brand new, still boxed in its original packaging. £25 Tel: 07528 133025

LARGE FRAMED BEKEN OF COWES print of the yacht White Heather taken 1924. Size 65.5 x 85cm. £10 Tel: 07528 133025

LIGHT OAK CUPBOARD. £50.ono Tel: 01749-812222

MORPHY RICHARDS BREAD

MAKER. £30. 2 Cat Carriers. 1 large £10, 1 small £10. Tel: 01963-250012

LARGE SOLID OAK COFFEE

TABLE with pull through drawer from the Old Creamery. 125cmx70cmx38cm. £50 ono. Sherborne area. 07971-001852

TWO CAT TRANSPORT CAGES£25 for 2 (or £13 each) Tel 01935-873441

BUNDLE OF 15 BEAUTIFUL HAMPSHIRE CHESTNUT STAKES for £30. 1.3 metres tall. Suitable as posts. Sturminster. 07454 685530

BOXES - Strong cardboard, up to 12kg . Ideal for storage/house move. 30 available . Location: Street. £20

Tel: 01458 44 32 64

FIVE TERENCE CUNEO FAMOUS STEAM TRAIN PRINTS in oak coloured frames, size 16 inches x 13 inches. Trains are Flying Scotsman, Royal Scot, Cheltenham Flyer, Golden Arrow, Cornish Riviera. Very actractive items. £50. TEL. 01747 823280.

ROUND OAK DINING TABLE 44” dia. £50 . Hazelbury Bryan. 07845-288871

HAEMMERLIN CHILLINGTON

COUNTY GALVANISED wheelbarrow with pneumatic tyre, little used, kept undercover, in very good condition £35 Tel: 07891 987809

RIDGELINE GREEN SMOCK worn once.£50. phone 01749-850356

JLL ROWING MACHINE. This is a real piece of professional gym equipment. Dismantles for easy moving. Buyer collects. £50. 07776 303252

DIESEL CAR MAGAZINES. March 2001-April 2013, + 9 odd dates. What offers. Tel: 07717-596779. Can deliver

OLD, RELIABLE 240V BELLE concrete mixer £15 Wincanton 07949 750457

PAIR OF ORIGINAL VICTORIAN CRANBERRY etched Glass light shades.couple of nibbles near bulb hole.Lovely condition. £35. phone 01722 781270

MOTHERCARE COT, matress and linen, perfect hardly used. £50 ono. Tel 01963 824163 Wincanton.

LADIES BICYCLE. Raleigh Trail Pioneer, 21 gears. Good condition. £50. 01963/362677

A BEAUTIFUL HAND CRAFTED SET of oak building blocks 110 items. Ideal for encouragong a childs imagination.

£40 Phone 01935-881440

FOR SALE, THOMAS TAYLOR BOWLS size 2 with carrier plus bag V G C. £35. call 07545-065503

BRAND NEW TENNIS RACKET. Never used. Soft ball racket with balls. £10. Electric carpet cleaner. £5. Tel: 01258 452166

2 PINE COLOURED BAR STOOLS. 29.5” tall £20.00. 2 candle sticks 23” tall, silver colour,£15.00 Tel: 07936-107031

2 STUDIO DESK LAMPS. £15 pair. Tel: 01747-229148

RHUBARB CROWNS- ready to go. Healthy plants. £7 per pot. 01935 850647

UNUSED TABLETOP OVEN with 2 hobs £30 01747 826454

FRISTER ROSSMAN CLUB 3 SEWING MACHINE, Good Working Order £20. Tel. 01747 823280.

COPPER QUICK COOKER. Only used once. £15. Plz phone: 07843 725938

MENS TWEED JACKET

(GREENDALE) Wool blend Green/ brown check.Made in UK. SIZE L. 44”chest. VGC. £20 07767 221364

FREE SECTION GARAGE, needs to be dismantled and collected. In Shaftesbury Tel: 07951 996496

MORPHY RICHARDS BREEZE STEAM Iron.As new Kept as spare £15. Plz call: 07843 725938

14 PRISTINE JIGSAWS £20 for the lot. Tel: 01963-23412. Holwell, Bishops Caundle border

CENTRAL HEATING DOUBLE RADIATOR. White, with thermostat. 600mm X 600mm. Excellent condition £15.00, Phone 07747-017658

HAYTER PETROL LAWN MOWER

16” blade £25 Ono. 20 Royal Copenhagen Christmas Plates £20 Ono. Jacques Vert turquoise and navy wedding hat £5. 01258 820869.

GENTS CARRERA AXLE HYBRID

BIKE, 21” frame, suit taller rider. Hardly used excellent condition, £50 Tel 01258 454021 mob 07712 729098

LARGE HARD-BACK BOOKS, written by 5 different football Managers. 12 hard-back books by Danielle Steel, 8 James Patterson hard-back. 5 James Patterson soft covers. 4 Lynda La Plante hard-back. All good condition. £20.

Tel: 01258-452166

DELONGHI ICE CREAM MAKER. perfect condition. £30.

Tel: 07771-795442

WORLDWIDE STAMPS. Packets of 100 assorted £2.00 (suit beginner). Tony 07598982824

WANTED. 6x4 or 6x6 greenhouse for

STAMPS & COINS wanted by collector/ investor. I am very keen to purchase large or small collections at this time. Tel Rod 01308 863790 or 07802 261339

WANTED

All militaria bought British/Foreign. Single items or collections

Contact Tim on 07904 082997