Paul Jones - Editor in Chief
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STREAMLINING customer services and not filling roles when people leave could see Dorset Council recoup up to £10 million in 2025/26.
The council, like many others across the country, is facing increased financial pressures and with no significant increase in government funding, the council needs to save money while delivering around 450 services.
In light of this, Dorset Council has created a three-year project called Our Future Council which they say will make services easier for residents to access and more affordable to run.
They aim to save £10 million in 2025/26. But how?
The council says its new plan will bring teams that are currently doing similar jobs
while using different systems and processes together through a joined-up approach with new technology designed to speed things up and reduce paperwork.
The main area affected by these savings will be how the council handles customer enquiries and internal support services.
They said a new contact system will allow employees to see a resident’s past interactions with the council in one place while also protecting sensitive information.
This will help them give quicker, more joined-up support, the council said. Help will still be available over the phone and in person, and there is support for people who want to learn digital skills.
Councillor Ben Wilson, cabinet member for corporate
development and transformation, said the authority will also consider not hiring new people to fill vacancies.
“We’ve listened to feedback from residents and colleagues to shape these plans.
“People have told us they want a simpler, joined-up way to contact the council about their services and the plan is to make things easier and more efficient.
“We know change can be difficult. We’re taking a phased approach which means initially, around 500 colleagues will be consulted this year on possible changes to the way they work.
“The council currently employs more than 4,700 people.
“Proposals being shared with colleagues this week include a reduction of a limited number of roles in this phase of the programme as part of the wider effort to streamline how we work and reduce costs.
“We’re committed to supporting colleagues through this process, with clear support options and the chance to help shape how service will look.
“We’re doing everything we can to reduce the number of compulsory redundancies, including offering voluntary options and not filling some roles when people leave.”
AN open garden with art weekend event was held in Milton on Stour over the weekend of July19 and 20. The total raised for Air Ambulance and Julia’s House currently stands at just over £1,000.
The organisers would like to give a huge thank you to all who attended and gave so generously and an equally huge thank you to all those who made it such a wonderful event.
SHERBORNE Town Band invited other local groups to a massed brass concert at the bandstand.
Stoke-sub-Hamdon Training Band and Sherborne Youth Band collaborated on what was one of the hottest days of the year!
The crowd was treated to renditions of popular classics, featuring groups and soloists.
If you’d like to know more about learning brass, email info@ sherbornetownband.co.uk, enquiries@stokesubhamdonband. org.uk, or info@gisb.co.uk (Gillingham Imperial Silver Band).
CERNE Sheep Group reports on a busy summer out and about in the area.
In June, the group visited Lyscombe Farm, Piddletrentide, where they were shown round a “delightful” remote Dorset Wildlife Trust farm by the ranger Ben Atkinson. Then it was on to The Oak at Dewlish for refreshments.
On Monday, August 11 (7pm), members will be making a return visit to the Clarke family’s Fishmore Hill Farm, Milton Abbas (DT11 0DL) to see their racing yard and sheep flock.
And on Monday, September 8 (6.30pm) there’s a farm walk at Ian Baggs’ West Mill Farm, Wareham.
If you’d like to know more about Cerne Sheep Group, or join, please call its chair, Celia Messer, on 01258 459599 or 07816
TRUSTEES of two Wincanton almshouses have marked 100 years since the homes were built.
Wincanton’s two almshouses, named Davis Homes, are owned and administered by the Wincanton United Charities.
In 1925, a legacy was left by Blythe and Davis, which enabled these properties to be built.
Residents, trustees, councillors, friends and the clerk to the trustees all joined in the celebration in July.
by Rosie Gall
THE North Dorset Trailway Network (NDTN) has hit the ground running this year, embracing change and forging new connections across the community.
With a fresh energy behind the scenes, the newly formed communications sub-group has been hard at work developing a vibrant new identity for our charity.
The new logo marks a bold step forward – reflecting both the heritage and evolving spirit of the Trailway.
This new visual theme has since been carried across into a redesigned leaflet, offering a more dynamic and accessible
guide for residents and visitors alike.
But the work has not stopped there. With a renewed focus NDTN has been actively supporting local community events and increasing its presence across the region.
From village fairs to outdoor gatherings, the team is committed to raising awareness of the Trailway’s value – not only as a pathway through Dorset’s stunning landscapes, but as a vital thread connecting its communities.
As the Trailway continues to grow in reach and impact, we warmly welcome new members to join us.
Membership is a simple but powerful way to support our ongoing work – whether it is maintaining the route, enhancing access or championing green travel in Dorset.
Every member helps to keep the Trailway thriving for future generations.
To find out more or become a member, visit our website at www.northdorsettrailway.org.uk or email us at enquiries@ northdorsettrailway.org.uk.
A BOOK sale is planned to raise funds for Dorset Museum and Art Gallery.
Held at the Museum, this two-day event offers visitors the chance to browse and buy from thousands of high-quality second-hand books at unbeatable prices.
The sale will feature a wide variety of hardbacks and paperbacks in both fiction and non-fiction categories, catering to all ages and interests. Entry is free to the book sale, which will be held in the Museum's Victorian Hall.
To support the museum’s sustainability goals, attendees are kindly encouraged to bring their own bags.
All proceeds from the event – which will be held on Saturday and Sunday, August 23-24, from 11am to 4pm –will benefit the ongoing care and conservation of the museum and its collections.
In preparation for the event, the museum is calling for donations of high-quality second-hand fiction and children’s books. Please note that non-fiction donations cannot be accepted this year.
Donations can be dropped off at the museum until Friday, August 15.
For more information, please visit www.dorsetmuseum.org
THE Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show will not feature displays by two controversial huntsafter a backlash over recent hunting convictions.
Both the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt and the Portman Hunt were set to appear at the event - on August 13 and 14 - despite people linked to both being convicted of fox hunting offences since the show was last held.
Action Against Foxhunting (AAF) was among groups that called for organisers to review their decision - but said it was met with silence.
However, after contact from your New Blackmore Vale, the show has now confirmed the hunts will not appear - although the hound parade will continue as planned.
A statement from the show said: “The [Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural] society has a long history of celebrating rural life in all its forms, and the hound parade has traditionally been a part of that – offering a short, 20-minute glimpse into a longstanding countryside tradition enjoyed by many of our visitors, including local farmers and families alike.
“While there will remain a
hound parade at this year’s show, after careful consideration, the society has asked that both the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt and the Portman Hunt do not participate in the 2025 hound parade.
“We understand that trail hunting remains a divisive issue. This decision does not reflect a shift in the society’s values, nor is it a commentary on legal hunting activity.
“Rather, it is a response to recent legal convictions and our responsibility to maintain the reputation and charitable aims of the show.
“We thank our community for their understanding as we continue to deliver a show that represents the best of agriculture, education and rural life. No further comments will be made at this time.”
The outcry came after it emerged two members of the Portman Hunt – Tom Lyle and Marcus Boundy – were found guilty in September 2024, while four men who attended a BSV Hunt – Conall McGrath, George Pierce, Andrew Osborne, and Freddie Osborne – were also convicted under the Hunting Act in April of this year.
Pip Donovan, chair and
founder of AAF, said she was happy the show had been “forced to face reality” by the convictions - and contact from the NBVM - after previously dismissing their concerns over the hunts’ inclusion.
She said: “We have been challenging the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show over its hound displays for several years. We’ve organised protests, distributed leaflets in nearby towns, and attempted to engage with the organisers.
“A couple of years ago, we even booked a stall at the show, but it was cancelled after pro-hunting supporters issued threats against us.
“Throughout, we maintained that these hunts were breaking the law, but the show refused to acknowledge this.
“Now, with the recent convictions, the organisers have been forced to face reality. We are delighted that neither of these hunts will be displaying this year, and hope that they will never come back again.”
NBVM reader, John Holland, said, “Well done AAF for continuing to highlight this barbaric ‘sport’.
“Hunting is coming to an end. Showcasing the hunt gives
a false image of this illegal practice, which is hiding behind the lie of trail hunting.”
However, another reader, Jon, defended their inclusion, saying: “If you don’t like [it] don’t go. Plenty of other people will be enjoying themselves there.”
Fox hunting was banned in England and Wales in February 2005 following the implementation of the Hunting Act 2004.
Hunt groups have since taken part in trail hunting, which replicates traditional hunts without chasing or killing a live animal.
However, some opposition groups claim there are instances where hunts use trail hunting as cover for ‘real’ hunts.
n The Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show raises funds for the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural Society and will take place on August 13 and 14 at the Turnpike Showground in Motcombe. Details at gillinghamandshaftesburyshow. co.uk.
A CHARITY festival is going to take place in Sturminster Newton next month.
Riverside Fest is set to run at Riverside Meadows, off the A357, on August 16.
The day-long event will raise money for three charities: Children’s Cancer UK, The Vale Pantry and the Big Yellow Bus Garden Project.
Organisers promise something for everyone at the event, including music from the likes of Sugar Rush, The Twerzels, The Country Strong Band and Night Mode, as well as a free circus workshop, a fire show, dog show and a tug-o-war.
Visitors to the festival – which runs from noon until 11pm – can also enjoy a fully
stocked bar, ice cream and a raft of stalls, as well as classic car displays and a bouncy fun run.
For more details, and to book your tickets for Riverside Fest 2025, visit ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/sturminsternewton/riverside-meadows/riversidefest-2025
CHILDREN at Ditcheat
Primary School had a fun time when Briony Brickell from Magic Lantern Workshops visited.
Rainforests, the 19th century palaeontologist Mary Anning, and sustainability – Earth matters – were the subject of workshops to each year group.
Magic Lantern Workshops, an educational charity since 1994, turns classrooms into pop-up art galleries and encourages children to learn how to look at art, to make their own drawings and write their own comments.
The Arts Society Mid Somerset, based in Castle Cary, funded the workshops.
The society’s Young Arts initiative promotes high quality arts activities for young people.
by David Hytch
UNFORTUNATELY we have had to cancel this year’s Mere carnival as the call for volunteers was unsuccessful.
Instead, the Committee decided to work on getting people on board for next year. We are continuing to meet
and plan for the other events that take place during the year and be in a position to run the Carnival in 2026.
We will announce plans for next year’s event in the NBVM as soon as they are available.
I know there will be disappointment, but it is a fact
that community events do rely on the support of the people in it.
Mere Carnival will be back in 2026 in the meantime the call for volunteers is there and anyone interested should contact me, d.hytch@btinternet. com or Michel Rousseau, treasurer@merecarnival.co.uk
TAKE a wander around beautiful gardens, open as part of the National Garden Scheme – find the full list of open gardens at findagarden.ngs.org.uk
Rampisham, Nr Dorchester DT2 0PR Pugin Hall was once Rampisham Rectory, designed in 1847 by Augustus Pugin, who also helped to design the interior of the Houses of Parliament.
A Grade I-listed building, it is surrounded by four and a half acres of garden, including a large front lawn with rhododendrons, a walled garden filled with topiary and soft floral planting, orchard and beyond the River Frome a woodland walk.
The walled garden is planted with shrubs, roses, clematis, masses of unusual perennials, and Japanese anemones against a backdrop of espalier fruit trees and spiral-pruned box hedging.
Open Sunday September 14 (12-5pm)
Admission £6, children £3. Dogs on short leads welcome
Middlemarsh, Sherborne DT9 5QN
The Potting Shed opened its doors in April 2023. This new, two-acre wellbeing nursery and therapy garden has been created from scratch to enhance relaxation and tranquillity.
The community garden has been planted organically to encourage all forms of wildlife.
There is an acre of wildflower meadow, plant nursery and tea garden to explore. It truly is a special place to relax, unwind and be inspired.
Open Saturday September 13 (10am4pm).
Admission £5, children free. Dogs on short leads welcome.
Athelhampton, Dorchester DT2 7LG
THE award-winning gardens at Athelhampton surround the Tudor manor house, and date from 1891.
The Great Court, with 12 giant yew topiary pyramids, is overlooked by two terraced pavilions.
This glorious Grade I architectural garden is full of vistas with spectacular planting, ponds with fountains and the River Piddle flowing past.
Open Monday September 22 (10am5pm).
Admission £12.50 (garden only), children free. Dogs on short leads welcome.
LUNCHTIME organ recitals are returning to Wimborne Minster in August.
They will take place on Mondays at 12.30pm with Simon Morley, a former assistant organist at the Minster, giving the first on Monday, August 4.
Simon is now organist and director of music at St John’s Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, Tampa, Florida, USA.
William Ings, director of music at Canford School, will give the second recital on Monday, August 11.
He will be followed by Colin Davey, organist and director of the choirs at The Minster on August 18.
Finally, on August Bank Holiday Monday, August 25, the recital will be given by Jeremy Blandford, who lives in Norway and is a teacher in the local Cultural Schools in Lofoten.
Admission is free to all the recitals with a retiring collection in aid of Wimborne Minster Musical Heritage Trust.
PRE-SCHOOL children from Conkers Nursery in Wincanton have celebrated their move up to ‘big school’ with a day at Wincanton Racecourse. They made their very own hobby horses and had fun racing them on the track before enjoying a picnic and fun and games.
A FORMER Somerset church
could soon be a three-bedroom home – if plans are approved.
A planning application has been submitted to Somerset Council to change the use of the former Wincanton Baptist Church, in Mill Street, to a residential property.
The site includes a lateVictorian school hall as well as the church property, the application said, which is not included in the plans.
However, the church –believed to have been built in 1833 – is no longer in use, and was sold to the current owners in April.
“It constitutes an open hall, with a stage and full immersion baptistry, together with offices at the front,” the application said.
It went on: “At the rear is a small, disused burial ground (not consecrated) where gravestones have been removed and laid against the rear walls.
“The buildings, stone walls and gardens are in a state of disrepair and on the brink of becoming derelict in places.”
If the plans are approved, the application said the former church would become a house “suitable for occupation by a single family”, where “members can work from home, with flexible spaces, including an artist’s studio/gallery and office/ workshop”.
An outside toilet block and boiler house would be demolished under the scheme, although there would be “no external changes” to the front or sides, other than replacement
glazing, it added, as well as new openings to the rear.
Gardens to the front of the church will be “further extended and enhanced”, the application said, while the proposed restoration of stone walling around the property would “improve” the street scene.
The application will now be
considered by Somerset Council planners. For more details, and to comment on the plans, log on to somerset.gov.uk and search reference 25/01697/FUL.
THE latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) crime data shows that Dorset remains within the top 10 safest counties after a decrease in overall crime in the last 12 months.
Overall crime fell in Dorset by 1.8% between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. Victim-based crime has decreased by 2.5% and violence against the person dropped by 4.3%.
Deputy Chief Constable, Rachel Farrell, said: “Crime in Dorset has continued to fall. Residential and business burglaries reduced during this reporting period by 4.7% and 4.6% retrospectively.
“Robberies have fallen by 18.7% compared to the national decrease of 2.7% and this is testament to the work our teams have been carrying out to identify some of the patterns used in robbery offences, target prolific offenders and continue proactive patrols in hotspot areas.
“Unfortunately, we have seen an increase of 5.8% in vehicle offences and I would like to remind the public to follow our
preventative advice about safeguarding your vehicle from crime and report anything suspicious to us.
“We will be focusing our efforts in high-risk areas to disrupt those who intend on committing these offences.
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue criminality and keeping Dorset a safe county for everyone remains our absolute
priority.”
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: “I am pleased to see total crime fall once again in Dorset, ensuring our county remains firmly in the top 10 safest places to live.
“Reductions in some of the offences residents are most worried about, including burglary and violent crime, are welcome and demonstrate the unwavering focus and commitment towards tackling these harmful crimes and keeping people safe.
“I am also pleased to see a significant fall in robbery offences, as well as a reduction in stalking and harassment.
“I know the terrible impact these offences have on victims and while it is vital for Dorset Police to tackle the perpetrators robustly, I also want to send a clear message to victims that you will be taken seriously and help and support is available.”
Find the full report at www.ons.gov.uk/ peoplepopulationandcommunity/ crimeandjustice/datasets/ policeforceareadatatables
TWO events to mark VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) and the end of the Second World War, will be held in Sherborne on
Friday, August 15.
The Sherborne & District branch of the Royal British Legion is holding a Picnic in the Park in Pageant Gardens with the support of the town council.
The event gets under way at 3pm with a barbecue throughout and cream teas from 5pm.
The event also features a ceremonial commemoration –including two minutes’ silence, wreath-laying ceremony, cadets marching and drill display, live musical tribute with wartime songs and addresses by town officials.
Sherborne British Legion will have a fundraising stand to raise money for a memorial bench and planters near the war
memorial.
A raffle will be on offer with many prizes donated by local retailers and businesses.
Visitors are welcome to take their own food to enjoy during activities and asked to bring picnic furniture.
Picnic in the Park is scheduled to finish at 6pm.
Later, a beacon will be lit as part of national commemorations at the Jubilee Copse.
The programme of events, organised by the town council and supported by the British Legion, includes a short commemoration and wreathlaying, live musical tribute complete with wartime songs and addresses by town officials.
The event starts at 8.30pm with the beacon lighting at 9.15pm. Refreshments will be available throughout.
SCORES of cyclists of all ages turned out for a ride in support of safe cycling routes in the Dorchester area.
70 cyclists aged from five to 84 turned out for the first Streets Alive community cycle ride, organised by Dorchester Transport Action Group (TAG).
Mayor of Dorchester, Cllr Andy Canning, who waved off the cyclists, said: “[It’s] great to see so many people here.
“It shows the importance of cycling and getting round town without having to rely on the car.”
Giles Watts, secretary of Dorchester TAG, said: “The idea of the community cycle was to have fun, enjoy being out and about on a bicycle and appreciate the health benefits – as well as promoting the need for improvements to safe cycling routes in and around Dorchester.
“Lots of the younger riders said how great it would be if there could be proper cycle
routes for them to use.
“A good start would be to have a route from Poundbury into the town centre.
“So that’s why we chose the community ride route we did as it partly followed the cycle route being campaigned for”.
As well as the ride for adults and confident younger riders, a short ride was provided for very young children that kept off the roads and just went round the Great Field.
Stewart Palmer, chair of Dorchester TAG, led their ride and about 20 young riders took part.
When all the riders had returned they were rewarded with chocolate bars donated by the House of Dorchester chocolate factory.
The younger riders were also given free hi-vis jackets and fluorescent wrist slap bands to use when out riding.
Poundbury ward councillor David Leaper joined in the ride.
by Hilary Daniels
RECENT visitors to Shillingstone Station have been hearing what sounds like an old motorbike and a horn that Mr Toad himself would have been proud of, both coming from a newly-restored ‘Wickham’ track inspection trolley.
One was based at the station, in its own shed, until the line was closed in 1966, and both trolley and shed were later immortalised by a leading model railway manufacturer.
Sadly, both are long gone, and their miniature counterparts are no longer in production, but a Wickham Trolley is back at Shillingstone, on long-term loan to North Dorset Railway.
Dennis Wickham founded his company in Hertfordshire in 1886 and introduced his first lightweight track inspection rail trolley in 1922.
Information on the trolley originally based at Shillingstone
is lost, but the current example is a type 17A, built in February 1959.
It has a V-twin air-cooled 1323cc JAP engine. Londonbased JA Prestwich (JAP) started building motorbikes in 1902, having diversified from the manufacture of movie cameras and projectors, before later expanding, surprisingly, into the manufacture of pencils.
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JAP only built its own motorbikes for a few years.
From 1908 it concentrated on building engines for other marques, including the Brough Superior, the motorbike that Lawrence of Arabia loved and died riding, in 1935, a mere 20 miles from Shillingstone Station.
When it arrived in 2023, the trolley had been in storage and unloved for many years.
The roof had rotted and the axles were beyond repair.
Fortunately, the engine had no serious problems – a good clean and a few replacement parts did the trick – but that still left a great deal of work.
Replacing the axles with a modern equivalent, new timberwork and seating, rust treatment, priming, painting and yet more painting.
Roll-down canvas sides had to be re-made and sign-writing restored.
In April, the trolley emerged from the workshop and was lifted back onto the track, where volunteers are fine-tuning the engine and checking the brakes with a variety of loadings.
One day it is hoped that visitors will be able to enjoy a ride.
Shillingstone Station is open every Wednesday and weekend between 10am-4pm, and entry is free of charge.
We’re hosting FREE Solar Energy Drop-In Events this August near you:
• Donhead St Mary Village Hall, SP7 9DQ | 5 August | 6:30 to 8pm
• The Digby Hall, DT9 3AA (Sherborne) | 11 August | 6:30 to 8pm
• Blandford Forum Parish Centre, DT11 7DW | 12 August | 6:30 to 8pm
No sales pitch. No tech speak. Just clear, honest advice.
Find out how solar panels and home battery systems could help you slash your energy bills by as much as two-thirds. For updates and more info, head to: comeraenergy.co.uk or follow @comeraenergy
DORSET Historic Churches
Trust (DHCT) celebrated its 65th birthday at Milton Abbey with a reception for 120 guests.
Among the attendees were architects, builders and clergy, as well as individuals interested in the maintenance of the county’s historic church buildings.
The trust has given away more than £2.5 million for maintenance and restoration of Dorset churches since its foundation in 1960.
In 2024, £130,000 was awarded to 26 projects, none of which are funded by the church nationally or the government.
Trustee, Dr Tim Connor, said the concept of ‘historic’ may change with time, but the need to repair heritage buildings only grows and the trust helps in that task.
David Burnett, founder of the Dovecott Press, considered the romance of Dorset churches.
And the bishop of Ramsbury, a Church of England leading bishop for buildings, emphasised the way churches are buildings of hospitality and sanctuary.
The chair of the trustees, His Honour David Grant, thanked the abbey for allowing the event to take place, and Milton Abbey School for providing catering and facilities, as well as Sir Andrew Graham and his team for planning the occasion.
HM Lord Lieutenant, Micheal Dooley, attending in his official capacity as the president of the DHCT, thanked those who attended and wished the trust another 65 successful years.
New
He expressed the hope that everyone present would continue to work together for the benefit of the county’s churches.
The trust’s main source of income is the annual sponsored Ride+Stride, held on September 13 this year. To get involved, visit www.dhct.org.uk
In the picture (from left): Dr Tim Connor; David Burnett; Andrew Rumsey, the Bishop of Ramsbury; Michael Dooley, HM Lord Lieutenant and president of the DHCT; His Honour David Grant, chair of the DHCT; and Ian Bromilow, chair of governors Milton Abbey School
Bramley Care has launched an innovative new service designed to help older adults live safely and independently for longer, while keeping families informed and reassured.
Bramley Pre-Care is a smart home solution that uses discreet, non-intrusive sensors (no cameras or microphones) to monitor the daily routines of the person living in the home. The system tracks movement, temperature, humidity and even sleep patterns, raising an alert when something seems out of the ordinary, such as a missed routine, a fall or unsafe environmental changes. For families, especially those living at a distance, this service
offers real-time insight without intruding on privacy. It is not about constant surveillance, it is about knowing when something needs attention and being able to act early. Unlike wearable alarms or call buttons, the system works completely passively, ideal for individuals who may forget or feel reluctant to use conventional devices. It also supports fall detection without the need for wearable or manually operated devices.
Key features include: Contactless fall detection
Routine and sleep monitoring
Temperature, humidity and air quality alerts
Family app notifications for peace of mind
It is perfect for individuals who value their independence but could benefit from a little added safety, as well as for families who want to stay gently connected without being intrusive.
Bramley Pre-Care is the latest example of Bramley Care’s commitment to delivering compassionate, forwardthinking support for the local community.
To learn more, call 01747 855844 or visit bramleycare.co.uk
Stay connected, stay informed and let your loved ones live safely at home with confidence.
HAYNES Motor Museum is a fun-fuelled destination for families looking for fun on wheels this summer holiday.
The all-weather attraction near Sparkford (BA22 7LH) boasts outdoor car displays and Scalextric racing, a new interactive exhibition and themed family trail, and UK’s largest collection of cars and motorcycles.
A new exhibition, ‘British Icons: Driven by Innovation’, reveals the untold stories of the people behind some of Britain’s most iconic cars.
And there’s a new ‘Rule Britannia’ family trail, inviting visitors to discover fascinating facts about the museum’s standout British cars.
Watch history come to life as cars from across the decades take part in daily outdoor displays. From the charming Heinkel Kabine to the powerful 2005 Ford Mustang, visitors can
get up close to and even sit in some of these iconic cars.
Race friends and family on the Somerset-themed Scalextric track, featuring landmarks such as Cheddar Gorge and the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage. Prefer precision over speed? Head to the remote-control car track and test your skills.
Younger visitors can run wild in the motoring-themed outdoor play area or navigate around the Museum in Little Tikes cars.
Plus, don’t miss the final chance to explore the
DriveTribe exhibition, featuring TV-famous cars including Richard Hammond’s Aston Martin DB9, famously driven across the desert in The Grand Tour: Sand Job. The last day to see the exhibition is 25 August.
Summer holidays close with a bang, with the museum’s inaugural motor show, the John Haynes Classic, on Sunday 7 September, which celebrates the museum’s 40th birthday.
For more information call 01963 440804 or visit www. haynesmotormuseum.org
FANS of architecture and local history should get a date in the diary for Dorset Architectural Heritage Week, a free event celebrating Dorset’s rich historic environment.
This year there are 64 separate events. You’ll be able to explore buildings that are not normally open to the public, while other familiar buildings will open their doors for special events or behind the scenes tours.
The week runs from September 12-21. Tickets for bookable events are available now online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/ dahw2025
Find out more at www. edht.org.uk or email dahw@edht.org.uk
A NEW memoir by Marion Lloyd-Langton chronicles her life with the legendary lead guitarist Huw LloydLangton.
Huw is best known for his multiple stints with Hawkwind –playing on their 1970 debut LP and returning for Live – Nineteen SeventyNine and Levitation He was also a member of 70s supergroup Widowmaker.
This is the story of a distinctive musician, loved by his fans, admired by his peers.
Through Marion’s honest recollections of high points and dark days comes a vividly drawn portrait of a man at ease with the twists and turns of the
music industry, self-effacing and committed to encouraging others.
Marion and Huw moved to Stalbridge in 2010, where Marion remains after Huw passed away in 2012.
A Wandering Minstrel is written by Marion Lloyd-Langton with the assistance of Ian Abrahams and is available on Amazon.
DORSET Historic Churches Trust (DHCT) is inviting people to sign up to its latest annual Ride & Stride event in its 65th anniversary year.
Participants can cycle, walk, run, catch a bus or ride a horse between as many of the county’s churches as they like to raise sponsorship money.
The funds raised are used to help repair historic churches and are shared between the trust and a church of the participant’s choice.
A spokesperson for the event said: “Whether you are a churchgoer, a history lover, you enjoy exploring new places or simply want to support the church at the centre of your community, everyone is
SHERBORNE’S Climate Cafe’s next meeting is on Thursday, August 14, from 5.30pm to 7pm in Café D’Urberville. For more information email climatecafesherborne@gmail.com
Ride & Stride for Dorset’s Churches is officially launched
welcome to take part.”
The event is on Saturday, September 13. For more information visit www.dhct. org.uk
SUMMER’S in full swing, but organisers of the Great Motcombe Santa Run are asking supporters to put the event’s date in their diaries. The charity fun run is on Sunday, December 7, at 10am.
showrooms to view our kitchen displays Shaftesbury: 01747 851 476 Longmead Industrial Estate, Shaftesbury SP7 8PL Warminster: 01985 219 200
Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre, Gillingham SP8 5JG
Open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
Your home is more than just bricks and mortar — it’s the foundation of your family’s future. But without the right legal protections, it could be vulnerable to rising care costs, probate delays, and unnecessary inheritance tax. At Oakwood Wills, we help you shield your assets with one powerful tool: the Living Trust.
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DINOSAUR fun was in store when the Iguanodon Restaurant pitched up at the recreation ground in Sturminster Newton.
1853 – and enjoyed a romp through 50 years of groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust, helped by The Pantry Family Hub, also held numerous craft workshops based on fossils and dinosaurs. ADVERTISING FEATURE
Visitors saw a group of eminent professors and geologists enjoy a banquet in Emerald Ant’s huge 35ft
Protect Your Assets from Care Costs. Placing your main residence into a living trust can ring-fence it from potential future care fees. With care costs now averaging thousands of pounds per month, this can be a crucial move to safeguard your estate — and your children’s inheritance.
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Minimise Inheritance Tax Liability. A Living Trust can be a valuable tool in inheritance tax planning. By legally transferring ownership of your home and selected assets into the trust, they may fall outside of your taxable estate.
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Maintain Full Control of Your Assets. When you set up a living trust, you remain as one of the trustees — often alongside trusted family members. This allows you to manage and use your assets as normal, with surviving trustees stepping in only if you lose capacity or pass away, ensuring a smooth transition with no court delays.
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Words and pictures by George Jeans
THE Friends of Whitesheet School, Zeals, held a successful summer fete.
Email: info@oakwoodwills.co.uk
Tel: 07832 331594 or Email: info@oakwoodwills.co.uk
Among the entertainment were many stalls inside and out, a coconut shy, barbecue, bouncy castle and pony rides. The police indulged the many children who wanted to sit in their car!
Zeals missed the rain that was heavy further east that day. Nearly 30 sponsors helped to support the event.
CHILDREN’S hospice charity, Julia’s House, has been given planning permission for a small extension at its premises in Corfe Mullen.
The work, set to get under way in September, will extend the hospice’s end of life Mermaid Suite and improve facilities in other areas of the building.
The extension will provide a private entrance to the Mermaid Suite and increase the space to enable families to be together.
The second floor of the hospice will be improved to include a larger bathroom with a more easily accessible bath and specialist equipment.
The entrance to the hospice will also be improved with a new external ramp leading up to the main front door.
Claire Hudson-Cooper, Julia’s House director of care, said: “We’re really excited to be making these improvements to our Corfe Mullen hospice.
“They are going to meet the growing and changing needs of the local families we support and futureproof our service for at least the next decade.
“They will make it more comfortable for
families to stay and spend time together at such an important time and enable us to better meet the needs of some of the older children and young people we care for who will value more privacy and independence.
“We would like to thank the Valentine Trust for offering to extend our lease for a further 25 years to enable us to extend the hospice, as well as Dai Hannaford and Ailsa Holdcroft from architects Corstorphine & Wright for their expertise and support, which they have given as a gift in kind.”
capital funding for investment in hospice facilities, alongside funding from trusts and foundations that specifically support capital projects.
The cost of the extension is being covered by recent additional government
Hospice care will be located in the community while the building work is carried out, and it is anticipated the extension will be completed by early 2026.
FJ
Chalke is proud to bring the Kia Electric Experience to Mere on 14th August— an exclusive opportunity to explore the future of electric driving, all in one place.
For the first time, you’ll be able to see Kia’s brand-new EV4 and EV5 models up close. These exciting new additions mark the next step in Kia’s rapidly expanding electric line-up and will be unveiled at the event, followed by a detailed presentation and walkaround.
Alongside them, Kia’s award-winning EV range will be on display, including the EV6, the bold EV9, and the EV3, recently named 2025 UK Car of the Year and 2025 World Car of the Year. Whether you’re EV-curious or ready to make the switch, this is your chance to explore Kia’s full electric offering — all in one place.
You can speak with Kia experts, who will be on hand to answer your questions and guide you through the process of switching to electric, from charging to ownership and everything in between.
With limited spaces available, we encourage early registration to avoid disappointment.
Reserve your spot today at www.fjchalke.co.uk or call Paul and the team in Mere on 01747 860244.
As with every Kia, all models come with a 7-year/100,000-mile warranty, and the high-voltage battery is covered for 8 years —
Be among the first to see the all-new EV4 and EV5
Reserve your place at FJ Chalke Mere on Thursday 14th August
bold new name in motoring has arrived at Vale Motors, and drivers are invited to experience it firsthand.
The GWM Event promises two days of innovation, style and value as the dealership unveils the latest models from GWM, a brand redefining modern driving. Expect sleek design, advanced hybrid and electric technology, and exceptional value — all backed by a 5-Year Warranty. SEE IT. DRIVE IT. LOVE IT.
Guests will have the chance to explore two exciting models:
• GWM Haval Jolion Pro Premium Hybrid – Elegant design, hybrid efficiency and advanced connectivity.
• GWM ORA 3 Pure 100% Electric – Fun, dynamic and fully electric.
Test drives will be available throughout the event, allowing visitors to try out cutting-edge features including voice commands, app connectivity and GWM’s intuitive infotainment system.
Families can enjoy a Kids Zone with free activity packs and popcorn, plus a GWM photo backdrop for the perfect event snapshot. Exclusive gifts and offers will also be available to celebrate the launch.
“This isn’t just a car launch — it’s your invitation to experience something truly fresh and exciting,” says Ryan King, Sales Manager. “Prepare to be surprised.”
First-hand experience of the NHS leads our columnist to think about resident doctors’ pay
by Canon Eric Woods
If I WERE a bird, I would have to be of the ungainly, flightless variety (stop sniggering, all who know me) – perhaps a distant descendant of the Great Auk, which disappeared from these islands in the middle of the 19th century, hunted to extinction. But my description would not be believed by any ornithologist, bird watcher or twitcher. Consider this:
“Uniquely, possesses a pink left leg with a black foot, and a black right leg with a grey foot”.
Let me explain. We returned at the end of May from a longplanned river cruise down the Danube from Budapest to the Black Sea. It was hugely enjoyable, except that, during the second week, my legs developed large and painful ulcers, weeping badly. I don’t know why, Heat? Humidity? Not enough exercise? But there it is.
The Purser was sympathetic but limited in what she could offer. Either to put me down at the next town and be taken to a Serbian hospital while the boat sailed on, or to do what we could with the contents of her first-aid kit. Guess which alternative we chose! So I came home painfully on a Monday evening and was seen by one of the GPs at the Sturminster Newton Medical Centre two days later. Since then the medical team at Stur has been waging an
unremitting war against the ulcers, involving twice weekly visits to the Centre to have the legs washed, re-dressed and re-bandaged. Two months on and the right leg is healed, and now sports a black compression stocking and a grey canvas shoe. The left leg is proving more stubborn and still needs regular dressing with an outer layer of pink compression bandage, and a black surgical boot. No wonder I get strange looks in the street.
But the team has been wonderful, especially the nurses who had to deal with some pretty stinking legs until the infection was overcome. Nothing seemed to dent their extreme good humour and devoted care. I owe them a continuing debt of gratitude.
Which is why I am so sad that, over in our hospitals, some junior doctors – I beg their pardon, “resident doctors” – seem set on destroying public trust and respect in their profession. As I write, they are on strike – again. Not all of them, but those who have accepted the transformation of the British Medical Association from a professional organisation which was dedicated to upholding the ethics, standards and reputation of Britain’s doctors, into a kind of old-fashioned trade union, all “them and us”, demanding a pay rise of 29.2% on top of last year’s 22%. I am sure they work hard when they are working, but they enjoy better pay, shorter hours, more secure careers and inflation-proof pensions, about which most of us can only dream. A newly qualified hospital doctor has better pay and conditions than I had after 42 years of full-time ministry. But then, I saw my job as a vocation. Shouldn’t they?
PUPILS from Mere School recently took centre stage at a special event celebrating the rich heritage of St Michael’s Church, as part of The Tower Stories programme.
Children from the school performed the first-ever rendition of Anthem for Mere, composed by Richard Nye, and listened to the debut reading of Stories about the St Michael’s Tower by author Jane Borodale. The performances marked a memorable day for the school and the wider community.
Two groups of older pupils also presented their creative pieces to an audience of children and parents in the church.
The Tower Stories events are part of a larger heritage initiative made possible by a £247,000 grant awarded in
August 2023 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to The Friends of St Michael’s.
The first phase of the project, completed in May 2024, saw the restoration of the church’s pinnacles, gilded pennants, and the church clock face. The second phase focuses on engaging the local community through a range of inclusive, creative activities.
Residents at Fern Brook Lodge donated sheets and blankets to the animals at Monkey World.
Residents from the care home in Gillingham travelled on one of Care South’s minibuses to visit the ape rescue centre in Wool to hand over the donations of sheets and blankets before taking a stroll around the park to view the animals in action.
Afterwards, they enjoyed a meal in the centre’s Tree Top Cafe where they chatted and laughed about everything they’d seen at the park before heading back to Fern Brook Lodge.
Fern Brook Lodge, which is part of the not-for-profit charity, Care South, provides residential, respite, and dementia care. The care home’s dedicated activities team runs a daily programme of events to encourage residents to socialise and make friends.
Visitors can enjoy complimentary cakes and hot drinks, while experiencing the warm and friendly atmosphere at the home’s Welcome Wednesdays sessions which run from 2pm to 4pm every week.
Fern Brook Lodge also hosts Memory Café sessions every Thursday morning from 10am to 11 am for people living with dementia and their carers. There is no need to book - just drop in on the day.
Scan the QR code to find out more, hear from residents and meet the Home Manager.
VISITORS to the Spetisbury Station Project’s summer tea party enjoyed Pimm’s, homemade cream teas and other tasty treats as the sun shone.
They also had the chance to hear the everpopular Blandford Ukulele Group play.
This year Railway 200 is celebrating 200 years since the birth of modern train travel in 1825, and information was available on the North Dorset Railway at Shillingstone and the North Dorset Trailway.
The trailway provides nearly 14 miles of traffic-free sustainable travel along the former Somerset & Dorset Railway from Sturminster Newton to Spetisbury.
The day raised nearly £400, all of which will go towards maintaining and improving this former station for visitors.
Spetisbury Station Project has also teamed up with the Blackmore Vale Line Community Rail Partnership as part of Railway 200.
It is one of 120 venues across the region where free limited edition postcards are available to collect and can be exchanged for gifts including a water bottle and a rucksack.
Further details are available at www.spetisburystationproject.wordpress.com.
AN art competition is running in conjunction with the Dorset Sunflower Trail.
Art in the Sunflowers, on Saturday, August 9 from 10.30am-4pm, features competitions for artists of all ages with fabulous prizes to be won.
Money raised benefits Dorset County Hospital.
The entry fee for adults of £10 includes free entry to the Sunflower Trail. For artists under 18, the fee is £5 for the Trail with the art competition free.
The judging is by ‘Arts in Hospital’ and all winners announced by August 29. For full details please visit: www.artinpoundbury. co.uk/events/art-in-thesunflowers-2025
The Wessex Event Company are delighted to be holding our 8th Summer Fair in the beautiful house and grounds of Canford School on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17h August this year.
Bring the whole family for a fabulous day out, there is something for everyone.
16th and 17th August 10am - 5pm
THE Dorset Area of the Ramblers were delighted to welcome North Dorset MP, Simon Hoare, to unveil a new information board on the Wessex Ridgeway at Okeford Hill.
The unveiling was also attended by Dorset Council officers, local councillors and Ramblers members. The Wessex Ridgeway is part of the Great Chalk Way, a coast-to-coast path running along the chalk ridge which crosses southern England between Lyme Regis and Norfolk. A family of paths, the Great Chalk Way links the Wessex Ridgeway with the Ridgeway National Trail, the Icknield Way, and the Peddars Way National Trail.
Janet Davis, chair of the Dorset Area, said, “We were very pleased to be able to fund this new information board and that Simon was able to join us to unveil it.
“We are also most grateful to the Dorset Council ranger team for its installation.
“The board details the fantastic historic resource running beneath our feet and we hope that many people will take the opportunity to explore the route, both here in Dorset and beyond.
“Walking is a healthy and free activity
and routes like this help is to understand our links with the landscape and the natural environment.”
The Wessex Ridgeway was the brainchild of Priscilla Houston, one of the founding figures of Dorset Area of the Ramblers. It was she who established the
route through Dorset and wrote the first guidebook in the 1980s.
Janet added, “The idea of the much longer Great Chalk Way would, I think, have pleased her enormously and the Ramblers welcomes the opportunity to continue our link to this important trail.”
by Tim Otter, BV Lions
THE Sunday of the rescheduled BVHM, dawned warm with a clear sky.
Then it got hotter and bluer and continued to do so. A bit of a change from the floods that forced the postponement from the original February date.
As start time approached it was scorching. Fortunately, with a zephyr of breeze the ‘feels like’ temperature was a degree or two cooler than the regulatory maximum. Any higher would have meant another postponement. Anxious eyes on the thermometer. It did not cross the safety line.
The weather forecast two weeks before the event made the organisers, Blackmore Vale Lions, resort to several additional measures to allow the race to proceed safely. There was a scramble to get extra medics, extra staff, additional water carriers and more cups, more shaded areas, plant
sprayers to mist the runners, paddling pools to soak scrap towels in to drape over the runners as they finished, confirm an air conditioned safety bus to follow the runners, a hose pipe with spay attachment to rapidly cool serious casualties.
During the race, marshals misted the runners and handed out extra water at the check points. The marshals were stoic in manning their positions in the blazing sun, some for five hours. There were four heat casualties. Two were treated at the finish, and two spotted by the marshals were retired by the mobile medics and evacuated to the air conditioned minibus.
The winner of the men’s half marathon was Jonathon Churchill of Egdon Heath Harriers, who also won an age group prize and with two colleagues Charlie Williams (third) and Matthew Underhill (fifth) won the men’s team
prize.
Egdon Heath were just as successful in the Ladies events with winner Hannah Martyn (54th) and team members Theresa Green (57th) Julie Wargent (79th) all of whom won age group prizes.
The prizes were presented by Roger Weeks from Diabetes UK, this year’s major charity.
Blackmore Vale Lions would like to thank the following for their generosity: Johnson’s Stalbridge Linen Sturminster Newton Depot for the towels, Vale Coaches for their minibus,
2nd Templecombe Scouts for ‘being prepared’ to do all sorts of things, Bishops Caundle parish council and village hall, Stalbridge Building Supplies, and Dike and Son Supermarket for sponsorship and the race numbers.
Pictures by Matthew Phillips
LAUGHTER, music and magic filled the streets and venues of Shaftesbury for the annual fringe festival.
Thousands turned out to catch hundreds of performances across the weekend - which ran from July 18 to 20.
The Shaftesbury Fringe saw hundreds of acts perform at dozens of venues across the town, entertaining thousands of people on stages large and small.
After the event, organisers thanked visitors and volunteers, saying it had been “an incredible weekend”.
“Massive, massive thanks to everyone who makes it happen
- from the tireless volunteers both behind the scenes and highly visible in pink, the photographers who captured it all, food and drink vendors who kept us all refreshed, our town’s supportive businesses and community organisations and of course the cartoonists, artists, singers, dancers, musicians, comedians and myriad other creative genius performers, plus the venues without whom there’d be nothing at all for you, the amazing public to enjoy,” they added.
Planning is now already underway for the 2026 edition of the fringe, which is set to run from July 17 to 19.
70th Traditional
All your favourites including
White Elephant ~ The Two Hats Busking Band
Barbeque & Beer Tent plus Pen Teas!
Grand Draw ~ Bottle Tombola ~ Plants & Produce etc...
Parking available. No dogs on field.
Proceeds to the Church and Pen Selwood Community Association
Please check final updates on www.penselwood.ning.com
ADVERTISING FEATURE
On Saturday the 2nd August from noon, Penselwood holds its 70th Anniversary Traditional Fete plus flower and produce show. There will be a toy stall, pre-loved clothing, ice cream stand and a book stall. Your 50p Grand Draw ticket could win you £250 or an annual membership to the Newt for two or many other great prizes.
There will be great bargains at the White Elephant with vintage glass, ornaments and a general rummaging
area. There is live music from The Two Hats Busking Band, a flower produce and craft show, BBQ, Pen Pub tent and lovely teas in the Village Hall. Proceeds will go to St Michael’s Church and the Penselwood Community Association.
Only Assistance Dogs allowed on the Fete field and cash is preferred with limited card facilities.
www.penselwood.ning.com
Annual Show on Saturday, August 16th at 2.30pm
At King’s School, Bruton Celebrating 100 years of Bruton & District Horticultural Society www.brutonhorticultural.org
E stablished in 2011, this 14th edition of the ever-popular chilli festival showcases artisan food from around Dorset, the West Country and beyond. Whether you love chilli or just can’t take the heat, with a total of over 125 tradestands there’s something for everyone at the Great Dorset Chilli Festival.
There are chilli plant competitions, a chilli sauce competition, and of course the crowdpleasing chilli eating competitions. This year the chilli and curry cook-off competitions have seen more entries than ever before.
Dorset chefs Mark Hartstone of La Fosse in Cranborne and Mat Follas MasterChef 2009 will be demonstrating recipes in the Talk Tent, and chilli plant growing expert Matt Simpson of Simpson’s Seeds will be sharing tips. Dr Tim Woodman returns this year to discuss the pioneering work exploring the medicinal benefits of capsaicin, the compound found in chillies that makes them ‘hot’.
Live music includes bands Sixteen String Jack, Old Baby Mackerel and festival favourites The Mother Ukers on the music stage, whilst up at the Cider Tent there’s stompin’ bluegrass from Big Joe Bone and well-known blues tracks from Rob Berry Blues. Putting smiles on faces with familiar Mexican tunes, Pablo returns with his roving 3-piece Mariachi band. Enjoy the music with some delicious international streetfood and a local cider, ale or a rum cocktail, or perhaps a glass of bubble tea or a Dorset-roasted coffee.
Children under 11 years enter free of charge, and ticket prices for children aged 11-15 years remain unchanged since 2016 at just £2.50 for online tickets. Reduced price online tickets are selling fast at www.greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk/tickets at £9.50 per adult until Tuesday 29th July. Full price tickets available at the gate.(£12 per adult).
Dates: Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd August 2025 | Times: 10.00am to 5.00pm
Location: the beautiful Stock Gaylard deer park at Lydlinch, near Sturminster Newton DT10 2BG
Free parking | Dogs welcome | No camping
LYN’S BINGO at Marnhull Royal British Legion DT10 1HR on August 11th. Eyes down 7pm.
HILLSIDE PARISHES FETE @ Ibberton Village Hall DT11 0EL from 1 pm Bar/BBQ, 2.30 pm Fete, Dog and Flower Show with Blandford Stour Valley Band
Discover what actually goes on behind the wire at Guys Marsh
Explore the steps to rehabilitation: The butterfly farm project | Sustainable recycling project Education | Horticultural activities and more
AN EVENING FEATURING ARTWORKS FROM PRISONERS, DRINKS AND CANAPES FRIDAY 29TH AUGUST BOW ROOM, THE EXCHANGE, STURMINSTER NEWTON 5PM - 8PM
THE Child Okeford Art Trail, now in its fifth year, will be hosting 22 artists and craftspeople in their own homes, studios and community spaces.
Diane Ablitt will be exhibiting at the Old School House, but this year will be showcasing her designs in a newly refurbished studio in the garden.
She will be joined by Kathy Clarke, an impressive linocut printer, and Jo Burnell, whose pots are hand thrown in earthenware clay and decorated in bold colourful designs inspired by the Dorset countryside.
Artist, Rob Adams, at Clock Cottage, has also been busy building a new studio display area.
Cath Broadway, from Elm House Studio pottery, and Sue Fawthrop will join him. Sue’s work is about mood and atmosphere, inspired by the landscape and coastal areas of Dorset and further afield.
11 artists are exhibiting in the village hall where local charity SERO – raising money for Julia’s House Children’s Hospice – will be offering light refreshments, homemade cakes and sandwiches throughout the four days.
Julie Little is selling her paintings, with all proceeds adding to their funds.
Victoria Garland, a north Dorset printmaker, is a new artist in the hall this year.
Most of her work has been produced by the intaglio process of etching either copper or steel plates in limited, variable editions.
She is particularly drawn to winter trees without leaves – the integral structure and form being totally visible and inevitably some trees find themselves in her etchings.
Rachel Raine is another new north Dorset addition.
She designs and handmakes unique silver jewellery, decorative boxes and other small pieces using mainly recycled silver and fairly traded, traceable, ethically sourced stones.
is organising the following social activities and everyone is welcome to join in.
A Monday afternoon of tabletop games at PIP Café
Poundbury 2pm-5pm. £5.00 for members and non-members. Refreshments included.
Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble; Rummikub; Bananagram; chess; backgammon; mah jong; canasta.
Dates include: 1st September, 13th October, 10th November, 8th December, 12th January 2026 and 9th February 2026
Pizza Night
Sunday 17th August 7pm
£15.00. Bar available. Dewflock Farm, Winterbourne Monkton, Dorchester, DT2 8NP
The Blue Pool & Nature Reserve Visit
Wednesday 17th September
£16.00. Visit to The Blue Pool and nature reserve near Wareham to include refreshments. Meet at The Blue Pool entrance at 10am.
Apple picking at Lower Muckleford Farm, DT2 9SW. Saturday 4th/Sunday 5th October 10am start Ploughman’s lunch provided. This is a free event.
Please contact Rosemary Rogers rosemarywdt2@gmail.com or phone 07788436797 for more information and to book your place at the above events
SHOWCASE 2025, Large Arts and Crafts exhibition, Friday 1st - Tuesday 5th August 2025, 10am -4pm, Purbeck School, Wareham, BH20 4PF
TARRANT GUNVILLE
HORSE AND COMIC DOG
SHOW : Saturday 16th August 8.30am – 4.30pm, Eastbury Park, DT11 8JQ. £7 per car
RAILWAY
CLUB, Open Day, Saturday 2nd August, 10-4.30 Scout Hut, Eagle House Gardens, Blandford. Admission Donation. Children FREE
MERE AMATEUR DRAMATIC SOCIETY- We welcome everyone, no matter how keen to act on stage or help backstage. Unleash your inner actor, Be part of our story. If you’d like more information please contact us, Holly Robert on behalf of MADS - 07801901912 or hollymfuoco@gmail.com
Her designs are mainly inspired by nature’s patterns and textures, incorporating semiprecious stones such as agates and jaspers, as well as precious gems and fossils, including dinosaur bone, ammonites and trilobites.
Village resident, Kirsty Baird, will be joining the Community Centre artists this year with her paintings inspired by her love of the countryside and village life.
The Child Okeford Art Trail 2025 offers a chance to meet in person painters, jewellers, photographers, potters and more.
It runs from Friday to Monday, August 22-25, 11am-4pm daily.
A leaflet providing details about all the participants is available from a variety of locations.
FREE ENTRY
Dorchester Vegan Summer Market. 10am-4pm Sunday 10th August 2025 Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, DT1 1TY Not just for vegans! email : wdveganevents@ gmail.com
JOIN US FOR LUNCH, SHERBORNE COMMUNITY KITCHEN, only £7. Every Thursday and Friday at the Raleigh Hall. Doors open from 11.30 tea, coffee. Lunch served 12.30. To book: 07561-067381
KEITHFEST, Fri 8th & Sat 9th August 2025, Henstridge Airfield BA8 0TN, Family-friendly music festival in memory of our son Keith. A day to entertain both family and music lovers to raise much needed funds for mental health charities. Live bands, Licensed Bars, Street Food, Ice Cream & Coffee & lots more, https://www.keithfest.co.uk/
THE 43rd Festival of Music and Art at Burton Bradstock promises six days of classical, jazz and international music with acclaimed performers.
Lunchtime, evening and late-night concerts will be held at St Mary’s Parish Church from Sunday, August
10, to Friday, August 15.
David Juritz, the festival’s artistic director, said: “[The church] is the real star of the week – the perfect venue for relaxed but brilliant music”.
He added: “There will be music you love and music that will enchant you and surprise you.
DORSET artist and metal sculptor, Charles Tibbey, has been working with learners from The Luccombe Hub, a small independent specialist school in Milton Abbas.
They worked together over two days to produce an abstract sculpture which now has pride of place in the Hub grounds.
The youngsters, aged between 10 and 18, hammered discs of galvanised steel over forming rings to create dish shapes.
Charles showed them how to centre and make holes with hand and pillar drills.
The dishes were then rivetted together to make the sculpture,
with each learner choosing where to place their dish and contributing to the overall shape of the finished piece.
Charles said: “Working with young people from the Hub was an absolute pleasure.
“For many of them this was their first time making a sculpture.
“Although working with cold metal has its own challenges, they listened well and took to each new task without any difficulties.”
The final sculpture catches the sunlight and shines beautifully, and will make a fascinating water feature once the weather turns.
“Notable music anniversaries this year include Maurice Ravel and Georges Bizet, who were born and died respectively 150 years ago, and the jazz legend Oscar Peterson, born on August 15, 1925, six weeks after the death of Erik Satie.”
That is be a big clue to what lies behind several of his choices – full details of the programme can be found on the festival website.
Tickets are on sale from Bridport Tourist Information
Centre, by phoning 01308 424901 or online at https:// bridportandwestbay.co.uk/ tickets
The festival’s art exhibition, which runs from August 10-17, will be held as usual in the village hall.
Visitors will be able to view a high standard of art in various media by leading south west artists.
Entry is free and details can be found on the festival website, www.burton bradstockfestival.com
THEATRE outdoors is on offer with two productions at venues in Sherborne.
Illyria will be staging The Wind in the Willows at The Sherborne on Friday, August 8, and The Merry Wives of Windsor on Wednesday, August 20.
The company has also performed Pride and Prejudice and HMS Pinafore in previous weeks in the town.
Audience members are encouraged to take seating, picnics and warm clothing in preparation for an evening outdoors.
Doors open at 6.30pm each night, with performances starting at 7.30pm.
Tickets are available from Castle Gardens in New Road and online via www.illyria. co.uk.
Michael Kiwanuka is headlining the We Out Here festival, being staged at St Giles House, Wimborne, later this month.
The festival, hosted by DJ Gilles Peterson, also features international artists including Noname, MJ Cole, London jungle DJs 4AM KRU, Theo Parrish, and Chicago ensemble, Rotary Connection 222, who celebrate and perform the music of Charles Stepney.
The festival includes music, talks, workshops, wellness and food – and celebrates local talent, including The Hush
Club, who will deliver a DJ set on the Roller Rink on the Sunday evening of the event.
Lou Woodward, community outreach lead at We Out Here, said: “There is nowhere better to host We Out Here than St Giles.
“The estate is the most beautiful, magical setting to bring people together to celebrate and enjoy music, arts and culture.
“We’re delighted to have more local partners on board than ever before.
“We Out Here celebrates the very best of local talent, food and community.”
A team from the Four Acre Farm community interest company will be running bug hotel and moth display workshops, and planting and sowing seeds on the Friday and Saturday of the festival. Food and drink will be on offer with local traders including Dorset Kitchen,
OneNine58, Tibetan Street Food and Velo Domestique all at the show.
The festival has partnered with Wimborne Food Bank to donate surplus stock after the festival ends.
We Out Here Festival runs from Thursday to Sunday August 14-17.
TREEHOUSE Theatre is inviting children and their families to join it for an exciting adaptation of Treasure Island at Shillingstone and Sixpenny Handley.
Young Jim Hawkins and his best friend Doctor Libby have set off on the adventure of their lives, in search of the legendary Pirate Treasure.
But is danger lurking out there on the high seas? Is the charismatic Captain Silver and her pet parrot, Carrot, all they appear to be? What will they find where ‘X’ marks the spot? And why is Jim not allowed to
The story is laced with all the fun of panto-style audience interaction, live music, singing and dancing, plus a mixture of colourful characters and gripping action.
The show is suitable for youngsters aged four and over, and includes sign language throughout and resources for visually impaired audience members.
Treasure Island, presented with Dorset touring arts charity Artsreach, is on Sunday, August 10, at Sixpenny Handley
Village Hall at 11am and
Shillingstone Portman Hall at 3pm.
A limited number of audience members will be able
to take part in the show. Further information plus booking information is available online at www.artsreach.co.uk
THE Laudemus choir, led by former King’s Singer, choral director and composer, Jeremy Jackman, is returning to Dorset this month.
The group, which takes its name from Latin for ‘let us praise!’, has its roots in the Wimborne Arts Festival
of 1991.
The choir has returned each year since then to bring cathedral-style Evensong to country churches across Dorset. It operates as an annual summer course, with singers coming from all over the UK and some from
THREE Inch Fools are dusting down their musical instruments and heading back to Dorset with their take on arguably Shakespeare’s most iconic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The touring company will be performing their new open-air show at Winterborne Stickland Sports & Social Club with Dorset rural arts charity Artsreach.
It is Midsummer’s eve and deep in an enchanted forest mischief is stirring.
The Fairy King and Queen are feuding, four runaway lovers are tying themselves in knots and a troupe of appalling actors are preparing a theatrical extravaganza destined to impress.
With shape-shifting troublemaker Puck at the helm, the course of true love never did run smooth…
Tickets for the performance on Friday, August 15, at 7pm – and further information – are available from 01258 881329 or online at www.artsreach.co.uk
overseas.
The repertoire is wide ranging, with different music for each service on the tour.
This summer, Laudemus will visit churches in Shillingstone (August 12), Dorchester (August 13), Sturminster Marshall
(August 14), Verwood (August 15) and the Minster in Wimborne (August 16).
The choir is accompanied for the week by Dorset-born organist Sam Hanson, who pursues a busy freelance career as conductor, accompanist and composer in Dorset and London.
Across
7 A guy in Colorado for all to see gets US creature (7)
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.
9 Eradicate part of quarter, a settlement (5)
10 Grey congregation with fellow missing (3)
11 First person, fool I partner at the beginning (9)
12 Serious British poet falling short (5)
14 Pair beginning to express grimace in introduction (7)
16 Free pair of notes on organ (7)
18 Scented tea, stunning thing in water (5)
Down
1 Moggy essentially into varied cat food –unforeseen phenomenon? (3,2,3)
2 Good free source of power? (4)
3 Constrain old ship’s captain that’s restricted energy (6)
4 Take oil around island close to shore (6)
5 Lose power again and retreat (4,4)
6 Flock to get alcoholic drink (4)
8 Insignificant nation Trump abused (11)
19 Secures top exhibition initially for a painting (9)
20 Greek character of a cold nature (not half!) (3)
21 Loves to mess around and clear up (5)
22 Victory largely stimulating experience followed by expression of doubt (7)
Killer Sudoku Pro Place numbers 1 to 9 once each into every row, column and bold-lined 3x3 box. No digit 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.
13 A pair of learners favoured a liberal line, everything considered (3,2,3)
15 Detective on location, it’s said, showing vision (8)
17 Maritime craft leaves select harbours (6)
18 US writer with an automatic reaction in form (6)
19 Whip left by tree (4)
20 Search thoroughly small band leaving circle (4)
1 Moggy essentially into varied cat food – an unforeseen phenomenon? (3,2,3) 2 Good free source of power? (4) 3 Constrain old ship’s captain that’s restricted energy (6) 4 Take oil around island close to shore (6) 5 Lose power again and retreat (4,4)
6 Flock to get alcoholic drink (4) 8 Insignificant nation Trump abused (11) 13 A pair of learners favoured a liberal line, everything considered (3,2,3) 15 Detective on location, it’s said, showing vision (8)
17 Maritime craft leaves select harbours (6) 18 US writer with an automatic reaction in verse form (6)
19 Whip left by tree (4)
20 Search thoroughly small band leaving circle (4)
Blackmore Vale, August 1, 2025
• Anglican High Mass at Wimborne St Giles: First Sunday of each month at 11am.
• Blandford Methodist Church: Sundays – services at 10.45am. Thursdays – coffee and chat from 10am-noon. Fridays – lunch club for 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.
• Bell Street United Church, Shaftesbury: Sundays –services at 10.30am. Second Sunday of the month, All Age Service. Everyone welcome.
• Blandford Evangelical Church: Sunday – 10am Family Service, including classes for three-18 year olds. Monday Fellowship – weekly, 2.30pm-3.30pm, everyone welcome, term times only. Tuesday – Footprints, an activities playtime for preschool children, 10am-11.30am and 1.15pm-2.45pm, term times only. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings – small groups meet at homes at 7.30pm. The church is in Albert Street. Phone 450689 for more information.
• Castleton, Sherborne, St Mary Magdalene (DT9 3SA): First, third and fourth Sundays, Sung Mattins; second and fifth Sundays, Holy Communion. All services are BCP at 11.15am.
• Chalbury Church: Fourth Sunday of the month, 10am Holy Communion.
• Cheap Street Church, Sherborne: Prayer time –9.45am Thursday; Thought for the Day – 10.30am Thursday. Sunday service at 10.30am. Monday Music second Monday of the month at 6.15pm with a bring and share supper. Rendezvous Community Cuppa – third Monday each month, 10.30am-12.30pm; chat, ‘cuppa’ (£1) and cake (£2); support/ advice from local surgery, speak to a pharmacist, blood pressure checks and Age UK will attend; all welcome; profits to Rendezvous.
• Cream teas by the river:
Every Sunday in August, 2.30pm-4.30pm, Damerham Village Hall SP6 3HU. In aid of St George’s Church, Damerham. Bric-a-brac, home grown produce. Plenty of shade, inside if wet.
• Digby Memorial Church Hall: Children’s Choir –rehearses at the Almshouse on Mondays at 4pm. Contact charlie.gurnham@ sherborneabbey.com, assistant director of music, to join, or just turn up.
• Hinton Martell: Second Sunday of the month, 10am Holy Communion.
• Horton Church: First Sunday of the month, 10am 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.
• Lufton Church: Prayer Book services every Sunday at 6pm. Sung Mass on the third Sunday. See www.lufton.co.uk for details.
• Our Lady’s RC Church, Marnhull: Mass Sunday, 9am and 6pm.
• Sacred Heart, Tisbury, and All Saints’ Wardour Catholic Parish: Sunday Mass – Sacred Heart, Tisbury, 9am, coffee after Mass; All Saints’ Wardour 10.30am.
• Shapwick: Third Sunday of the month, 9.15am Holy Communion.
• 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 Quakers: One hour of silent prayer or meditation every Sunday at 10.30am at Raleigh Hall, Digby Road DT9 3NL. Everyone welcome. Contact Nick Jackman at sherbornequakers@ gmail.com
• St Gregory’s, Marnhull: Sunday services 8am and 10am. Other services, visit www. stgregorysmarnhull.org.uk.
• St John’s Church, Enmore Green: Service every Sunday at 11.15am; parish communion on the first Sunday of the month; prayer services every other Sunday.
• St Margaret’s, Margaret Marsh (Shaftesbury Benefice) SP7 0AZ: Alternating first Sundays Mattins and Holy Communion, 11.15am. Everyone welcome.
• St Mary’s, Motcombe: Evening worship (BCP) – every first Sunday 6pm; parish communion – every second and fourth Sunday 9.30am; evening worship – every third Sunday 6pm.
• St Mary’s, Sturminster Newton: First, third and fourth 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 Mary & St Bartholomew’s Church, Cranborne: Book of Common Prayer Evensong with the Benefice Choir, first Sunday of the month at 6pm.
• St Peter’s, Hinton St Mary: First, second and third Sundays, 9.30am Morning Prayer. Fourth Sunday, 9.30am Holy Communion.
• St Simon and St Jude
Church, Milton-On-Stour: Sam Woodcock will be giving a talk on the church’s history on Friday, August 8, 6.30pm for 7pm, followed by an optional walk around the village, 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Sam has lived in the village most of his life, apart from 30 years as a teacher in London. He has in-depth knowledge of Milton and its church and has seen many changes, including major re-ordering in 2017. His talk will take the audience from its origins in 1319 through to today. All welcome –admission is free but please help run the church by donating if you can.Refreshments provided before the talk and after the walk. Parking in school alongside.
• St Thomas’, Lydlinch: Second Sunday, Holy Communion 11am; third Sunday, Evensong 6pm; fourth Sunday, Matins 11am.
• Two Rivers Benefice: Sunday, August 3: 10.45am – Together Communion at St Mary’s Church, Blandford St Mary (outdoors if dry). Sunday, August 10: 9.30am –Communion at St Mary’s Church, Blandford St Mary; 11am – Communion at All Saints Church, Langton Long; 11am – Family Service at St Mary’s Church, Tarrant Rushton. Coffee and cake –Blandford St Mary, 10am11.30am, Wednesday, August 21. ‘Crafternoons’, 2pm-4pm, 1st Thursday of every month (£3 including refreshments). Coffee stop – Charlton Marshall Parish Centre, 10.30am12.30pm, Tuesday to Friday.
• West Camel Independent Methodists: Meet at All Saints Church, BA22 7QB. Sunday August 3, 4pm – United Sunday @ Four with tea. Sundays, August 10, 17 and 24, 6pm
– Evening services. Sunday, August 31, 6pm – United Service. A warm friendly welcome to everyone. Contact: Geoff.mead@yahoo.com or phone 01935 850838.
• Witchampton Church: Third Sunday of the month, 10am Holy Communion.
IN his ‘political piece’ – New Blackmore Vale, June 20 – Dr Andrew Murrison, in criticising the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, wrote: “The job of the government is to provide the conditions for a vibrant economy and then let business do the rest. Tax flows follow. I’m just a simple doctor, but I know that.”
With respect to Dr Murrison’s profession and, at 82, having benefited considerably from his medical colleagues, I doubt that being a doctor is at all simple.
However, his statement about the job of government is simplistic in the extreme. Is that all there is to running a country? Leave it to business and all will be well?
I doubt it. Leave it to business and, restrained only by legal restrictions, business will produce anything that makes a profit.
Of course, there are many socially and environmentally responsible businesses, but when I look at, for example, the range of hair dyes, body lotions and cosmetics in pharmacies and department stores, I can’t help wondering, “do we really need all this? – and what’s the environmental cost?”
In fact, I thought the first duty of government is ensuring the security of the nation – and that involves more than military defence.
Our security is threatened by degradation of the environment, loss of species and depletion of resources, and until such factors are considered priorities, business activity and economic growth will count for nothing.
Of course, like many people, I’ve been the beneficiary of economic growth since the Second World War, but equally I’ve lobbied – unsuccessfully –for a different way of doing things that takes account of environmental limits.
The environmental disaster of HS2, the planned expansion of Heathrow and Bristol airports, and the planned expansion of AI, which will require massive amounts of energy, are all the result of economic thinking – although why anyone would believe the economic prediction of benefits of HS2 in X years’ time is beyond me.
As the late JK Galbraith – a prominent US economist – once said: “The purpose of economic forecasting is to make astrology seem respectable.”
Turning to Rachel Reeves, who, despite differences with Dr Murrison, sings from the same economics hymn sheet, I note that she, like many of her colleagues, graduated in PPE – Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Unfortunately, by the time they are elected to Parliament, they have ditched ‘philosophy’ – which is surely about logical thinking.
As the 19th century philosopher, economist and MP, John Stuart Mill, once said: “When all this growth has ceased, in what state do we expect to find ourselves?”
Colin Marsh, Revd Gillingham
I READ about the new ‘paradise’ to ‘save bees’ at Holloway Farm with interest – New Blackmore Vale, July 18.
Congratulations to all involved in what sounds like a great project for beekeeping.
I was a beekeeper for many years and loved it.
It is endlessly fascinating and great to see it being promoted.
But let’s be clear – if we’re ‘saving the bees’ it should be bumblebees and solitary bees.
I hope the many donors to the new centre understand that.
Honeybees are far from being threatened, in the UK or globally.
Numbers are now so high in London that they are threatening wild bee populations.
There is one European honeybee but thousands of other species of pollinators, many very specialist.
It is these other insects we should be worried about, as many are in catastrophic decline.
Nick Mann Founder, Habitat Aid Ltd, ex-trustee, Bumblebee Conservation Trust
IF Dorset Council feels it is vital to deter Wiltshire residents from using the Household Recycling Centre in Shaftesbury, there are far easier and cheaper ways to ensure only Dorset residents access the facility than using than an unnecessary, inconvenient, time consuming and costly online booking system.
Quite simply, any Dorset resident who needs to dispose of waste could obtain a car windscreen sticker from the
local library confirming the owner of the vehicle is a resident of the county – the application could be supported by appropriate identification but, should the need arise, this could also be checked with the electoral roll, council tax record, library card registration or even the DVLA.
With the sticker in the windscreen, then automatic access to the Dorset facilities is available. A much easier and cheaper solution.
Roy Mitchell Shaftesbury SP7 9JZ
I HAVE just returned from a visit to the new banking hub in Sherborne.
I have to go on a Tuesday as I am a Lloyd’s customer and that is our designated day.
I joined the queue at 11am and was eventually seen at 11.35am – at one point the queue was out of the door.
May I suggest Lloyd’s customers take a fold-up chair, as you may be in for a long wait!
M Buckingham Sherborne
IN recent weeks, I’ve heard from many residents concerned about the future of Crewkerne Community Hospital. I want to thank everyone who’s been in touch. As your MP, I take these concerns seriously, and I’ve been raising them directly with NHS leaders.
Let me be clear – Crewkerne Hospital is not closing. That has been confirmed by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. However, it is true it is reviewing the use of beds in the hospital. This is something I’m watching very closely.
Beds in community hospitals like Crewkerne play a vital role. They support safe recovery closer to home, reduce pressure on overstretched hospitals like Yeovil District and help ensure people get the right care in the right place. If those beds go, people could be stuck in hospital longer than necessary or sent home too soon without proper support. That’s not acceptable.
The NHS Ten Year Plan
encourages more care in the community, and I agree with that in principle. The idea of offering more services like diagnostics, outpatient clinics or even chemotherapy locally could be really positive. But these improvements must come on top of, not instead of, the services we already rely on.
We know there’s a crisis in social care and too many people are waiting for the support they need at home. That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a long-term plan to fix social care – including proper funding, fair pay for care workers and real integration with the NHS. Our health and care services cannot function in isolation.
I’ve also made it clear to local NHS leaders that any changes must be done with the
community, not to it. The trust’s talk of ‘engagement’ is not enough. If major changes are on the table, there must be full, open and formal consultation with residents. People in Crewkerne deserve honesty and a real say in what happens next.
NHS Somerset has launched a summer engagement programme, and I’d strongly encourage local residents to take part and share their views. I’ll continue to press for transparency, proper public involvement and clear answers about the future of our local health services.
Community hospitals like Crewkerne are a vital part of our local system. I will do everything I can to protect them – and make sure your voice is heard every step of the way.
SO, pension age is being reviewed again. That can mean only one thing – another rise. People are living longer. That’s great but it means that government and services must adapt because the costs are very significant, potentially putting unsustainable burdens on working families.
I hope ministers will look closely at the Integrated Retirement Community (IRC) model. I discovered it in New Zealand when visiting my great aunt. She had her own front door and independence but also access to services and personal care if needed. She was very pleased with her choice which enabled her to live comfortably and with dignity in the small town she had lived and worked in as a teacher. I found much the same on a visit last year to one of the relatively few IRCs in this country, Chantry Court in Westbury.
IRCs have been increasingly common and popular in New Zealand since the Retirement Villages Act was passed in 2003, outlining and protecting the rights and obligations of operators and residents before, during and after living in an
IRC. We could have something very similar in the UK.
Indeed, I’d say we need something similar in the UK. There are only 70,000 of these housing-with-care units in the UK. Since the over-65 population is expected to grow to 27% of the total population by 2072, we clearly need many more. New Zealand is way ahead of us, with 15% of over-75s living in retirement villages.
The benefits are obvious. Loneliness – common among the elderly – is ameliorated. Keeping active keeps illness at bay. There’s evidence that people living in IRCs live longer, healthier lives.
I have pledged to be an IRC Parliamentary Champion, speaking up for the sector. That way I can work with other MPs across party lines to make the case and encourage ministers to look at permissive legislation
like New Zealand’s Retirement Villages Act.
In other news, I have met transport minister Lilian Greenwood to discuss the A350, A36 and A303. Ironically, I very nearly missed the meeting thanks to the appalling service provided by South Western Railway that makes the lives of so many of the travelling public locally a misery.
I subsequently attended, virtually, a meeting of Westbury Town Council to discuss prospects for a Westbury bypass. We may finally get this as part of a ‘north-south strategic route’ the department for transport wants to designate through Wiltshire involving the A36 from Salisbury and the A350 north of Warminster. But without considerable road improvements it’s a non-starter in my view.
LAST time we reflected on how the difficult decisions made by government are, in fact, more difficult for the people directly affected by them. The proposed reform of welfare payments was/is a case in point. There is another aspect of government decision making that we need to consider, namely who exactly is influencing the decision makers? Our precious democracy has evidently been significantly hijacked by vested financial interests, leaving it corrupted to the point where it no longer serves us the way we need it to.
Research by Fossil Free Parliament reveals that between last October and December government ministers met fossil fuel industry representatives an average of almost twice every working day. Surely the industry most responsible for climate change should not be allowed that many opportunities to lobby and influence the
ministers responsible for developing our country’s energy and climate policies. Political donations are another means by which our democracy is corrupted.
Anyone puzzled by the softening of Labour’s approach towards loosening regulation of the financial industry should note that bankers and financiers have been replacing trade
unions and small donors as the principal backers of the party. And Labour’s warm relationship with the oil and gas industry, including plans to fund attempts at carbon capture and storage (CCS) to the tune of £22 billion, needs to be seen in the light of fossil fuel sponsored events at the Labour party conference, and donations to the party from companies lobbying on behalf of oil and gas companies.
While Reform UK is loudly calling for the scrapping of all Net Zero policies, it’s worth noting that prior to the 2024 general election campaign 92% of Reform’s funding came from fossil fuel interests and climate deniers. Claims that we can’t afford Net Zero are based on treating private industry investments in renewable energy projects as though they are a cost to the taxpayer, which is clearly nonsense. They also completely ignore the
crippling costs of inaction, with increasingly extreme weather events disrupting businesses and livelihoods, damaging people’s property and hitting farmers hard.
As far back as the 1960s the fossil fuel industry’s own scientists warned them of the danger of catastrophic climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Rather than change course and focus on renewable energy, the industry chose to coordinate a global media effort to dispute climate science and to lobby against fossil fuel restrictions. This kept their profits flowing so that in the short-term vast sums of money could be made by a few people, at the expense of a comfortable long-term future for all of us. The Green Party stands for the changes needed to ensure honesty and transparency in politics, and to secure a liveable future for everyone. Join us!
EXACTLY one year ago I gave my maiden speech in Parliament. Today I am proud to say I made my 100th spoken contribution in the Chamber. In that time, I have also submitted 1,000 written questions to Ministers and tabled 20 Early Day Motions.
Parliament now breaks for summer recess, which means the House won’t be sitting again until the beginning of September. For me, that means six weeks of being back home with my family, uninterrupted by the need to go to London. But, despite what some might say, it is not ‘time off’ or a holiday. It just means I can focus entirely on being in the constituency.
As well as meeting with community groups and holding constituency surgeries, I’ll also
Edward Morello
be continuing my policy roundtables – including one on support for the hospitality and tourism sector, and one for
cultural organising in West Dorset.
I will also once again be going on my ‘summer tour’ of village halls. This summer I will be holding drop-ins in Martinstown, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Chetnole, Thorncombe, Netherbury, Litton Cheney, Cheselbourne, Toller Porcorum, Stratton and Broadmayne.
I’ll also be at the Dorset Food & Arts Festival, The Cattistock Countryside Show, The One World Festival, Sherborne Steam and Waterwheel Centre, Bridport Carnival, Dorchester Cider Festival, The Melplash Show and Dorset County Show. As well, I suspect, many more village fetes.
I am also very much looking forward to spending a day with
South West Ambulance Service.
In my maiden speech I lauded our wonderful towns and villages, our beautiful coastline and our fantastic countryside that is the beating heart of my constituency. I promised to fight for our farmers and food producers, to end the blight of sewage in rivers and beaches, to champion the urgent need for action on climate change and for better services for West Dorset. That fight is not over. During the summer and when I return to Parliament for the next Parliamentary term, I will continue the fight. There will be 100 more speeches and 1,000 more questions to Ministers. I look forward to continuing to proudly represent West Dorset.
LAST week the Government announced it would be listening to Liberal Democrat calls by scrapping Ofwat and replacing it with a tougher new independent water regulator. I am pleased that action is finally being taken to tackle sewage dumping and clean up our rivers and beaches, after years of the Conservatives turning a blind eye to this scandal.
Ofwat has allowed water companies off the hook for far too long. Although not the worst performing, Wessex Water leaked sewage for more than 400,000 hours last year alone, contributing to the failing health of rivers across Somerset. This resulted in 3,500 sewage spills in Glastonbury and Somerton last year, a total of 45,000 hours of spills.
The stretch of the River Parrett in Langport is a popular spot for swimmers and water sports, but it’s been badly impacted by the sewage crisis, with raw sewage discharged 54
Lib Dem MP for Glastonbury & Somerton Sarah Dyke
times in 2023. So, alongside Langport Town Council and working with Wessex Water I am advocating for this section of the River Parrett to become a designated bathing water site, which would afford it more frequent testing.
In addition, as a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, I have been able to scrutinise water companies and regulators
through the committee’s reforming the water sector inquiry. Last month I questioned Sir John Cunliffe, the chair of the Independent Water Commission, over the publication of its interim report. I pushed him on the failure of numerous water sector strategies to prioritise action or ensure accountability.
Not only must the Government get on with setting up the new regulator to hold water companies to account, it must also ban industry sector executives’ bonuses and ensure sewage spills are stopped, bills brought down and our waterways cleaned up for everyone to enjoy in future.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the creation of a public benefit model, and a water regulator with more powers to hold companies accountable. This model would be debt-free and operate as a not-for-profit. All mutual company ‘profits’ would be
reinvested back into the water system for public benefit. By putting debt back onto private companies, customers and taxpayers will be better protected.
With many areas in the UK experiencing water deficits this summer, it’s critical that we solve the crisis to ensure a more resilient and sustainable water supply. By 2040, the impact is predicted to be severe in Somerset and exacerbated by climate change, we are likely to witness increasingly frequent flooding events that devastate communities.
I will continue to fight relentlessly for true reform to our water sector, that protects our environment, holds water companies to account and protects consumers from price rises.
As always if there is anything I can assist you with, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me at sarah.dyke. mp@parliament.uk
by Tria Stebbing
THE summer that keeps on giving – giving a headache to anyone that has a few acres and some animals.
The latest blast of inferno weather looked set to stay, and with any hint of a green hue missing from the field we decided to bale. Cutting our losses as the grass has stopped growing, it just becomes more parched every day. The timing was not great as it was too late to cancel work commitments I
already had pencilled in, so Chris set about doing what he could.
This was made much easier with the addition of a new piece of kit called a Flat 8 bale grab. I was readily replaced by a piece of equipment that could pick up the bales much quicker than I could. As expected, our own field had very little to cut, and what was there was very dusty.
The other fields were not too bad but had a lot of thistles, so will be preferred by the cows. It
was all done and dusted – or dusty – in four days and is now safely in the barn ready for whatever the next winter brings.
The flock has been split, the Dutch Spotted, and the lambs are really getting stuck into their field, which is a few miles away. The lambs have learnt to be self-sufficient and are exploring the different textures they can find to eat. Hedgerows seem to be a firm favourite, and they are great at keeping the hedge line almost perfect.
The flock have been treated against flystrike, although that does not mean we can become complacent. Checking twice a day for any sign of maggots and spraying with a spot-on repellent becomes part of the day.
One of the older ewes has developed Sweet Itch again and her head is very inflamed. She reacts to the bites of mosquitos
and suffers from an itch sore rash during the summer. Visibly irritated by the itch, she rubs her sores against the tree trunks looking for relief, which then breaks the skin open again, leaving her at risk of flystrike. Nappy cream works best – it is not her best look, but it is hoped gives some relief. She likes to sit with her head resting on the big tree in the shade, no doubt more intelligent than we give her credit for.
Nova, Nirvana and Neil remain still with the ewes and are finding their way and maturing into fully fledged self-sufficiency. This week they have been drinking from the bucket and not the bottle and discovering the treats the feed trough brings.
I am sad to see them fledge as I have become very attached to them. They will, however, be useful when it comes to moving
IT was my very great pleasure and honour to be invited to speak to a meeting of local businesses and business leaders which had been organised by the Chambers of Commerce covering Gillingham, Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton. Chambers of commerce trace their roots back to the Guilds of Medieval England and play an important role in co-ordinating the views of local business and representing them to local authorities, MPs and others. If you are not a member, I would urge you to join one – I am not on commission, before you ask.
I thought I might, in this article, reprise some of my main themes from my remarks. The doing of business in all its guises is crucial. It sounds self-evident but it needs to be said. What does business do? First, it creates jobs. Those jobs deliver financial and health wellbeing for those in them. We all know that work provides confidence, financial security and the ability to provide for one’s family. They also deliver taxes through National Insurance and Income Tax. The businesses themselves pay Business Rates, VAT, they make pension contributions and they generate Corporation Tax. They create and sustain supply chains
that link together to build a sum of the parts which is much stronger than the individual components. That supply chain is not just the producers of the, for example, parts that that business might require but also the local cleaning company, plumbers, electricians, grounds maintenance, clothing supplier and sandwich shop. It is an interconnected web.
And for those businesses, of all sizes – and North Dorset has a vast number of micro and small businesses as well as larger concerns, require an entrepreneurial, innovative spirit. It means jumping in and taking a risk. Will you find
Bales collected with the new a Flat 8 bale grab the flock about with their willingness to be first in line for everything – especially food. We have buzzards nesting in the corner of the field, and along with the jays and woodpeckers, they put on a fantastic display of colour. Last week a young fox was seen skulking across the cows’ field, no doubt on the lookout for dinner. Lock away your chickens!
customers? Will you find staff? Will it work? Sometimes a bank loan or re-mortgage provides the seed corn. But, in essence, it starts with an idea and the courage/bravery/recklessness to see it through. That should be recognised, appreciated, applauded and rewarded. Failure to do so means fewer people take the plunge. The losers – those seeking work and our public services – our doctors, nurses, teachers, armed forces, police etc who only exist because taxes can fund them. Taxes paid by jobs and the businesses that create them.
North Dorset businesses are plucky and resilient. But what do they need? A skilled workforce of young people able to meet the challenges of the future. It’s why I bang on about the importance of education so much. It needs a banking system that understands business and how to help it flourish. A planning system that
is flexible and fleet of foot to allow expansion. It needs a media and commentariat that is not forever business bashing and looking for the next ‘how to do business down’ story. Most importantly, it needs a Chancellor of the Exchequer to realise the importance of business, the fluidity of capital, to stop taxing business until the pips squeak and who understand that ‘hard working people’ include those who create and work in their own businesses. It is unfortunate – an understatement – that no departmental cabinet minister has ever worked in the private sector. Perhaps that is why they don’t understand that a strong private sector allows a strong public sector?
We need to salute and thank all of those who make those investments, who take that risk and who, through their endeavours, create a brighter future for us all.
CLARKE’S Auctions is selling about 500 lots of antiques and collectables – including a collection of trench art – at its sale next weekend.
Trench art relates to items made by soldiers, prisoners-ofwar and sometimes civilians.
The practice has been around since the Napoleonic War but became more commonplace during the First World War.
Items were often made from materials available during conflicts, like bullets and shell cases, but also wood and bone.
Pieces included model tanks and airplanes, shell case vases, ashtrays and letter knives, and more unusual items like whistles and bullet crucifixes.
Clarke’s is selling more than 50 lots of militaria and military bygones including an 18th century flintlock pistol, sword
sticks, a George III tipstaff, models of bi-planes and other planes, tanks and medals. Anyone considering selling items by auction is invited to contact the auction house.
Phone Richard Clarke or Karen Marshall on 01747
685592 at the salerooms at The Old Glove Factory, Buckingham Road, Gillingham SP8 4QF.
JEWELLERY achieved very good prices when Acreman St Auctioneers & Valuers, Sherborne, held its July sale.
Gold prices are at an all-time high, making it a good time to sell.
A heavy fancy link neckchain sold for £2,100 – hammer, a brutalist style 18ct chain £1,000, and a pair of double hoop gold earrings £450.
Acreman’s two-day August takes place on Thursday, August 28, 10am – General Antiques & Collectors; and Friday, August 29, 10am – Jewellery, Silver & Watches. Viewing is on Wednesday, August 27, 10am4pm. The catalogue and bidding are available online through easyliveauction.com and thesaleroom.com
Acreman holds regular valuation days where
prospective sellers can take in items for its specialists to evaluate at 121 Acreman Street Sherborne, DT9 3PH.
Valuation days 10am-3pm: Jewellery & Watches, Tuesdays and Saturday; Silver & Obje’t D’art, Tuesdays and Saturday; Toys & Collectables, Wednesdays and Saturday; Oriental & Asian, Thursday and Saturday; Coins, Stamps, Books & Ephemera, Friday and Saturday; Militaria, Friday and Saturday; Textiles & Fashion, Monday and Saturday; Paintings & Contemporary Art, Monday and Saturday.
Anyone who has anything they would like to enter for auction should contact Gill Norman on 01935 508764 or 07908 333577 or by email at auction@acremanstreet antiques.co.uk.
A LOCAL collector who entrusted HOLTS with his collection of 20 guns made by renowned Bristol gunmaker, George Gibbs, was delighted with the result – £30,000 for the antique and modern shotguns, rifles and muzzle-loading pistols.
One of the star lots was a cased .256 Gibbs-Farquharson falling-block sporting rifle, made for the Earl of Durham in about 1893, which well exceeded its £3,000-£5,000 estimate, finally selling after strong bidding for £7,000.
value for most guns of all categories.
Holts is now accepting consignments for its next auctions with valuation days throughout the region.
The next local ones are on Wednesday, August 27, at the NFU Mutual, Sturminster Newton, and Wednesday, September 3, at the GWCT, Fordingbridge, on Tuesday, September 16.
For a full list of venues, see the Holts website, www. holtsauctioneers.com.
DUKE’S auction house – an ever-shifting emporium of beauty, artistry and unusuality –welcomes the return of its ever-popular Interiors sale on Thursday, August 28 – a showcase of objects both storied and singular.
Among the highlights is a painted driftwood sculpture by the late Martin Scorey.
Holts, which only auctions modern and antique guns, military and sporting items, has again proved the international market is still very buoyant and an ideal way to realise the best
To book an appointment or discuss a valuation or home visit, contact David Thurgood on 01297 306123 or email westcountry@holtsauctioneers. com
with talent and reverence.
The result is a work both intentional and natural, and imbued with a certain quiet majesty.
Martin Scorey (1961-21):
Salvaged from the Hampshire shore, the wolf head is a rugged ode to nature’s own craftsmanship, formed by time, wind and tide.
Scorey, a devoted beachcomber, gave new life to these wayfaring fragments, guiding their transformation
This piece exemplifies the Interiors sale’s spirit – a confluence of the natural and the artistic, the decorative and the rare.
Consignments are invited until Thursday, August 7 – contact enquiries@dukesauctions.com
To discover more about buying, selling or exploring the world of Duke’s – from Interiors to the titanic auctions of October – visit dukesauctions.com
by Sally Gregson
JUST about every seaside town in the country, at least in the UK, boasts rows of gloriously coloured hydrangeas, hortensias, in full flower. Perhaps visiting holidaymakers conclude that all hortensias prefer sunshine and sandy soil. But that is a serious misunderstanding.
Seaside hydrangeas tend to be forms of H. macrophylla, a much-abused plant, and one that deserves better understanding. It is native to the coasts of Honshu, the main island of Japan, hence its tolerance to the
salt-laden airs of the seaside. But the southern coast of Honshu is at the same latitude as Madrid. Hence late spring frosts tend to damage the nascent flowers before they get a chance to glow. And most of the soils of Japan are acid, which is why there are so many blue hydrangeas. In alkaline soils such as the clays of Somerset, the aluminium which causes the flower to turn blue, is locked up by the alkaline molecule and the plant cannot absorb it. Even if we add buckets of ‘bluing agent’ they stubbornly throw pink flowers.
The eye-catching ‘Merveille Sanguine’, which roughly translates as ‘Bloody Marvellous’
But there are some magnificent pink, red and white varieties that celebrate their colouring. The classic whiteflowered H. macrophylla ‘Madame Emile Mouillere’ has enormous snowy-white mopheads that gradually fade to pink and red, as most whiteflowered hydrangea flowers do. There is one exception that is the famous H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’ and her sisters. They simply go brown when they fade.
And pink flowers there are aplenty. Reliably red flowers are best in retentive, alkaline clay. The most eye-catching by far is H. macrophylla ‘Merveille Sanguine’, which roughly translates as ‘Bloody Marvellous’. A fair assessment. This beauty boasts dark leaves that gradually turn bronze as the summer progresses, setting off the dark red flowers very well. It can be a little tricky to propagate – all the best plants are – and deserves looking after well while it is young. But once fully grown it is show-stopping. Keep all hydrangeas wellwatered in this dry summer and mulch the plants once the soil is properly wet again in autumn. The books say to remove the dead heads in spring, but given our current gentle winters and climate change, it might be worth risking dead-heading in autumn. And next summer H. macrophylla ‘Merveille Sanguine’ will stop the traffic again.
by Sally Gregson
ONE of the great advantages of a dry summer is the opportunity to collect home-grown seed fresh from plants. Some plants produce quantities of seed very generously – Oenothera odorata ‘Sulphurea’ keeps on flowering and setting seed from spring to the frosts. It can easily be forgiven for not regenerating the following year itself. And yet others are slightly more shy, such as the oriental primulas. All seed is welcome to the gardener.
Later in the autumn when the borders are mulched, any seed that has dropped is covered and swamped –suppressing ‘weed’ growth is part of the plan – so in spring those self-sowing flowers are absent. They might need re-sowing from conserved supplies.
Just now, all days are ideal
A gardener collects seeds from dry chives flowers
for collecting seed – the ideal being to collect them at noon on a dry, sunny day just as they ripen. First collect any large envelopes or paper bags to contain the seed heads. Cut off the ripening heads, put them face-down in the bags and close the top tightly. Write the name
and date on the envelope and store them somewhere dry and warm to finish ripening for a few days until they are crisp and dry.
Then lay out a newspaper on the table and tip out each envelope in turn, sorting the seed from the ‘chaff’, that is the
husks of the seed. You could ‘winnow’ the seed by gently blowing the chaff from the hard, shiny black seeds. Although some seed is very much not shiny or black, it is usually quite hard. Put the seeds in a small envelope marked with the plant name and date, and seal it tightly. Place the envelopes in a sealed plastic box such as a used ice-cream container and keep it in the fridge. The box keeps the moisture content steady, and the fridge keeps the temperature steady at about four to five degrees. These conditions prevent the seed from ageing and so help with germination next year.
When all the seed is harvested, you can sleep well in the knowledge that these tiny time-capsules will germinate and make new plants to fill the garden next year.
Tree Surgery. Reductions. Felling. Hedge Trimming. Stump Grinding. Woodchip supplies.
Tree Surgery. Reductions. Felling. Hedge Trimming. Stump Grinding. Woodchip supplies.
Family run business since 1946 Tel: 01963 250005
Family run business since 1946 Tel: 01963 250005
Mobile: 07976 934 252
Mobile: 07976 934 252
We carry out all aspects of tree surgery, hedge cutting and stump grinding. Ash dieback specialist. Fully insured and NPTC qualified.
We carry out all aspects of tree surgery, hedge cutting and stump grinding. Ash dieback specialist. Fully insured and NPTC qualified.
MAN WITH MICRODIGGER & 1.5TON DIGGER, stump grinder, Garden clearance, patios, fencing, decking, landscaping, driveways
30+ years’ experience
Contact Ken 07882 441873 / 01963 32034 FOR MOWING AND STRIMMING, including large areas of short or long grass mulching. Call David on: 07786-658708
Lawn mowing, strimming, hedge cutting, Shed Clearances etc. Contact Billy 07849 571742
A FRIENDLY FAMILY RUN BUSINESS FOR ALL YOUR GARDENING NEEDS
Stockists of new Alko, Mountfield, Stiga, Weibang and Echo.
Servicing, repairs, and parts for all major brands.
Come and see our range of garden machinery including lawn mowers, chainsaws, hedge cutters, battery products and more.
www.gillinghamgardenmachinery.co.uk 01747 859564
Unit 1, Brickyard Lane, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4JL JAMES AYRES DORSET TREE CARE Specialist Tree Workers All kinds of trees expertly felled, topped and pruned. Hedge cutting. All rubbish cleared. Licensed waste carrier. Fully insured. Tel: 01747 850129 / Mob: 07951 284639 GARDENING SERVICES AND GENERAL MAINTENANCE
VALE LOG SPLITTING
Somerset & Dorset. Gutter clearing. Pressure washing. uPVC cleaning. Window cleaning. Roof cleaning. Fully insured. Call/message Nick 07870-498616
If you want anymore help contact Andy 07773-254174
£200 transit load
£110 half load 01258-880892 07980-036250 LOGS R US Tipper Load £200 Half Tipper Load £100 dumpy bag £90 All hardwood 07790 404593 01258 818081
JACKS AFFORDABLE TREE CARE 07936-498493
EX-DISPLAY SHEDS, Stables/field shelters, summerhouses, offices, workshops, agricultural 01935 891195
TURN YOUR GARDEN AND DRIVEWAYS into gravel, no more weeds! NO VAT. OAP discounts. phone Philip, 07716-207150
RUBBISH TAKEN AWAY. Old sofas, hedge trimmings, also hedge trimming undertaken. Free estimate. 07864-960768.
WALK BEHIND BRUSHCUTTER and operator hire. Paddock, orchards and neglected area clearance 07432 773151
M & A J Landscaping
~ Fencing ~ Walling ~ Patios/Steps ~ Concreting/Tarmac ~ Tree work ~ Garden maintenance malcgin@hotmail.com 07399-521377
NURSERIES (C W Abbott & Son)
DRYSTONE WALLING AND LANDSCAPING www.yenstonewalling.co.uk 01963 371123 / 07751 278363
TOOLS WANTED. Cash waiting. 01747
GREENHOUSES Supplied/Erected Alloy TenColours Spares-Repairs-Glass Chris Abrams 01258-452632
DO YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR GARDEN?
Call Tim a friendly, hardworking and reliable gardener. Tel 01747-835278, Mob 07825-006013
Fruit Trees and Ornamental Trees, Perennials & Shrubs, Terracotta pots, Wild Bird food 20kg £14.50, Stockists of Kings, Franchi and Fothergill Budget Seeds, Potting Compost. Open daily 10am– 3 pm. Langton Long Blandford Forum Dorset DT11 9HR. Telephone 01258-452513.
8am
Based.
8pm
Call Alan: 07442 026385
Email: alanaac1@aol.com
LR LANDSCAPING, Patios, Garden walls, Fencing. Call Luke: 07476-533581
HARRY JACK, HOME SERVICES. Landscaping, Roofing, Handyman. 07855-544616 Facebook
BRICKLAYING SERVICES, new brickwork, brickwork repairs, repointing, line work, free estimates. Phone 07377-680355.
BAILEY & SUN LTD. Groundwork, man and machine hire. Footings, ditchings, driveways, new build, drainage, extensions plus lots more. Call for a quote. 07546-762236. sun@baileyandsun.co.uk.
ASA ARCHITECTS. All drawings for planning and construction. 07770 421624. Free consultation Based in Shaftesbury. Works throughout Dorset. www.asa-architect.co.uk. andystrange@btinternet.com
Extensions, renovations, alterations, plastering, brick-work, block-work, stone-work and patios, fencing. NO VAT. Call Garry: 07933-921382
Tel:
K.SANSOM CHIMNEY SWEEP
Brush & vacuum. APICS registered 01963 370038
STEVE ADAMS CHIMNEY SWEEPING HETAS
registered woodburner and flue installer. Birdguards and cowls 07932 655267
Martin Simmonds
Martin Simmonds Chimney Sweep Manual and Power Sweeping, Stove Servicing and Maintenance, Camera Inspections, Property Maintenance 07368 250305/01747 590799
Chimney Sweep Manual and Power Sweeping, Stove Servicing and Maintenance, Camera Inspections, Property Maintenance 07368 250305/01747 590799
Martin Simmonds
Simmonds Chimney Sweep Manual and Power Sweeping, Stove Servicing and Maintenance, Camera Inspections, Property Maintenance 07368 250305/01747
Chimney Sweep Manual and Power Sweeping, Stove Servicing and Maintenance, Camera Inspections, Property Maintenance 07368 250305/01747 590799
NVQ Qualified. APICS Registered Friendly, Reliable Service longthorpeindustries@gmail.com
Martin Simmonds Chimney Sweep Manual and Power Sweeping, Stove Servicing and Maintenance, Camera Inspections, Property Maintenance 07368 250305/01747 590799
Martin Simmonds Chimney Sweep Manual and Power Sweeping, Stove Servicing and Maintenance, Camera Inspections, Property Maintenance 07368 250305/01747 590799
NVQ Qualified. APICS Registered Friendly, Reliable Service longthorpeindustries@gmail.com
NVQ Qualified. APICS Registered Friendly, Reliable Service longthorpeindustries@gmail.com
Martin Simmonds Chimney Sweep Manual and Power Sweeping, Stove Servicing and Maintenance, Camera Inspections, Property Maintenance 07368 250305/01747 590799
NVQ Qualified. APICS Registered Friendly, Reliable Service longthorpeindustries@gmail.com
NVQ Qualified. APICS Registered Friendly, Reliable Service longthorpeindustries@gmail.com
NVQ Qualified. APICS Registered Friendly, Reliable Service
longthorpeindustries@gmail.com
NVQ Qualified. APICS Registered Friendly, Reliable Service longthorpeindustries@gmail.com
Accredited installers of Wood burning & Multi fuel stoves, Chimney liners, twin wall flues, fireplace conversions, replacement hearths, chimney restoration & rebuilding, dealing with water ingress, cowlings, bird guards. Fully Insured, long term established. 01749 677440 – 07921074602-
COLORWAY FOLD UP ELECTRIC BIKE, with bags on the back, all tools. Tel: 01963-362242
OAK OVAL D/N EXTENDING DINING TABLE and four chairs. As new. £350. Tel: 01258-452118
Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.
4f 6” DIVAN BED WITH HEADBOARD and dreams whitford pocket sprung medium matress, only 4 years old, was £895 new, accept £150. Tel: 07714-289410
3 GUN METAL CABINET. £80. Tel: 07873-785604
Buyer collects
DARK GREY LEATHER
TWO SEAT SETEE and two arm chairs all electric recline very good condition £400.00 01963 364106
ROAD TRAILER, 5 feet by 3, Mini Car wheels and spares, metal frame, top canvas cover, electric cable number plate, well kept, £250, 01747-838788
DFS LARGE SWIVEL
CHAIR £100. A Large cream
DFS footstall new condition £75. Bose touch CD radio, immaculate condition £350. Tel: 01747-821096 or 07970-568679
FREE. OAK VENEERED UNIT. 116cm X 72cm X 42cm, 2 wood and glass doors, originally to hold CD/music center, to collect: Tel: 01305-889369 Leave message.
3ft MATTRESS PALE BLUE excellent condition, used once. £45. 01258-861638
LADY’S BICYCLE HARDLY
USED Aurora Challenge safety helmet spare saddle £40 buyer collects 01258 817226.
DUCKHAMS OIL 5Lt X2 10w40 semi synthetic.silkolene 4x5lt £10.00. 01935 475451
BEAUTIFUL LEMON TREE in pot, suit large conservatory/ greenhouse, space needed £40 Tel 01305 849539
TWO LADIES LEATHER
JACKETS brown and burgandy good condition £10.00 each. 01963 364106
LARGE OAK WOOD GADE leg dining table. £25 07791-847767.
HITACHI DISC GRINDER. 230 mm 9 “ 240 v. G23SR in Case. £50.00. Tell 07903 678306. YEO.
BOW FRONTED GLASS DISPLAY cabinet. 36x13x46. £10. Tel: 01202-822151 (Verwood)
COLLECTION OF 70 LPs
{12inch} mainstream classical in very good condition with table rack and case.£30. Tel. 01747 811611
NEW TYRE ON SPARE WHEEL to fit Citroen Berlingo, 16” wheel. £50. Tel: 07886-538350
TOWER BRAND FOOD PROCESSOR, black and gold, unboxed used once. £50.ONO. 01258 721729
VICTORIAN OAK CORNER CUPBOARD. approximately 38 inches high. 31 inches wide complete with key £20 ONO Tel: 07787902130
TALL FROST FREE FRIDGE FREEZER. Old but still works. Free for collection (nr Sherborne) Tel: 01963-23477
YAMAHA YCT-210 digital keyboard and stand, hardly used. £50.00, buyer collect 07749-810627
MEN’S SPECIALIZED CYCLE + lights, rack bag, lock £45 07890 545587
PLANTERS, WEATHERED, concrete, 40x40x37cms, medallion each face. Photos. £45 each Sherborne 07774 680733
HIGH CHAIR - IKEA - hardly used in grandparents house - in excellent condition. £10.00 (Nr. Wincanton) 07429 279028
APPROX. 150 OLD BOTTLES to collect. £50. 07770-778740.
LARGE LIGHT OAK BOOKCASE with 2 glass doors. £50. Tel: 01747-841022
SMALL GREENHOUSE. Aluminium frame, base aprox.81inches X 88inches. Needs some attention.Dismantle and collect for free. Tel.01747-228845
A BLACK + DECKER 18V battery grass trimmer with charger. £35. 01258 821259.
A BISSELL CARPET AND HARD FLOOR Cleaner. Great condition. Pale green, lightweight. £45. Tel: 07563-340823
TUB CHAIRS 2 Ikea tub chairs with removal lime green washable covers. £50 for the pair in good order. 07790-514696
PINE DINING TABLE 5ft. Solid and sturdy table. Some surface damage and scratches on legs. 01258 480685
TWO WHITE STRONG PVC sun loungers with cushions vgc £45 ono 01963 363712
EXERCISE CYCLE EVERLAST
XV6 displays time speed distance calories pulse £48 ono 01963 363712
LLAMA/ALPACA MANURE excess bags of manure (free to collect) ring 01725 552061.
NRS ROLLATOR LIGHTWEIGHT, folds compactly, detachable, seat and back rest, vgc £40ono 01963 250104 (Milborne Port)
HEAT LAMP £10, Shelving unit £20,Caravan mirrors £20,Camping gaz butane £20, roof bike carriers £15 each, Gillingham 07731-728568
TABLETOP BARBECUE with oven & smoker & chimney New Never used £25 ONO Tel 07449-116144
PURBECK STONE COPINGS, for walls, to cover lengths 11ft X 18” or 22ft x 9”. £30. Tel: 01747-840835
by Kay Parkinson
THERE’S something delightfully absurd about the British summer. Each year, like hopeful goldfish, we forget the lessons of the last one and dive headlong into planning picnics, barbecues and week-long camping trips with a confidence not supported by either history or forecast.
And yet, bless us, we persist. There’s a particular joy in our shared delusion. You hear it in the brave optimism of, ‘it’s meant to brighten up later,’ as someone valiantly flips burgers beneath a garden parasol doubling as storm shelter. Or in the proud declaration of ‘we don’t need a gazebo’ five minutes before the heavens open with the kind of rain not seen since Noah packed the ark. Yet summer in Britain isn’t really about the weather, is it? It’s about the collective sigh of a nation exhaling after a long winter and a blink-and-you’ll-
miss-it spring. It’s the smell of charcoal – and slightly burnt sausages – the hum of wasps circling warm glasses of Pimm’s and the oddly grounding pleasure of walking barefoot on slightly-too-damp grass.
Something shifts in us during summer, doesn’t it? We’re nudged into a different emotional rhythm, one our mental health often craves but rarely allows. Slower, lighter, more present. Not every day will be easy – especially if you’re parenting through the holidays – but emotional wellbeing isn’t about perfection. It’s about noticing and letting simple delight interrupt the monotony of stress. In this we can allow connection to override performance.
We need these pauses. A ‘cuppa’ in the garden, a catchup with a neighbour over the fence, a giggle in a tent that smells faintly of mildew and adventure. These are the
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micro-moments that regulate our nervous system and restore our sense of belonging, to ourselves and each other. Even the ridiculous bits count. Flip-flops in the rain, emergency ice creams eaten in the car, a limp salad on a paper plate. There’s wellbeing in letting things be good enough and in not forcing joy to look tidy or productive. We can start to notice that we’ve stopped bracing and started breathing again.
So, here’s to the glorious, chaotic, emotional reset that is the British summer. To burnt backs and baffling tan lines,
soggy burgers and warm cider. This is the radical act of resting where we can. So, if you find yourself outside under a brolly, clutching a damp burger and wondering whether this counts as joy, the answer is yes! You’re not just surviving summer, you’re remembering how to feel again.
n Kay Parkinson is a therapist specialising in trauma, emotional neglect and the impact of shame on identity and self-worth. Kay’s work focuses on transforming shame through the lens of authentic honour. Visit www.placetotalktherapies. co.uk.
by Fiona Chapman
I HAVE been loving the mid-summer scent of lime trees, it is a heavy and heady smell that for a week or so is just wonderful, and, to me, very calming.
We are lucky to have a huge lime tree close to us and every year I am stunned by how powerful its fragrance is. This year the tree is laden with flowers – I should really be trying to harvest some as they are a very good for anxiety.
They are part of a formula we use in herbal medicine called the CAT. This is Crataegus.spp – hawthorn flowers and berries; Achillea millefolium – yarrow flowers; and Tilea.spp – lime tree flowers; and it is used as a base for prescriptions for high blood pressure.
Crataegus is specifically for the heart, to optimise its beat without putting it under pressure; achillea is for blood stasis and circulation; and tilia for anxiety and calming the whole system down, as high blood pressure is often associated with stress.
If treating high blood pressure, I would add other herbs specific to the person I was
seeing.
If it was associated with high cholesterol, I might use some cynara scolymus – artichoke – which helps the liver to process fats, and possibly silybum marianum – milk thistle – which supports the liver, helping it to remove toxins.
High blood pressure is often seen in red-faced, angry people, which is associated with the liver, so support there is very necessary.
Stress does not need to involve a stressful work life –just listening to the news at the moment pushes my blood pressure up and causes a feeling of helplessness – better not to listen.
Money worries, grief, moving house, relationship problems, divorce, loneliness, poor diet and lack of exercise can all contribute.
My advice is to get outside, walk, expose yourself to some sun – in moderation – enjoy this beautiful weather, stop to inhale the summer smells, eat healthily, limit listening to the news, breathe deeply and smile lots. n Fiona Chapman is a naturopathic herbalist (email Pellyfiona@gmail.com).
by Susanna Curtin
MY love of flamenco guitar has once again brought me to Ronda, one of the oldest towns in Spain, located between Sevilla and Malaga. It is also one of the most famous of Andalucia’s ‘white towns’ –‘pueblos blancos’ – built on a limestone escarpment split into two halves by the Guadalevin River, which over geological millennia, has carved out the El Tajo Gorge. Standing on the imposing 18th century Puente Nuevo bridge that towers 100 metres above the valley, you can see the mountains of the Sierra de Grazalema to the west and the Sierra Las Nieves to the east.
This charming, historic place with its palaces, white houses and Arab influences leaves a lasting impression and a longing to return. Whenever I leave for home, traces of my heart remain here craving its unique blend of nature and culture, and particularly the deep flamenco roots and strong Romani gypsy heritage that can be found here. I was introduced to Andalucia and to the songs, rhythm and dance of flamenco when I was eight years old, and since then, it has enthralled me with its magic. Now the privilege I feel to be able to return here to Ronda to learn more about this unique artform is immense.
This year, however, I have arrived just a few days after the highest ever temperatures were recorded in southern Europe with 46 degrees Celsius documented in the Andalucian province of Huelva, 100 miles from here. Today in Ronda, it has soared to 40 degrees, the hottest I have ever known it in early July. The air is still and feels heavy with the heat that is bouncing off of the buildings, pavements and vegetation. The mountains in the distance are a milky, shaley blue, their ridges creating a stark, hard line
against the sapphire sky and the hanging white clouds that cradle the summits. To the east, small fires have begun to appear on the sizzling mountain slopes, causing large plumes of grey smoke as the earth flames and smoulders. Altogether, a clear sign of the climatic changes we are all facing.
It is searingly hot. Too hot for me to explore the town and all its hidden gems that lie within its old Moorish medinas. But by hugging the shadows provided by the buildings along the narrow, cobbled streets, I make my way to the shade of the plane trees that line the Parque Alamenda del Tajo, where the constant drone of cicadas, the loudest insect on Earth, adds to this stifling, claustrophobic heat. Here, I lean against the railings and look down the tumbling rock face where kestrels, peregrine falcons, crag martins, and alpine, common and pallid swifts circle and drift in the rising thermals. Suddenly, as if by some unknown signal, all the cicadas stop their buzzing and complete silence ensues, like a full stop at the end of a long sentence. Eventually, a single cry of a falcon breaks through the calm.
This intensity, heat and drama of Andalucia is reflected in its flamenco traditions. More than just music, flamenco is an emotional expression of Andalusian identity. It is a complex art form that reflects the deepest of sentiments that are intimately personal but also
universally shared, from melancholy and sadness to joy and desire. The song, dance, the palmas and the guitar meld together to reflect not only the blending of the diverse nomadic cultures, mostly Romani, Arabic, Jewish and Andalucian, that have shaped the music, but also the severity of social marginalisation, the trials of working on the land and the harshness of the wilderness that surrounds them.
Certainly, the temperature today has taken me by surprise, and I soon head back to the comfort of my air-conditioned hotel. The weather that follows such heat can be quite unpredictable here. Sudden strong winds that blow over the
sierras are generated by a combination of pressure differences, thermal updrafts, displaced air and atmospheric instability. When the ground gets overly hot, it heats the air above it, causing it to expand and become less dense, then surrounding cooler air rushes in to fill the gaps. Thermal updrafts caused by rapidly rising hot air can also feed the system causing instability and unexpected windstorms.
Indeed, over the next few days, welcome breezes begin to punctuate the heat and provide some cool relief. Late one afternoon, while out on my hotel balcony practising a captivating, mystical composition by the famed flamenco guitarist and Maestro, Juan Martin, I experience a brief moment when I imagine that the strings of my guitar sound just ‘like the wind over the sierras’. Looking up at the mountains, I feel that there is nothing I would rather be doing and no place I would rather be than here. Perhaps this was a fleeting moment of ‘duende’, a feeling or intense connection with the music and the emotion of flamenco. Whatever it was, it is enough to keep this place in my heart long after my return to Dorset. n Dr Susie Curtin (email curtin. susanna@gmail.com).
COURGETTES are in plentiful supply at the moment, so it’s sensible to have some good ways to use them, like this soup.
I’ve tried to emulate the most delicious Courgette & Basil Soup I had Eone summer and I hope it works for you.
As ever, I put my twist on clean fresh flavours!
Courgette and basil soup (Serves 4)
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced 600g courgettes (zucchini), sliced 750ml vegetable stock (or light chicken stock)
Large handful fresh basil leaves (about 20g)
Zest and juice of half a lemon (adjust to taste)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional – a swirl of crème fraîche or drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to serve
Method
1 Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add finely diced shallots with a pinch of salt. Saute for five minutes until soft and translucent.
2 Add garlic: Stir in the garlic and cook for one or two minutes until fragrant but not coloured.
3 Cook courgettes: Add sliced courgettes. Sauté for three to four minutes, just to soften slightly.
4 Simmer: Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes, until courgettes are
Make the most of a plentiful supply of courgettes in the shops at the moment with courgette and basil soup
tender but still green.
5 Blend: Remove from heat. Add basil and lemon zest. Blend with a stick blender or in batches in a jug blender until silky smooth.
6 Finish: Stir in lemon juice to taste and season well with salt and pepper.
7 Serve: Ladle into bowls and garnish with a swirl of crème fraîche, olive oil, or extra basil leaves if desired.
n Annie des Forges, Director/ Chef, The Table Bruton. Annie Austin, Director/Host and Concierge Somerset Roadtrip.
TWO Sherborne pubs feature in The Daily Telegraph’s list of the best 500 pubs in England. The list includes The Digby Tap in Cook Lane and The Mitre Inn, just north of the town at Sandford Orcas.
Pub reviewer Will Hawkes graded each pub on its character, staff, history and beer. He praised the Digby Tap as a ‘sports-focused freehouse’. He said: “Pubs play a huge role in supporting local sport, as the Digby Tap shows.
“Not only does the pub have a pool team plus occasional
Pub and Letting Rooms
17th century free house situated in the picturesque village of Semley
Weekly Specials
Happy Hour Tuesdays! - All starters half price from 6-7pm
Steak Night - Two 6oz Sirloin Steaks for £25, every Wednesday
Fish Fryday - Fresh beer-battered Haddock & homemade chips, every Friday
Pizza Nights - Pizza direct from our pizza oven, every Friday & Sunday evening Sunday Roasts - Home Cooked Sunday Roasts with 3 meats to choose from, Sundays 12:30-2:30pm
cricket and boules sides, it sponsors several local clubs, from football to rugby.
“The result is a pub that feels a central part of the community.
“It’s a delightfully down-toearth place – hearty food served lunchtimes Monday to Saturday, good ale, flagstone floors – even if it does have one lofty claim to fame: it featured in Thomas Hardy’s Woodlanders, when the Digby Hotel – of which it was once part, and which is now mostly a Sherborne School boarding house – was described as ‘a substantial inn with a yawning back yard…of wonderful commodiousness’.
“That tradition of comfort has not been lost.”
Digby Tap and The Mitre Inn PHOTOS Google
He described the Mitre Inn as an excellent country pub with a renovated garden.
He said: “Dorset has the best village names, and some of the best rural pubs, too – among them, I think it’s safe to say, can be numbered The Mitre Inn.
“This is a traditionally decorated place, with good food, rooms and beer; the garden, which stretches up the hill beside the pub and features – most notably – a sculpture of a stag made from willow, has recently been done up.
“If, like me, you enjoy a walk before a pint, the Mitre Inn can be reached in an hour or so from Sherborne Station along the Macmillan Way path.”
Home reared and locally produced meats, game, deli, fruit, veg, free range eggs and lots
Follow us on Facebook for all our latest meat
deals and what’s in fresh that week.
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
Name of applicant: Emily Estate (UK) Ltd
Address of Premises: The Newt in Somerset, Emily Estate, Hadspen, Castle Cary Post Code: BA7 7NG. DESCRIPTION OF VARIATION BEING SOUGHT: Amendments to the following, Sale of alcohol hours, Names and locations for licensable activities, Additional location for the sale of alcohol. Date by which Responsible Authorities and other persons may make representations: 15 August 2025. A record of the application made to the Licensing Authority will be kept on a register at the address given below and the register may be inspected during normal office hours. All representations regarding this application MUST BE IN WRITING and sent to:Somerset Council, Licensing Department, The Council Offices, Brympton Way, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2HT. It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application. The maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for the offence is unlimited
Ablebox Ltd of Coldharbour Business Park, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 4JW, is applying for a licence to use, Unit 23 Buckland Rd, Pen Mill trading Est, Yeovil, Somerset, BA21 3JS, as an operating centre for 13 goods vehicles and 15 trailers, and to use Dipper House, Henstridge Airfield, Somerset, BA8 0TN as an operating centre for 5 goods vehicles and 10 trailers and to use Coldharbour Business Park, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 4JW as an operating centre for 5 goods vehicles and 10 trailers.
Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings) near the operating centres who believe that their use or enjoyment of that land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE 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 at: www.gov.uk/government/ publications/a-guide-tomaking-representations-objections-andcomplaints-goodsvehicle-operator-licensing
The family of Spence would like to thank everyone who sent cards, flowers and kind messages and those who attended his funeral service at St Michaels Church, Mere. Also for the generous donations given in his memory for Cancer Research UK and Barnardos which added up to £860. We are very grateful for all of your support.
Amalia and family would like to express their sincere thanks to all those who attended Giuseppe’s funeral. Also, for the cards, messages of sympathy and kindness shown at a sad time. Donations received to date amount to £311.32. Please accept this as our personal thanks.
Rosemary Vincent
My Mum, Rosemary Vincent, who passed peacefully aged 93, would like to thank friends and neighbours of King Edmund Court and the good folk of Gillingham & Shaftesbury for all their various kindnesses over the last 48 years. Sadly, Rosie will no longer be terrorising the people of Gillingham in her bright blue buggy.
R.I.P. mum, your loving Son. D xxx
Previously of Marnhull Close, Dorset, died peacefully at the Melllowes Care Home 28.06.25 after living a good life. Friends and family are welcome to celebrate her life at the Crown Inn, Marnhull at 1330 on Thursday 7th August. No flowers but donations to The Countryman UK charity welcome.
Passed away on 8th July 2025 in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital aged 81 years. Of Shaftesbury.
Loving husband of Annette, dad to Steven and Stuart and grandad to Will. He will be sadly missed by all family and friends. Funeral service to take place at Salisbury Crematorium on Tuesday 5th August at 12 noon. Feel free to wear something bright and colourful to the service. Donations in his memory, for Diabetes 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.
Michael Arthur Gale
Died suddenly at home in Thornford on 6 July 2025 at the age of 90. Beloved husband, father and grandfather Will be greatly missed.
Aged 92 years, passed away in Dorchester Hospital after a short illness on 10th July 2025. Loved mother of Anna, Jeremy and Matthew ,Mother in-law and Grandmother. Will be greatly missed by family and friends.
Passed away peacefully at home on 9th July 2025 aged 97 years. A dearly loved Wife, Mum and Nanny. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. All enquiries, c/o Colin J Close Funeral Service, Peel Close, Salisbury Road, Blandford DT11 7JU. Tel: 01258 453133
On 18th July 2025, peacefully in Dorset County Hospital after a short illness, aged 77 years. Of Sturminster Newton. Much loved wife of Colin, mum to Diane and the late Adrian, nan to 6 grandchildren and great gran to 4 great grandchildren. She will be sorely missed by all her family and friends. A graveside service will take place at St Andrew’s Church, Fontmell Magna on Thursday 14th August at 11.00am. Flowers welcome. Any enquiries to Merefield & Henstridge F/D. Tel: 01747 853532. www.mhfd.co.uk
Formerly of Okeford Fitzpaine. Passed away peacefully after a long illness on 15th July 2025, aged 79 years. He will be loved and missed by all his family. Funeral service will take place at Yeovil Crematorium on Friday 15th August 2025 at 12 noon. Family flowers only. Donations in memory of Alex for Parkinson’s U.K. or Dementia U.K. may be sent c/o A. J. Wakely & Sons Ltd, The Old Police Station, Carrington Way, Wincanton, BA9 9JS. Tel: 01963 31310. Please make cheques payable to your chosen charity.
1942 - 2025
DIED PEACEFULLY IN YEOVIL HOSPITAL ON THE 19th JULY FUNERAL TO BE HELD AT YEOVIL CREMATORIUM ON THE 12th AUGUST AT 13.20. HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED BY HIS FAMILY
Anthony (Tony) Charles Harvey Thorne Inspector (Retired) RUC, GC.
Died peacefully on 19th July at home surrounded by family and friends. Much loved husband, father, brother, grandad and friend. He will be desperately missed by many. Cremation service at 10:30am on 9th August at Harbour View Crematorium, Poole followed by Remembrance celebration at 1300 at Okeford Fitzpaine Village Hall. All welcome to both events. Family flowers only please. Donations to Weldmar Hospice.
Damien John - ‘Damo’
Peacefully on 21st July 2025 in Salisbury District Hospital, aged 49 years, of Bourton. Dearly loved son of the late Carol and Richard. He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. Funeral service at Yeovil Crematorium on Friday, 8th August at 12.00pm. Attire: Colourful and bright. No flowers please. Donations if desired, in memory of Damo for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Trust can be made online at peterjacksonfuneralservices.co.uk Alternatively, cheques made payable to the charity may be sent: C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Harwood House, Newbury, Gillingham, SP8 4QJ. Tel: 01747 833757
Passed away on 23rd July 2025 aged 93 years. Of Tisbury.
Wife of the late Gordon.
Much loved mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She will be sadly missed by all her family and friends. Funeral service to take place at Salisbury Crematorium on Saturday 9th August at 11.00am.
Family flowers only please. Donations in her memory for The British Heart Foundation 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.
JOHN JAMES PONT “Johny”
Passed away peacefully on the 9th of July at Dorchester Hospital, aged 78. Johny will be greatly missed by family and friends. The cremation has taken place, but everyone is welcome to join the family for his interment and memorial service at Christ Church East Stour, Dorset on the 20th August at 12pm. Flowers are welcomed
Peacefully on 14th July 2025, aged 97 years. Edith, long standing resident of Stalbridge, dearly loved Wife of the late Olaf Wiles. Much Loved Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother and Sister. Funeral service at Yeovil Crematorium on Friday 15th August at 11.20am. Family flowers only please, donations if desired for Yeovil District Hospital C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, The Old Reading Room, Shaftesbury Road, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0PP.
Constance May (‘Connie’) Nicholls (previously Pickard)
Died peacefully on 11th July at St Denis Lodge, Shaftesbury, after a short illness, at the age of 97. Much loved mother of Brenda, Janet and John, grandma and great-grandma. Thanksgiving service to be held at Bell St United Church in Shaftesbury at 2.30pm on Tuesday 26th August; all welcome. No black clothes or flowers please, but donations in Connie’s memory can be made to Christian Aid or The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing.
Sherborne Tel: 01935 816817
01935 816817
Wincanton Tel: 01963 31310
Wincanton Tel: 01963 31310
Please
Sherborne Tel: 01935 816817 Wincanton Tel: 01963 31310
Sherborne Tel: 01935 816817
Please contact Richard Wakely, or a member of our dedicated team for any advice or guidance. Pre-payment plans available
Peacefully on 13th July 2025 in Yeovil District Hospital, aged 77 years, of Stalbridge.
Adored Husband of June. Loving Dad to Michael and Jackie. Dearly loved Grandad of Niran, Bodhi, Tenzin and Kiyomi. He will be sadly missed by his friends and their dogs. Funeral service at Yeovil Crematorium on Wednesday, 13th August at 12.40pm. No flowers please. Donations if desired, for either Weldmar Hospicecare or St. Margaret’s Somerset Hospice can be made online at peterjacksonfuneralservices.co.uk Alternatively, cheques made payable to the charity may be sent: C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, The Old Reading Room, Shaftesbury Road, Henstridge, BA8 0PP. Tel: 01963 362570
90,000
GRASS CUTTING / OPEN SPACES, long-term management contracts being let by Milborne Port Parish Council. Full details visit http://www.milborneport-pc.gov.uk
CLEANER FOR A FAMILY HOUSE with children and dogs: 3 hrs, twice a week (6hrs total); references required. Call 01747 830097
WANTED EXPERIENCED GARDENER
to join our team working on a prestigious 7 acre garden near Shaftesbury. Previous experience required and references. 07792-892999.
Join our friendly team in the best location in Dorset. (Probably!)
We need (adult) volunteers to help run our popular cafe which is vital to the work of the North Dorset Railway project.
Help is needed on Saturdays and Sundays once (or more) a month, hours to fit around you. No experience needed - all training provided. For further information, please email colin444@sky.com
Meet people. Feel needed. Learn new skills.
Applications are invited for a
We are seeking a dedicated and responsible Fallen Stock Collector Driver to join our team.
This full time position involves the dispatching and collection of farm animals; completing collection paperwork and driver records.
Candidates should hold a full driving licence – HGV Class C1 essential, have completed Driver CPC and either hold a Firearm Certificate or be able to apply for one.
Previous experience of working in an agricultural or fallen stock background would be advantageous. Full training will be given.
For further details or to apply please contact Steve on 07831 383 392.
MILBORNE PORT PARISH COUNCIL is looking for a self-employed Groundskeeper to look after our Allotments, Playground(s), some Highways. A lot of strimming, hacking, cutting. Needs all their own tools. May suit someone already in the trade looking for one extra day of work a week, or semi-retired. Lone working using initiative, guided by a list of regular tasks. £18ph. parishclerk@milborneport-pc.gov.uk
PART-TIME OFFICE/ADMIN’ ASSISTANT for a small but growing brewery. This is an office based role with skills required to include: an excellent ‘phone manner; maintaining our customer base; basic book-keeping; general admin duties. Experience of setting-up a new office would be ideal but not essential. 3 days per week or the equivalent with hours tbc for suitable applicant. To apply for the position contact adrian@woodsheddingbrew.com.
Junior Production Technician & Seamstress (£20-25K) Parajet - Leading paramotor manufacturer are looking for 2 new people to join their team.
Applicants for Technician role should be mechanically minded and have previous experience and / or interest in engineering. Applicants for Seamstress role should have good experience with sewing machines. All training will be provided. Full or part time depending on individual applicant.
Location: Semley. Applications & CV’s to info@parajet.com
A delightful prep school for day and boarding children aged 2-13, near Shaftesbury, Dorset
We are seeking to recruit the following roles:
We are seeking to appoint a warm and friendly Receptionist and Secretary with excellent communication and administration skills to work on Saturdays, term time only
An award-winning prep school for ages 2-13, situated between Gillingham and Shaftesbury, Dorset.
We are seeking to appoint a House Manager, who will work with the boarding staff to ensure that our junior boarders feel safe, secure and at home, whilst also playing a pivotal part in making sure the house runs smoothly and efficiently.
We are seeking to appoint a number of Food Service Assistants We have different shifts/hours available during term time
We are seeking to appoint a Kitchen Porter for Tuesday evenings (5-8pm) and Saturdays (10am-6pm)
We are looking for a proactive and capable Bursary Office Assistant to join the team. This is a hands-on, varied role that supports month-end and day-to-day transactional finance as well as general administration duties withing the Bursary.
For full details of the roles and application procedure, please visit our website; portregis com/vacancies or scan the QR code
For full details of the roles and application procedure, please visit our website; portregis.com/vacancies or scan the QR code.
Early applications encouraged.
Early applications encouraged
Port Regis (Charity No. 306218) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.The successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS and safer recruitment vetting checks.
Port Regis (Charity No: 306218) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children The successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS and safer recruitment vetting checks
House of Sarunds Ltd - Blandford Forum
About the Role:
We are looking for a Warehouse Operative to join our main stock warehouse team. The role involves:
• Picking and packing customer orders.
• Preparing and palletising orders for dispatch with couriers.
• Unloading and breaking down stock deliveries.
• Stock replenishment and date rotation.
You will be moving for most of the day, with manual lifting required, so a good level of fitness is vital. Overtime and Saturday work are expected between September and December.
Responsibilities and Requirements:
• Previous warehouse experience (1 year minimum).
• Punctual, proactive, and a good team player.
• Positive, can-do attitude with a willingness to handle any task.
• Computer literate (Full training will be provided).
• Additional training provided as required.
Contract Details:
• Job Type: Full-time, temporary (6 months).
• Contract Length: Until 24th December, with the possibility of a permanent role after review.
• Hours: 9:00am - 5:30pm, 40 hours a week.
• Pay: £12.30 - £12.80 per hour.
• Schedule: Day shifts, with overtime available.
Benefits:
• Casual Dress • Company Pension • Employee Discount • On-site Parking
If you are looking for a hands-on role in a friendly team environment, we would love to hear from you.
Please send your CV to: rachaeldavies@sarunds.co.uk
Could this be your ideal part-time job?
We’re seeking drivers for our school services starting in September. Choose between part-time, split-shift term-time vacancies, and casual/relief shifts in your area. No previous experience is required as comprehensive training is provided. You will need a D1 entitlement on your licence (check reverse of photocard) or a PSV entitlement.
Dorset Community Transport is a charity providing minibus services throughout Dorset. Join us to make a difference to people in your community.
To find out more or apply, visit ectcharity.bamboohr.com/jobs. If you have questions, please call us on 01258 287 986. Do you enjoy driving? We’re recruiting for part-time School Minibus Drivers in your area
All
Our
24-hour to long term contracts, our advanced containerised system makes storage simple.
We’ll collect and deliver to and from your location to give you one less thing to deal with.
THE stunning scenery of the Jurassic Coast is the most popular UK road trip with almost a quarter of drivers having travelled the route.
An AA/Yonder survey showed 23% of drivers have travelled the stretch between Swanage and Lyme Regis, which takes in the UK’s only World Heritage Site.
Overall, the UK’s top 10 most popular road trips:
n Swanage to Lyme Regis (Jurassic Coast, Dorset) (23%)
n Atlantic Highway, Barnstaple to Newquay (Devon and Cornwall) (22%)
n The Gower Peninsula, Wales. (21%)
n Thetford to King’s Lynn
(Norfolk) (19%)
n Danby to York across the Yorkshire moors (17%)
n Northumberland 250 (border of Berwick-upon-Tweed and Kielde) (16%)
n North Coast 500 (Scottish Highlands) (14%)
n M25 (Complete circuit in one trip) (13%)
n Giant’s Causeway coastal route (Northern Ireland) (9%)
n Bishop’s Waltham to Winchester (Hampshire) (9%)
Younger drivers were the most likely to say they had driven an entire circuit of the M25 (16%).
Completing an entire circuit of the M25 was also the least enjoyed of all the routes, with
only 13% saying they enjoyed it.
The route which road trippers enjoyed most was the North Coast 500 in the Scottish Highlands, with 93% having a good experience.
Open fields and countryside was ranked the most preferred scenery to drive through (41%), followed by coastal roads (29%) and mountains (12%).
AA president, Edmund King, said: “Road trips are a summer staple for many drivers and we
are spoilt for choice of routes here in the UK.
“The preferred scenery for drivers is open countryside and coastal roads, so it’s understandable why the Jurassic Coast has proved to be the most popular road trip and why so many have enjoyed this journey.
“While fewer drivers have travelled the North Coast 500 in the Scottish Highlands, it is the most enjoyed route – a testament to the beautiful landscape in Scotland.”
PRIVATE parking companies
have issued a record 14.4 million – 14,371,841 – tickets to drivers in a single year, according to RAC analysis of just published government data for the year ending March 2025.
Requests to the DVLA from car park management companies for vehicle keeper details show the equivalent of almost 1.2m a month – 1,197,653 – or nearly 40,000 a day – 39,375 – were made.
As each parking charge notice (PCN) is £100 this means drivers could be paying out up to £1.4bn, unless they successfully appeal or decide to pay up at the discounted rate.
The figure of 14.4m is more than double the number six years
ago – 6,808,344 in 2018-19 –just before the Government passed an Act of Parliament intended to clamp down on rogue private parking operators.
It is also 13% up on the 12.8m seen in 2023/2024.
The Private Parking Code of Practice was withdrawn in 2022 following legal challenges from private parking and debt recovery companies.
This has meant the behaviour of private parking companies has not been scrutinised as intended by the Act, which may be part of the reason why so many more parking charge notices have been issued.
RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “Sadly, our prediction earlier this year that
private parking companies were on course to issue around 14.5m tickets to drivers for alleged contraventions has come true.
“This is more than double the number issued six years ago before the Government passed an Act of Parliament intended to clamp down on the dubious practices of too many private parking operators.
“Unfortunately, the government-backed code is still not in force, which means drivers don’t have the protection it was intended to provide.
“As it is, too many unfair tickets are still being handed out by operators who haven’t been forced to adhere to stricter rules
and too many drivers are still being hounded by debt collection companies.
“And, we still don’t have a single, truly independent appeals service that drivers can go to if their initial appeal to the operator concerned is rejected.
“We don’t believe the parking industry’s argument that PCNs are only at record levels purely because they’re managing more car parks.
“We urge the Government to ensure the official code is launched this year with all the protection it was intended to have so that we don’t see these figures go even higher in the future.”
2015 (15) Citroen Berlingo MultiSpace 1.6HDi
2017 (17) Ford KA+ 1.2 Zetec 5dr. 85bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, parking sensors, cruise control, hill hold, air con, Bluetooth, upto 56mpg economy, small exterior with a spacious interior, 76,900 miles ....................................£6450
2012 (62) Ford Ka 1.2 Studio 3dr. 69bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, £35 yearly tax, 50+mpg, simple car with basic spec, cambelt replaced, MOT Nov 2025, private sale on behalf of a customer, 73,500 miles .......................................£2950
XTR 5 Seat MPV 5dr. High seating, big boot, tip & tumble and removable rear seats, sliding rear doors, split opening tailgate, very spacious vehicle, parking sensors, cambelt & water pump have been replaced, 28,500 miles...................................................................... £8950
2014 (14) Ford Kuga 2.0TDCi Titanium X AWD 4x4 SUV 5dr. 163bhp, diesel, 6 speed manual gearbox, 4x4, high seats, leather, heated seats, heated screen, sat nav, park sensors, auto park, reverse camera, sunroof, auto lights & wipers, cruise, lane aid, sign recognition, hill hold, electric tailgate, cambelt replaced, 92,500 miles .........£7450
2021 (21) Ford Puma 1.0T ST Line X 5dr. Partial leather, sat nav, parking sensors, cruise control, collision detection, road sign assistance, 47,200 miles......£13750
2020 (69) Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0TDCi Titanium 320 L1 H1 Automatic 9 Seat Minibus 5dr. 130bhp, diesel, 6 speed automatic gearbox, 8 seat plus driver, reversable seats for conference or forward facing, auto lights & wipers, cruise control, heated front seats, park sensors, cambelt replaced, 97,000 miles ............£21500 + VAT = £25800
2018 (68) Ford Kuga 2.0TDCi ST Line SUV 5dr. Sat nav, road sign assist, cruise control, park sensors & auto park system, reverse camera, partial leather, 61,800 miles....................................................................£11750
2020 (69) Ford Transit 2.0TDCi Trend 350 MWB MR L2 H2 11 Seat Minibus 5dr. 130bhp, diesel, 6 speed manual gearbox, 10 seat plus driver, 2 front seats, 9 rear seats, auto lights & wipers, cruise control, parking sensors, heated front seats, hill hold, cambelt replaced, 90,200 miles.........................£19500 + VAT = £23400
2014 (14) Ford Transit 2.2TDCi 350 Trend 12 Seat
2014 (64) Kia Venga 3, 1.6 Automatic (Sat Nav) 5dr. 123bhp, petrol, 4 speed automatic gearbox, high seating, decent boot, sat nav, parking sensors & reverse camera, electric sunroof, partial leather, heated seats, cruise control, sign recognition, hill hold, only 38,800 miles........................................................£7850
Minibus 5dr. 3 front seats, 9 rear seats, removable rear seats, standing head room, skylight, ideal for day van or camper conversion, 75,500 miles.......................................£10500 + VAT = £12600
2016 (66) Mazda 3, 2.0 SE-L Nav Automatic 5dr. 120bhp, petrol, 6 speed automatic gearbox, sat nav, auto lights & wipers, cruise control, parking sensors, sign recognition, heated seats, hill hold, 75,900 miles...................................£8450
2013 (62) Kia Venga 3, 1.6TD 5dr. £35 road tax, high seating, partial leather, heated seats, panoramic roof, parking sensors, cruise control, 83,900 miles........£3950
2006 (06) Mercedes-Benz CLK200 1.8 Kompressor Sport Automatic Convertible 2dr. 163bhp, petrol, 5 speed auto gearbox, recent new roof & shocks absorbers, full history, 15 stamps, heated leather, electric roof, auto lights & wipers, cruise, park sensors, MOT June 25, private sale on behalf of a customer, 77,500 miles ...........................................................................................................£4250
2018 (68) Renault Clio 1.5DCi GT Line Nav 5dr.
2015 (65) Peugeot 308 1.2THP Allure Automatic 5dr. 130bhp, petrol, 6 speed automatic gearbox, sat nav, park sensors, reverse camera, auto lights & wipers, cruise control, hill hold, only £35 a year road tax, 50+mpg economy, cambelt has been replaced, 69,500 miles..............................................................DUE IN SOON
Sat nav, cruise control, partial leather, parking sensors, cambelt kit has been replaced, 63,200 miles...................................................................... £7950
2023 (73) Vauxhall Vivaro 2.0TD 3100 Pro L2 Van
2019 (19) Renault Captur 1.5DCi Iconic Automatic SUV 5dr. 90bhp, diesel, 6 speed automatic gearbox, sat nav, cruise control, auto lights & wipers, parking sensors, hill hold, high seating, sliding rear seats, upto 67mpg economy, 20,300 miles .........................................................................................................£12250
6dr. Sat nav, reverse camera, cruise control, air con, twin side doors, ply lined, 21,300 miles, selling on behalf of a customer.................................£18250 + VAT = £21900
2017 (17) Vauxhall Astra 1.4 SRi 5dr. 100bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, auto lights & wipers, parking sensors, cruise control, pre-collision assist, sign recognition, hill hold, Bluetooth, 63,600 miles ..............................................£6950
2016 (66) Vauxhall Mokka 1.6CDTi SE 4x4 SUV 5dr. 136bhp, diesel, 6 speed manual gearbox, 4 wheel drive, high seating, big boot, heated leather seats, heated steering wheel, auto lights & wipers, cruise control, parking sensors, hill hold, performance & economy, upto 60mpg, 65,500 miles ....................................£7250
WE BUY CARS & VANS SO IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL GIVE US A CALL, WE PAY GOOD PRICES & CONSIDER MOST VEHICLES
SUBARU FORESTER X. Good condition and good runner. New tyres and rear subframe. Has a coolant leak. Has original Subaru dog guard. £600.00, 07836 594404
CARAVANS, boats and cars at Enford Farm near Blandford. 01258 450050 / 07704 813025
CARS wanted pre 1990s Any condition including unfinished projects Cash/Transfer. Please Phone Paul 07890 096907 HONDA ACCORD, 1992, 2ltr, excellent condition, MOT till Sept 25. FSH, £1800. Tel: 07791-847767
&
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2018 (68) Renault Megane DCI Estate GT Line, 2 owners, 47,000 Miles, Service history, Sat Nav, Silver ........................................... £9995
2018 (68) Vauxhall Mokka X Design Nav 1.6 CDTi, Only 21,000 Miles, Met Blue, Service History ................................................... £9995
2016 (16) BMW X1 2.0 18d SE S Drive, 6 speed manual, Blue, 2 owners, 67,000 miles ................................................................................. £9295
2016 (16) Fiat 500 0.9 Twin Air Lounge, 3Dr, 50,000 Miles, Coral Pink, Alloys, Pan Roof .......................................................................... £5695
2016 (16) Volvo V40 D2 R Design, 6 Speed, 79,000 miles, half leather, heated seats ..................................................................................... £7495
2015 (65) Renault Capture 1.5 DCi Energy Dynamique S Nav, Automatic, Blue and Ivory, Service history inc Cam belt change £7195
2015 (15) Mercedes C200 SE Estate Auto, Petrol, Leather ......... £10995
2015 (15) Audi A1 1.4 TFSI S Line, Red, 66,000 miles ....................... £8495 2015 (64)
by Lynn Broom Longmead Veterinary Practice
COWS in fields can cause concern for walkers, particularly if you have a dog. Many are used to walkers and do not react, but it is important to understand how you should respond if they come towards you to minimise any risk.
It is illegal for a farmer to place a dairy breed bull –commonly much more aggressive than beef breeds –or an adult bull on its own, in a field with a footpath through it. This should mean that you are at little risk from a bull if you give them a respectful distance, but equally you should not enter a field with a bull in it if it does not have a right of way through it.
Cattle’s likely behaviour varies with age and breed. Adult dairy cows – typically black and white but not exclusively – are regularly
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handled and usually quiet and uninterested in walkers. If you are running, watch the cows’ reaction and, if they look interested or alert, stop running and walk around them. While you may think you have the right to continue your run, this can increase risk if it causes the cows to be more reactive and this increases your risk of injury.
Youngstock can be more flighty but are usually just playing. If they come too close at speed, then waving your arms and calling out firmly will usually stop them. If they are just wandering close out of interest, just talk to them and walk – don’t run – round them and monitor their response. You can raise your voice if they get too boisterous and they will move away. Be aware that even calm cows that are too close may squabble with each other and one may suddenly move in your
FELINE COMPANION REQUIRED for adult cat. Tel: 01935-812617
POOCHON BOY PUP, apricot. Please call 07522-46344.
Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.
It is generally safe to walk through fields with cattle in, but respect their space and respond appropriately to their behaviour
direction to avoid conflict from their herd member.
Cows with calves should be given a wide berth because cows can be very protective of their babies. If you are walking with a dog this will make them more protective, and you should consider not walking with a dog through a field where young calves are present. If you do have a dog and cows start to approach, consider releasing your dog. The cow is more likely to be interested in the dog and, if you keep hold, you are at increased risk of being injured as the cow approaches your dog. Dogs can generally run much faster than you, and can get out under fences, significantly reducing their risk of injury.
Beef cows are generally much less handled. Some breeds, particularly native breeds, are very docile but
should still not be approached. Long horns can increase the risk of accidental injury due to a simple turn of the head. Some beef breeds are wary of people and may react if approached or cornered, so give them a wide berth. If cattle are collected around the gate or stile as your exit from a field, talk to them firmly and move gently towards them. Most cattle will avoid conflict and move away from you. Sometimes this involves reversing out of the space, so be prepared to move back to give them room. Shouting and waving your arms is unhelpful because this may cause them to react, increasing your risk of being knocked into.
It is generally safe to walk through fields with cattle in if you are sensible and respect their space and respond appropriately to their behaviour.
looking for homes. Please call to see what we have
and
Jasper, 11, and Misty, 10, who had been with Cats Protection since last September, have now found their new forever home
for a home in the country. Could be
n For details, please call the helpline on 01258 858644 or visit our website, www.cats.org.uk/middorset
IF your cat has gone missing, Cats Protection offers practical steps to help bring it home safely. Start by searching your local area thoroughly, checking sheds, garages and outbuildings where it might be hiding. Create posters and share them in your neighbourhood and online communities. Inform local vets and animal rescues in case someone has found your cat. Ensure your cat’s microchip details are up to date, as this can be a vital tool for identification, and update the microchip database to advise your cat is lost. For a detailed guide and additional advice visit the Cats Protection website or call us on 01258 858644.
IF you have found a stray cat, Cats Protection has helpful guidance to ensure the cat gets the care it needs. First, check if it is in distress or injured and contact a vet if necessary. Look for an ID tag or take the cat to a vet to check for a microchip. If the owner cannot be identified, share details about the cat locally via posters, social media and community groups. Cats Protection advises against assuming all stray cats are lost, as some may simply be exploring. For full guidance, visit the Cats Protection website or call us on 01258 858644.
by Raychel Curson
AS temperatures rise, it’s important to take extra care to keep your pets cool and safe.
Dogs and cats are more sensitive to heat than humans, and overheating can quickly lead to serious health issues like heatstroke.
Here are some simple but effective tips to help your furry friends stay comfortable during hot weather.
Provide plenty of fresh water
HYDRATION is essential. Make sure your pets always have access to clean, cool water. Refill their bowls frequently and consider placing multiple water stations around the house and garden. You can even add ice cubes to their water to help keep it cool longer.
Avoid peak heat hours
WALK dogs early in the morning or later in the evening when the pavement is cooler and the sun is less intense. Hot pavements can burn paw pads – if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for their feet.
Create cool spaces
ENSURE your pets have access to shady areas if they’re outside. Indoors, use fans or air conditioning to keep the temperature down. Cooling mats or damp towels on the floor can give pets a comfortable spot to lie on. Some
cats and dogs enjoy chilled gel pads designed specifically for pets.
Limit exercise
ON hot days, reduce the intensity and duration of walks and play sessions. Overexertion in the heat can lead to overheating, especially in flat-faced breeds like Bulldogs and Persians which have a harder time breathing in the heat.
Never leave pets in cars
EVEN with the windows cracked, temperatures inside a parked car can skyrocket in minutes, putting your pet at extreme risk. Always leave them at home if you’re running errands on a hot day.
Groom smart
BRUSH your pets regularly to remove excess fur, which can trap heat. For some breeds, professional grooming – but not shaving – can help keep them cooler.
By taking a few precautions, you can ensure your pets enjoy the summer safely and comfortably. A little planning goes a long way in protecting your companions from the dangers of heat.
n Raychel Curson BSc (Hons) MA CCAB APBC-CAB FABC ABTC-CAB is owner of Pet Peeves Animal Behaviour & Teaching (email raychel@ petpeevessomerset.co.uk).
Dogs and cats need access to clean, cool water in hot weather. adding ice cubes can keep it cooler for longer
Ollie Bradford-Peck claimed gold at the English Schools Athletics finals in Birmingham.
800 metres runner Ollie outclassed an impressive field of young athletes to bag his first track title.
On the back of breaking schools records, winning at regional events in Poole and the South West meet at Exeter, confidence was high.
But this was a big step up for him and his first time at a national meeting.
Running in the first of three
by Avril Lancaster Shaftesbury 3
Hamworthy Recreation 0
ROCKIES manager Jim Milligan will have been pleased with his side’s display in their final pre-season friendly against a good Hamworthy Recreation team.
Rec, from the Velocity Wessex League Premier Division, are a jinx side for Shaftesbury, and featured several former Rockies players including Ben Satterley, Aaron Roberts, Connor Cocklin and Ashley Pope.
Shaftesbury, after an early
heats, Ollie commanded the race from the front, and despite blistering heat, took the tape in 2.01 seconds, to qualify for the final the next day.
He took to the track with a new game plan for the final, rather than dictating the pace, Ollie settled into the pack for the first lap before taking the lead on the bell.
With clear distance between himself and second place, victory seemed like it had never been in doubt and a new
personal best to go with it, an impressive 1 minute 56 seconds.
Ollie only started athletics seriously back in May. After a successful cross-country season, finishing 10th at Bournemouth as a junior, he decided to have a go at the 800m at the county athletic trials at Yeovil, storming in 2.06, breaking the school record.
Steve Yeo, Gillingham
Gillingham School student
press by the visitors, opened the scoring on 19 minutes when Luke Burbidge cut the ball back for Toby Holmes to score his fourth goal in pre-season.
Milligan, with a large squad available, was able to utilise his options and Jack Hoey curled in a superb 49th minute free-kick past Felix Bruce to put Shaftesbury 2-0 ahead.
Bruce was covering for the injured Shane Murphy, another former Rockies favourite.
Leighton Thomas came on as one of the many substitutions
School’s head of physical education, said: “Ollie’s had a remarkable journey in athletics this year.
“It’s not his first record, he also broke our 200m record, as well as already holding the school record for 300m and 800m.
“Ollie is now the first ever Gillingham student to achieve gold at the English Schools athletics.”
by Graham Howard DDAS Juniors
MUGGY and overcast conditions gave way to warm sunshine for the latest round of the Dorchester & District Angling Society junior angling championship.
The Main Lake at Revels fishery was the venue for 10 juniors to do battle for championship points.
The early sprinkling of rain quickly cleared away as some early carp fell to method feeder tactics before the bites tailed off in the middle of the match.
Towards the end, the carp came back to the feed and some larger fish were caught, boosting weights for some.
One of those benefiting
and tucked away the third goal in the 67th minute.
That came after Pope, playing for Rec following his transfer from AFC Stoneham, hit a thunderous shot against the Shaftesbury bar.
Hamworthy Recreation played their part in a competitive friendly.
The Rockies were set to enjoy a weekend off before the season begins with a tricky trip to Velocity Wessex League Premier Division Baffins Milton Rovers in the Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tomorrow (Saturday, August 2).
from a big fish was Austin Scott-Kennedy who managed to bag a fish of about 8lb to help him win the match with 31lb 15oz.
The fish really helped him because only just behind was Josiah Wels-Parkes with 30lb 13oz in second.
Third was Freddie Campbell for his first taste of a podium with 25lb 12oz.
SHERBORNE Golf Club’s women’s section held a wellattended club championship over two very warm days. Caroline Beaumont won the scratch prize after tying with Julie Whelan over 36 holes. She came out on top of a tense three-hole play-off with the final putt on the third hole. Other cup winners were: Todd Hillyer Salver, Julie Whelan; Bronze Cup, Sally Mead; Pat Swift Trophy, Gillian McKnight.
by AJ Selby
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted” – David Bly YOU can see the dust rising upwards from half a mile away. A darker cloud against the azure-blue sky, moving slowly across the horizon. As you get nearer you spot the combine harvester eating up the acres and sending the dust skywards as the straw spews out of the back of the machine. I love watching the combines at work, having driven a bright yellow New Holland back in the days when we had phone boxes and village bobbies on bicycles.
The mechanism is beautiful to watch as the cutter bar slices the stalks of corn a few inches above the soil. As the cut stalks with their heads of plump, ripe wheat, barley or oats fall onto the table so the big reel ensures that the crop is taken up the auger into the guts of the machine where it is threshed –the heads separated from the stalk – and the corn taken into the grain tank and the straw ejected out the back.
So easy, compared to the not too distant past when corn was scythed and the sheaves stood up in stooks to keep the rain off before threshing time. My maternal grandfather was a market gardener who also helped with the hay and corn harvest – the only photo I have of him is of a horse-drawn wagon loaded with hay and grandfather on top with a pitchfork, taken in the early 1900s when he was in his 20s and one of the fitter lads to ride atop a load.
There is still something in all of us, countryman and towndweller alike, that feels an ancient calling to harvest and to store as the daylight diminishes and the mercury starts to fall. Whether it’s a ramble with a willow basket to pick blackberries and crab apples, or an urge to bake and preserve autumn’s bounty to freeze, bottle and jar, the onset of the closing of the year remains in our subconsciousness.
Back on the cornfields, the combine quickly eats away at the acres and then moves on leaving a line every 20 yards or
slam shut waiting for the next eight.
Then a tractor with a loader and a flat eight grab with hydraulic spikes would lift the block onto a trailer. You could put three blocks on the base of the trailer and probably five high, so 120 bales to a load. This was a fairly new innovation on the farm I worked on and was bought in about 1978 – only two years before in that endless forever summer we were using pitchforks to load the bales one by one. I only wish I had taken some photos of the machinery back then.
so of a thick roll of straw. Into the field comes the baler, a machine that binds the loose straw and ties it up before dropping a huge round bale the size of a very small car out of the back, soon picked up by a tractor grab and onto a trailer.
In my youth – ah, those words conjure up so many memories of harvests past – it was all small bales and I can clearly recall being mesmerised the first time I baled the straw with a ‘flat eight’ sledge behind. This was towed behind the baler and was an iron frame that was four bales wide and two deep. It had a series of very clever strips of metal on pivots that guided the bales into their positions. So, as you drove and baled, the first bale would be channelled into the bottom right corner and as it nestled there it would nudge a metal bar that would ensure the next bale sat alongside it. And so on until the eighth bale completed the ‘flat eight’ whereupon it would dislodge a lever and the gate at the back would open up, leave the eight bales behind in a neat block whence the gate would
The bare fields, bright yellow with the stubble, were lit and everything burnt to kill weed seeds and clean the ground ready for ploughing and replanting. I have recalled in Country Diary in previous years the fun we had with stubble burning but the practice is sadly outlawed now. One of the benefits today is that the gleanings – the spilt corn from the combines including the tiny grains that fall through the thresher sieve – are food for many birds and you can watch pheasant, partridge, pigeons and various corvids covering the ground and feeding up for the leaner times ahead.
Many farmers are also practising ‘no-till’, an American phrase that effectively means no ploughing, which helps the soil keep both its structure and the carbon it stores. The seed is direct-drilled into the brashy stubble and, as many weed seeds need soil disturbance and light to germinate, so no ploughing also means fewer weeds – but sadly not completely weed free. Other complementary techniques are also being used as part of a ‘no-till’ husbandry programme. Many farmers are quietly working behind the scenes to help both the environment and the planet. And that, of course, can only be a positive thing.
by Friars Moor Livestock Health
AS all dairy farmers will know, it is a requirement for your milking parlour to undergo a static parlour test with your technician. This test is designed to ensure the parlour is set up correctly, it checks that the vacuum and pulsators are capable of operating within acceptable levels and that the equipment is safe to use. Much like taking your car to an MOT.
Just like an MOT couldn’t detect a problem that only occurred when you were driving your car – for example, the speedometer not working, a static parlour test can’t either.
In real terms, this means that it doesn’t measure the actual vacuum level and pulsator function that your cows experience when they are being milked, and that is where dynamic parlour testing (DPT) using a VaDia device comes in.
The VaDia device is attached to a cluster while milking continues as normal. The machine measures the vacuum
level and pulsation at the teat end. A trace is developed which shows the vacuum level at the teat end and how this varies with high and low milk flow.
This is then used to determine:
n How efficiently the cows are milking
n Are they letting their milk down in good time?
n The level of vacuum reserve available
n Is the vacuum functioning efficiently when all the cows are being milked?
n How well ACRs settings are suited to the cows
n Are the units coming off at the right time?
As the vet is in the parlour throughout milking, we combine a DPT and an assessment of the milking routine, parlour hygiene and cow behaviour. This also gives the opportunity to score cows teats for teat end damage and oedema. This can be extended to include a Bactoscan investigation where the wash routine is evaluated and any
areas for improvement can be identified.
Are you experiencing any of the following in your herd?
n High levels of teat end damage
n Teat swelling soon after clusters come off often combined with high levels of clinical mastitis in heifers
n Cows not milking out properly
n Squawking and liner slip
n Mastitis always affecting the
same quarters
n A large number of persistently high cell count cows
n Persistent problems with high bulk milk cell counts or Bactoscan
Then why not chat to your routine vet about whether this test could benefit your herd.
n Friars Moor Livestock Health (phone 01258 472314; email farmoffice@fmlh.co.uk; visit friarsmoorlivestockhealth. co.uk).
21x ROUND HAY BALES (2024) £15 each or 250 to clear. Tel: 07977-105147
GUINEA FOWL KEETS
FOR SALE. 8 weeks old. Lavender, pearls and pied available. 07545-468700
POL PULLETS FOR SALE. Just coming into lay. Variety of egg colours available. 07545-468700
80 ORGANIC SQUARE SILAGE BALES, made 2024. £40 each. Henstridge, 07890-902120
SHEPHERD AVAILABLE, experienced and self employed. Seeking any size flock. Full day to day care and management. Tel 07968-049218
MEADOW HAY SMALL BALE £4. 01747-853122.
HEIFERS CALVES NAMED SIRES 4-5 months old. Enford Farm near Blandford. 07704-813025.
SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR SALE / HIRE
Tel: 01258 472288 Mob: 07977 936109
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Pre-cast concrete wallings panels supplied and erected
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Tel: 01747 811711
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Email: johnguttridge@aol.com
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AN EXECUTIVE at retailer Marks and Spencer has hit out at planned changes to inheritance tax for farmers.
Steve McLean, right, head of agriculture and fisheries at the chain, said plans to impose a 20% inheritance tax - half the usual rate - on assets worth more than £1 million would put young people off pursuing careers in farming.
A government spokesperson said the reforms are “vital to fix the public services we all rely on”, but Mr McLean told BBC Wales the policy will be a “deterrent for young people coming into the industry”.
Farming unions, including the NFU, have opposed the planned changes, which are set to come into force from April next year.
However, the government says “three quarters of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter will pay half
the inheritance tax that most people pay, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free”.
Mr McLean was speaking at the Royal Welsh Show, in Llanelwedd and said he was “very, very clear” agriculture should be treated differently by the government.
“The whole taxation system was devised to recognise that the margins of profitability in agriculture weren’t like other industries,” he said. “That’s why you had a difference in how the inheritance tax approach was set up.”
And Mr McLean warned the changes would “impact confidence”.
Thismonth many of our livestock have experienced heat stress, leading to problems such as milk drop, photosensitisation and reduced conception rates.
Mitigating heat stress is always a challenge but worth a conversation at your next vet visit. With the warm and muggy days, flies and ticks have been causing issues with flystrike and redwater across our region, and not always in the animals you might expect.
We are so proud to announce that our vet and shareholder Pete O’Malley (North Regional lead) is a finalist in this year’s Farmers Weekly Awards in the ‘Farm Advisor of the Year’ category! What a great achievement - we can’t wait for the awards ceremony in October!
Congratulations also to our clients Ollie Blackburn of Dillington Farms and Chris Berry of Higher Thornton Farm on also reaching the finals in their respective categories.
R&W FENCING. Agricultural paddock and stock. Also part time help required. 01258-88089207980-036250
CARAVAN REMOVAL SERVICE, old, unwanted caravans, cars, trailers, vans, etc. Garden machinery, tractors, scrap metal. Yard, garden, garage removal clearances undertaken, dismantling and gas cutting service. Please call 01935873169 or 07368-380477
Cows Cows Cows All Grades
WANTED: LAND TO BUY in Dorset. To grow trees and shrubs. Tel: 07810-472347
HEDGE PLANTING AND HEDGELAYING for more information contact James on 07930-262639
Also, Bulls plus Organic Cattle Farm Assured or Non-Assured
No V.A.N Number, No Problem!
Payment on the day - Farm purchases Haulage Arranged
Brookfield Livestock Marketing Ltd
7 Days a week. Tel: 07811 381 159
Mob: 07966 244536
Hydraulic Hose Specialists and Stockists to the Agriculture, Forestry, Automotive and Transport Industry
Pneumatic fittings
Air brake fittings
Hose clamps
Hydraulic Hoses
Quick release couplings
Pressure wash hoses + lances
Up to 1 ½ “Hose stocked
Variation of oils
Mobile service available
Friday 20th June
Friday 20th June
STANDING STRAW AUCTION
STANDING STRAW AUCTION
ON-FARM AUCTION
ON-FARM AUCTION
ON-FARM AUCTION
Gomershay Farm, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton
Thursday 17th October at 11.00am
Thursday 17th October at 11.00am
Thursday 17th October at 11.00am
Saturday 9th August at 9:30am Rylands Farm, Holnest, Sherborne, DT9 5PS
Wednesday 28th June at 6.30pm
Silverlake Farm, Sherborne, DT9 6SN
Bindon & Pinhay
Thursday 17th October at 11.00am Silverlake Farm, Sherborne, DT9 6SN
Wednesday 28th June at 6.30pm Bindon & Pinhay
Wednesday 28th June at 6.30pm Bindon & Pinhay
Genuine Dispersal of 2 Tractors, Telehandler, 24:24 Parlour, Poly-Tunnel, Grassland & Livestock Equipment, Workshop Items, etc
Genuine Dispersal of 2 Tractors, Telehandler, 24:24 Parlour, Poly-Tunnel, Grassland & Livestock Equipment, Workshop Items, etc
The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon, Dorset
Silverlake Farm, Sherborne, DT9 6SN Genuine Dispersal of Combine, Self Propelled Sprayer, 4 Tractors, 2 JCB Telehandlers, Forklift, Pick-Up, Arable Machinery & Livestock Equipment
4 Tractors, 2 JCB Telehandlers, Forklift, Pick-Up,
Wednesday 28th June at 6.30pm 461ac Wheat
The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon, Dorset 830ac of Standing Straw
The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon, Dorset 830ac of Standing Straw
Genuine Dispersal of Combine, Self Propelled Sprayer, 4 Tractors, 2 JCB Telehandlers, Forklift, Pick-Up, Arable Machinery & Livestock Equipment
Genuine Dispersal of Combine, Self Propelled Sprayer, 4 Tractors, 2 JCB Telehandlers, Forklift, Pick-Up,
Annual Collective Charity Auction of 9 Classic & Vintage Tractors, Vehicles, Shepherd’s Huts, Farm Machinery, Livestock & Garden Items & Bygones
461ac Wheat
• 461ac Wheat
• 461ac Wheat
• 237ac Winter Barley
• 237ac Winter Barley
237ac Winter Barley 132ac Oats
2017 Claas Lexion 650 Combine with Vario 770 Header, Shelbourne Reynolds
• 132ac Oats
• 132ac Oats
132ac Oats
Friday 30th June at 12 noon
Friday 30th June at 12 noon Durweston
Friday 30th June at 12 noon
Durweston
T7.210 (3,610hrs) & T7.200 (4,365hrs) Tractors, 2012 JCB 531-70 (2,145hrs) &
T7.210 (3,610hrs) & T7.200 (4,365hrs) Tractors, 2012 JCB 531-70 (2,145hrs) &
Travellers Rest Farm, Durweston, Blandford, Dorset 6,220 acres of Standing Straw
6,220 acres of Standing Straw
Travellers Rest Farm, Durweston, Blandford, Dorset
Travellers Rest Farm, Durweston, Blandford, Dorset
• 2,442ac Wheat
2,442ac Wheat
• 2,442ac Wheat
• 2,006ac Winter Barley
• 2,006ac Winter Barley
• 1,557ac Spring Barley
Including: Zetor 7245 with Loader, 1959 Fordson Power Major, Massey Ferguson 550, Massey Ferguson 35, Ferguson TEF20, David Brown 1212, Leyland 270, Ford New Holland 1920, Hinomoto E182 Compact Tractor, 2 x Shepherd’s Huts, Commer Camper Van (72), Land Rover Discovery 2 (02), Kawasaki and Polaris ATV’s, Ferguson 2f Plough, Brian James 3T Flat Bed Trailer, Single Axle Bale Trailer, 3T Tipping Trailer, Ifor Williams Cattle Trailer, Marshall 10.5m³ Side Discharge Spreader, Perkins 1103 70hp 3cyl Turbo Charged Engine, Massey Ferguson Parts, Major Diesel Engine, Honda Rotavator, Hardi 200l Boom Sprayer, Horse Drawn Ridger, Calf Hutches, Dog Run, Rabbit Run, Sandblast Cabinet, 5hp Honda Engine, Workshop Items, Ride-On and Push Lawn Mowers, Garden Sheds & Benches, Plant Display Frames, Assorted Timber, 2 x Wagon Wheels, Cast Iron Wheels, Milk Churn, Butter Barrel, etc.
• 1,557ac Spring Barley
2017 Claas Lexion 650 Combine with Vario 770 Header, Shelbourne Reynolds RSD20 Stripper Header, 2011 Bateman RB17 (3,708hrs) Sprayer, 2019 Massey Ferguson 7720S Dyna6 (2,320hrs) & 7718 Dyna6 (2,880hrs), 2016 New Holland T7.210 (3,610hrs) & T7.200 (4,365hrs) Tractors, 2012 JCB 531-70 (2,145hrs) & 1997 527-58 Telehandlers, 2010 Isuzu Rodeo Pick-Up, Doosan Pro5 18 Forklift, McConnel 8.2m & 6.3m Cambridge Rollers, Twose & Watson 10’ Tandem Rollers, KRM Sola Ares 2713 Drill, Vaderstad NZ 6m Cultivator, Kuhn HR 4004 Hyd. Folding Power Harrow, KV DXA 4.7m Trailed Discs, KV LD85 5f Rev Plough, Kuhn Vari-
1,557ac Spring Barley 178ac Oats
• 178ac Oats
• 178ac Oats
2017 Claas Lexion 650 Combine with Vario 770 Header, Shelbourne Reynolds RSD20 Stripper Header, 2011 Bateman RB17 (3,708hrs) Sprayer, 2019 Massey Ferguson 7720S Dyna6 (2,320hrs) & 7718 Dyna6 (2,880hrs), 2016 New Holland T7.210 (3,610hrs) & T7.200 (4,365hrs) Tractors, 2012 JCB 531-70 (2,145hrs) & 1997 527-58 Telehandlers, 2010 Isuzu Rodeo Pick-Up, Doosan Pro5 18 Forklift, McConnel 8.2m & 6.3m Cambridge Rollers, Twose & Watson 10’ Tandem Rollers, KRM Sola Ares 2713 Drill, Vaderstad NZ 6m Cultivator, Kuhn HR 4004 Hyd. Folding Power Harrow, KV DXA 4.7m Trailed Discs, KV LD85 5f Rev Plough, Kuhn Vari-
KRM Sola Ares 2713 Drill, Vaderstad NZ 6m Cultivator, Kuhn HR 4004 Hyd. Folding Power Harrow, KV DXA 4.7m Trailed Discs, KV LD85 5f Rev Plough, Kuhn VariMaster 153 5f Rev Plough, McConnel 3m Shakerator, Kverneland TL Geospread Fertiliser Spreader, McConnel Magnum Euro 280 Hyd Offset Topper, Bomford Hawk 6m Hedgecutter, Kuhn FC313 TG Mower Conditioner, 2 x Stewart 16-21L Grain Trailers, Marshall BC25 Bale Trailer, Cattle Hurdles, Attachments (Q-Fit),
•
1,557ac Spring Barley 178ac Oats 37ac Oil Seed Rape
• 37ac Oil Seed Rape
• 37ac Oil Seed Rape
KRM Sola Ares 2713 Drill, Vaderstad NZ 6m Cultivator, Kuhn HR 4004 Hyd. Folding Power Harrow, KV DXA 4.7m Trailed Discs, KV LD85 5f Rev Plough, Kuhn VariMaster 153 5f Rev Plough, McConnel 3m Shakerator, Kverneland TL Geospread Fertiliser Spreader, McConnel Magnum Euro 280 Hyd Offset Topper, Bomford Hawk 6m Hedgecutter, Kuhn FC313 TG Mower Conditioner, 2 x Stewart 16-21L
2021 Merlo TF 42.7 CS Turbo Farmer (2,690hrs), 2010 Case Puma 140 (10,939hrs), International 674 with Loader, 24:24 Fullwood Afimilk Parlour, Cotswold Flush, Fullwood Auger Master Feeders, Ambic Teat Sprayer, 2000 Fullwood 12,500ltr Fabdec Bulk Tank, ND Jeanes 15t Bulk Bin, Rowlands 20t High Discharge Bin, Mollasses Tank & Stand, 2018 Anka Pro Foot Trimming Crush, 2010 Marshall QM2 Silage Trailer, 2005 Joskin 11000ME Slurry Tanker, 2017 Keenan VA2-18 Feeder Wagon, 2020 Aerworxx 10-30m Aerator, Lely Splendimo 280F Mower, 2012 Pottinger Lion 301 3m Power Harrow, Browns Flail Topper, 2002 Major 700 Road Brush, Ifor Williams TA510G Livestock Trailer, 2021 Merlo 8ft Bucket, Wylie Shear Grab, 25ft Single Axle Bale Trailer, Single Leg Mole Plough, Teagle Tomahawk 4040 Bale Shredder, Mixit PTO Lagoon Stirrer, Quicke 210 Loader Bucket, Logic Contact 200 Weed Wiper, 2009 Joskin 4300/209SDH Shallow Disc Injector, Feed Trailer, Large Quantity of Electric Fencing Stakes, Reels & Fencers, Quantity of Feed Troughs, Various Feed Buckets, Mobile Milker, Hook on Buckets, Wydale Teat Feeders, Parlour Matting, Parlour Fans, Calftel Group Hutches, Various Field & Yard Gates, 32mm Water Pipe, Parlour Spares, Quantity of Astro Turf, Emergency Bulk Tank, Concrete Water Troughs, 60ft x 30ft Poly Tunnels.
2021 Merlo TF 42.7 CS Turbo Farmer (2,690hrs), 2010 Case Puma 140 (10,939hrs), International 674 with Loader, 24:24 Fullwood Afimilk Parlour, Cotswold Flush, Fullwood Auger Master Feeders, Ambic Teat Sprayer, 2000 Fullwood 12,500ltr Fabdec Bulk Tank, ND Jeanes 15t Bulk Bin, Rowlands 20t High Discharge Bin, Mollasses Tank & Stand, 2018 Anka Pro Foot Trimming Crush, 2010 Marshall QM2 Silage Trailer, 2005 Joskin 11000ME Slurry Tanker, 2017 Keenan VA2-18 Feeder Wagon, 2020 Aerworxx 10-30m Aerator, Lely Splendimo 280F Mower, 2012 Pottinger Lion 301 3m Power Harrow, Browns Flail Topper, 2002 Major 700 Road Brush, Ifor Williams TA510G Livestock Trailer, 2021 Merlo 8ft Bucket, Wylie Shear Grab, 25ft Single Axle Bale Trailer, Single Leg Mole Plough, Teagle Tomahawk 4040 Bale Shredder, Mixit PTO Lagoon Stirrer, Quicke 210 Loader Bucket, Logic Contact 200 Weed Wiper, 2009 Joskin 4300/209SDH Shallow Disc Injector, Feed Trailer, Large Quantity of Electric Fencing Stakes, Reels & Fencers, Quantity of Feed Troughs, Various Feed Buckets, Mobile Milker, Hook on Buckets, Wydale Teat Feeders, Parlour Matting, Parlour Fans, Calftel Group Hutches, Various Field & Yard Gates, 32mm Water Pipe, Parlour Spares, Quantity of Astro Turf, Emergency Bulk Tank, Concrete Water Troughs, 60ft x 30ft
Fertiliser Spreader, McConnel Magnum Euro 280 Hyd Offset Topper, Bomford Hawk 6m Hedgecutter, Kuhn FC313 TG Mower Conditioner, 2 x Stewart 16-21L Grain Trailers, Marshall BC25 Bale Trailer, Cattle Hurdles, Attachments (Q-Fit), Machine Spares, Workshop Items, Weights, etc.
Master 153 5f Rev Plough, McConnel 3m Shakerator, Kverneland TL Geospread Fertiliser Spreader, McConnel Magnum Euro 280 Hyd Offset Topper, Bomford Hawk 6m Hedgecutter, Kuhn FC313 TG Mower Conditioner, 2 x Stewart 16-21L Grain Trailers, Marshall BC25 Bale Trailer, Cattle Hurdles, Attachments (Q-Fit), Machine Spares, Workshop Items, Weights, etc.
Friday 7th July at 12 noon
Friday 7th July at 12 noon
The Grain Store, Manor Farm, Wynford Eagle, Dorchester, 1298 acres of Standing Straw
The Grain Store, Manor Farm, Wynford Eagle, Dorchester, 1298 acres of Standing Straw
• 599ac Wheat
• 599ac Wheat Full
Full catalogues available at symondsandsampson.co.uk
Tuesday 12th August at 11:00am Storridge Farm, Beaminster, DT8 3NN
Dispersal Sale of Tractors, Telehandler, ATV, Farm Machinery & Livestock Equipment
Gomershay Farm, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton STANDING STRAW AUCTIONS
STANDING STRAW AUCTIONS
On behalf of Spicer Partners Online bidding
On behalf of Spicer Partners Online bidding available
Including: Merlo P34.7 Panoramic (12), Renault Ares 640 RZ (00), Renault 320, International 695, Honda 450 ATV (11), Keenan Mech Fiber 320 Feeder Wagon, Joskin 8400 ME Slurry Tanker, Pichon 6m Grass Harrows, Grays 10ft Flat Roller, Amazone ZA-X Fertiliser Spreader, Kidd 240 Topper, 25ft Marshall BC25 Bale Trailer, Colins 11T Dung Trailer, Logic ATV Trailer, McHale Bale Handler, Twose Shear Grab, Albutt Bucket, Albutt Pallet Forks, Twose Bale Squeeze, Oxdale Hydraulic Log Splitter, Nissan Navara & Ford Ranger Canopies, John Shepherd Box Feeder, Feed Barriers with Manger, Feed Barrier Sections, IAE Cattle Crush, IAE Calf/Sheep Weigh Crush, Ironwork Sheep Handling Crate, Creep Feeders, Sheep Hurdles, Gates, Troughs, Dairy Sundries, etc.
On behalf of John Swain Limited (Retiring) Online bidding available Contact Greg Ridout: 01935 382909 / 07817 517467
On behalf of John Swain Limited (Retiring) Online bidding available Contact Greg Ridout: 01935 382909 / 07817 517467
Wednesday 25th June
Wednesday 25th June
ON-FARM DISPERSAL AUCTION
ON-FARM DISPERSAL AUCTION
ON-FARM DISPERSAL AUCTION
Pinhay and Bindon – The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon
Pinhay and Bindon – The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon
1298 acres of Standing Straw 599ac Wheat Saturday 29th July
Saturday 29th July
Approx. 1,000ac of Standing Straw
Saturday 29th July
Approx. 1,000ac of Standing Straw
Buckham Down Farm, Beaminster DT8 3SH
Saturday 29th July Buckham Down Farm, Beaminster DT8 3SH
Friday 27th June
Friday 27th June
Pinhay and Bindon – The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon
Pinhay and Bindon – The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon
Approx. 8,5000ac of Standing Straw
Approx. 8,5000ac of Standing Straw
Dispersal sale of 4 Tractors, Farm Machinery, Bygones and Miscellaneous
Dispersal sale of 4 Tractors, Farm Machinery, Bygones and
Dispersal sale of 4 Tractors, Farm Machinery, Bygones and Miscellaneous
Dispersal sale of 4 Tractors, Farm Machinery, Bygones and Miscellaneous
Including: 1995 Same Silver 80 4wd (6,800hrs), 1988 Same Explorer 70 4wd with Loader (4,700hrs),1973
Our Agents will be at
Same Explorer 70 4wd with Loader (4,700hrs),1973 Ford 4000 (fully restored), 1976 International 454 2wd, Marshall SM6 Drop Side Silage Trailer, Markham 3t Tipping & TS91 Ploughs, Krone AM242Z Mower Conditioner,
Including: 1995 Same Silver 80 4wd (6,800hrs), 1988 Same Explorer 70 4wd with Loader (4,700hrs),1973 Ford 4000 (fully restored), 1976 International 454 2wd, Trailer, PortAgric 6’ Topper, Ransomes TS59 & TS90 & TS91 Ploughs, Krone AM242Z Mower Conditioner, Feeders, Stationary Engines, Signs, Bygones, 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.
Our Agents will be at The Dairy Event on Wednesday, 2 October
Ford 4000 (fully restored), 1976 International 454 2wd, Marshall SM6 Drop Side Silage Trailer, Markham 3t Tipping & TS91 Ploughs, Krone AM242Z Mower Conditioner, Feeders, Stationary Engines, Signs, Bygones, etc.
on Wednesday, 2 October
Our Agents will be at on Wednesday, 2 October
Further suitable entries welcome.
Further suitable entries welcome.
Further suitable entries welcome.
Further suitable entries welcome.
Catalogues available on our website
Please call in to our stand for refreshments and to meet our rural and agricultural experts
Please call in to our stand for refreshments and to meet our rural and agricultural experts
Please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467
Please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467
Please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467
Please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467
Contact Greg Ridout: 01935 382909/07817 517467
Contact Greg Ridout: 01935 382909/07817 517467
PROPERTY AUCTION WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST 2:00PM AT AFC BOURNEMOUTH VITALITY STADIUM & VIA LIVESTREAM
PROPERTY AUCTION FRIDAY 16 MAY 2025 2:00PM AT MERLEY HOUSE, WIMBORNE BH21 3AA & VIA LIVESTREAM
PPROPERTY AUCTIONS FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER 2024 & FRIDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2024 AT THE DIGBY CHURCH MEMORIAL HALL, SHERBORNE AT 2:00PM AND VIA LIVESTREAM
Guide £25,000
Gillingham
Guide £50,000
rich in biodiversity, in a secluded, peaceful area south of the River Frome. Freehold.
Level pasture land and a traditional stone building set in 2.15 acres on the outskirts of the village of Queen Camel. Freehold.
Guide £10,000
Wimborne | 01202 843190
North Perrott Guide £45,000 3.01 acres (1.22 ha) of gently sloping pasture land with direct road access. Freehold.
Yeovil | 01935 382901
Sixpenny Handley
An unusual parcel of land measuring 96sqm, with a brick building for possible repurposing, subject to planning permission. Pedestrian access from Wyke Road. Freehold.
Holt, Wimborne Guide £80,000
Guide £150,000
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
Yeovil | 01935 432526
An opportunity to purchase a parcel of permanent pasture in the village of
A detached barn of about 125 sqm. in just under 1.70 acres with off-road
Charlton Marshall
Stoke Wake
Pallington
Guide £300,000
Guide Lot A £40,000
Dorchester | 01305 236237
Guide Lot B £50,000
23.55 acres of permanent pasture, with fishing rights along the River Stour, which borders the land. Freehold.
8.11 acres of level and gently sloping pasture land with direct road access and stream frontage, offered in two lots. Freehold.
Wareham Guide £110,000
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Dorchester
Lytchett Matravers
Melplash
Guide £20,000
Guide £200,000
Guide £50,000
Witchampton Guide
£50,000
Yeovil
Avoncliff
Bournemouth
Guide £125,000
Guide £200,000
Guide £25,000
Wimborne
Nether Compton
Guide £225,000
Guide £150,000
0.19 acres of amenity land with scope for a range of uses (STPP/consents), adjoining residential properties. Freehold.
A centrally located Grade II Listed property currently arranged as 3 x 1 bedroom flats and walled gardens, requiring modernisation throughout. CTBs A, EPC Exempt, Leasehold.
0.23 acres of land with a former water tower providing scope for a range of uses, subject to planning permission. With direct road access from Colehill Road. Freehold.
A former village hall with parking situated on the main road in the heart of the village. GIA 175 sqm. Freehold. RV TBA.
Dorchester Commercial | 01305 261008
Dorchester | 01305 261008
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Winterborne Zelston
Guide £250,000
Guide £185,000
Guide £50,000
Dorchester | 01305 236237
9.13 acres of freely draining land, predominantly comprising pasture with an element of woodland, located between Wareham and Wool. Freehold.
Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244
Blandford Forum
A detached, extended 3 bedroom cottage for renovation, enjoying a rural position and delightful countryside views in 0.20 acres of gardens. CTB C, EPC G, Freehold.
Guide £350,000
A semi-detached 3 bedroom property for refurbishment with scope for extension and remodelling (STPP) in a convenient location on the A31. Freehold. CTB-C; EPC-E.
38.42 acres (15.55 hectares) of fertile, workable arable land with good accessibility. Conveniently split into three workable parcels. The land has previously been used to grow salad crops and is understood to be very productive, more recently the land has been in a combinable crop rotation. This Autumn, the land has been drilled with a cover crop. Freehold.
A former pumping station situated close to the beach and train station, with potential for a variety of uses (subject to planning permission). Freehold.
Blandford | 01258 452670
Weymouth Poundbury | 01305 251154
Blandford Forum | 01258 452670
Okeford Fitzpaine
Christchurch
Guide
Bradworthy, Devon
Guide £395,000
20.70 acres (12.01 ha) tucked away in a quiet rural position in 3 lots.
£495,000
Batcombe, Dorchester Guides £40,000 to £115,000
Lot A – 15.02 ac arable capable pasture land with a gentle south facing slope£115,000
A charming semi-detached 2 bedroom cottage with a separate 1 bedroom, single storey annexe with off-road parking and gardens. CTBs C & A, EPCs D & B, Freehold.
Sturminster | 01258 473766
Traditional stone barn set in 5.97acres. Positioned in a private location with residential conversion opportunity (STPP & relevant consents). Freehold.
A former primary school measuring over 6,300 sq. ft./585 sq. m. in grounds of 0.54 acres, providing development potential, subject to planning permission. EPC D, Freehold.
Lot B - 3.57 ac pasture and woodland including an old brick pumphouse - £40,000
Lot C – 11.11 ac pasture and strip of woodland with stream frontage - £90,000
Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244
Blandford Forum | 01258 452670
Tiverton | 01884 218911
A site measuring 0.39 acres with full planning permission for an exclusive development of 9 x 2 bedroom apartments, situated in the heart of Christchurch. Freehold.
Sturminster | 01258 473766
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Horton, Wimborne
Chilcompton Guide £195,000
Guide £450,000
A partially built 5 bedroom detached house, with double garage and gardens. PP was granted under application reference 2022/1683/FUL. Freehold.
74.24 parcels of level and southfacing arable land, arranged in two parcels of 54 and 20 acres, with the added provision of a circa 1,200 sqft barn currently used for the storage of machinery. Freehold.
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244
Guide £400,000
A substantial bungalow requiring renovation, providing potential for extension or replacement, subject to PP, in a rural position enjoying grounds of 1.60 acres. Subject to an AOC. CTB E, EPC F, Freehold.
A period detached cottage in need of general improvement throughout, set in spacious gardens of 0.21 acres (0.08 hectares). Freehold.
A 4 bedroom bungalow in need of modernisation throughout, with 0.62 acre grounds, multiple outbuildings and stunning views. Freehold. CTB-E; EPC-E.
Iliminster | 01460 200790
Sherborne | 01935 814488
A Grade II listed building offering several uses/options with planning permission and LB consent for conversion to residential. Freehold. EPC-D.
A grand, 4 storey (including basement) mixed-use Victorian building occupying a prominent corner plot on Lansdowne Crescent. RV: £53,500, £8,300, CTB A, EPC TBC. Freehold.
former pumping station in about 0.62 acres of deciduous woodland, situated about 1 mile from Bradford on Avon and close to Avoncliff train station. Freehold.
Verwood Guide £125,000 1.38 acres with a derelict barn in a residential location falling within the main urban development area on the Local Plan. Freehold.
Dorchester Commercial | 01305 236237
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
Yeovil | 01935 423526
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Heath
Winterborne Houghton
Guide £275,000
Guide £275,000
Winterbourne Steepleton
A partially renovated and extended 2 bedroom bungalow with potential for upwards extension, subject to planning permission. CTB C, EPC E, Freehold.
Guide £25,000 6.82 acres of attractive, mixed woodland situated on the edge of Nether Compton, in a peaceful rural location, within a mile of the A30. Freehold.
Winfrith Newburgh Guide £170,000
A semi detached, extended 4 bedroom period property for complete renovation with a generous garden adjoining Ferndown Forest. CTB C, EPC F, Freehold.
20.42 acres (8.26 ha) of level, productive permanent pasture land adjacent to Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath. Freehold.
A charming 2 bedroom ground floor apartment with parking conveniently situated in the town centre, with parking. Leasehold. Service Charge £4,269 pa. G Rent £30 pa. CTB-D; EPC-D.
Wimborne | 01202843190
Yeovil | 01935 382901
Sherborne Sherborne | 01935 814488
Dorchester | 01305 236237
£190,000 A mid terrace 2 double bedroom property in need of renovation throughout, with an enclosed rear garden situated close to the town centre. Freehold. CTB-C; EPC-D.
Fifehead Magdalen
Milborne Port
Guide £250,000
Guide £200,000
Guide Lot A £175,000
A barn with full planning permission for conversion to a 3 bedroom dwelling in a sought-after village location, close to the coast. Freehold.
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Dorchester Dorchester | 01305 261008
Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244
Poundbury | 01305 251154
A charming 2 bedroom period cottage, situated at the end of a
Guide £400,000 42.94 acres (17.38 ha) of productive arable land. Free draining loam soil over chalk, two road access points, a cattle handling race, outstanding views and private water supply. South east aspect suited to vines and solar. Freehold.
Guide Lot B £25,000
An attractive semi-detached 2 bedroom cottage for renovation with a generous garden situated in this much favoured North Dorset village. CTB E, EPC G, Freehold.
A former pumping station with full PP for conversion and extension to create a 3 bedroom dwelling. 0.29 acres of woodland as a separate lot. Freehold.
Sturminster | 01258 473766
Sherborne | 01935 814488
Wincanton Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
Henstridge Guide £300,000
Fontmell Magna
Dorchester
Guide £200,000
Fiddleford
Guide £395,000
A former doctor’s surgery in 0.58 acres with prior approval for change of use to a residential dwelling under application P/PACD/2024/02991/. RV: £5,100, EPC C, Freehold.
Shaftesbury Guide £95,000
Swanage
Milborne Port Guide £150,000
A charming 1 bedroom property forming part of a Grade II* Listed building, ideal as a buy to let investment or bolthole. Leasehold with 50% share of freehold.
Sturminster | 01258 473766
A lofty workshop with large and level fenced outside space. 0.66 acre plot on the Marsh Lane Trading Estate. Freehold. RV Workshop-£9,600 Yard£12,000; EPC-C. Dorchester Commercial | 01305 261008
A well-proportioned Grade II Listed office space measuring 1,320sqft. (122.5sqm.) situated in a high footfall area at the top of London Road. Freehold. RV £9,200. EPC C.
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
Dorchester Commercial | 01305 236237
Guide £225,000-£250,000
Somerford Road, Christchurch
Offered for sale separately: 2 x 2 bedroom ground floor flats of non-standard construction, requiring refurbishment and 1 x 2 bedroom first floor flat of nonstandard construction for renovation. All with front or rear gardens and providing an excellent investment opportunity. New 125 year leases to be granted on completion.
A detached 2 bedroom cottage for complete renovation, situated in this highly sought after village within Cranborne Chase. Freehold.
Blandford | 01258 452670
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Guide £375,000
A charming Grade II Listed3 bedroom stone cottage for complete renovation, situated close to the centre of this highly sought-after village. CTB E, EPC Exempt, Freehold.
An attractive period property for renovation enjoying a generous garden sitting on the outskirts of Milborne Port. Freehold.
Investment/redevelopment opportunity:
A detached 3 bedroom character property in a village location with scope for improvement, sitting in a 0.66 acre plot less than 2 miles from Sturminster Newton. Freehold. CTB-F; EPC-F.
Grade II Listed retail unit and 4 x flats generating over £36,000 pa. Off-road parking and garden. Freehold. RV £5,300. CTB B, A, A B. EPC D, C, C, C.
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Sherborne | 01935 814488
Guide £650,000
A site measuring 0.39 acres with full planning permission for an exclusive development of 9 x 2 bedroom apartments (8/22/0470/FUL), situated in the heart of Christchurch close to Avon Beach and Mudeford Quay. Potential for alternative schemes STPP. CIL: £98,735.93, Freehold.
A Grade II Listed, double fronted period property with potential for improvement, situated in the town centre enjoying a 200ft rear garden. Freehold. CTB C.
Belchalwell Guide £250,000 A detached bungalow on a 0.30 acre plot for modernisation/replacement (STPP) with a positive pre application response for a 4 bedroom house. Freehold.
on a no through lane and boasting far reaching views. In all 1.82 acres. Freehold.
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
PROPERTY AUCTION THURSDAY 24TH JULY 2025 AT 2:00PM AT DIGBY MEMORIAL CHURCH HALL, DIGBY ROAD, SHERBORNE, DT9 3NL
PROPERTY AUCTION WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST 2:00PM AT AFC BOURNEMOUTH VITALITY STADIUM & VIA LIVESTREAM
PROPERTY AUCTION FRIDAY 16 MAY 2025 2:00PM AT MERLEY HOUSE, WIMBORNE BH21 3AA & VIA LIVESTREAM
Guide £25,000
Guide £50,000
rich in biodiversity, in a secluded, peaceful area south of the River Frome. Freehold.
Level pasture land and a traditional stone building set in 2.15 acres on the outskirts of the village of Queen Camel. Freehold.
Guide £200,000
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Yeovil | 01935 382901
Sixpenny Handley
CTB C. EPC E.
A spacious 2 bedroom bungalow requiring full modernisation, with front and rear gardens and a single garage located in a nearby block. Freehold.
North Perrott Guide £45,000 3.01 acres (1.22 ha) of gently sloping pasture land with direct road access. Freehold.
Guide £150,000
Dorchester Dorchester | 01305 261008
Holt, Wimborne
Guide £80,000
Yeovil | 01935 432526
A detached barn of about 125 sqm. in just under 1.70 acres with off-road
An opportunity to purchase a parcel of permanent pasture in the village of
Charlton Marshall
Point. Freehold.
Buckland Newton
Guide £350,000
Guide £300,000
Dorchester | 01305 236237
Dorchester
Horton Heath
Melplash
Guide
Guide £50,000
Guide £250,000
£200,000
Witchampton Guide £50,000
Yeovil
Bournemouth
Guide £125,000
Guide £200,000
Verwood Guide £125,000
Sherborne
Wimborne
Bournemouth
Guide £225,000
Guide £150,000
A centrally located Grade II Listed property currently arranged as 3 x 1 bedroom flats and walled gardens, requiring modernisation throughout. CTBs A, EPC Exempt, Leasehold.
partially modernised, extended 2 bedroom bungalow with scope for upwards extension (STPP) and countryside views from the garden. Freehold. CTB C. EPC E.
A former village hall with parking situated on the main road in the heart of the village. GIA 175 sqm. Freehold. RV TBA.
0.19 acres of amenity land with scope for a range of uses (STPP/consents), adjoining residential properties. Freehold.
Dorchester | 01305 261008
Dorchester Commercial | 01305 261008
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Tarrant Rushton
Colehill
Guide £250,000
Guide £395,000
Pallington Guide £350,000
23.55 acres of permanent pasture, with fishing rights along the River Stour, which borders the land. Freehold.
Wareham Guide £110,000
A detached 3 bedroom property in need of full renovation throughout, with a good-sized garden, located close to the centre of this popular village. Freehold. CTB F. EPC E.
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Dorchester | 01305 236237
Dorchester | 01305 261008
9.13 acres of freely draining land, predominantly comprising pasture with an element of woodland, located between Wareham and Wool. Freehold.
A detached, extended 3 bedroom cottage for renovation, enjoying a rural position and delightful countryside views in 0.20 acres of gardens. CTB C, EPC G, Freehold.
property for refurbishment with scope for extension and remodelling (STPP) in a convenient location on the A31. Freehold. CTB-C; EPC-E.
A period cottage in a secluded position in need of renovation, with full planning permission for extension, vehicular access and off-road parking. 0.40 acres. Freehold. CTB Exempt. EPC G.
38.42 acres (15.55 hectares) of fertile, workable arable land with good accessibility. Conveniently split into three workable parcels. The land has previously been used to grow salad crops and is understood to be very productive, more recently the land has been in a combinable crop rotation. This Autumn, the land has been drilled with a cover crop. Freehold.
Blandford Forum | 01258 452670
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Batcombe, Dorchester Guides £40,000 to £115,000
Bradworthy, Devon
Chilthorne Domer
Guide £395,000
20.70 acres (12.01 ha) tucked away in a quiet rural position in 3 lots.
Guide £595,000
Lot A – 15.02 ac arable capable pasture land with a gentle south facing slope£115,000
A charming semi-detached 2 bedroom cottage with a separate 1 bedroom, single storey annexe with off-road parking and gardens. CTBs C & A, EPCs D & B, Freehold.
A detached 6 bedroom farmhouse in need of renovation, with far-reaching views, a courtyard of farm buildings with no overage clause, set in 1.82 acres. Freehold.
Lot B - 3.57 ac pasture and woodland including an old brick pumphouse - £40,000
Sturminster | 01258 473766
Traditional stone barn set in 5.97acres. Positioned in a private location with residential conversion opportunity (STPP & relevant consents). Freehold.
A former primary school measuring over 6,300 sq. ft./585 sq. m. in grounds of 0.54 acres, providing development potential, subject to planning permission. EPC D, Freehold.
Lot C – 11.11 ac pasture and strip of woodland with stream frontage - £90,000
Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244
Yeovil | 01935 423526
Tiverton | 01884 218911
Sturminster | 01258 473766
Sherborne | 01935 814488
Belle Vue Road, Weymouth
Horton, Wimborne
Chilcompton Guide £195,000
Guide £450,000
A partially built 5 bedroom detached house, with double garage and gardens. PP was granted under application reference 2022/1683/FUL. Freehold.
Subject to an AOC. CTB E, EPC F, Freehold.
74.24 parcels of level and southfacing arable land, arranged in two parcels of 54 and 20 acres, with the added provision of a circa 1,200 sqft barn currently used for the storage of machinery. Freehold.
Guide £995,000
A substantial bungalow requiring renovation, providing potential for extension or replacement, subject to PP, in a rural position enjoying grounds of 1.60 acres.
Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766
A substantial 10 bedroom period property with a 2 bedroom coach house, both with panoramic views over Portland Harbour. While both buildings require modernisation, the setting, character, and potential are exceptional. A significant portion of the rear garden has been affected by land slippage. Freehold. CTBs House: E, Flat: B, Coach House: C. EPCs D, C and D.
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244
Poundbury | 01305 251154
1.38 acres with a derelict barn in a residential location falling within the main urban development area on the Local Plan. Freehold.
A grand, 4 storey (including basement) mixed-use Victorian building occupying a prominent corner plot on Lansdowne Crescent. RV: £53,500, £8,300, CTB A, EPC TBC. Freehold.
A Grade II listed building offering several uses/options with planning permission and LB consent for conversion to residential. Freehold. EPC-D.
charming Grade II Listed character property with accommodation over three floors and a pretty rear garden, close to the town centre’s amenities and the beach. Freehold. CTB B.
Yeovil | 01935 423526
Swanage | 01202 843190
Dorchester Commercial | 01305 236237
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Heath
A detached 3 bedroom
A semi detached, extended 4 bedroom period property for complete renovation with a generous garden adjoining Ferndown Forest. CTB C, EPC F, Freehold.
A charming 2 bedroom ground floor apartment with parking conveniently situated in the town centre, with parking. Leasehold. Service Charge £4,269 pa. G Rent £30 pa. CTB-D; EPC-D.
A semi-detached 3 bedroom property for modernisation with potential for extension/ development (STPP), with a garden and outbuilding. Freehold. CTB B. EPC D.
Wimborne | 01202843190
Sherborne | 01935 814488
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Guide £275,000
Fifehead Magdalen
Guide £250,000
Guide £575,000
A mid terrace 2 double bedroom property in need of renovation throughout, with an enclosed rear garden situated close to the town centre. Freehold. CTB-C; EPC-D.
A partially renovated and extended 2 bedroom bungalow with potential for upwards extension, subject to planning permission. CTB C, EPC E, Freehold.
a range of outbuildings and 7.24
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Dorchester Dorchester | 01305 261008 Guide £190,000
Sturminster Newton | 01258 472244
an excellent development opportunity
42.94 acres (17.38 ha) of productive arable land. Free draining loam soil over chalk, two road access points, a cattle handling race, outstanding views and private water supply. South east aspect suited to vines and solar. Freehold.
An attractive semi-detached 2 bedroom cottage for renovation with a generous garden situated in this much favoured North Dorset village. CTB E, EPC G, Freehold.
Sturminster | 01258 473766
Milborne Port Sherborne | 01935 814488
Guide £300,000
Furzebrook, Wareham
A former doctor’s surgery in 0.58 acres with prior approval for change of use to a residential dwelling under application P/PACD/2024/02991/. RV: £5,100, EPC C, Freehold.
Guide £595,000
A detached 4 bedroom Victorian property and former coach house with a range of brick outbuildings providing excellent scope, situated in a highly sought after area of the Purbecks, close to Wareham and the coast. 0.35 acres. Freehold. CTB F. EPC F.
Sturminster | 01258 473766
A lofty workshop with large and level fenced outside space. 0.66 acre plot on the Marsh Lane Trading Estate. Freehold. RV Workshop-£9,600 Yard£12,000; EPC-C. Dorchester Commercial | 01305 261008
Wimborne | 01202 843190
A charming Grade II Listed3 bedroom stone cottage for complete renovation, situated close to the centre of this highly sought-after village. CTB E, EPC Exempt, Freehold.
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Somerford Road, Christchurch
Come and see us at the shows
Honiton Agricultural Show 7th August
Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show 13th & 14th August
Melplash Show 21st August
A site measuring 0.39 acres with full planning permission for an exclusive development of 9 x 2 bedroom apartments (8/22/0470/FUL), situated in the heart of Christchurch close to Avon Beach and Mudeford Quay. Potential for alternative schemes STPP. CIL: £98,735.93, Freehold.
Wimborne | 01202 843190
Dorset County Show 6th & 7th September The Dairy Show 1st October
SUPERB views and much more are on offer in this waterfront property at Shipstal Point, close to Wareham, now for sale at a guide price of £4 million. Shipstal, set in the RSPB Arne Nature Reserve on the western shore of Poole Harbour, was built in the 1960s on the site of two fishermen’s
cottages.
The owners and their family have had the property over 60 years, and it is now being sold for the first time.
Jamie Morten, of agents Savills, said: “This is an incredibly rare opportunity to buy a home in such a beautiful and unique setting with truly
spectacular, everchanging views and surrounded by an abundance of wildlife.
“This special property, immediately adjacent to the unspoilt Shipstal Point beach, has been a magical place for children and grandchildren to grow up, and an equally impressive spot for hosting weddings and other family celebrations over the years.
“Shipstal enjoys the most glorious sunrises, with the sun rising up across the harbour and setting behind the house.
“While being on the waterfront, the house enjoys the shelter of the inner harbour, looking out across the water and over to a number of picturesque small islands.”Shipstal is positioned
to maximise the views from the reception rooms, with terraces and vantage points designed to enjoy the sun throughout the day.
It also comes with threequarters of an acre of mature gardens, complete with an original Finnish sauna, its own slipway and deep-water mooring.
The property is at the end of a winding, no-through road leading through the nature reserve.
Cotswold Carlton, Global, Anaghmore, Vida Living, Furniture Link, Windsor, Wheatcroft, Moonraker, Sweet Dreams, Welcome, World Furniture, Limelight, Maysons, Gillerson, Phoenix Wood, Visco Therapy, Etc…
On behalf of all the staff at Fit & Furnish, past and present, it’s been a privilege to serve so many special customers and all the people of the area, since we opened 25 years ago. Now, I have taken the decision to close the Fit & Furnish store and retire from furniture retailing. We must clear the entire stock without delay and so will hold the greatest furniture sale ever seen in the area. The showrooms are briefly closed to reduce prices and prepare for the launch of our £475,000 CLOSING DOWN FOREVER SALE!
We must urgently sell off all of our furniture and accessories inc: Suites, sofas & corner groups (in fabric & leather), easy chairs, risers & recliners, dining sets, sideboards, wardrobes, chests, coffee tables, beds, mattresses, bedframes, garden seating and dining, pictures, mirrors, lamps, vases, etc…Absolutely Everything Must Be Sold Out a.s.a.p!
PRICES WILL BE DRASTICALLY REDUCED! THIS IS OUR BIGGEST SALE EVER!
ALL SHOWROOM GOODS, PLUS WAREHOUSE STOCK - AND ALL NEW SPECIAL ORDERS - WILL BE CLEARLY MARKED & AVAILABLE TO YOU, WITH BIGGER SAVINGS, THAN EVER IN OUR HISTORY!
Monday to Friday: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Saturday: 10.00am - 1.00pm
Tel: 01935 412811
Photographs are representative only. Models in store may vary. 25/26 Market Street. Yeovil. BA20 1HZ
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