The Purbeck Gazette - Issue 366 by The Blackmore Vale Limited

n Swanage singer Karen Grant will be raising money for good causes in a ‘Musical Evening’ at Newton Manor Hall Page 34

New Dolphin delivering harbour trips

CROWDS turned out at Poole Quay for the naming ceremony of the new Dolphin IV boat, which will take people with disabilities on free pleasure trips around Poole Harbour.

The Friends of Dolphin charity, which runs the boat, was founded in 1982 and previous versions have taken more than 60,000 disabled people and their carers on boat trips.

The chair of the Dolphin trustees, Carol Cox, conducted the naming ceremony with the dedication by the Rector of St James Church, Poole, the Rev Cannon Lucy Holt.

Poole’s ocean sailor Pip Hare named the boat and the Dolphin’s operations manager,

Phil Cox, spoke about its features, before a reception was held at the RNLI College.

The Friends of Dolphin decided to retire the Dolphin III after nearly 20 years of service in October last year.

The new boat is a 10.2-metre catamaran built by Cheetah Marine in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, like its predecessor.

Dolphin IV offers a range of accessibility improvements, including more deck space under cover, wider seats and an extra-wide side door to allow easy wheelchair access.

It is designed with special fixing points to safely secure

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TUESDAY

7:00 - 8:30

9:00 - 10:00

Early Bird Lane Swim

Lane Swim

50+ Swim

Aqua Aerobics Lane Swim

General Public Swim - 3 Lanes Lane Swim - 3 Lanes Swim School Lessons

Early Bird Lane Swim

Lane Swim

General Public Swim

Aqua Aerobics Lane Swim

Swim School Lessons

General Public Swim

The Dolphin IV, named recently at a special ceremony, is taking people with disabilities on pleasure trips around Poole Harbour

wheelchairs during each trip.

The Friends of Dolphin raised £150,000 towards the new boat.

The Dolphin project began in 1980 as a Rotary Club of Parkstone initiative, leading to the launch of Dolphin I in February of that year.

Friends of Dolphin, was later formed to manage the service and funding.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION

PARENT & BABY SWIMMING LESSONS

WEDNESDAY 3RD JUNE - WEDNESDAY 15TH JULY 10:15 - 10:45 0 - 36 MONTHS £35.70 FOR 7 WEEKS

SWIM AND SPLASH FUN SWIM

FRIDAYS 10:00 - 10:45 NO BOOKING REQUIRED, NORMAL ADMISSION FEES APPLY. UNDER 3’S SWIM FREE

WEDNESDAY

7:30 - 8:45 9:00 - 10:00 10:15 - 10:45

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The charity received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service In 2017 from the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset. It is entirely volunteer run with donations and sales of souvenirs contributing to the boat’s running and maintenance costs of about £15,000 a year.

The boat’s skippers and crew have now been trained ready for the new season, which gets under way this month and runs until the end of September.

School Lessons

Public Swim - 2 Lanes

Swim - 3 Lanes Pool Playtime (8-15 yrs) Lane Swim

Swim Parent & Baby Swimming Lessons

General Public Swim

Lane Swim

Swim School Lessons

General Public Swim

General Public Swim - 3 Lanes

Lane Swim - 3 Lanes Lane Swim

10:15 - 11:00 11:15 - 12:00 12:45 - 13:30 15:30 - 18:00 18:00 - 19:00 19:15 - 20:00 20:00 - 21:00 Early Bird Lane Swim

Aqua Aerobics Lane Swim

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SATURDAY 9:00 - 10:30 10:30 - 12:00 10:30 - 12:00 13:30 - 14:30 13:30 - 14:30 14:45 - 15:45 16:00 - 17:00

SUNDAY 7:30 - 8:30 8:30 - 10:00 10:00 - 11:30 10:00 - 11:30 11:30 - 12:15 13:30 - 14:30 14:45 - 15:45

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How rescue group bats for bats

by Tessa Hucklesby NATURE lovers

often hear in the media about the rescue of wild and domesticated animals, but very little about bats.

These amazing creatures –the only true living flying mammal in the world – are fascinating and have an important part to play in nature.

East Dorset Bat Rescue and Rehabilitation (EDBRR), based in Upton, has been helping bats for over 20 years and is run by Sally the lead carer and her dedicated team of volunteers.

Last year more than 130 bats passed through the group’s headquarters, of which 108 had been attacked by cats.

When a bat arrives, it is thoroughly examined to determine the extent of its injuries and then treatment –usually antibiotics and sometimes pain relief – is given under the guidance of the

group’s vet.

The bat is then bulk fed live food and given electrolytes to drink, and placed in a quiet, warm environment to recover.

Treatment can take up to 18 months if a wing is severely torn and depending on what time of year it is.

If a bat refuses to eat, it has to be hand fed, which needs a lot of patience.

Food is always available in the bat’s accommodation when it is hand fed.

It is very rewarding when the bat finally starts to help itself to food out of a bowl as this is not natural for bats, which feed on the wing.

Baby bats – pups – are brought in, which are not always injured, but often have

been orphaned or abandoned.

They also need hand feeding, which is a round-theclock job for Sally of two-hourly feeds with a pipet of goat’s colostrum, the nearest thing to bats’ milk.

Feeding can continue for up to six weeks, depending on their age.

Once a bat has received all the treatment it needs, it is taken to the group’s purpose-built flight near Bere Regis where once again it can fly freely.

This is an important time for the bat and it is monitored by the volunteers to see how it performing.

Once a bat can fly

Find out what’s on offer at community open day

THE Allendale Community Centre in Wimborne is set to run a free community open day designed to help local people discover everything their local community has to offer.

The event will bring together up to 60 organisations, charities, voluntary groups and community services supporting residents across the wider East Dorset area.

Visitors will be able to find out about: local charities and support groups, community organisations and clubs, emergency services and community safety teams, family-friendly activities, volunteer opportunities, information and resources for carers and older residents and health, wellbeing and social groups.

Carole Chedgy from the

Allendale Community Centre said: “Wimborne and the surrounding villages are full of fantastic organisations, but community doesn’t just happen – we build it together.

“Whether you are raising a family, settling into a new home, supporting an older relative or simply curious about what’s happening locally, this day is for you.

“We want to be absolutely

continuously for 20 minutes and is catching insects – a bat detector is used for this – it is ready for release.

It will be taken to the area/ postcode where it was found and released.

It is a very uplifting feeling to see the bat take off from a gloved hand, circle to get its bearings and fly away. There is so much to learn about this incredible creature.

EDBRR is always looking for volunteers to help with the care and rehabilitation of injured bats.

If you feel you can make a difference and can devote an evening a week or so to helping out, email edbrr.bats@gmail. com or phone 07746 743221.

clear – this is not a fundraising event. It’s a free opportunity to discover what’s here, meet people and feel part of the community.”

The event is on Sunday, May 17, from 10am-4pm, and admission is free. and the Allendale Café open all day

Not for profit organisations which would like to enquire about a free information stall – and having information leaflets in a community goodie bag – should phone 01202 887247 and ask for Jane or Brian or email info@ theallendale.org

East Dorset Bat Rescue and Rehabilitation is always looking for volunteers PHOTOS: EDBRR

Plans in pipeline for affordable homes

PLANS for new affordable homes at Harmans Cross have moved forward.

Corfe Castle Community Land Trust (CCCLT) says it has made good progress in finding suitable land at a four-acre site off Tabbit’s Hill Lane.

It is working with the Corfe Castle Charity, which owns the land, and housing provider the Aster Group, to bring forward up to 25 affordable rented homes for people with a strong local connection.

The land is within Corfe Castle Parish, close to the boundary with Worth Matravers Parish and on the edge of Harmans Cross village.

CCCLT and Aster expect to submit a planning application later this year, and residents of

Double Act casts its net

THE Corfe Castle based Double Act drama group is looking for people to fill roles on stage and behind the scenes.

The group is staging a new adaptation of The Cat and the Canary in November and informal reading auditions are being held on Mondays May 11 and 18 at 7pm at Corfe Castle Village Hall.

The group always welcomes new members of all ages and abilities, but for this production is especially seeking youngsters

Corfe Castle and Harmans Cross will have the chance to review and discuss the plans as they emerge.

CCLT chair Colin Fuller said: “We have been working for over nine years to make this a reality, having assessed 21 potential sites within the parish.

“This location is the only one where the CLT, landowner and registered provider have been able to work together constructively to pursue a 100% social rented scheme for local people.

that strengthens village life and supports long term sustainability.

“We will be keeping the community informed at key stages, so everyone understands what is happening and why – and engaging with residents to ensure local voices are heard and considered.

“All parties are dedicated to ensuring that this project is genuinely community led.

“Our focus is on addressing local housing needs in a way

who can pass for teenage boys for one short scene, and men who can be made to look as if they are in their 30s.

Double Act is also running lighting workshops this summer at the village hall.

They will be suitable for budding directors, those interested in lighting and what goes on backstage, and anyone who wants to learn how to operate theatrical lights.

The 40-minute sessions run at the village hall for four Mondays from June 15 at 6.15pm.

For more information, contact group chair Peter Smith on 07551 183465.

“By building a shared understanding of the benefits and working with the community together to realise them, we hope this project will deliver a collection of affordable homes this area so desperately needs.

“By creating the right conditions for families to live, work and grow their businesses

locally, the aim is to boost both social and economic wellbeing.

“And, in the longer term, help improve the viability of more frequent public transport through Harmans Cross, linking local villages and towns more effectively.”

Amanda Williams, Aster Group chief investment officer, said: “Our focus is on strengthening village life by helping local people remain in, or return to, the area they call home.

“We want to support vibrant, mixed age communities and ensure our schools and local services thrive by enabling families to stay rooted here.

“It’s also important that more homes are lived in year round, rather than becoming second homes, so that villages such as Harmans Cross stay active and welcoming.”

Residents who would like to ask questions or contribute to the discussion should email corfecastlecommunity landtrust@gmail.com

All aboard for station celebration

THE 110th anniversary of the opening of Holton Heath station was commemorated at a recent event.

The station, between remote heathland and farmland, opened on April 3, 1916, to serve the cordite factory next to it.

Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty at the time, instigated the construction of the factory to supply cordite to the Royal Navy.

The station opened to the public on July 14, 1924.

The anniversary event included a talk on the opening of the cordite factory, celebration cake and

refreshments, and the unveiling of a blue plaque to mark the opening of the station.

Prizes were also presented to the winners of a poster competition for pupils of Sandford St Martin’s Primary School by Dorset Council chair Cllr Stella Jones.

The children were accompanied by their headteacher, Emma Roberts, who cut the cake.

A Cordite Way guided tour was on also on offer for energetic visitors.

The Royal Navy cordite factory, opposite the station entrance, occupies a vast area.

Swanage Tidal & Solar Predictions April '26

It was mostly decommissioned in 1945 but the ghostly remains of its many buildings – on private land –can still be viewed through boundary fencing.

The Sandford Heath National Nature Reserve is a wildlife haven a five-minute walk from the station, and some remnants of the factory defences can be found within it.

Visitors can discover the sandy shores of Poole Harbour hidden behind a modern industrial estate and follow the old route of the military railway in its first phase of development to create the Cordite Way.

Passing between the water

and nature reserve, they can trace the old ruins down to the trains that still pass today.

There are views to Poole, Brownsea Island and Arne, before the end at Admiralty Point, where it is planned to replace the bridge and begin Phase 2 of the project.

The anniversary event was supported by Purbeck Community Rail Partnership, South Western Railway, Dorset Council, Wareham St Martin Parish Council, Sandford St Martin’s Primary School, Poole Harbour Trails, Sandford Heritage Group, Swanage Railway Trust, Jade-Aden and Community Rail Network.

Club wins CAMRA prize

CORFE Castle Club has again won real ale group CAMRA’s East Dorset Club of the Year award.

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05:30 08:54 18:45 21:44 05:30 20:40 10-May 02:11 10:03 19:46 00:17 Neaps 05:28 20:42 11-May 04:44 11:36 20:42 00:56 05:27 20:43

09:00 19:00 06:26 19:54 11-Apr 01:42 06:41 13:20 20:03 Neaps 06:23 19:56 12-Apr 01:53 07:18 13:38 20:56 06:21 19:57 13-Apr 02:05 07:05 13:59 20:19 06:19 19:59

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Steward Brian – Chubby –Varney received the award from Stephen Charlton of East Dorset CAMRA and club chair Mark Crick.

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16-May 03:34 08:47 15:51 21:08 New Moon 05:19 20:51

PHOTOS: Robin Boultwood

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17-May 04:17 09:32 16:35 21:49 Springs 05:18 20:52

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Dorset Council chair Cllr Stella Jones and pupils from Sandford St Martin’s Primary School attended the event at Holton Heath Station

Beach cleans bag hundreds of kilos rubbish

HUNDREDS of volunteers collected hundreds of kilograms of rubbish – including everything from a fire extinguisher to children’s bikes and clothing – in this year’s Great Dorset Beach Clean.

Some 21 beach cleans took place across the county, with 346 volunteers taking part so far removing 628kg of rubbish, exceeding last year’s total of 330kg.

A number of beach cleans are yet to be recorded, so the final figures are expected to rise further.

Emma Jackson, Litter Free Dorset project support officer, said: “Surpassing last year’s figures is a real achievement

and reflects the growing momentum behind the Great Dorset Beach Clean.

“We’re grateful to everyone who gave their time to make such a positive difference on our coastline.”

Local community groups and organisations led the beach cleans.

Volunteer coordinators included Bowleaze Beach Care Group, Clean Jurassic Coast, Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, Dorset Diving Services, Lewco Holdings, Kingston Country Courtyard, Nimsdai Foundation, Turn Lyme Green, West Bay Discovery Centre, and Yoga with Leah Miles.

More businesses and public sector organisations took part this year, using the event for staff team days.

Private cleans were organised by Cefas, DDC Dolphin Ltd, Dorset Council teams, the Environment Agency, and NatWest Bank.

Volunteers removed a wide variety of marine and beach litter with the most found items including food packaging,

bottles, cans and fishing line.

Several cleans also focused on microplastics, with volunteers painstakingly sorting and counting items, including a 596 nurdles collected during the Dorset Diving Services beach clean at Holes Bay.

Teams supported recycling efforts wherever possible, sorting collected materials to ensure they were processed responsibly.

Eat, Drink & Shop at Ulwell

Welcoming Locals & Holidaymakers 7 Days a Week

Groceries, everyday essentials and fresh produce all in one place. Your local shop at Ulwell for food, drinks and daily necessities. Barista Coffee Freshly Baked Goods & Snacks Perfect to Eat in or Takeaway

Serving great food, local ales and wines. Join us for lunch, dinner or a relaxed drink in friendly surroundings

Beach cleaners at Kimmeridge – main picture –and at Holes Bay

Letters

Climate film and discussion date

FOLLOWING the success of April’s Nature and Wildlife Fair, which brought together nearly 200 people and 14 local organisations, Sustainable Wareham is inviting the community to take the next step – looking at the bigger picture of the climate and nature crisis, and what it means for us locally.

On Thursday, May 21, residents are invited to a special screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing at the United Reformed Church in Wareham. The event will begin at 6.30pm, with the film starting at 7pm, followed by a facilitated discussion and question and answer session.

The film features leading UK scientists and experts exploring the latest evidence on climate change and nature loss, and how these issues are already affecting everyday life – from extreme weather and food security to health and the cost of living.

The evening will focus not just on the global picture, but on what can be done here in

Wareham and the surrounding area. Local MP Vikki Slade will be attending and taking part in the discussion, alongside community representatives.

Several local organisations – including Planet Purbeck, Dorset Climate Action Network, Fairtrade groups and Sustainable Wareham – will also be present with information stalls. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with existing projects, share ideas and get involved in practical local action.

The event reflects Sustainable Wareham’s guiding principle – ‘Think Global, Act Local’. After the strong turnout and enthusiasm at the Nature and Wildlife Fair, organisers are keen to build momentum and support residents in turning concern into action.

Doors open at 6.30pm, giving people time to meet local groups and enjoy refreshments before the screening begins. The event is free to attend, but booking is recommended. Whether you’re already involved in environmental work or simply curious to learn more, everyone is welcome to come

Sustainable Wareham’s Nature and Wildlife Fair brought together nearly 200 people and 14 local organisations

along, watch the film and be part of the conversation about Wareham’s future.

To book your free place, follow the link at https:// PEB-Wareham-21-May. eventbrite.com or find out more on Sustainable Wareham website, www. sustainablewareham.org Vicky Charles Chair Sustainable Wareham

Buggy drivers should take care

I WAS shocked to be knocked down by an electric buggy on a Wimborne pavement this morning.

The buggy ran over the side of my foot. The disabled driver said ‘get out of my way’ and drove off. I did not see the buggy until it was upon me. I would ask all buggy drivers on pavements to travel at normal walking speed and to use a warning bell or horn when necessary.

I am sure most buggy drivers do so and that my experience was a dangerous exception. My thanks go to the two people who came up afterwards to ask whether I was alright. Anne Whittle Via email

Culture and community in harmony

ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT

AS summer approaches, there is a special kind of excitement building across Purbeck – the return of the much-loved Purbeck Valley Folk Festival.

More than just a date in the diary, the festival has become an annual celebration of community, creativity, music and dance from around the world, bringing together people of all ages for a weekend filled with music, laughter and unforgettable memories.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Purbeck landscape, the festival perfectly captures the spirit of our area – warm, welcoming and full of character.

Each year, families, friends

and visitors from further afield, gather to enjoy an uplifting and very diverse mix of live music, dance, storytelling, workshops, street theatre and children’s entertainment.

It is a wonderful reminder of how culture and community can come together in the most joyful way.

What makes the festival so special is its ability to offer something for everyone.

From toe-tapping performances and hands-on craft activities to delicious food from around the world, science workshops and space for children to explore and play. It is an event where generations share experiences side by side.

To complement the eclectic mix of folk and world music on

the line-up this year, Saturday afternoon’s headliner will be Fairground Attraction’s Eddi Reader – it’s going to be-ee-eeee-ee-ee-eee perfect!

Events like this are vital for our local community. They support local businesses, showcase regional talent and shine a spotlight on the beauty and hospitality of Purbeck.

The Purbeck Valley Folk

Fairground Attraction’s Eddi Reader will be headlining Saturday afternoon at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival

Festival is at Purbeck Valley Farm, just off the A351 in Harmans Cross, and runs from Thursday to Sunday, August 20-23.

It promises, once again, a weekend of music, mystery, wonder and fun – and it is one not to be missed. Local discounts are available for those of us who live in the BH19/20 postcodes.

20-23 AUGUST 2026

EDDI READER JIGGY BASKERY

SUNTOU SUSSO & THE GAMBIAN SUPERSTARS

SAM KELLY & THE LOST BOYS

MARTHA TILSTON - FRANKIE ARCHER

UKULELE DEATH SQUAD [AUS]

THE ROVING CROWS - RE:VULVA BONFIRE RADICALS - MISHRA

RACHAEL MCSHANE & THE CARTOGRAPHERS - EABHAL

SOUSOU & MAHER CISSOKO - TAFF RAPIDS - KLEZMER FOYGL

MICHAEL PREWITT - FLATS & SHARPS - TOUKI - TARREN

MARTHA SPENCER & THE WONDERLAND COUNTRY BAND [USA]

NICK PARKER & THE FALSE ALARMS - CHARLOTTE CARRIVICK BAND

HOLLY CLARKE BAND - TOBY SHAER, ARCHIE MOSS & JACK WARNOCK

AROUND ABOUT DUSK - CLAY BOTTOM JUG BUSTERS - DETTA KENZIE

THE BOOT HEEL PLAYBOYS - GRACE HONEYWELL & JERI FOREMAN

MONROE’S REVENGE - DESTAN DÖNEMI - CLEMENTINE LOVELL

LONAN - ROCKING HORSE MONEY - TÓCHAR - THE LOST TRADES PACHANGO - FERAL BERYL - DANGER GOAT + LOADS MORE

MORE THAN JUST GREAT MUSIC...

CRAFT AREA KIDS’ ACTIVITIES

CROCHET - POTTERY

TIE-DYE - STONE CARVING

WILLOW WORKSHOPS

BLACKSMITH - ORIGAMI

PRINTING - CYANOTYPE

TRADITIONAL WOOD TURNING PEBBLE PAINTING

ALL KIDS’ ACTIVITIES INCLUDED IN TICKET PRICE!

CIRCUS SKILLS & SHOWS - STORYTELLING - DINOSAURS - FANCY DRESS

TOY SWAPSHOP - THEATRE & GAMES WORKSHOPS - CLIMBING WALL

BOUNCY CASTLES - ARCHERY - WELLY WANGING - HOOLA-HOOPING

TREASURE HUNT - SPACE HOPPER OBSTACLE COURSE - BUBBLES - CRAFTS

BABIES MADDIE’S MIRACLE BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT - RHYME TIME HAPPY BABY HAPPY ME - SINGING MAMAS - CHANGING TENT

5 STAGES - CEILIDHS - LOADS FOR KIDS

OPEN MIC SESSIONS - COMEDY - CRAFT AREA WORKSHOPS - HEALING AREA - FIRE SHOWS

BEAUTIFUL

News from Wareham Town Council – April report

by Julie Bradshaw

DORSET Council Highways department has been asked to look at the new subway path which was left bumpy.

Wareham councillors also commented that in places the path edge is missing and that there is an ongoing risk of collision due to the blind bend.

Dorset Council has support for those on low incomes and using oil for heating, as well as cost-of-living support for families on income support or pension credit. The food bank and community fridge is open 10am-4pm at Wareham Youth Centre.

The town clerk was contacted about a possible one day a week banking hub. Banking hubs are shared spaces where customers can conduct the business they would usually do in any of the major banks.

Announcement

Dorset councillor Ezzard and Vikki Slade MP are looking into a one day a week Lloyds bank service in the library. A planning application has been submitted for a cash point outside Wareham’s Nationwide branch.

The Purbeck Shuttle 200 to Arne, Blue Pool and Norden station is running on Wednesdays all year round with extra days at holiday times.

The town council has a petitions policy which recommends that the petitioner check with the council before submission to help ensure the

DEATH

Eileen Sylvia Coleman

Died peacefully in Dorset County Hospital on 13 April 2026, after a short illness, aged 96 years.

Beloved wife of the late John. Dear mother, grandmother and great grandmother. So much loved and will be greatly missed by family and friends. Private family cremation. Eileen’s memorial service will be held at St Mary’s Church, Winterborne Zelston on Monday 18 May at 12 noon. All family and friends welcome. Refreshments afterwards at the Village Hall to share memories and celebrate her life. Family flowers only. Donations to the Weldmar Hospice can be made online or by post to Lesley Shand Funeral Services, 28 East Street Blandford DT11 7DR

petition is valid and will be considered.

Town council websites have to conform to national standards. Wareham Town Council has chosen to use a company experienced in council websites – for an example, see Taunton – to upgrade its website and to bring the museum website into line, too.

The Local Government Boundary Commission is conducting until June 1 an initial consultation before reorganising wards to better represent where people live, work, shop, go to school and use leisure facilities. It is keen to gather views at lgbce.org.uk/ all-reviews/dorset or write to Review Officer (Dorset), LGBCE, 7th Floor, 3 Burnhill Row, London EC1Y 8YZ.

The Expression of Interest, the first step in applying for a

National Lottery grant for the Museum and Tourist Information Centre, has been submitted. The ‘Junior Archaeologist, Build A Skeleton’, event was so popular a similar event is planned for the summer holidays. An Iron Age burials exhibition is scheduled to open in July.

45 families took part in the Easter egg hunt on Hauses Field, which was judged a great success.

The annual town council meeting will be in the council chamber on Tuesday, May 12, at 7pm. Further information is available on the council’s website, www.wareham-tc.gov. uk, or by phoning the town council office on 01929 553006.

Care home marks St George’s Day

IT was dragons and roses all round at Upton Bay care home in Hamworthy, as residents and staff celebrated St George’s Day.

In honour of the patron saint of England, staff and residents marked the day with an afternoon tea party.

Giving the celebrations a gourmet twist, the home’s head chef, Alain, prepared an Englishthemed cake, featuring red and white colours.

General manager Mevin Sohorye said: “Everyone at Upton Bay care home really enjoyed today’s festivities.

“We had some sunshine, a

lot of tea and a delicious homemade cake.

“Everyone was really keen to get involved. Proper St George’s Day celebration.”

One of the residents said:

“Celebrating St George’s Day today has been so enjoyable.

The staff here think of everything to make sure we make the most of occasions like this.”

PHOTO: Simon Barnes

B. Curtis Farm Shop & Butchery: A

New Chapter Built on Family Heritage

B. Curtis Farm Shop & Butchery: A New Chapter Built on Family Heritage

For many years, the name B. Curtis has stood for proper butchery, exceptional service and quality produce. Now, we are proud to bring that same heritage to a new setting with the opening of B. Curtis Farm Shop & Butchery at Holme for Gardens, near Wareham.

This new shop is not simply another farm shop. It is a butchery-led food destination, built around the skills, standards and values that have shaped our business for generations. At its heart will be traditional craft butchery, with carefully selected locally sourced meats, handmade sausages, gourmet burgers, homemade pies, ready meals and a full range of everyday essentials for customers who care about what they eat.

One of the centrepieces of the new shop will be our glass-fronted Himalayan salt dry-ageing room, designed to showcase beef ageing at its best. It reflects what we have always believed: that great food starts with care, time and attention to detail.

Alongside the butchery, customers will find deli produce, cooked meats, cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables, bakery

items, barista coffee, cakes, sauces, sides, wines and local beers — all chosen to help complete a proper meal.

For us, this new venture is about building on our past while creating something exciting for the future. We want the shop to feel welcoming and inspiring, whether customers are picking up dinner, planning a Sunday roast, calling in after visiting the garden centre, or looking for something special.

Dorset’s first

We are proud of where we have come from, and even more excited about where we are going. B. Curtis Farm Shop & Butchery is our next chapter — rooted in heritage, driven by quality, and created for people who care about food.

Dorset’s first Himalayan Salt Dry-Ageing Room

Your Health Matters

Dorset HealthCare’s monthly round-up

Royal reception at Windsor Castle celebrates Dorset’s carer community

MEMBERS of Dorset’s carer community have attended a special reception for carers hosted by Their Majesties The King and Queen at Windsor Castle.

Among those invited was Lizzie Eden from Swanage –Dorset HealthCare’s carers engagement facilitator for GP practices. She was nominated by NHS England to attend the prestigious event, which celebrated the inspirational work and dedication of both paid and unpaid carers from across the country.

In her role at Dorset HealthCare, Lizzie works closely with GP practices to help them better identify and support carers within their communities. Her work focuses on strengthening engagement with GP colleagues so that carers can be connected with the advice, services and support they need.

Lizzie’s nomination acknowledged the impact of her

work in improving awareness of carers within GP practices and helping to ensure carers receive appropriate recognition and assistance.

She said: “Attending the reception at Windsor Castle was a real honour. It was wonderful to see carers from across the country recognised for the incredible support they provide every day. I was proud to represent Dorset HealthCare and the work taking place locally to better identify and

Rail crossing closure

WORK gets under way today (Monday, May 11) on replacing the pedestrian gate system at Wareham level crossing.

The crossing, shut earlier this year for repairs, will be closed for the full duration of the replacement work, which runs to Friday, May 22.

support carers.

“The day will remain a cherished memory for me, particularly as I had qualified as an on-call firefighter for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue service. It felt very weird being in full firefighting kit one minute and then a smart dress and heels to meet the King the next!”

Joining Lizzie at the event was former carer and chair of the Dorset Carers Steering Group, Steve Duckett, who is also an expert by experience for Dorset HealthCare. He was nominated by Carers UK. In addition, colleagues and young adult carers from MYTIME Young Carers were invited to the prestigious event.

For more information about the reception visit www.royal. uk/news-and-

activity/2026-02-12/carersreception.

Are you a carer?

If you look after an adult who could not manage without your help, you may be a carer. This might include a friend, neighbour, family member, adult child spouse or partner.

If you consider yourself a carer, it’s important you let your GP practice know.

A range of support is available to carers: n Information and signposting for carers in Dorset can be found via www.

dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/carers n Carey Friends is a weekly information, support and learning session run by Dorset Council at Wareham Hospital – contact adultcarersteam@ dorsetcouncil.gov.uk to find out more and sign-up.

Advance notice signs were in place ahead of the closure, and a signed pedestrian diversion will be in operation.

A Dorset Council spokesperson said: “The gate system is used frequently every day, but a full replacement is now the only option before it potentially fails without

warning.

“As this work involves removing the existing gates and

installing a completely new system, it cannot be completed more quickly or in stages.”

Lizzie Eden has qualified as an on-call firefighter

Lizzie Eden, Dorset HealthCare’s carers engagement facilitator for GP practices, meets The King at the Windsor Castle reception. Alongside Lizzie on the left is Janet Chamberlain from Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust PHOTO: Ian Jones Photography

Events coin in cash for good causes

FUNDRAISING events at

Newton Manor Hall in Swanage have raised £6,365 over the past year for a range of charities and community organisations across Purbeck.

The fundraising included £1,500 raised for a new defibrillator now installed at Hoburne Park, providing a life-saving resource for local people.

Money raised has been distributed among local groups and charities including Dementia Friendly Purbeck, Swanage Railway, Purbeck Youth Music, Cancare, Swanage Town Band, Swanage Coastguard, Out of

the Blue, The Veterans Forge, Asthma & Lung UK, Lewis Manning Hospice, Julia’s House, The Emporium and A Band of Brothers – alongside support for Purbeck Sounds.

Newton Manor holds three fundraising events each month, excluding July and August, musicians performing in a medieval hall known for its acoustics and character.

Anyone interested in attending future events, or joining the mailing list, can text their email address to Alan May, of Newton Manor Hall, on 07827 892893 or visit its website for more information.

Alan May presents Cathy Phipphard, director of Purbeck Sounds, with a cheque, alongside other presenters

AS spring rolls on, Durlston Country Park’s scrubland, woods and meadows are once again full of migrant birds pairing up and carving out their territories for the season. The blackthorn thickets are now busy with the calls of whitethroat, chiffchaff and blackcap, while rarities including ring ouzel, pied flycatcher and grasshopper warbler have also been recorded.

The Durlston Rangers are also delighted to announce that our guillemot webcam is once more available to stream live.

Durlston is host to the most easterly and one of the largest colonies of these ‘flying penguins’ on the south coast –visit the Durlston website or visit Castle Reception to see these striking seabirds bonding, bickering and soon nursing their eggs and chicks!

Until Thursday, May 14, visit Durlston’s latest exhibition, Grounded, in the Castle’s Fine Foundation Gallery. Land artist Emma Scattergood’s paintings, drawings and words are inspired by walking and noticing – encouraging visitors to also slow down and reconnect with nature, creativity and calm.

From Wednesday, May 20, to Sunday, June 7, as part of Purbeck Art Weeks Festival, three local artists are encouraging visitors to Look! And Look Again!.

Exploring their shared interest of Purbeck’s coast and wildlife, Robin Mackenzie, Heather Gibbons and Katy Harrald offer up a selection of their prints, paintings and drawings.

Both free exhibitions open daily 10.30am-4.30pm.

Friday, May 15, sees our Super Seabirds activity trail swoop in – discover Durlston’s amazing guillemots and other seabirds and win a prize! £3.50 per trail pack, available from the Castle Visitor Centre until Monday, June 1.

On Saturday, May 16, meet some of Durlston’s other flying residents at our Meet a Moth event. Flutter by the Castle Visitor Centre between 11am-11.30am for a look at what emerges from our overnight moth trapping –

Easter Bunny tractor run

THE 27th annual Easter Bunny tractor run, organised by the Bascombe family of Mannington, Wimborne, coined in the cash for the town’s hospital.

Sunny weather swelled numbers with about 49 tractors and some four-wheel drives taking part, including many members of the Dorset Vintage

Tractor Owners group. The run passed though East Dorset villages, the outskirts of Wimborne Minster and the Stour, Tarrant and Allen valleys. Participants enjoyed bacon baps before setting off, and tea and homemade cakes at Phill Bascombe’s yard at the end. £900 was donated, which will go to Wimborne Hospital.

donations welcome.

Durlston’s ever-popular series of guided walks continue with Ox-Eye Daisies and other Spring Flowers with expert naturalist Ali Tuckey on Sunday, May 17; Seabirds of Durlston on Wednesday, May 20; a Dorset Day celebration of the county’s oldest country park on Monday, June 1; Pleasure Grounds on Thursday, June 4; and Bee Orchids and Other June Flowers with Ali on Sunday, ]June 7.

On Tuesday, June 2, attend the latest of our Friends of Durlston (FoD) evening talks at the Learning Centre. Lundy: Above and Below the Waves will see former warden Joe Parker give an illustrated talk exploring island life, Lundy’s unique wildlife and conservation success stories.

Learn more about the varied role of an island warden and gain insights into Bird Observatory accreditation, a flagship Marine Protected Area and the latest nature recovery efforts.

Entry is £3.50 on the night, free to FoD members.

Visit Durlston for lots of spring-time fun this half-term! As Swanage Pirate Festival arrives in town over Saturday and Sunday, May 23-24, drop

into Durlston’s Belvedere to make your own pirate medallion – £2 recommended donation.

Durlston’s regular Wild Wednesdays continue on May 27, with a free drop-in session at the Learning Centre giving you the chance to get creative, while Thursday, May 28, will see a Ranger-led Wildflower Hour of Power, exploring Durlston’s amazing meadows before drawing, painting or crafting your own beautiful blooms! Booking required via the Durlston website.

Finally, Durlston’s evening Seabird Cruises continue each Friday through May and June. In collaboration with Coastal Cruises, and departing from Swanage Pier at 7pm, join the Durlston Rangers aboard ship for two hours of guillemots, puffins, peregrines and the iconic geology of the Jurassic Coast. £25 per person, booking required via www. coastalcruisespoole.co.uk/ bird-watching-cruise.

For more information, visit the Durlston website, www. durlston.co.ukVisit the Seventh Wave café website at www. seventhwave restaurant.co.uk

ROSS PACKMAN Engagement ranger

Durlston Country Park has a lot going on this month

Woman banned from keeping pets in mistreatment case

WIMBORNE woman Kay Frances Florence Holloway –who was caught on camera mistreating two dogs – has been banned from keeping pets for five years.

The 65-year-old pleaded guilty to an animal welfare offence following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA after the charity received video footage from inside her home, shared by a neighbour who had access to the cameras and became concerned after seeing the distressing footage.

The clips showed Holloway at home with both her own dog, Shuini, and a friend’s dog, a crossbreed named Loki.

In the footage, which includes instances of verbal threats and physical abuse, she frequently expresses stress and frustration, primarily over Loki, whom she was pet sitting.

She repeatedly mentions that Loki is not house-trained and is urinating inside, including on furniture, the hallway and her chair.

In another clip, she is seen repeatedly striking her own dog, Shuini, after he soiled his own bed.

A vet who viewed the clips said in a report to the court: “There are multiple examples within this footage of Holloway causing physical harm to these dogs.

“Physical harm is brought about through rough handling, by either yanking the dogs by their collar, slamming them against doors or, in the case of the smaller dog, lifting the dog by his collar.

“There are multiple examples of this type of rough handling within these videos.

“Dogs are sentient beings who can feel pain and should be handled gently. Repeated rough handling of this nature can bring about suffering, inflicting soft tissue injuries to the neck and

body.

“It is likely that injuries of this nature will have caused temporary bruising and swelling on these animals.”

The vet said another clip showed ‘systematic beating with a slipper’ that was ‘clearly meant to inflict pain’.

“The owner appears to react to the dog biting her, however the bite is likely a fear response and the owner is clearly not in danger at the time of the beating,” the report went on.

“The owner makes multiple threats of violence to the animals, suggesting that she considers the use of beatings and violence to be legitimate in the treatment of animals.

“The rough handling seen in these videos, together with one example of violent beating, would have brought about significant psychological suffering to these animals.

“The evidence of psychological suffering in these animals includes high frequency whimpering noises, cowering in a corner, a crouched stance, pulled back ears, hesitancy on approach and avoidance behaviour.”

They added the larger dog frequently urinating inside the house could be due to a lack of toilet training, but is also

with caring for her friend’s dog. As well as being banned from keeping animals for five years, Holloway was fined £1,415 and ordered to pay £400 costs and a £566 victim surcharge when she was sentenced at Poole Magistrates Court on April 15.

Shuini was rehomed by the RSPCA.

After the hearing, RSPCA inspector Patrick Bailey said: “Dogs feel pain and suffering just like we do and always deserve to be shown kindness and compassion.

“In the footage she uses offensive swear words, her tone of voice is raised, she appears to control the dogs’ ability to exhibit normal behaviours and restricts their options for moving freely around the flat.

commonly seen ‘as a result of fear and anxiety’.

In mitigation, Holloway said she was remorseful and suffered with numerous health conditions which meant she couldn’t cope

“This was not an isolated incident, an isolated use of bad language or an isolated use of physical force, this can be observed on a number of instances over a two-day period from the footage.”

Where Pets Come First

The warmer weather increases the risk of your pet picking up

Ticks live in the undergrowth attaching themselves to animals as they brush past.

Ticks can carry and transmit nasty diseases like Lyme’s disease so it is important to reduce the risk of transmission.

Parasiticides are a good way of killing ticks and your vet will discuss the best option for your pet with you.

The RSPCA investigated after receiving video footage

The Wessex Event Company presents... Bryanston Summer Fair

Sudoku 3D puzzle

Across 1 Good change almost in loan company, say, offering approved money (5,6)

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 All-round competition about hospital is even for review (13)

10 Value highly a ruse arranged by three in Rome (8)

Sudoku Pro

12 Head for pod content (4)

14 Business in concession producing a journalistic exclusive? (5)

Killer Sudoku Pro

15 Meat-filled dish beyond end of tray (5)

Down

2 Tree found in Skelmersdale (3)

3 Arab so in trouble gets graze (8)

4 Unusual thirst for summer clothing (1-5)

5 Square gets name in Spain (4)

6 Bring up seedy bar and see about new entrance to there clearly (9)

7 Serious division within confines of assemblage (5)

8 Very small unwelcome plant gets cut by city (5)

19 Economic downturn that’s restricted poor part of city (4)

Refrain from

20 Malfunctioning battery beginning to expose amount of computing capacity (8)

22 Refrain from mentioning overawed rival in a struggle (4,1,4,4)

24 Came across British cyclist hosting party with record set of rules (11)

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.

11 Spur on officer in Europe not half over long period (9)

13 All paler when moving around a line of latitude (8)

16 Plans for cycling privately (5)

17 Study again about area engaged by wine

18 Cheerful writer with posh car by yard (5)

21 Extra cut (4)

23 Victor, say, gets some greens (3)

National Coastwatch Remembrance Day reminder of perils of fishing

ON Sunday, May 10, the Dorset coastline – and indeed, communities all around Britain – came together for National Fishing Remembrance Day, one of the most heartfelt occasions in our maritime calendar. Every year, on the second Sunday in May, towns and villages from Shetland to Newlyn set aside their daily routines to honour lives lost at sea and celebrate the enduring legacy of fishing – an industry at the very core of our coastal way of life. The day draws strong support from organisations such as the Fishermen’s Mission, The Seafarers’ Charity, Stella Maris, Seafish, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Thanks to their collective commitment, the bravery and sacrifice of local fishers are never allowed to fade from memory. Quaysides, piers and harbours become gathering spots for solemn remembrance – sharing a minute’s silence, swapping stories or perhaps warming up with a comforting cup of tea. Locally, in Weymouth, the Fishing Quay hosted a special service which not only brought neighbours together to remember lost loved ones but also served as a rallying cry for improved safety and support within the fishing industry.

It’s easy to forget that fishing remains one of Britain’s most perilous trades. Commercial

by Nick Reed

fishers set out each day into unpredictable seas, facing dangers most of us can only imagine. Between 2012 and 2020, 52 British fishers lost their lives at sea – a sobering figure that underlines the hazards behind every fresh catch.

The risks facing fishers were brought home just recently off Dorset’s coast, when a 24ft vessel overturned suddenly, leaving a single fisherman stranded in the chilly water. Thanks to the quick thinking of a passing yacht, a ‘mayday’ call went out, prompting HM Coastguard to send the Swanage Shannon class lifeboat into action. Before it arrived, another local boat came to the rescue, retrieving the fisherman and bringing him safely aboard, out of the cold and into the comfort of the wheelhouse.

scenes of our seaside towns, the dangers faced by fishers are all too real.

National Fishing Remembrance Day stands not only as a respectful tribute, but also as a call to action –demanding improved safety, unity and resilience in the face of adversity. Every basket of fish comes with a story of courage and sacrifice, and it’s our communities’ shared responsibility to stand by those who risk all to bring home the catch.

YMeanwhile, at Poole Quay Yacht Haven, coastguard volunteers and ambulance staff waited anxiously for the lifeboat. Within just 20 minutes, the fisherman – thankfully none the worse for his ordeal – was safely in their care. HM Coastguard also broadcast the location of the upturned hull to ships in the area, averting further mishaps. It was a tense reminder of the ever-present risks, and of the unwavering vigilance our rescue services bring to the job.

For many, this rescue called to mind the tragic sinking of the Karen Marie II off Cornwall in 1984 – a disaster that claimed two young lives and spurred the creation of the National Coastwatch Institution. Stories like these are a stark reminder that, behind the picturesque

ET, the small inshore fleets that give our coastal towns their distinctive charm are fading away. The work is tough, and fewer young people are choosing to carry on the tradition. Along the Purbeck Coast, only a handful of small boats remain, most under 10 metres and crewed by just one hardy soul – venturing out only on fair days. Despite unflattering headlines, these inshore day boats are a beacon of sustainable fishing, worthy of our support. They stand in sharp contrast to the giant super trawlers that linger at sea for weeks on end – our local day boats might not even leave harbour if the weather turns nasty.

There’s a genuine camaraderie among local fishermen – many are lifelong friends, and some are even family, the trade passed lovingly down through generations. In Swanage, names like Lander, Marsh and Dyke are woven into the fabric of local history.

Fishing boats are registered to their home ports, with

registration numbers reflecting the first and last letters of the port’s name – Weymouth (WH), Poole (PE), for example. Boats, however, do venture up and down the coast. Locally, you’ll find the Star of Hennock, with the unusual E499 registration from Exeter, and Boy Matt (PZ 699), registered in Penzance. For ports with similar initials, an extra letter is used to keep things straight.

Each year, as coastal communities unite, their stories and traditions keep the spirit of our fishing heritage alive. The courage and grit of those who head out to sea will always have a place in the heart of every coastal town.

But it’s not just commercial fishing boats that keep the maritime spirit thriving. An enthusiastic community of angling charter boats – like Three Wishes, San Gina 1 and San Gina 3 – is ever active, ferrying anglers to Dorset’s many wrecks and reefs. In a bright piece of local news, Tom and Charlotte Greasty of Swanage Sea Fishing have just expanded their business by opening a new angling and tackle shop on Swanage Pier. If you’re nearby, it’s well worth a visit!

And speaking of stopping by, the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May promises a proper community get-together, with both stations serving up refreshments. The ‘Hatch’ will be open at St Alban’s Head on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, while across in Swanage, tea and cakes will be on offer on Sunday and Monday. Why not drop in for a natter and a slice?

This is St Alban’s Head NCI and Swanage NCI listening on Channel 65 – NCI out.

Swanage Sea Fishing’s new angling and tackle shop on Swanage Pier

The Swanage sea fishing fleet PHOTOS: Nick Reed

OUT & ABOUT

Bus travel: an affordable way to explore

as fuel prices rise ADVERTISING FEATURE

Anew initiative - launched by Morebus called Love Where you Live - is designed to encourage more people to re-discover attractions closer to home.

The move comes in response to rising fuel costs and some overseas holidays being off the agenda - due to the conflict in the Middle East.

“Bus travel remains an accessible alternative, with fares just £3 or less per trip,” said Nikki Honer, Morebus head of communications.

Summer Fair at Bryanston

Our Love Where You Live initiative is helping residents and visitors alike continue exploring their local area, without the financial strain associated with higher fuel costs.

There are many hidden gems across our area, and bus travel is an easy, affordable, and fun way to explore them.

We suggest making the journey part of the day out because passengers can enjoy scenic views along the way, without the worry of parking or fuel costs.

Plan a journey at morebus.co.uk

he Wessex Event Company are delighted to be holding our 5th Summer Fair in the beautiful house and grounds at Bryanston School on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May this year.

Bring the whole family for a fabulous day out, there is something for everyone.

After being inspired by over 100 artisan foods, crafts, plants, garden furniture and accessories, why not chill out in our two Street Food Areas, where you can enjoy mid morning snacks, lunches and afternoon treats, including Pizzas, Bratwurst, Thai, Falafels, Dorset Lamb burgers, Greek BBQ, Mac and Cheese, Hot Potatoes, Ice Cream, Churros and Crepes, all washed down with coffee, tea, soft drinks or something slightly stronger from the Outpost Bar. While you sit and eat and relax you will be entertained by fabulous local musicians.

Our popular workshops will again be taking place over the weekend, with Children’s Chocolate Lolly making and new this year Forest School and Pottery painting workshops for all ages, plus flower arranging demonstrations on both days.

There will also be the ever popular falconry displays, classic cars and live fire shows.

There is so much for children to enjoy. Our children’s entertainments will include a climbing wall, cave, bouncy castle, rides, games and face painting, and new this year axe throwing and archery (both in a secure, supervised area). We also have a Circus Skills Workshop, on both days for children to participate in and learn some of magic of the circus, Andy the Magic Man, Rugby Tots, Craft Area, Alpaca walking and meet the Disney Princesses and Superheroes.

The cost of entry is just £5 for Adults, with children under 16 just £1, making this one of the most affordable, family friendly, value for money days out you will find in the area this summer.

So come early, stay late and enjoy a wonderful day out in the most beautiful of settings.

We would like to thank our sponsors Meyers Estate Agents, The Blackmore Vale Magazine and Holt Recruitment for their continued support of our events.

OUT & ABOUT

23rd & 24th May 10am - 5pm

OUT & ABOUT

Beach Gardens - Tea on the Green -

Swanage’s

Best kept secret

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Beach Gardens Sports Park, located just a short distance from Swanage Beach, is the perfect place to relax this summer.

Beach Gardens offers an 18-hole putting green, tennis courts to hire by the hour, free table tennis and free basketball court.

Tea on the Green is set within a tranquil oasis of stunning trees, plants and wildlife. There is a beautiful decking area with spectacular views of the park and across Swanage Bay. Our beautiful awning compliments the large decking area, bringing some welcome shade when ordering ice creams in the summer months.

There is something for everyone in this designated ‘Green Flag’ park.

All necessary sports equipment can be hired from Tea on the Green kiosk. There is ample free parking around the area, and we are just 2 minutes’ walk from Swanage Beach. Just follow the signs.

We are open until 1st November, weather dependant. Opening times are Monday to Thursday 10am-5.30pm and Friday to Sunday 9am-5.30pm. Last putting is 4.30pm.

A family putting ticket is only £13.

Tea on the Green kiosk serves a wide variety of Fairtrade teas and coffees, soft drinks and light refreshments. We strive to use less single use plastic where possible and source all our food as locally as we can. We are also a free water refill point. Come and try one of our locally produced ice creams and fruit lollies. Flapjacks and hot paninis are also available.

A warm welcome and fun time is guaranteed for everyone.

SWANAGE BEACH GARDENS SPORTS PARK

18 HOLE PUTTING FOR ALL THE FAMILY

PUTTING

Adults - £5

Children under 16 - £3

Under 5’s - FREE

Family ticket - £13

TENNIS

Adults - £11 per court for 1 hour

Children under 16 - £5 per court for 1 hour

Also available

Table Tennis - £2 (bat and ball hire)

Basketball Hire - £3

Bowls - Please contact the Bowls Club 01929 421162

Renters’ rights: How things have changed

ARE you the tenant of a private landlord? If so, your rights and responsibilities have changed!

Last October, following several years of discussion and debate, the Renters’ Rights Bill received royal assent and became the Renters’ Rights Act.

This Act, which came into force on May 1, gives tenants new rights and introduces new rules for private landlords.

The main changes for tenants are:

n Before May 1: Your landlord can evict you for no reason with a section 21 notice. Now: Your landlord will need a legal reason to evict you with a section 8 notice. There are many legal reasons, including

not paying your rent on time and antisocial behaviour.

n Before May 1: No limits on rent in advance.

Now: Your landlord can only take or accept 1 month's rent in advance.

n Before May 1: Your landlord might pressure you to agree to a rent increase at any time.

Now: Your landlord can only put the rent up once a year. They must give at least two months’ notice and use the correct procedure

periodic tenancy which makes it easier to leave by giving notice.

n Before May 1: You can often give one month’s notice to end a periodic AST.

Now: You will have to give two months’ notice to end an assured periodic tenancy, unless a shorter notice is agreed in writing.

n Before May 1: Your landlord can refuse permission for you to have a pet. They do not need a reason.

Now: You will have the right to ask for permission to keep a pet. Your landlord can only say no if they have a good reason.

n Before May 1: It can be hard to leave a fixed term tenancy early.

Now: You will have a

Later this year, a new private rented sector database will be established and there will also be a new private rented sector ombudsman to deal with complaints.

Remember, these changes only affect you if you are a tenant in the private rented sector with an assured or assured shorthold tenancy.

If you live in social housing or if you are a lodger, the new rules will not usually apply to you.

These rules have been introduced by law and apply to your private tenancy automatically.

Your landlord cannot put anything into a tenancy agreement to change or disapply them.

If you do not have a written tenancy agreement or any written record of the tenancy’s terms, then your landlord must provide you with certain written information on or before May 31, 2026.

Landlords who do not comply may be fined by the local authority.

If you want to know more, check the information about these changes on the Shelter and on the gov.uk websites.

Swans’ league season ends with loss

by Ron Butler Swanage & Wareham 19

Devizes 32

SWANS finished their league season with a home defeat, their second half comeback insufficient after a challenging first half.

The early stages were fairly even until a Devizes centre intercepted as Swans went forward. He passed to winger Toby Morgan who went in for a try in the corner (0-5) after 10 minutes.

Swans were playing good rugby but a visitor’s kick ahead resulted in a penalty on Swans 22 metres line and Devizes

RUGBY

slotted over (0-8) after 22 minutes.

Devizes kicked deep into Swans’ 22 from the restart and a mistake led to a penalty which the visitors converted to take them to 11 points.

Swans put some pressure on Devizes, resulting in two goal-line drop-outs, and from the second of these Swans set up a drive, from which captain Nick Audley scored a try. Lewis Reeves added the extras, taking the half time score to Swans 7 Devizes 11.

The second half did not start

Swanage welcome overseas all-rounder

by Mike Nash

SWANAGE CC’s first ever overseas star, Coby Perry, has arrived at the club.

Coby comes from Mount Lawley District Cricket Club in the Western Australia Premier League, having made his First Grade debut in the last Australian summer.

CRICKET

One of his career highlights so far is playing in a Youth Cup final at the world famous WACA cricket ground.

He is currently working towards the equivalent of his ECB-Level 2 coaching qualifications.

Coby has made a positive impression with Swanage’s youngsters due to his exceptional level of guidance/ support.

He is a fast, left-arm swing bowling all-rounder –

well for the Swans, Devizes scrum-half Reuben Howells breaking and splitting the Swans defence to score close to the posts. Fly-half Josh Cook converted (7-18) after 43 minutes.

Five minutes later the same two did it again as Swans failed to tackle, taking the visitors to 25 points.

A penalty to Swans took them up to the Devizes 22 and the ball was worked out to Swans winger Rory Ferguson who touched down in the corner. 12-25 after 54 minutes.

Another converted try by winger Morgan after 67 minutes

took Devizes to 32 points.

Swans were not finished yet and after full back Olly Dillon broke down the wing, he was tackled and fed the ball to centre Ed Dimascio who scored in the corner.

Reeves completed the scoring, leaving the final score Swans 19 Devizes 32.

OTHER

RESULT: Swanage & Wareham 3rd XV 0 Blandford 66.

Swanage’s top order had the pleasure of facing him in the nets last week!

He is also a stylish middle order batsman, who values his wicket dearly.

Coby will split his time between working for local outdoor adventure activities company Cumulus and playing for the 1st XI in Dorset Premier Division 2.

Blandford bowlers make most of conditions

by Mike Nash

SWANAGE CC’s 1stXI travelled to Blandford in their opening Premier 2 Division clash.

The hosts won an important toss and the opening bowlers exploited the conditions expertly with two devastating spells to

leave the visitors reeling at 39-6.

Coby and Ethan Stacey rescued the innings with a 70-run partnership, together mixing solid defence with powerful pull and cut shots until Stacey was dismissed for 21.

Another wicket fell almost immediately but Coby and Harry

Long had a brilliant half-century ninth wicket stand before Coby was bowled going for his ninth boundary for a run-a-ball 54.

Ryan Stearn joined Long and they rotated the strike superbly, allowing Long to hit more boundaries, before the last wicket fell with the score on

208. Long remained unbeaten on 46.

In reply, the hosts survived a fiery opening spell from Coby but moved serenely towards their target, reaching 209-2 from just 37 overs. The only wicket takers were the Long Brothers, Freddie and Harry.

Swans: Olly Dillon, Rory Ferguson, Lewis Reeves, Ed Dimascio, Lee Hardy, Ben Wright, Olly Peters, Zach Wyburgh, Craig Foskett, Nick Audley, Joel Andrews, Ryan Lander, Joe Towers, Tom Holland, Paul Gregory – Sam Chapman, Matt Spencer, Tom Smith.

1st XI

Captain Mark Stacey (right) presents Coby Perry with his Swanage cap.

Charity begins at home

DORSET and Wiltshire Fire Service has announced the proposed 2026 closure of four fire stations in Dorset – Hamworthy, Maiden Newton, Charmouth and Cranborne. Fortunately for Purbeck, neither Swanage nor Wareham are affected. At present.

It wants to reiterate that no decisions have been made on the potential closure of any station. All community responses already received, together with any further comments submitted, will be considered as part of the overall consultation analysis and final decision-making process.

The fire service goes on to say: “We know that proposing fire station closures will not be a welcome decision for our communities or staff. However, the Fire & Rescue Authority has a statutory duty to set a balanced revenue budget. Our underlying funding position, specifically the recent finance settlement received from central government, does not provide a sufficient level of funding for the service to continue to operate as it is.”

So, although we are safe for the time being, it’s clear to me that this could well be the thin end of a much larger wedge. Let’s look closely at the real meaning of what the service is saying: “The closures are proposed due to funding constraints and analysis of activity levels, risk and on-call availability. Public meetings and online sessions for each affected station are being held, with residents encouraged to complete a consultation survey.” Read that as “the decision has been made, and we feel obliged to ask for your opinion even if we ignore it”

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has argued that these cuts will diminish the frontline workforce and increase pressure on neighbouring stations.

I have often argued that government resources are

by David Hollister

mis-spent. How come that the valuable air ambulance service and the equally valuable RNLI have to be funded by charitable appeals? How come that we can afford to provide funds to Israel to assist in perpetuating what some would call a genocidal war?

In 2023 the UK gave £42 million and in 2024, a mere £138m. In 2025/26, the UK is planning to provide £116m of aid. But it is a criminal offence in this country to fund genocide or war crimes. It could be said that this includes continuing to support the Israeli Government by arming Israeli military forces, providing intelligence to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and by giving Israel the means to massacre the Palestinians in what has now been confirmed as genocide by the UN and ‘plausible’ genocide by the International Court of Justice (the ICJ), the highest court in the world.

In addition to this, it is understood that the UK government has received legal advice from its own lawyers that Israel has breached international humanitarian law. Despite this, our government continues to be complicit in Israel’s genocidal acts against the Palestinians.

Now, personally, I have nothing against Israel, but I still feel that the UK’s money would be better spent in the UK. I don’t want to bomb Iran – in preference, I just want my own country fixed, please. Not just the bottomless NHS which somehow still provides us with an excellent service, but little things like our underfunded police service and our rapidly deteriorating road network.

The RAC suggests up to 1.67 million potholes based on reported data. In 2025, RAC patrols attended 26,048 potholerelated breakdowns – roughly 71 every day – up from 22,703 in 2024. Councils in England and Wales filled 1.9 million potholes

in the 2024/25 financial year. Drivers pay an average of £590 for pothole damage. The backlog to fix local roads in England and Wales has now reached £18.6 billion. Deep breath.

£18.6bn. That’s the amount needed, as a one-off payment, just to bring roads back up to a useable standard. Not world class standard. Not smooth, continental-style road surfaces. Just useable.

According to the 2026 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey, nearly one in six local roads have less than five years of structural life remaining. Five years.

MORE than 200,000 buildings in English schools are deteriorating or at risk of failure, with 181,000-plus in poor condition and 22,000 needing immediate replacement. These are our children of whom about 1.5 million are studying in substandard environments –concrete cancer, leaks and mould.

I don’t think I’m alone in wanting our government to understand that charity begins at home – look at the rapidly reducing funds coming in to Red Nose Day – this year’s funds of £30m being significantly less than in 2022 when £43m was raised. Have we had enough of Lenny Henry, Paddy McGuinness and Davina McCall or is it perhaps that most of us are finding it harder and harder to manage on what’s left after the taxman has an even bigger share, year on year?

We’ve all become so used to tax – we forget how much we’re actually paying. It’s relentless, even beyond death. And for what? If we had a semblance of functioning public services, I could maybe accept it. But we don’t, so what are we paying all of this money for?

We’re subject to Scandinavian levels of tax for developing nations’ levels of competence – what a crazy deal. Earn a salary. Income tax, a fifth gone before we’ve even started. National Insurance, more on top of that. What for? A ‘worldclass’ health service? The NHS? Even getting to work costs – taxes on buying a car, running a car, insuring a car. Vast amounts of road tax. Is that being well spent? With potholes you can paddle in, the answer is clearly no. Our road network was built for half the number of cars we now drive. It takes twice as long to get anywhere. Fuel duty and tax on insurance – put that on top, too. Congestion charges, tolls, fines and more. It goes on and on and on.

Somehow, we have to find a way to halt this country’s slide. People say ‘ballot box’ but maybe we are now realising that it just ain’t working. Winston Churchill once said: “Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

Tune in and enjoy your local community radio station. Broadcast for the community, by the community. Listen to David Hollister ‘Telling It Like It Is’ Monday-Thursday 5-6pm.

Boost for mental health services

IT is critical that we back our local mental health services with long overdue additional funding and resources. For far too long, the previous Conservative Government failed to adequately invest in mental health services – and we are still paying the price for its mistakes.

That is why I was delighted to attend the opening of the new state-of-the-art mental health facility at St Ann’s Hospital in Poole. This inpatient facility, Chaddesley House, will open in just a few weeks for adult patients facing very serious challenges with their mental health. I’m so pleased that this Labour Government backed the new facility with £23 million of funding – ensuring the facility is properly funded and built as planned.

When visiting Chaddesley House I spoke to frontline NHS staff who told me what a difference the new facility will make – not only by increasing the number of beds for those

Reader’s Picture

STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY

Lloyd Hatton at Chaddesley House in Poole

who need intensive support, but also for the staff and patients themselves who will be working and staying in a welcoming and much improved facility.

I know that access to mental health services across Dorset is too often a struggle. While this new opening is only one part of

the puzzle, it is clear that Chaddesley House at St Ann’s Hospital will make a big difference for patients accessing significant mental health support.

However, this is not the end of the road. Up in Westminster, I will continue to make the case

for continued investment in our mental health services right across the county.

Looking at the bigger picture, I’m also pleased that this Labour Government is growing the NHS workforce to improve mental health services across the board. At the last General Election the incoming Labour Government promised to recruit 8,500 new mental health workers over five years. This pledge has already been met – three years ahead of schedule. This means more therapists, more nurses and more psychiatrists working across our NHS, providing vital care and support.

By combining record investment with genuine reforms, we are fixing the foundations of our cherished NHS and ensuring that mental health services here in Dorset are fit for the future.

LLOYD HATTON Labour MP for South Dorset

Challenges in the education sector

HAVING been a school governor and a parent of four children, one with Special Educational Needs, I have seen significant changes in our schools over the last 15 years. Two stand out – the growth of multi-academy trusts and support for children with additional needs.

Academisation has had benefits in improving school standards by enabling strong schools to support others, build groups of schools with shared values, and helping small schools to fund specialist staff and access to services otherwise unaffordable. However, large Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) have increasingly operated like businesses, with high central costs and requirements for schools to use services that may be more expensive than local alternatives.

The role of parents and the wider community have been reduced, and the autonomy of many head teachers has been reduced.

The way schools are funded is now impacting locally with some Trusts cutting budgets, shedding staff and restricting the subjects available to students. Dorset schools are among the lowest funded in England. Funding is based on pupil numbers and locally rolls are falling – due to an ageing population and high secondhome ownership. While housing growth may reverse this trend, budget cuts are hitting now, and the impact will be felt by children and staff in September.

I have raised these concerns with Ministers and Ofsted, calling for reforms to ensure funding reaches classrooms rather than boardrooms and short-term challenges are addressed. I hope future legislation will reflect this. Children deserve to attend schools close to home, so I support protecting small schools and improving inclusion. However, financial pressures mean fewer teaching assistants and reduced access to specialist

support, testing and adaptive technology.

As a result, children are referred earlier for Specialist Needs Assessments, and parents struggle to secure support or specialist placements, entering into legal battles that should not be necessary.

Some families have told me they are worried about proposals for Individual Support Plans introduced in the Schools White Paper, fearing that they may not meet the needs of their children, but I have confidence that the intent is to help more schools be inclusive, so more children have a full school experience, at their local school.

I spoke in Parliament about the use of occupational therapy principles to make the physical classroom more inclusive, and the use of Experts at Hand to support children with motor skills, communication and school readiness.

The hangover from Covid and the impact of screens and

social media are changing our childhood experiences. Parents have less support and families are scattered reducing access to family to help too. I hope the roll-out of funded nurseries and breakfast clubs will help children’s needs to be identified more quickly and boost parental confidence too.

That’s why Liberal Democrats have long argued for stronger early years support, investment in nurseries and children’s services, and measures like breakfast clubs to give every child the best possible start, as well as investing in play, sport and mental health services.

Because this is about more than structures or funding formulas – it’s about fairness. Every child should have access to a good local school, the support they need to succeed, and the chance to grow up healthy, confident and included.

VIKKI SLADE

Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole

Fair treatment for Troubles veterans

THE debate about how our country treats the men and women who served during the Northern Ireland Troubles has taken another unforgivable step forward. Late on April 27, 2026, the Commons approved a carry over motion on the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. This vote, passed by 279 to 176 after a short debate. Wrapped in Westminster procedural nonsense, it keeps the Bill alive and guarantees that Parliament will return to it in the next session. In other words, this issue isn’t going away and Labour MPs have ensured it will hang over our veterans for some time yet.

For many veterans, this latest development only deepens the concerns they’ve been voicing for years. As I noted in my article in March, service personnel who served

in Northern Ireland did so in circumstances unlike anything else in modern British military history. Ordered into a conflict on our own streets, our troops, ill-prepared to police our own citizens, did their duty under immense pressure. Yet decades after the peace process, some of these same veterans still face the threat of legal prosecution for events that happened half a century ago. I, along with many people I speak with, believe this is fundamentally out of step with the spirit of reconciliation that helped bring the conflict to an end.

The carry over motion means this dreadful Bill will continue its journey through Parliament. Supporters say it’s needed to bring clarity and consistency to legacy cases. However, it could leave elderly veterans exposed to further

legal uncertainty. Whatever your own view, it’s clear that this is an issue where our politicians need to be consistent and transparent.

That brings us to South Dorset’s MP, Lloyd Hatton. Parliamentary records show he supported the Government’s remedial order amending the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. This was Legislation intended to offer safeguards to those who served. Yet only days later, he appeared at the Veterans’ Hub in Weymouth, standing alongside the very people affected by these decisions. Many local residents have noticed the contrast and are asking how these two actions fit together. It’s a fair question, and one that deserves a clear answer. Maybe Mr Hatton will publish one in his

glossy leaflets explaining why he has decided to treat our veterans this way.

As Parliament prepares to revisit the Troubles Bill in the next session, the fundamental issue remains the same. This isn’t about rewriting history or excusing wrongdoing. It’s about ensuring that justice is applied with fairness, proportion and humanity. Veterans who served in extraordinary circumstances should not spend their later years looking over their shoulders. They deserve our support and they also deserve representatives who are clear about where they stand. For Mr Hatton, that appears to be wherever Keir Starmer tells him to stand.

BYRON QUAYLE Chair, South Dorset Conservative Association

Meditations in nature: Under the boughs of the ancient oak

by Susanna Curtin

MAY is one of my favourite months. After the unpredictable chills of spring, it feels as though we have passed a threshold – the temperatures are increasing, the days extending and how wonderful it is to see the wave of green as the hedgerows and trees unfurl their new leaves. It has been especially joyous to walk through the bluebell woods –two weeks early this year due to a relatively mild, wet winter and a warm start to spring. How clever they are to bloom before the woodland canopy steals their sunlight.

Bluebell woods are quintessentially English and are associated with ancient woodland – so too are our ancient oak trees. We have more ancient oaks than the rest of Europe combined, mostly due to the Norman conquest and the creation of royal forests, chases and deer parks, where the trees were protected for the sake of privileged hunting. As a result of these protected forests, England has in excess of 3,300 veteran oaks with a girth of more than six metres. Most of these are estimated to be between 400 and 600 years old, with some, such as the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, being even older, between 800 and 1,000-plus years.

While I have been in the presence of some famous ancient oaks, sitting under any venerable oak tree has a particular kind of magic.

Staying close to home today, I have made my way to my local woods to enjoy the carpet of bluebells and to rest under the boughs of one of my favourite oak trees. This one is between 300 and 400 years old. Its large, gnarled root system bulges like a mound around its enormous base, providing a perfect place to stop for a while and listen to the woodland. Perhaps it is my age, or perhaps it is my current circumstances, but I am finding that I need time out in nature more than ever. This digital world that is consuming us is so at odds with our evolutionary biology – the constant taskswitching, emails, texts, social media, and the increasing uncertainties that come with the AI revolution and all the ‘bots’ and unhuman processes that cloud our communications and information overload. I find I can no longer tell what is real and what is socially constructed for politics or profit. But, sat here under the boughs of this unfurling oak, life is real. The bluebells, wood anemones, bees, celandine, stitchwort, squirrels and birds are all true and behaving in a way I

understand and recognise. I have always been drawn to trees, and particularly oaks. The family name from my maternal lineage is ‘Oakey’. It is of Old English origin and means ‘a dweller by the oak tree’ or someone from ‘a place with a notable oak’, so it is no wonder they mean so much to me. Oak trees symbolise strength and longevity, and were commonly used as landmarks, boundaries or meeting places. They are also ecologically rich and support hundreds of species, reinforcing the notion that they are special or life-giving, making them culturally symbolic in Celtic and Druid mythologies due to their size and stability through time. In the Beltane festival that marks the transition into May, the Oak King represents strength and light.

Perched here beneath the boughs of this ancient oak, I ponder the biological connection between us and other living things. And I wonder. Do trees have souls? They certainly have presence and an essence which I can feel – a certain vibe as I sit on these lumpy roots. Aristotle proposed that all plant life has a ‘vegetal soul’, fundamental for its nutrition, growth and reproduction, but lacking consciousness, whereas animals have senses and perception. I am not entirely persuaded by such divisions.

For I am convinced that trees such as this one are more than just a biological organism, they have a living spirit with agency and worth. Trees also mirror the veins, networks and branching patterns on which our own human bodies, and many other things in nature, have evolved. The biological parallel between trees and the human placenta is not just poetic. A placenta is a rootlike structure that anchors itself to the mother and is a highly branched network of vessels that spread from the umbilical cord into finer and finer structures, just like a tree branches divide into smaller and smaller twigs and leaves.

Trees also respond to their environment and communicate with their neighbours through the wood-wide-web, the mycorrhizal networks we are only just beginning to fully understand. While we recognise the wonder of nature, I suspect it will be some time before we can fully unravel the profound entanglement of human and ecological systems, or where the boundary between science and philosophy truly lies when deciding whether or not a tree has a soul. But for now, I am happy to be in the company of this ancient oak, in whose presence I have found some essential peace.

n Dr Susie Curtin (email curtin. susanna@gmail.com)

Under the boughs of Susie Curtin’s favourite oak

The Crusader Oak at Stock Gaylard is about 700 years old

What we don’t say and why it matters

by Kay Parkinson

MOST of the things that slowly damage relationships are never said aloud. They accumulate quietly – small resentments, unspoken needs, words swallowed in the interest of keeping the peace, until, over time, the silence itself becomes the problem.

We tend to imagine communication breakdown as something dramatic – raised voices, sharp words, a door closing a little too hard. Those moments matter. The quieter breakdown, the one that unfolds in what is never said, can be just as damaging, often more so, because it is much harder to name.

There are good reasons we hold things back. We don’t want to seem needy or difficult. We wonder if our feelings are ‘important enough’ to bring up. Sometimes we have tried before, and it hasn’t gone well. Often, we care deeply about the other person and don’t want to hurt them or unsettle something that looks, on the surface, perfectly fine. Beneath this sits something more tender – a quiet sense of shame. A worry that if we say what we really

feel, we might be seen differently or not fully accepted. As a result, silence can feel like the safer option, even when it comes at a cost.

The things we don’t say rarely disappear. Instead, they tend to surface sideways. As irritability. As distance. As a subtle cooling in a relationship that once felt easier. In some cases, they arrive all at once, spilling out in a moment that feels disproportionate to what has just happened. The truth

finally speaks, though often in the wrong moment and in the wrong tone.

Learning to say the quieter, harder things is one of the most important relationship skills we can develop. Not forcefully, not perfectly, but honestly. This requires a different kind of courage, one that allows us to be seen more fully.

One helpful shift is to move away from accusation and towards sharing. Saying, “I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected

from you lately, and I’m not quite sure why,” invites curiosity. Saying, “You never pay attention to me,” tends to invite defensiveness. The difference is subtle, but powerful.

Timing matters too. Difficult conversations rarely go well when they happen in the middle of stress, distraction or exhaustion. Choosing a calmer moment can make all the difference. The aim of these conversations is not to win or to prove a point. It is something quieter than that. It is about allowing ourselves to be known and being willing to know the other person a little more deeply in return. That is where real connection, and a sense of relational honour, tends to grow.

If certain conversations feel impossible, or repeatedly escalate, it may be worth seeking some support. With the right space, people can and do find new ways of speaking and listening to each other. Often, what we are not saying is exactly what most needs to be heard.

n Kay Parkinson is an MBACP (Accred) therapist and EMDR practitioner specialising in trauma, loss and shame, as well as pregnancy and birth experiences. She leads a Dorset-based practice offering one-to-one and couples support locally and online. www. placetotalktherapies.co.uk

Home & Garden

Simple trick for designing with plants

by Sally Gregson

HOW often do we visit gardens and are struck by a particularly appealing combination of plants, or colours, or structural forms? And by the time we have taken a blurry photo of them and gone home, we have forgotten just what it was that was so appealing. However, there is a simple trick to getting the combinations ‘right’.

At Great Dixter in East Sussex the apprentice gardeners are given a free hand to mix and match plants in pots. Fergus Garrett, the head gardener, trains his students by letting them choose from a range of potted plants and seeing which combinations ‘work’ to their satisfaction.

The starting point is often a few perennials such as small conifers or generous pots of grasses. They form the bones,

the structure of the arrangement. Then in go a few brightly coloured annuals that pop with colour. The remainder of the display tends to comprise ‘filler’ plants that unite the arrangement into a ‘colour scheme’. It works very well. Perhaps because the students are already so well acquainted with certain plants, or they just respond creatively to the freedom of moving pots about the arrangement to try different combinations. No doubt they all

‘brainstorm’ the finished arrangement too.

The most successful of these are sometimes planted more permanently in the garden the following year, or more often, are probably just noted down by those students for future reference. But it’s a trick that’s worthy of imitation. And late spring is an excellent time to start potting up some of those special plants that demand attention.

For instance, Dahlia Magenta Star is a stunning, shocking raspberry-pink dahlia with

large, single flowers that reach up to about 1.5m in height at their peak in late summer. It’s a favourite at Gravetye Manor, the Sussex home of the ‘father’ of modern gardening, William Robinson. It is doubtful that Robinson ever met this particular stunner – it was probably bred after his time – but the current head gardener, Tom Coward, is an ex-student of Dixter’s Fergus Garrett, and certainly they would have been introduced to each other. It obviously made quite an impression on him, as it does to all who meet it.

Pricking out seedlings: Handle with care

by Sally Gregson

THIS spring has seemed to have arrived faster than ever before. The wet and cold winter has suddenly turned baking hot, and the seedlings are growing away too fast, getting leggy and thin. Pricking them out is suddenly an urgent task. Using an old kitchen fork, gently remove each seedling from the seed tray holding it by a seed leaf, or cotyledon. (Never hold a seedling by its stem – the merest touch will bruise the cells in the stem and it will keel over and die in days).

Dibble the small seedlings into a tray of potting compost using the end of a pencil or a

thin stick. Make a grid pattern in the tray – four by five rows of, for example, lettuce or cabbage seedlings, should allow enough room for a few weeks’ growth. Always choose to prick out the strongest little plants with the largest root systems,

and short gaps between the sets of leaves or internodes. And ‘plant’ them with the compost right up to the first pair of leaves to keep them short. If there is plenty of air around them, they should not ‘damp off’ at soil level.

It may seem tempting to save time and trouble by pricking out and potting up seedlings into larger pots straight away, but there are some drawbacks to this sort of ‘common-sense’. Mostly, it is that the nutrients in the potting compost will have drained away by the time the seedlings’ roots reach out to take advantage. And a few days or weeks later the seedling will be sitting on a pile of wet mud,

rotting off, not growing. So be prepared to ‘pot on’ the seedlings as soon as the roots have filled the containers, every time.

Once the seedlings have been pricked out or potted up, water the tray thoroughly to settle the compost around the roots and place them somewhere fairly sunny and out of reach of any late frosts, where the little lettuces or cabbages can start to capitalise on their new environment. Harden them off gradually and plant them out as soon as they are big enough to cope with the outside world. And protect them from marauding slugs and snails.

Use an old kitchen fork to gently remove each seedling from the seed tray

Apprentice gardeners are given a free hand to mix and match plants in pots at Great Dixter

Planting for scent and colour

I LOVE plants that have a scent as well as colour.

Quite often the scent will be of interest not just to us, but to insects as well, including bees and butterflies.

This will have further impact in the garden by improving the diversity of visitors and in turn help with pollination and the control of pests.

Top of the list at this time of year are the Erysimum or Perennial wallflowers.

The best known is a variety called Bowles Mauve which will get to a size of a couple of feet with similar spread.

It is easy to grow and will keep on flowering, especially if the old flowers are removed before they go to seed – this kids the plant into thinking its job of reproducing isn’t done, so more flowers will be produced.

There are also some other wonderful varieties including the wonderfully named Walberton’s Fragrant Sunshine with its yellow flowers with fabulous fragrance.

If that’s not enough for you, then there is a variegated form, Walberton’s Fragrant Star.

More subtle colours can be found in Pastel Patchwork.

The scent from Daphne odora aureomarginata is really quite something.

A slow growing evergreen with variegated foliage, the pink and white flowers really pack a punch and can fill a garden with a beautiful aroma.

A newer variety that is especially pleasing is Rebecca.

These shrubs enjoy partial shade and a well-prepared soil, and when the flowers have finished the foliage is very attractive for the rest of the year.

Scent in the evening is priceless and the Night Scented Stock with its mouthful of a Latin name Zaluzianskya.

It’s a low-growing plant suitable for a pot or for cascading down a rockery or a wall.

The flowers are white with a deep pink back to them.

During the day they have no perfume at all but once the light levels drop, the scent starts.

Where we have a display of them in the garden centre is quite amazing and the plants can be found even in the dark!

I learnt from Radio 4 that the sense of smell has no filters in the brain and is directly linked with the part of the brain that deals with emotions.

Smells are also long remembered, which is why they can often make you nostalgic.

The scent of mown grass is often quoted taking you back to childhood.

Of course, it might also mean your neighbour has cut their lawn and it’s time you did yours!

MIKE BURKS Managing director of The Gardens Group

Erysimum, or wallflowers, are bright and perfumed spring garden plants

Why May is my favourite month of the year

by AJ Selby

“ MIST in May, heat in June.”–Country saying ASK anyone who knows me what my favourite month of the year is and they will tell you it’s May. There’s so much to love about May – birdsong is at its peak, the hedgerows are exploding with colour and on top of those beautiful flowers and verdant green leaves we see a variety of insects, butterflies and many, many beetles of different colours as well as hoverflies, solitary bees and other smaller insects that are hard to identify for the average naturalist.

At the start of the month, hedgerows still sport primroses with their pale yellow blooms reflecting the sunshine, along with dog violets and the plain but no less interesting dogs mercury – how wonderful are so many of our wildflower names. The yellow celandines have faded, but in their place come the delicate white flowers of the greater and lesser stitchwort, as well as ragged robin and Jack-by-the-Hedge, also known as garlic mustard. Rub the leaves of this lovely plant between your fingers and draw in that strong garlic scent. Sharp eyes will notice dominant greenery emerging from the hedge bottom as cow parsley starts to make a good size plant with a prominent stalk, which will burst into a beautiful white umbelliferous

flower head before the month of May is out. Cow parsley dominates our hedgerows for a few weeks in May and June, turning our verges into snowcapped vistas. Another plant to look out for is the bluebell – we are very lucky to have most of the world’s population of bluebells in the UK. If you see solitary bluebells popping up on waste ground or in open hedges, it’s an indicator there was once woodland there and the bluebells have survived in their new habitat.

The rich scent of many of these plants attracts lots of insects and they too attract insect-eating birds. One of the most easily recognised is, of course, the swallow. I love to watch them swoop and drift across a flowery meadow in early summer, always in a hurry to catch, eat and return to their nest with a mouthful of insects. Alongside them come the house martins who will be looking at a good nesting spot under the eaves of old buildings and modern houses, too. The house martin has a dark blue back with a white belly while their cousins, the sand martins, are much plainer with a brown back to match the sandhills and burrows in which they nest.

As the days lengthen and the mercury rises, so wildlife rush to stake a territory, find a mate, make a nest or burrow, raise their young and take advantage of a time of plenty. For bird life

the main part of marking out a territory is in their song, and this is by far the best time of year to hear nature’s free chorus. If you’ve yet to do it, I urge you on just one bright, warm early summer’s morning to set your alarm clock for about 3.30am and get outside, hopefully somewhere near a wood and just absorb this orchestral magnificence.

When I go out early to listen to the dawn chorus I like to lie down on a waterproof sheet looking up at the trees and absorb the symphony as it starts quietly with one or two birds, usually the blackbird, and then others start to join in until there is a stereophonic melody all around you. This is one of the most astonishing acts of nature you can enjoy for free, and if you have the Merlin app on your mobile phone it will identify each bird as it sings, and you can save the recording in the app – note, it uses your mobile data, so be aware of that.

There is so much going on during the month of May that it can be so easy to miss little things, like the emergence of

new flowers, or butterflies appearing as if from nowhere –one day there are none, the next day you see small blues, meadow browns, commas and gatekeepers. Or you can be sat out in your garden in the evening and suddenly be aware of a bat or two above your head swooping, diving and rising as it feasts on insects.

I can’t tell you how much I love May and I’ve written before now, if in the far away future one was allowed to come back to the here and now for just one day, it would be in late May when the sun burns off the early morning mist, there is barely a breath of wind and I could walk across the meadow watching the swallows at work, and then alongside the riverbank to see ducks, water voles and the kingfisher. And finally, as the sun passes its zenith and the afternoon heat beats down, I can slip into a cool and moist woodland drawing the earthy scents from the forest floor and listen to the birdsong. I hope you too will enjoy the month of May as much as I will.

The dawn chorus starts quietly with one or two birds, usually the blackbird, and then others start to join

Restaurant on a roll with cooking contest

COOKS will be going head-tohead to create the ultimate sausage roll when a competition is held at a restaurant in Poole.

The event at Jenkins & Sons Restaurant & Bar in Penn Hill is open to all and will raise money for The Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF) charity.

Organiser Claire Shpachynska, from The Hello Project events company, said: “Jenkins & Sons wanted to launch a community event which would raise money for a local charity and because the business was originally a butcher and fishmonger, we decided to embrace some of that rich foodie history.

“It’s hard to resist a sausage roll and we are looking for people to enter their own

home-baked versions which will amaze our judges with their flavour and originality.”

The competition will be part of an evening event featuring live music and a raffle, with all money raised helping the DCCF’s work providing financial support to Dorset people affected by cancer.

Entries welcome for tourism awards

ENTRIES are now open for the 2026 Dorset Tourism Awards, with tourism and hospitality businesses across the county encouraged to take part.

The awards, run in partnership with the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence and supported by headline sponsor Tomorrows Travel, celebrate excellence across Dorset’s visitor economy.

Jay Thornton, commercial & engineering director at Tomorrows Travel, said: “We’re proud to be the headline sponsor for Dorset Tourism Awards and to recognise the outstanding businesses and individuals who make Dorset such a compelling destination.

“Celebrating excellence across the tourism industry is vital to strengthening tourism today and building its future for tomorrow.”

The awards are open to businesses of all sizes and offer a range of benefits, including increased visibility, PR opportunities and valuable independent feedback.

Selected winners will go on to compete at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in 2027.

Previous entrants, Bagwell Farm Touring Park, said: “The process was clear from start to finish and the judges’ feedback was incredibly useful.

“The awards team were supportive and encouraging throughout.”

Workshops and support sessions are available to help entrants through the process.

Jenkins & Sons general manager Natalie Dear said: “All competing sausage rolls should be between 10 and 12 inches long, intact and not sliced.

“They can feature any kind of savoury flavours and ingredients, and any kind of pastry, but they must have some kind of original design.”

She added: “We will have a panel of judges which will include one of the owners of Jenkins & Sons, and some well-known faces.

“Entrants are asked to pay £5 to register their sausage rolls before the event, and to bring them baked and ready for judging.

“This is a fabulous opportunity for people to roll up their sleeves and amaze us with their unique and flavoursome sausage rolls, while raising money for a great local charity.”

The evening will begin at 5pm with the sausage rolls displayed, before being cut up for tasting.

Judging will take place at 5.30pm, and the public will also be invited to vote.

Jenkins & Sons will also be donating a portion of bar sales from the evening to the DCCF.

To register to enter the competition, being held on Saturday June 6, and for more details email hello@ thehelloproject.co.uk

Entry is free and submissions close at midnight on Sunday, May 31.

For full details and to enter, visit www.dorsettourismawards.

Roll with it – event organiser Claire Shpachynska

Singer celebrates 50 years of performing

SINGER Karen Grant, from Swanage, who this year is 60 and is celebrating 50 years of performing, is holding a ‘Musical Evening’ at Newton Manor Hall in the town.

Karen says the concert promises to be a fun-filled evening with songs from Lily the Pink to opera from La Boheme and lots of stories in between.

The concert will raise money for the Psoriasis Association with a raffle raising money for a lift for disabled access at The Mowlem theatre.

Over the last 10 years Karen has raised about £26,000 with the help and support of the Swanage community.

Her parents, Eunice and Max Faulkner, were amateur entertainers, and Karen started learning piano at the age of five and began performing aged 10.

Eunice and Max formed the Combe Down Players in Bath and entertained at care and residential homes, and parties and get togethers, during the

mid-1970s and 1980s.

Eunice and Max sang and did impersonations, Karen’s sister Yvonne Faulkner recited Pam Ayres poems and family friend Andrew Brown – who

will be singing at Newton Manor Hall at the age of 84 – played the drums.

“It was a lot of fun,” Karen said. “So, this year for me is very important.”

Karen featured in the Purbeck Gazette last year when she did a few concerts in Swanage to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE-Day, which raised almost £800 for two veterans’ charities.

The concert being held at Newton Manor Hall, by kind permission of Alan May, is on Thursday, May 21, at 7pm and tickets, priced £10, include a glass of prosecco.

Tickets are available from Mr May on 07827 892893.

Exciting moment for school band

PURBECK Art Weeks this year will be rocking to the sound of the HSD School Band – formed by pupils at the Harbour School Dorset in Bovington Camp.

The school is for children with autism and other special educational needs, and music is an important part of their learning.

The band features boys and girls from Year 5 to Year 11 and they will be performing at Purbeck Art Weeks’ opening event on Friday, May 22, at Rollington Barn, Wareham, from 4pm.

Where The Beatles had George Martin, the HSD School Band has music teacher Miguel

Cruz.

He said: “When I joined the school I began doing one-to-one music lessons with some of the students and taught them the same songs, then we came together.

“HSD School Band is a dynamic student ensemble of young musicians with a shared passion for live music.

“Blending rock and alternative classics with modern pop influences, they deliver an energetic and authentic sound, with a repertoire including artists such as Nirvana, Radiohead, The Animals, Måneskin and Amy Winehouse.

“Formed over the past two

years, the group has grown through dedication, collaboration and a strong sense of identity, with new members joining this year to bring fresh energy to the band.

“Their performances are built on teamwork, creativity and the excitement of playing live together.

“The performance at Purbeck Art Weeks marks an exciting moment for the band, as they continue to develop their sound and share their music with the wider community.”

Harbour School Dorset is part of the Southern Education Trust.

Karen Grant is holding a ‘Musical Evening’ at Newton Manor Hall

PHOTO: Timothy Crabb

Karen Grant with her family

The Harbour School Dorset School Band will be performing at Purbeck Art Weeks’ opening event

Art at Scaplen’s Court

ARTISTS David Pointer and Kathryn Thomas – pictured –will be exhibiting at the newly restored medieval merchant’s house, Scaplen’s Court and Garden in Poole, as part of Dorset Art Weeks.

David’s sculptural ceramics are inspired by Dorset’s rugged

Clocking in for the 9 to 5

WESSEX Musical Theatre is returning to the Hardye Theatre, Dorchester, to perform Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 the Musical, following sell-out performances of Oliver! at Weymouth Pavilion last year.

The musical tells the story of three workmates pushed to boiling point by their sexist boss and their plan to turn the tables.

The production, directed by Martine Burt and with musical direction by Jonathan May,

features songs including 9 to 5, Backwoods Barbie, Shine Like the Sun and Get Out and Stay Out.

The show will be supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, founded by Dolly Parton, and which sends free books to children every month to help inspire a love of reading from an early age.

Bucket collections at each performance will go to Dorset County Hospital’s Emergency and Critical Care Unit Appeal.

landscape and Kathryn’s paintings have captivated audiences with their atmospheric power for over 35 years.

The exhibition runs from Saturday, May 23, to Sunday, June 7, and is open daily from 10am-5pm. Admission is free.

The project will fund state-of-the-art medical equipment, a patient winter garden, relatives’ accommodation and child/ adolescent mental health facilities.

Glass, wood and drawings in a beautiful rural setting

THE Affpuddle Art Collective will showcase a diverse exhibition during Dorset Art Weeks at the Flint Barn, Affpuddle Manor.

Glass artist Karen Hally’s fused glass works focus on vibrant geometric design and contemporary forms, shaped by heat, layered with colour and designed to shift subtly with the light.

Wood sculptor Chris French’s carvings reflect a lifelong connection to trees shaped by memory, time and place.

And illustrator Russell Lawford’s intricate, meditative drawings evolve over many hours into unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.

Together, the artists each present a rich exploration of

material, form and personal narrative.

The exhibition offers visitors a chance to experience new work alongside established favourites in a beautiful rural setting.

The Affpuddle Art Collective will be exhibiting from Saturday, May 23, to Thursday, June 7.

Performances run from Wednesday to Saturday, May 27-30, at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets are available at www.wessexmusicaltheatre. co.uk

Glass artist Karen Hally

Wessex Theatre Company is performing Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 the Musical at the Hardye Theatre in Dorchester PHOTO: Jo Windel

Pendant/brooch makes £712,500

DUKE’S Auctioneers welcomes clients to its upcoming valuation day on Tuesday, May 19, where free expert, complimentary advice is available on fine jewellery, watches, accessories, silver, wines and spirits.

These events allow prospective sellers to find out more about the possible value of their items as auction.

Market confidence remains strong. Duke’s Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Currency sale on March 18-19 achieved an 83% sold rate and realised more than £1.4 million, driven by competitive international bidding.

A standout Victorian diamond and pearl double

pendant/brooch – pictured –soared to £712,500, highlighting enduring demand for rare, historic jewels.

Further successes included a 19th century rivière necklace (£57,500), cushion-cut diamond earrings (£137,500) and a Victorian cat’s eye chrysoberyl, diamond and ruby brooch/ pendant (£32,500).

Silver performed equally well, with a George II silver-gilt wine cup (£22,500) and a set of three George II salvers (£28,750).

Global demand for quality remains high and Duke’s valuation days present an opportunity for potential vendors to discover the value of their items.

The rise of men’s antique jewellery

by Amy Brenan,

director of Heirlooms Jewellers, 21 South Street, Wareham

MEN’S antique jewellery has seen a quiet resurgence in recent years, as more men are actively seeking pieces with character, history and individuality.

Moving beyond the simplicity of modern accessories and mass brands, antique jewellery offers craftsmanship and detail that is rarely replicated today – making it both stylish and highly collectible.

Signet rings remain one of the most sought-after pieces from us at Heirlooms.

Traditionally engraved with family crests or initials, they carry a sense of heritage and personal identity.

Georgian and Victorian examples in rich yellow gold are particularly desirable, especially when the engraving is crisp and original.

Equally popular are antique gemstone rings, with bloodstone, onyx and intaglio carvings all enjoying renewed interest for their bold, masculine appeal.

Cufflinks are another area of

growing collectability.

Antique sets in gold, silver or enamel – particularly those from the Victorian and Art Deco periods – are prized for their intricate design and enduring quality.

Chains and fobs, once worn with pocket watches, have also found new life when styled with modern tailoring, adding a distinctive edge to contemporary looks.

Watch chains, especially albert chains with T-bars and decorative fobs, are increasingly popular, valued for both their weight and craftsmanship. What defines collectability today is not just age, but authenticity, condition and design.

Pieces that remain true to their original form, with minimal alteration, are always more desirable.

Above all, men’s antique jewellery appeals because it tells a story – and in a world of mass production, that sense of individuality is more valuable than ever, and that is what today’s discerning gentleman is looking for!

Victorian diamond and pearl double pendant/brooch sold for £712,500

Antique seal fob that could be worn today on a fine gold or belcher chain

Spotlight Diary

Diary entries are £6 plus VAT per entry. The deadline for the May 25 issue is NOON on Thursday, May 14. Call us on 01963 400186 or email adverts@blackmorevale.net.

Please call prior to attending events listed to ensure they are still on.

MAY 2026

SATURDAY

10:00 FREE ENTRY DORCHESTER VEGAN MEGAMARKET 10am-4pm Saturday and Sunday 16th and 17th May 2026

Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, DT1 1TY Not just for vegans! email : wdveganevents@gmail.com

18.30 WHIST DRIVE at St Mary’s Church, Rectory Classroom, Swanage. Every Saturday. Tea and coffee provided. Very friendly group. Contact Richard: 01929 553516

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