Health & Wellbeing

58 The West Dorset Magazine, August 12, 2022 Health & Wellbeing Walking West Dorset

with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

FROME VALLEY TRAIL: 11th WALK

This stretch of the river Frome and its tributaries has no footpaths close by so the walk is entirely on asphalt. Traffic is busy on part of the route so make sure you’re visible. I was passed by quite a few cyclists, so if you’re a biker you might prefer wheels to feet. The route is undulating but not very steep. Start near Tincleton Church and head south eastwards along the road for about a mile and a half past Clyffe and Pallington. The map shows that you will be passing numerous lakes and water features and the sculpture park but, unfortunately, everything is invisible because of the hedging. You can see more of the countryside to your left where there are good views. Eventually you come to Waddock Cross where you turn right and head south west along the B3390, which can be busy but is nearly straight so you can see the traffic coming. There are several interesting features to look out for including iron men and watercress beds. You’ll cross lots of bridges. After a mile, on your right, you’ll reach Hurst Heath which seems to be unfenced and unmanaged ferny woodland which looks as if it would be interesting to explore to spot wildlife, but, unlike Pallington Heath further north, it’s not recorded as Access Land. Turn right at the junction and head north west for a mile past Woodsford Lower Dairy then turn right and head north for mile towards Tincleton, again crossing many bridges over the streams. You might spot some swans. At Tincleton Farm, turn right and walk eastwards through the village for a furlong where the road turns left and leads up to the main road where you turn right and soon find your car. 5.8 miles

youcantalk.net is a new wellness and mental health resource launched by Bridport-based duo Kerry Miller, pictured, and Alex Fender. It features lots of free resources to help people relax and take stock.

I’ve been trying to find a home on social media for a good while now, but so far nothing is sitting right. I’ve done a bit of halfhearted posting on Instagram and Linkedin, but it hasn’t really done anything for me, and I don’t think I’ve done much for it either! A friend recently said that posting on social media feels like ‘just another place to be ignored’ and I agreed initially. Then I tried playing the game and connecting with people with similar interests, and almost immediately I felt overwhelmed. It was like being at a huge party where everybody was talking at the same time and I couldn’t tell if any of them were saying anything interesting because there was just so much racket and kerfuffle. I’m not sure why, but somehow I just don’t fit in, I can’t find my place, I

Getting yourself involved in

can’t find a home on social media. However, an ‘old school’ opportunity arose recently. With the help of a friend who has done this sort of thing for many years – I have sponsored an event! (Thank you soooo much DE). yachtsandyachting.com/ news/251211/Youcantalkne t-sponsors-2022-CadetEuropeans

The West Dorset Magazine, August 12, 2022 59 Health & Wellbeing Natural therapy of wildflower meadows

Andy Cole is a reiki healer based in Middlemarsh. He specialises in planting for healing. Over the last couple of months, we have been burning the candle both ends of the day moving The Potting Shed Secret Garden from Prince’s place at Closworth to our own premises at Middlemarch, creating a new site for The Potting Shed Wellbeing Nursery Therapy Garden. We still have quite a bit to do and are hoping to meet the deadline for vacating the old site on time, but it is going to be tight. On one of those long days, we had just finished supper and were having a nice cup of tea, discussing what we were going to do tomorrow, when out of the hedge popped a young fox. He seemed not to bothered by our presence there and walked down the grass path towards us. He jumped in and out of the long meadow grass as if playing with whatever he could see. It was a beautiful sight and one that we will cherish for a long time, just sitting there in a quiet lovely space with natural wildlife around us and them not being bother by our presence is making all the effort and hard work well worthwhile. The following day we were visited by a mass of goldfinches feeding on the seeds in the meadow and these have been coming back for several days now. The young woodpeckers are growing fast and still feeding on the fat balls and peanuts we are putting out, and the nut hatches have also arrived on the feeders. The benefit of the site to the wildlife is also a benefit to our own wellbeing as our spirits are lifted when we see such wonderful things going on, especially when things are getting on top of us during the pressure of moving and the fast-approaching deadline. The fact that the healing is taking place in this space is of no surprise as wildflower meadows provide a great source of therapy and healing. The energies from the grass and wildflowers relax and calm your mind, they slow down your whole metabolism, bringing a sense of peace and serenity to your whole being. The sounds of the meadow when standing next to it are amazing. The area is alive with the sound of grasshoppers, bees and other insects, it is just buzzing with wildlife, these sounds just fill the mind and drive out all other thoughts of the day providing even more relaxation. This is truly awesome and although our time to enjoy these wonderful experiences is fleeting and short lived the energy boost, we get gives us the incentive to do more and carry on, this is energy healing at its best.

WILD ABOUT HEALING: Flowers and grass relax your mind and is a fine example of energy healing at its best

a way that helps

And although I’ve never done anything like this before I have found that it feels so much more comfortable and authentic. It means the opportunity to be on the telly and the radio, going out for dinners, stands, banners, tshirts and actually talking to real people. Best of all, much of this takes place outdoors and right by the sea. Could it get much better than that? I’ve also designed a little something to go into the goodie bags: The SOS Values and Committed Action Card Deck. This is an opportunity to get young people and their parents thinking and talking about what actually, really matters to them and how they want to live. Priceless eh? If it gets one in a hundred of the human beings that set eyes on it thinking and moving in the right direction for them, I’ll be very happy. One in ten – I’ll be ecstatic! Although I think the deck can stand alone, perhaps I think that because this is my world and these are ideas I’ve thought about a lot. Just in case it’s all a bit vague or confusing for newbies I am working on a free companion journal to guide people through the process of identifying their core values and understanding how these might guide life choices and goal setting. No more blundering through life not knowing what you’re doing or why you’re doing it –phew! I’m still not sure what to do about social media though …let’s just hold that lightly and maybe in time things will become clearer.

By Miranda Robertson

miranda@westdorsetmag.co.uk

A hearing aid audiologist has launched a bold new business in Dorchester –determined to offer high quality devices at the lowest cost possible. Charles Harris, who lives near Cerne Abbas, has been involved in hearing aids for 20 years, having been a police constable then making the leap into audiology by chance. In those two decades the technology has moved on enormously, and in the last few years rechargeable aids, with Bluetooth technology have transformed the market. No longer do people have to buy hundreds of batteries, and they can have the TV on at a volume that won’t deafen others, as the Bluetooth enables them to hear it directly. All these advances mean prices can be high. But Charles’s vision was to find a way to provide these much better hearing aids at a much better price. He said: “The whole point of our offering is to offer the best, premium hearing systems at an entry level sort of price. “Our testing will also be better than the standard testing people might have experienced before. “We include video otoscopy (seeing inside the ear), tympanometry (testing the performance of the tympanic membrane (ear drum).” In launching Best Price Hearing Aids, which is now open in the Tudor Arcade near Waitrose, Charles is taking on the high street giants, such as Boots, and offering lower prices. “The margins are very tight,” he said, “but I would rather help more people.” Charles says on average people will put up with hearing loss for five years before doing anything about it. But they should act sooner because the younger someone gets hearing correction the better their ears adapt and that can slow auditory decline. It’s also the case that hearing loss contributes significantly to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia, due to the lack of aural stimulation and isolation so it’s well worth getting checked out earlier. If you do need hearing aids, Charles has a seasonal offer on at the moment – £2,500 for a top of the range set. But once they’re gone, they’re gone. People can try the aids for free for two weeks (not custom aids or very high correction aids) and if they get on with them they can buy them outright or on 0% finance. Once bought, they can then decide whether they want an aftercare plan or just an as and when kind of arrangement. Charles said: “Historically people have had to pay monthly fees to get their hearing aids serviced and people knew they would be looked after. However this can get very expensive and be an unnecessary cost if people are going along okay and don’t need all the extra services. “Now hearing aids are more reliable and controllable, and people are getting more savvy with what things cost. We want to provide the best hearing aids at an entry level cost, by buying them in bulk and passing on that saving.” The clinic also offers wax removal using microsuction, a safer alternative to traditional syringing. “Wax is the big thing at the moment,” said Charles. “Most surgeries don’t do wax removal now. “People have nowhere to go and we are told we should charge more for this, but we’ve made it as affordable as possible at £35 per ear.” n Best Price Hearing Aids is open Monday to Friday and will open Saturdays to book appointments soon.

A WORD IN YOUR EAR: Charles Harris at Best Price Hearing Aids in the Tudor Arcade Listen to this: Improving hearing at affordable cost