The West Dorset Magazine, Edition 28, May 2023

Landmark reopens after major fire

Like a phoenix from the flames, Bridport’s Edwards Tower building is set to reopen to tenants following more than £1million worth of repairs. A major blaze devastated the building in July 2018 and the building’s owners have faced an uphill struggle to bring it back into use.

St Michael’s Trading Estate manager Martin Ridley told The West Dorset Magazine: “The programme for reinstatement (of the building) has had delay upon delay due mainly to long and complex negotiations between ourselves, brokers, insurers, loss adjustors, quantity surveyors and contractors among others. The Edwards Tower Building is high profile and is a well-known landmark in Bridport. It housed more than 20 tenants and six of them have been long term displaced and had to urgently find alternative premises.”

Mr Ridley added: “It’s been a

long road back for us as landlords and for our longsuffering tenants but we are now able to make contact with the many interested parties to say that we are now able to schedule in a series of viewing open days for prospective tenants.

“We’re doing this as the last fixings are being completed by our electrical contractors with, ironically, the new fire alarm being the last piece of work to be completed.

“The reinstatement work has cost more than £1million pounds but both Bridport and St Michael’s can now lay claim to have the first new multi occupancy commercial spaces to be available in the town for

probably 20 years.

“The newly restored building will offer a little under 6,000 square feet across three floors comprising 11 studios and offices.”

He added that prospective tenants will have the ‘added benefit’ of becoming part of the ‘thriving and buzzing’ St Michael’s community with its mix of more than 100 businesses.

Mr Ridley concluded: “It’s been a nightmare journey but we can

see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Part of the difficulty has been to make sure a building originally constructed at the turn of the century complies with modern building regulations and health and safety guidelines.” More work is due to be completed to complete the overall development and regeneration of the estate aimed at attracting visitors from all over the country.

Lovely new spring ranges from Adini, Mistral, Orientique, sugarhill now available

FINE CLOTHING IN BRIDPORT FOR 139 YEARS!

Madding crowd set for Hardy’s fest

Step back in time this summer and experience Thomas Hardy’s Casterbridge when Dorchester remembers its Victorian past and celebrates the life and times of the famous writer.

Organisers say the Thomas Hardy Victorian Fair, from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, June 4 will be a ‘fun and inspiring day out for all the family’. High East Street and High West Street will be closed to traffic for a more authentic experience.

Visitors are encouraged to dress up for the occasion and join the Ragged Victorians outside Shire Hall to see Penny Farthing displays, Punch and Judy shows, steam engines, and all things Victoriana, as well as enjoy live music, performances, and dancing in the street.

Dorchester’s exuberant town crier Alistair Chisholm will

LAURELS FOR HARDY: Dorchester will be hosting a Thomas Hardy Victorian Fair on June 4 sessions in the Corn Exchange. The Nothe Fort Garrison will be at Keep Military Museum and there will be talks and tours of the stunning Victorian architecture.

announce the day’s events as they happen, including the annual wreath-laying procession to Thomas Hardy’s statue, accompanied by the delightful sound of St Peter’s Church bells. Other family-friendly activities include storytelling and traditional craft displays in the Victorian Hall at Dorset Museum, with classical music

THVF Chair, Cllr Gareth Jones said “This fun, cultural event takes a light-hearted approach to Thomas Hardy, where the whole town can come together and take

ownership of their famous resident. It’s a great opportunity to look back and enjoy Dorchester’s splendid Victorian heritage.”

The event has been funded by Kingston Maurward College, Sculptures by the Lake and Dorset Hideaways, Dorchester Town Council, Thomas Hardy Society and other local sponsors.

Thursday, May 11

A plant sale will be held at 8 Grosvenor Road, Dorchester, DT1 2BB from 10am-3pm in aid of The Children’s Society. Donations of plants welcomed.

Sherborne and District Gardeners’ Association meet at the Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne. A short AGM will be followed by a talk on alpines in troughs by Richard Horwood. Details

from Richard 01935 389375.

Bridport History Society meets at 2.15pm for 2.30pm at the United Church Hall, East St. Brian Bates will speak on German prisoners of war in Dorchester during WW1. All welcome, visitors £4. Contact Jane on 01308 425710 or email jferentzi@aol.com

Chard History Group will be hearing about Jurassic coast fossils by Nigel Clark at the

Phoenix Chard at 7.30pm. Visitors £3.50, Members £2.50, Membership £5 per year. Contact Chris on 07914 079067.

Vinyl Van in Brewery Square is celebrating the Joy of the Decks at 7.30pm. Join the fun and play 3 tunes of your choice. Bring refreshments. Vinyl Van sells a wide range of new and used records, covering a variety of genres from reggae, hip hop, soul,

funk, electronic, jazz, blues, ska, rock and pop.

Saturday,

May 13

St Swithun's in Allington, Bridport, DT6 5DU is holding a car boot sale 11am1pm. To book a space or have a stall (£12 per car), ring or text: 07887 483228.

Longburton Garden Club's plant sale will be held at St James Church (DT9 5PF) 10.30am to noon.

Plant stalls, garden pots, cake stall, cards, raffle and refreshments. Free admission.

A jumble sale is being held in Martinstown Village Hall at 2pm in aid of West Dorset Mencap and The Living Tree.

The New Elizabethan Singers May concert in St Mary’s Church, Bridport at 7pm features two major 18th century works, one wellknown, the other a covid lockdown discovery by NES musical director Matt Kingston. Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum was written to praise God for the safe return of King George II after leading his forces at the Battle of Dettingen. The choir will be joined by soloists from Royal Holloway and a full orchestra. Tickets £15, under 18s free from Goadsby Bridport or ticketsource.co.uk/nes

A whist drive is held every Saturday, 7.30pm, at Holy Trinity Church Hall, Lysander Road, Yeovil, BA20 2BU. Just turn up, or call Nigel on 01935 862325 for more details.

United Diversity Bridport presents: Best of Bridport, 7pm-12.30am, at The Lyric 9 Barrack St, Bridport DT6 3LX, with Live music (The Skalatans, Eve Appleton Band, Look Around Corners, Aidan Simpson), Spoken word (Ged Duncan, Kevan Manwaring, Angie Porter, Dylan Ross) and DJ Beat

Safari. Proceeds towards our plan for cheap regular bus between Bridport & West Bay. Tickets ud.coop/bestofbridport

A folk workshop will be held at Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne DT9 3NL 1.30pm-4.30pm, £15 on the door or cheaper in advance at sherbornefolkband.org info@sherbornefolkband.org

Julia: 07527 508 277 Workshops are led by Julia Catovsky or a guest musician, who will teach tunes and harmonies by ear. Suitable for all levels and acoustic instruments. Sheet music and audio supplied in advance.

Salway Ash village cream teas at Strongate Farm, Salway Ash, DT6 5JD. 2pm5pm, Delicious home made scones and cakes plant stall and raffle, all very welcome. Contact Tessa 07792 609617.

A Steam and Waterwheel

Open Day will be held at Sherborne Steam and Waterwheel Centre (DT9 3RX) 11.30am to 3.30pm. The volunteer-run site will have the waterwheel and Hindley steam engine in operation, with audio-visual presentations, displays of machinery and many items of local and historic interest. There is a tea room and picnic tables, toilet and free parking

Whasson? (and where’s it to?)

on the adjacent Oborne road. Entry is by donation.

The Dorchester Vegan Market is being held at Maumbury Rings 10am-4pm. Entry is free. More than 50 stalls of 100% vegan products.

A cathedral-style service of choral eucharist will be held at 10.30am in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes Harris’s Holy is the true light, Mozart Missa Brevis in G major K140 and Laudate Dominum from Mozart’s Vespers K339. All welcome to the service and for refreshments afterwards. Then at 11.45am there will be a recital of organ music given by William Bishop, current organ scholar of Tewkesbury Abbey and Dean Close School. Includes music by Bach, Bruhns and

Mendelssohn. Free admission, including coffee and cake.

The Hardy Half Marathon will raise money for local good causes, starting at Dorchester rugby club at 8am for registration (£25-27). Running through a landscape immortalised by the famous writer, the inaugural Hardy Half will be a trail race across farmland. The weekend will include family events and activities. More info at hardyhalf.com

Dorchester’s biggest jumble trail is back, in the roads around Monmouth Road from 10am. Residents selling everything from clothes to cakes, books to toys, plants to cars! Go find something you didn’t know you needed…

The Poundbury Independent

Market is back from 10am4pm, bringing together the most amazing Dorset makers, bakers, crafters and artists with 70+ stalls in three gorgeous locations across Poundbury from 10am. Championing local, small, and independent.

Monday, May 15

Wessex Morris Men continue Paul's Tour at Quicksilver Mail, Yeovil, BA20 2RG at 7.30pm, Jack the Treacle Eater, Yeovil, BA22 9TD at 8.15pm and, exhaustingly, The Royal Oak, Stoford, BA22 9UD at 9pm.

Newlyn Artists: A Cornish community of painters, a sixweek art course at the United Hall in Bridport from 2pm3.30pm.

Newlyn, a small fishing port about a mile and a half from

Music by t he Lake

Penzance, on the south coast of Cornwall’s Penwith peninsula, has attracted artists due to its scenery and the quality of the light. Fee £65 or £60 online. Drop in lectures £13. The same course is online from Friday, May 19. Tutor is Pam Simpson MA, an Art Historian. Book: chris.pam simpson@btinternet.com

Tuesday,

May 16

South Wessex Organ Society will host an organ recital by Sam Bristow at St Michael's Church in Lyme Regis at 7.30pm. Described as ‘an artist to watch’ Sam is a versatile young musician based in Salisbury and London. He is organist of St Matthew's Church, Westminster and Choral Leader at St Matthew's Primary School. He is also the co-ordinator for PipeUp

Magic carpets and tasty food at event

Internationally renowned Persian carpet specialist Masoud Mazaheri will be showing the fruits of his recent trip at an exhibition in Milton Abbas from Friday, May 12 to Sunday, May 14. The exhibition will showcase a wide range of beautiful carpets, and there’s a chance to try traditional Persian food

Salisbury, encouraging young people to study the organ. Sam’s recital programme will include works by Bach, Mendelssohn and Franck, along with an arrangement he has made of a work by Maurice Ravel. The second half of the programme will include music by Wagner and Liszt. Admission £10 on door.

The Fortuneswell Cancer

and baked goods in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society too – and expert advice on how to care for your carpets. The team from Bakhtiyar will be showing a large selection from their extensive stock of hand woven Persian carpets, runners and kelims ranging

Trust AGM will be held in the Main Hall, United Church, Charles Street, Dorchester, DT1 1BY at 6.30pm. Everyone is welcome.

Thursday, May 18

Clocktower Music is hosting Greensleeves Record Label takeover – reggae, vinyl DJs, presentations. All tickets are though Bridport Tourist

from antique to modern pieces including some exceptional pieces from Masoud’s most recent buying trips, with a special private viewing of the Darakht Dobareh collection.

The exhibition is open 10am5pm every day at Mintern Barn, Luccombe Farm, DT11 0BE.

Information Centre 01308 424901.

Bridport & District Gardening Club monthly meeting is at 7.30pm at the WI Hall North Street, when Amy Ralph will talk about British cut flowers. Amy and business partner Emma Hughes run a pick your own flowers farm in Abbotsbury offering seasonal, sustainably grown flowers.

Her horticultural career began with the Avon Wildlife Trust, creating wildlife gardens in schools and she has worked in various garden settings including several years as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s gardener.

She started growing flowers for cutting a few years ago and with lots of changes brought on by the covid lockdown decided to give it a go on a larger scale. Her gardening interests include cutting and arranging flowers, growing vegetables and wild flowers, biodiversity and sustainability. Non members £2. bridportgardeningclub.co.uk

Friday, May 19

Wacapella will give one of their Elevenses Concerts at 11am at St Mary’s Church in St Mary St Weymouth. Half an hour of singing, followed by refreshments. See

We invite you to join us at our exhibition in the beautiful Mintern Barn at Luccombe Farm in Dorset.

Friday 12th to Sunday 14th of May 2023

Open 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily

We will be showing a large selection from Masoud’s latest buying trip of hand woven Persian carpets, runners & kelims ranging from antique to modern pieces, including a special private viewing of the Darakht Dobareh collection.

Persian food will be served daily with all proceeds raised being donated to the Alzheimer’s charity.

MINTERN BARN, LUCCOMBE FARM, MILTON ABBAS, BLANDFORD FORUM, DORSET, DT11 0BE

wacapella.co.uk or phone 01305 814940.

The Burton Bradstock Festival Spring Concert is at 7pm in St Mary’s Church. David Juritz (violin), Craig Ogden (guitar) and Adrian Bradbury (cello) will perform Baroque Variations – A path towards the Goldbergs, with music by Purcell, Rameau, Charpentier, Marais, Couperin, Falconieri, Byrd, von Westhoff, Matteis, Oswald, Aranés, Caccini and Marcello. Tickets from the Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901.

burtonbradstockfestival.com

Eype Centre of the Arts at St. Peter's Church in Eype will host a concert with critically acclaimed folk artist Chris Wood, whose manager grew

up in Salway Ash. Winner of 6 BBC Folk Awards, including Folk Singer of the year and Songwriter of the year he's played with The Royal Shakespeare Company and was a key member of The Imagined Village. Tickets from Bridport Tourist Information Centre: bridport andwestbay.co.uk/tickets

£16 plus fees. All proceeds to Eype Centre of the Arts. Plenty of parking and a bar.

gourmet burger and hot/cold drink included for £25. Learn about the stars with a presentation from Kevin Quinn, the Astro Guy, watch the sun go down and discover the nocturnal world of bats. Book at eventbrite. Part of The Dorchester Walking Festival, a nine-day event May 13 to 21. A great mix of long and short walks for all abilities and interests. Whether a keen hiker or a gentle stroller, there’s something for everyone – all ages and abilities.

information, see page 30.

Beaminster Singers Spring Concert will feature a selection from George Dyson’s The Canterbury Pilgrims and Haydn’s Nelson Mass. They will be supported by professional soloists and orchestra at St Mary’s Church at 7.30pm. Tickets £15 (free for under 18s) from the Church Office, Hogshill Street and Yarn Barton Centre, Fleet Street. To order for collection call John Ryde 07980 861565.

The Originals band, playing hits from the 60s 70s 80s, are playing at Marnhull Royal British Legion Club.

A Stargazing Safari & Bat Walk is offered at 7pm at Kingston Maurward, overlooking the lake, with a

Clocktower Music is hosting Palooka 5 – garage surf rock n roll. All tickets are though Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901.

Bridport’s famed Charter Fair is today. For further

A preloved sale will be held at At Upwey & Broadway Memorial Hall (DT3 5NG) at 2pm. Bric-a-brac, toys, clothes, books. Donations for the Heart Foundation. £1 entry.

The Friends of Holnest Church host a barbecue with

Whasson? (and where’s it to?)

drinks at the church followed by a talk Confessions of a Dorset Birder and quiz, from 5pm. Free, but donations welcome. Book with Graham on 01963 210632.

Sunday, May 21

A Mind Body Spirit Fayre will be held at Digby Hall in Hound Street, Sherborne DT9 3AA from 11am-5pm. Qualified healers, mediums, therapists, intuitive therapy, beauty therapist, reflexology, reiki, seichem. Exhibitors selling crystals and all things spiritual, raffle, demonstrations and workshops throughout the day. £1 entry.

Portwey Dollshouse Group are holding their annual fair –the first since lockdown – at the Salvation Army Hall Weymouth DT4 8NS from

10am-3pm. Refreshments available. Entrance £1, accompanied children free. The Occasional Singers present ‘A Nightingale Sang’ –a concert of songs about birds at 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Edward Road, Dorchester DT1 2HL.

The programme includes works written as long ago as 1539, through to romantic songs of Elgar and Holst and culminating in an exciting contemporary setting of the traditional nursery rhyme Who killed Cock Robin? Entrance is free. Retiring collection in aid of Dorchester Poverty Action. Everyone welcome.

Monday, May 22

The Menzies Art Group – a very small group of senior citizens who love to paint and design – are holding their second open studio from today until May 28, 10am-

The Happy Crab Gallery

Featuring ceramics by Lea Phillips: leaphillips-pottery.co.uk

And fine art sculptures: amamenec-sculpture.co.uk

20A Gloucester St, Weymouth, DT4 7AW (opposite Park St car park)

4pm daily at 212 Portland Road, DT4 9AF (just above Ferrybridge).

A variety of paintings (some local scenes and some a little different), prints, cards, woodcraft, Dorset buttons and other items of handicraft will be on view. They would love one or two new members. On street parking is usually available in Dumbarton Road opposite. Entry is free.

A talk by Vincent Shepperd on Living on a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site. What makes the Jurassic Coast so special? at Bridport Museum, South Street, at 5pm for 5.30pm. £5 from museum shop.

The Wessex Morris Men will be dancing at 7.30pm at The Marquis of Lorne Nettlecombe and 8.30pm at the New Inn, Shipton Gorge DT6 4LZ.

Tuesday, May 23

The Role of Bridport’s Mayor is a talk by Ian Bark at 2pm at Bridport United Church Hall, East Street. Ian has performed the role for three years. The talk is free to U3A members, £2 for nonmembers. bridportu3a.org.uk

The National Trust South Dorset Association is holding an event entitled Metal Detecting in Dorset – a beginner's guide by Stuart McLeod on Tuesday, May 23 at 2.30pm at St Aldhelm's Church Centre, Spa Road, Weymouth, DT3 5EW.

NTSDA members £3 Nonmembers £4

Wednesday, May 24

Wessex (Weymouth) Branch of the British Sugarcraft Guild meet at St Ann’s Schoolroom, Radipole Lane,

DT3 5HT on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7pm. Demonstration by Carolyn Harvey who is the current vice chair of the British Sugarcraft Guild. Learn new cake decorating techniques and be inspired! £7 on door.

Thursday, May 25

A folk night at The Drax Arms Bere Regis BH20 7HH will feature Erica Lewis, accompanied by Steven Paris and Leonie Evans. Erica Lewis is an exceptional singer of Americana roots music and is based in New Orleans. From classic country to cosmic Americana to dreamy indie folk. Tickets £10, email pipthebass@btinternet.com

Clocktower Music is hosting John Robb – Author and The Membranes vocalist touring

new book The Art of Darkness: A History of Goth. Tickets Bridport TIC 01308 424901.

Saturday, May 27

A book sale at will be held at Charminster Village Hall between 11am and 1pm. Hundreds of books will be available for book lovers at the village hall, on the main road.

Dorchester Repair Cafe will be held 10am-12pm at Charminster Community Hall. As part of Rethink Fashion Dorchester week, we are paying special attention to repairing clothing. Bring your broken items and our lovely volunteers will try to repair them or give advice, textiles, clothing, electricals, bikes etc. New volunteers always needed as repairers and admin help. 07870 950666 for info.

Sutton Poyntz Art Group’s annual exhibition will be held today and tomorrow, 11am to 5pm at The Mission Hall, Mission Hall Lane, Sutton Poyntz, Weymouth DT3 6LY. Tea and delicious cakes!

A cathedral-style service of choral evensong for Pentecost at 4.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes: Tallis ‘O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit, Neary Preces & Responses, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange Kings College Service and Elgar The spirit of the Lord. Glass of wine after the service.

Art in Poundbury is delighted to welcome Landscape Artist of the Year 2023, Finn Campbell-Notman to judge at their outdoor painting event, Art in The Park, The Great Poundbury Paint Out, 10am-

4pm, on The Great Field. Artists of all abilities are invited for a day of art –whether you are a regular outdoor/en plein air artist or not. Two categories, established artist and enthusiast

Continued next page

Whasson? (and where’s it to?)

May 27 continued

– with a £100 cash prize on offer for each 1st place, and £50 for 2nd and 3rd. There will also be an overall prize of £250. Register for £5 at discoverdorchester.co.uk/ whats-on/art-in-the-park

St Peter and St Paul in Caundle Marsh is hosting a lecture at the village hall, by the CEO of the HALO Trust, Major General James Cowan CBE DSO, who lives in Caundle Marsh. Doors open at 6.15pm. Some people may remember the famous picture of Princess Diana walking through a minefield in 1997 in support of HALO. Today, as a result of numerous conflicts and more particularly in Syria, Afghanistan and the Ukraine, the need for HALO's life-saving work has become all the more acute and HALO employs over 13,000 staff in

Enjoy a free concert

After the success of last year’s series, Music at St Peter’s launch the new season of summer coffee concerts at St Peter’s Church, Dorchester on Sunday, May 14 with a recital of organ music given by William Bishop. William is currently the organ scholar at Tewkesbury Abbey and Dean Close School and

30 countries. Major General Cowan was a soldier for 30 years, serving in Northern Ireland, Germany, Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan. He led the Black Watch in Iraq, commanded Task Force Helmand in Afghanistan and planned the military security operation for the London Olympics. Tickets are £15 from ticketsource.co.uk/

his programme includes music by Bach, Bruhns and Mendelssohn. This 30-minute concert starts at 11.45am just after a monthly cathedralstyle service of Choral Eucharist. Do join them from 10.30am or 11.45am.

caundle-marsh-pcc including a glass of wine/canapes. To pay by cheque call 01963 23670.

Abbotsbury Swannery Summer Fair takes place today and tomorrow. See the advertisement for details.

Sunday, May 28

beaminster festival 2023

MUSIC

Gardens will be held today and tomorrow, 2pm-6pm. Many beautiful gardens will be open and there’ll be tea, cakes and locally grown plants on sale. £5 entry, children free. Tickets on the day from the village hall on the main road, DT2 9NX (sorry, no dogs). For more information, contact Maureen on 07771 623973.

Monday, May 29

A car boot sale will be held at Alweston Village Hall and Playing Field, Sherborne DT9 5HT. Sellers 7am, buyers 8am. Info: 01963 23436.

Sherborne Castle Country Fair will be held from 9am5pm, showcasing traditional rural skills, as well as those more modern.

A fun and varied programme of events, rural activities, stands and entertainment is promised, including one of the

Three Inch Fools As You Like It

Talent in the Town Exhibition

Braimah Kanneh-Mason Violin

Sue Stuart-Smith ‘Well Gardened Mind’

Choir of Clare College, Cambridge Choral Concert

Richard Gowers Organ

Stephen Moss ‘Ten Birds that Changed the World’

Timothy Ridout Viola

Ethan Loch Piano

Sacconi String Quartet and Morgan Szymanski Guitar

Ryan Corbett Accordion

Tom Fort ‘Rivets, Trivets and Galvanised Buckets’

Yuanfan Yang Piano

Faith I Branko Serb/Roma/Jazz

Dominic Alldis and Friends Jazz and Cabaret

Alison Weir ‘Henry VIII The Heart and the Crown’

Zoots Sounds of the 60s and 70s/Dance

Orpheus Sinfonia Gala Symphony Concert

Information and tickets : www.beaminsterfestival.com

Sydling St Nicholas Open

Saturday, June 3

largest standalone rare breed shows in the country. The Fair was started by a small group of volunteers, in 1996, to raise money for local charities, especially those working with children and young people. It is still run by volunteers and has raised over £1.3M for local charities and support groups. Head to herbornecountryfair.com to buy tickets

The hugely popular Burton Bradstock Village Fayre will be held in the Rectory Walled Gardens from 2pm to 4.15pm on Monday, May 29. Described as a traditional English event ‘straight out of Midsomer Murders’ it’s an ideal afternoon out for families, with tests of skill for children and people of all

ages, lots of stalls and games, ice creams, soft drinks, barbeque and renowned Dorset cream teas. Featured again for children this year are face painting, high striker, supervised games with prizes for winners, toy pig racing, toy stall, coconut shy, train game, splat the rat and many more!

There’ll be bargains for sale at the many stalls. There is bound to be the usual queue of ‘early birds’ to search for that special piece of bric-a-brac, book, CD, various crafts, spring plant or delicious home made cake or jam. The bottle tombola stall is hugely popular as is the chance of a fine cream tea in the village hall or a burger from the barbecue. Entry is £1 for adults, children under 12 free. For further information see posters around the area or

Bridport Auction

No 1, St Michael’s Trading Estate, DT6 3RR

Established and selling successfully for 25 years

Michael Dark and his team of Linda, Maggie, Sallie, Mo, Sarah and Judy work hard on your behalf to identify, research and market your goods to get the best prices for you in our popular worldwide monthly live on-line auctions of collectables and antiques. Entries are now being accepted for our forthcoming auctions.

l Full and part house clearance service

l Valuations for probate & insurance

Telephone 01308 459400 or email for auction valuations

Opening Hours:- 9am-3pm every weekday

Website: bridportauctionhouse.com

Email: info@bridportauctionhouse.com

contact the organiser on 07791 870778.

A section of Church Road, Burton Bradstock outside the Village Hall will be temporarily closed from 9am6pm on the day of the fayre.

Tuesday, May 30

Folk Night at The Drax

Arms

Bere Regis BH20 7HH. Kevin '’The Growling Fruit Cake’ Anderson, Peter Aston and The New Billionaires. There is no cover charge and entrance is free to all.

Saturday, June 3

Crossways Youth & Community Centre in Old Farm Way, DT2 8TU is holding a coffee café and car boot sale with bacon butties and homemade cakes, books nd bric-a-brac stalls. Tables or

pitches are £5 each: email Open to traders from 8am to set up, open to the public from 9am to 12 noon

Sherborne Digby Hall

monthly market antiques, arts, crafts, food & more. Cafe, free entry. Parking and toilets. First Saturday of every month, 10am-3pm, March-December. New Digby Hall next to the library (DT9 3AA).

The Friends of Weymouth

Library speaker will be Ian Williamson, on his travels in Australia, particularly Tasmania where he trekked across the Cradle Mountains. Tickets are £2 for FOWL members and £3 for nonmembers from the library. Refreshments provided and everyone welcome: 10.30am.

Continued next page

A wildlife count entitled Churches Count on Nature will be held in All Saints churchyard, Portland Road, Wyke Regis. Spend a quiet hour or two in the beautiful churchyard observing and recording the variety of wildlife to be found there. Friendly welcome and written guides provided. Call Jane Thomas on 07712 179932 or visit parishofwykeregis.org.uk Every day until June 11

Dorchester & District Angling Society’s Juniors will be hosting a free fishing open day at Revels Fishery and Tackle shop in Cosmore. Have a go at coarse fishing (fishing on lakes, canals, and rivers), with experienced coaches showing juniors the basics of fishing equipment, which baits to use, and how to care for and look after the fish.

No previous experience is required, and no equipment will be needed.

The event will run 10am-3pm with a break for a barbeque/refreshments.

Juniors over 13 will require a one-day rod licence (if you do not already have one) which the club can sort out.

To book or for more info contact Graham Howard at juniors.sec@d-das.com or look for DDAS Juniors on Facebook. Bookings will close on June 1 at 9pm.

Bradpole Village Fete is back after four years !

It will be held in The Orchard by Norman’s butchers at 12pm, raising money to help Bridport Young Performers. There will be plenty to do with food, a bar, craft stalls, kids activity tent, Punch and Judy, games and lots more. They are looking for donations for the plant and cake stall: contact Dawn on 07825

707623 or bring on the day. More volunteers welcome. To book craft stalls email hollygood96@outlook.com

An NGS Open Day will be held today and tomorrow at Swallows Rest B&B, South Road, Wyke Regis DT4 9NR, 2pm-6pm. Homemade cakes, tea and coffee, proceeds to support Weldmar. £6 entry supporting NGS Charities. Tel: 01305 785244/07747753656. swallowsrestselfcatering.co.uk

Sunday, June 4

Friends of Greenhill Gardens (greenhill-gardens.co.uk, 01305 768446) are holding live music every Sunday in June, 2pm4pm: 4th Scandals 21, 11th The Decadettes, 18th Dorset Wrecks and 25th Dr Jazz.

Local author and historian

Brian Bates will be giving a talk on the heritage of Dorchester’s Borough

Gardens, in the gardens themselves, at 3pm – free. The beautiful Victorian park is of prime importance to the town. Lovingly maintained by Dorchester Town Council, it remains a popular landmark and source of civic pride. Brian will tell of some of the events there over the years, some amusing some tragic. We will also peek through the curtains of some of the villas surrounding the gardens to see who was living there at the end of Victoria’s reign.

Celebrate St Wite’s Day with a service and the launch of St Wite’s Way Pilgrimage Walks at St Candida, Whitchurch Canonicorum, led by Bishop Stephen Lake, followed by tea and cake. The day starts with a band of intrepid pilgrims, including the Bishop, walking some of the St Wite’s Way pilgrimage route up Golden Cap, down to St Gabriel’s ruins and on to St

Whasson?

Wite’s Well, guided by Revd Ginny Luckett and writer and journalist Jason Goodwin. The walk will be around five miles. In places it’s very steep. To book email virginia@ goldencapchurches.org

At 2.30pm the Bishop will lead a service at the church.

The 44th Great Dorset Bike Ride starts from Top o' Town car park, Dorchester at 10am. This free, unsupported event is open to all. The circular route is about 50 miles but there are many opportunities for short cuts if needed. There is no fee but contributions to charity are welcome at justgiving.com/ fundraising/gdbr

It is not a race, go as fast or as slow as you like. More details, map and gpx file available at cyclinguk.org/2023-greatdorset-bike-ride

Wednesday, June 7

£4. Bring and buy stall and a draw, with tea/coffee and biscuits available after the talk. All welcome.

Call Jane, secretary 01305 268523.

Chard History Group will hear about The Victorian Railway Navvy by Tessa Leeds. Visitors £3.50, members £2.50, membership £5 a year. Chris 07914 079067.

Chesil Bank Writing Shed meet on the second Thursday of the month 7pm-9pm at Portesham Village Hall. From poetry to prose, fan fiction to literary fiction, and biography to travel guides. Whatever your style and genre come and share it for feedback; challenge yourself. New writers welcome. Find out more: lindaph.co.uk

Sherborne secondhand book, postcard, map & ephemera fair Email Lsbookfairs@gmail.com or call Ed Bailey on 07967 643579

Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th May

Come and meet the fluffy cygnets and enjoy food & craft stalls abbotsburyswannery.co.uk for full details and tickets Kids for £1 & Adults £7.50

Plus Darrell Wakelam Children's Art workshop and Sharandy's Birds of Prey

Monday, June 5 Thursday, June 7

Hundreds get on their bikes to help

Hundreds of cyclists –including people whose lives were saved by Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance – took part in the charity’s Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge. The 55-mile route started at Watchet Harbour in Somerset and finished in West Bay. A shorter 11-mile route started at the Royal Oak pub in Drimpton and also finished at West Bay. Taking part in the event were former patients who had experienced the work of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance first-hand, others cycled in memory of loved ones, as a personal challenge, or as a team.

One such team was Team Ellis, who cycled in memory of Neil Ellis from Uplyme, who died unexpectedly aged 54 in February.

The finish line was a buzz of atmosphere, with music and interviews being played out from KeeP 106,

kids and adults having a fun time on the brilliant steam trains and everyone enjoying the refreshments available on offer. There were so many inspirational stories of courage, determination and triumph that were heard, with many hugs and tears shed

with families, friends and loved ones.

Although the event is not a race, the first male to cross the finish line was Freddie Mackay and the first female was Rachel Collins.

Ed Highnam, 80, a longserving volunteer of the charity from Sturminster Newton, was the oldest participant who completed the challenging 55-mile route, whilst Adam Tye, at 15, from North Petherton was the youngest. The youngest child to start the 11-mile route from Drimpton was 10-year-old Isabel Swancutt from Bridport – she was also the first to finish.

Emma Jones, Dorset and

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Put on your walking boots and take a look around!

GOOD CAUSE: Team Neil cycle in memory of Neil Ellis who died earlier this year

the air ambulance

Protect your home from care costs

Nobody likes to think about getting old, but it is certainly worth thinking about if you value your home. That is because your house could very well be sold by the local council to pay for your care fees.

leave much of an inheritance for your family and loved ones. There are two potential solutions to the problem available to you. One is a will trust which protects 50% of the value of your home from care costs.

Somerset Air Ambulance fundraising manager, said: “So far, this year’s event has raised over £45,000, which is simply incredible.

“A huge thank you to everyone who helped to organise the event, including our incredible volunteers and wonderful

sponsors.”

The charity’s next event is a new cycling challenge called Race From The Base, at Henstridge airbase on Saturday, June 10, with three different distances. More information at dsairambulance.org.uk or on 01823 669604.

Leverage Fund reopened for community projects

Dorset Council has reopened the Capital Leverage Fund for applications for projects providing new and improved facilities for residents.

The grants can help towards the cost of community building enhancements, renovations, maintenance, or new build projects, including car parks, play areas, MUGAS, pitches, and landscaping.

Voluntary and community sector organisations with an annual turnover of less than £1million can apply, as well as museums, arts organisations, community centres, village halls, town

and parish councils and youth centres. Applications are also welcome for projects that help to address climate change themes, new public art, or heritage capital projects including accredited museums. You can apply for a capital grant of between £1,000 and £25,000, to fund up to 20% of your total project costs.

Projects need to meet one of the Dorset Council priorities and at least one of the Cultural Strategy priorities. Applications can only be accepted at dorsetcouncil. gov.uk (search for Capital Leverage Fund).

As an example, let’s say you own a home jointly with your partner and you live there until one of you dies. The surviving partner continues to live in the house until they must go into a care home run by the local authority. At that point, the local authority will assess the surviving partner for care fees. If their capital and savings are worth more than £23,250, they will have to fund their own care.

Councils place a charge on the property, which is paid when the house is sold. Alternatively, you may be required to sell the house immediately to raise the cash. Money raised from the sale of the house will fund your care until your savings get down to £23,250. That won’t

The second is a living trust which shields 100% of the property. Both are relatively inexpensive to put into place. Every trust is administered by trustees, the trustees can be the partners or surviving partner and children. (Living trusts also provide protection for beneficiaries with regards to divorce / remarriage, creditors and side-line inheritance.) The situation won’t get better over time. The UK’s fastestgrowing age group comprises those aged over 85. Councils will face even more pressure on budgets, leaving them with little choice but to continue to sell people’s homes. To protect your home, contact Oakwood Wills on 07832 331594.

READY TO GO:

The DSAA and DocBike team at Watchet Harbour and, right, they’re off...

Support is available for low-income households

Low-income households can now apply for financial support from Dorset Council.

Round four of the Household Support Fund (HSF) offers help for families in the form of supermarket vouchers.

Citizens Advice is allocating this fund on behalf of the council, with

vouchers issued to eligible applicants within six to eight weeks.

Dorset Council households are eligible to apply if they have an annual household net income of less than £30,000, savings of less than £16,000, and have not applied for a previous HSF payment in the last six months.

Tracie celebrating her first year as celebrant

A midwife who branched out into running slimming groups and then trained as a celebrant is marking a year of helping to mark family occasions.

Tracie Williams, 56, trained as a celebrant after becoming inspired by speaking at her own father’s funeral. Her husband Duncan works as a funeral assistant at Grassby’s Funeral Directors and encouraged her to train after hearing her eulogy. She studied at the International College of Professional Celebrants in Malham in Yorkshire.

Tracie said: “The training

was second to none, with the very hardest aspects of the role being faced head on, such as child and baby loss and suicide and how to help families suffering in this way, at what is likely to be one of the darkest times in their lives.”

Tracie, who is a Slimming World consultant and trains consultants in her role as a Slimming World manager, has hosted 40 celebration of life services and has four weddings already booked for this year.

n Call Tracie on 07379 982487 or email juneroseceremonies@ gmail.com

Port boss in asylum seekers barge plea

The chief executive of Portland Port has moved to reassure islanders concerned about a barge full of asylum seekers arriving.

Bill Reeves said: “I cannot think why people who have travelled thousands of miles and have risked their lives to get here would do anything to run the risk of their asylum claim being denied and them being deported.” He added: “We wish to reassure local people that a great deal of effort and coordination is being carried out in relation to such issues as security, policing, health provision and other matters.”

However, Dorset Council has reiterated its opposition to the plan.

Council leader Spencer Flower said: “We still have serious reservations about the appropriateness of Portland Port in this scenario and we remain opposed to the proposals.

“However, like all local agencies, we have statutory responsibilities to fulfil and collectively we want to ensure robust arrangements are in place if this goes ahead.

“We still have unanswered questions which we are waiting for the Home Office and the barge operator to respond to.”

Police and Crime

Commissioner David Sidwick said: “I would like to reassure Dorset residents

that Dorset Police have started the necessary and detailed planning required to ensure both asylum seekers and residents will be kept safe. Currently though, they also have detailed questions that need answering and that are necessary to ensure the safety of all concerned.” He added: “I am determined the funding should not come from the current police budget or from the people of Dorset.”

Asylum seekers will have their fingerprints and identities recorded by the Home Office before going aboard. They will also receive health screening for medical conditions.

The Home Office is working closely with Dorset Police to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place. It is also in discussions with the NHS about on-site medical facilities.

The barge is due to stay at Portland for at least 18 months.

Mr Reeves said: “The port is a commercial business.

£65k flood grant for river

West Dorset MP Chris Loder has welcomed news that the Upper River Piddle Catchment area near Dorchester has been awarded £65,000 as part of the Government’s ‘Frequently Flooded’

allowance. This injection will go toward supporting flood resilience and drainage schemes in the area that will reduce the flooding hotspots that have affected communities on a regular basis.

Arrival of the facility will help to drive continued growth, secure more longterm jobs and generate future investment with benefits for the local economy.

“There may also be jobs created directly by the vessel operators as well as direct and indirect spend in the local supply chain.”

Portland Port, which has

been operating since 1996, has more than 50 staff and has a number of tenants which together employ more than 250 people.

More than 130,000 passengers are due to arrive at the port in 2023 in a record year for cruise calls, which contribute about £10m a year to the local economy.

Mr Reeves said: “We have a strong vested interest in the safe operation of the facility for our business, local people and the refugees themselves.

“We believe that concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour have proven to be unfounded at accommodation sites elsewhere and there is no reason to expect any different here.”

CONTROVERSIAL: Portland Port is set to host a barge for asylum seekers arriving in the UK

It’s a lot of Money! View Dark Side of the Moon at store

An incredibly rare, early vinyl copy of Pink Floyd’s classic album Dark Side of the Moon can now be viewed at Clocktower Records in Bridport. Owner Roy Gregory told The West Dorset Magazine: “We are pleased to be keepers of a mythical release.

“Very few people have seen it, and we are amazed it came through our doors. The next time you’re in Bridport make sure to come into our shop to request to view it in the vault.”

Mr Gregory explained that in 1972, Pink Floyd toured

their then work-in-progress album Dark Side of the Moon for nine months. On February 27, 1973, record label EMI arranged a press reception for the album to which 250 journalists and members of the media were invited. Alongside the fancy cocktails and finger food, attendees received a copy of the LP, printed then without the iconic black

prism sleeve, and instead presented in a gatefold silver sleeve with a press release. An invitation for the premiere was also included, giving the running order for the evening. Unfortunately, the programme for the event is the only part that has been lost from Clocktower Records’ vinyl set. The record was a “1G

pressing” meaning it is one the first 300 copies ever pressed, making this probably one of the rarest and most sought-after Pink Floyd records anywhere. The vinyl is so rare it is rumoured the band members themselves do not own copies, except possibly keyboardist Richard Wright who was said to be the only band member at the press event.

INCREDIBLY RARE: Roy Gregory at Clocktower Records. Inset, the press invite and, left, Pink Floyd

Town’s pageantry unveiled

Learn about Sherborne’s seminal role in kickstarting British pageantry at the town’s museum this month.

The film Restaging the Past: The Story of Historical Pageants will be screened at Sherborne Museum at 8pm on May 16.

It will be preceded by talks from the filmmakers and followed by a Q&A session with them. There will also be a pop-up exhibition featuring some of the original costumes and ephemera from the original 1905 Sherborne Pageant, now cared for by the museum.

The original pageant came to be when playwright and impresario Louis Napoleon Parker had an idea for locals to perform a live re-enactment of the town’s history. By all accounts the community was inspired, with some 900 actors, musicians, costume makers and organisers taking

part, as well as 50 horses. There were also Morris dancers, people on hobby horses and one couple playing Robin Hood and Maid Marian. The performance took place in the ruins of Sherborne Castle with special trains carrying revellers from as far afield as London.

Audiences of around 30,000 people witnessed the performance and, ever the selfpublicist, Parker commissioned a film of a dress rehearsal and had it shown in London to attract major attention. Excerpts from that

Festival of fun and food

Enjoy a five-day festival of summertime fun and open-air cooking demonstrations at Sculpture by the Lakes.

film, along with archive films of subsequent pageants at Sherborne and throughout the South West, appear in Restaging the Past. The museum screening will include talks and Q&A sessions with filmmakers and researchers Trevor Bailey, the director of Windrose Rural Media Trust, Paul Readman, a professor of modern British history at King’s College London and Mark Freeman, a professor of social history and education at UCL. Entry is free, booking essential at eventbrite.co.uk

PROPERTIES WANTED

From June 28 to July 2, the Tincleton venue will host cooking classes at its ‘fire and food’ outdoor kitchen. Among the experts sharing their techniques will be Marcus Bawdon from the UK BBQ School, Martin Sviba delivering a pizza masterclass, Luke Vandore-Mackay from High Grange, Simon Gudgeon teaching Moroccan cooking and vegan barbecuing with ‘Vegan Magda’. There will also be artisan demonstrations of pot throwing, blacksmithing and printmaking plus stalls selling food, barbecues and accessories. Brace of Butchers will talk about different cuts of meat and how to cook them. For tickets visit sculpturebythelakes.co.uk

We will maintain your property to the highest standard, with rent on time, no void periods, no tenant problems, no evictions, no arrears and no damage. The property will be professionally cleaned at least once a week and any damage by the guest would be taken care of immediately by us as per our contract.

BACK IN TIME: The 1905 Sherborne Pageant

Royal recognition for homeless bus

By Miranda Robertson miranda@westdorsetmag.co.uk

“We become the family they haven’t got,” says Emily McCarron, 42, who has turned the spark of an idea to help rough sleepers into a community of support for people who have fallen through the cracks.

Emily and Eddie – both experienced rough sleeper support workers – toiled day and night to get The Bus Shelter Dorset established after being inspired to convert a double decker bus to house the homeless in Weymouth and the surrounding area. Now they have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, after seeing their project go from a bus with no running water and no electric to an impressive community of private rooms in just six years.

The project was born in 2016, after they learned about a bus on the Isle of Wight that had been converted to house rough sleepers.

Emily said: “We went and visited and I thought, that’s it!

“That’s what we’re going to do.”

In March 2017 they won charitable status, with a few trustees and a bus donated by

Damory Coaches. They then recruited volunteers to help support the bus – one man took four months off work to convert it, installing beds with

USB points and lights and creating a living area with woodburner downstairs. With lots of people pulling together over the summer and with

Shelter is Dan’s lifesaver from chaos of drugs

Dan, 38, first came to the Bus Shelter just before covid hit in 2020 and has been back and forth, in between short stints in prison. He’s managed to kick heroin into touch, however he does struggle with other substances.

If prison sentences are shorter than 13 weeks, the shelter can keep their rooms for them.

Dan’s issues mushroomed when his relationship broke down in 2016. He started to take drugs again after finding there was no accommodation for him and the Probation Service were unable to

find him anywhere. “Without somewhere to rest, my life became chaos,” he said.

“Now I hope for normality – no chaos.”

For Dan, who has worked as a labourer and forklift driver in the past but who is now looking for a fulfilling career, the shelter offers him what he needs to stay clean.

“I like having other people around,” he said. “There’s always people around here.”

It sounds simple, but all the little extra things staff do can make all the difference to someone

vulnerable. While they take care of the bigger things too, such as trying to find training courses and fund them for residents, in many ways it’s the small things that keep residents calm and stable.

Dan said: “If you needed to go to the pharmacy to pick up a script you might set out on foot to go there and think it’s a bit far or something, or something else might happen and you end up going to get drugs.

“Here they give you a lift to the pharmacy and wait outside to take you back. That can save you.”

HONOURED: Emily McCarron, The HM Lord Lieutenant of Dorset Angus Campbell Esq, volunteers and guests past and present outside the original bus shelter. Below: Emily receives the award from Angus Campbell. Right: Emily with staff and residents at the Bus Shelter

project bringing hope and support

help from the then Weymouth and Portland District Council, they were able to open the bus to rough sleepers in January 2018.

“It’s great we got the support we did,” says Emily. “When we opened there was just the bus and a Portaloo and a burger van, parked at Lodmoor. We had no running water, no electricity – it was a bit like camping, but worse… “We housed up to 13 people in the bus and it could get pretty hot in summer. But we all pulled together. In a couple of months we were 24/7 and that was a lot of hours for volunteers. Though it was really hard, we created a community.”

Thankfully, they were awarded funding for some permanent staff and that funding has been increased to pay for a full-time team. Money has come from Dorset Council, the Lottery, Lloyds Bank, the Tudor Trust and Public Health England, and the team have won various smaller pots of money, as well as receiving countless donations of food, bedding and other essentials from the public and some supermarkets.

It’s been anything but plain sailing, with the team having to move four times in 18 months. During the first lockdown, they were moved

to rooms at the back of the Riviera Hotel, while the council moved other rough sleepers into rooms at the front. It was a difficult time, but Emily and her team kept up the support for the residents they were responsible for and eventually they were allowed to move into the youth hostel in Swanage, before moving into a council property, then to their current home at Weymouth’s Park and Ride. The bus is still there, but has become a storage facility and meeting space.

outside and enjoy their meals – one of the residents cooks for the rest every evening. They aren’t allowed drink or drugs there. The charity has recently won planning permission for five more ‘micro-flats’, and now need to raise £200,000 to buy them. “What we do here creates really amazing relationships,” said Emily. “It’s a bit of a family here, where people are supported fully with the hope they never have to come back here in the future.”

The support they receive is holistic in nature, from a

n It costs The Bus Shelter Dorset about £350,000 a year to provide a huge range of support services plus accommodation for 12 people. That’s less than £30,000 a year to give someone a chance at overcoming issues with drink, drugs and mental health to the extent they can live fruitful lives, independently.

Compare this to the average cost of keeping someone in prison – £46,696 – or lives being lost because rough sleepers struggle to access help, and the Bus Shelter seems a kinder and much more effective answer to a widespread problem, while being considerably cheaper. If you want to contribute, go to thebusshelterdorset. wordpress.com or justgiving.com/thebusshelterdorset or find them at Mount Pleasant Park & Ride, Weymouth DT3 5GD, where you can also drop off donations. Follow their posts on Facebook at facebook.com/ thebusshelterdorset

Now they have 12 private ‘micro-flats’ in what looks like shipping containers, with their own showers and toilets, plus a large shared kitchen and lounge. Residents can sit

prescriber who visits to look after their medical needs to visits to their allotment at Chickerell’s Tumbledown Farm.

There is support for drug and

alcohol issues, and with mental health.

The team work with many other agencies, including police and the probation service, to make it as easy as it can be for rough sleepers with multiple issues to overcome challenges large and small. Emily said: “Covid forced us to do that better, which is great.

“Staff work incredibly hard for our clients. We try to be the best support and advocate for them, to be their voice sometimes, and speak up for them.”

Residents can stay for as long as it takes – one has been here for three years, another has moved on after just a few weeks.

The team have spawned a ‘Next Step’ operation, where they find accommodation where residents can live with a little less support – they are visited twice weekly so that staff can check on them and the accommodation, and they offer rent guarantees, insurance and close monitoring to ensure accommodation is maintained.

n They are always looking to work with local landlords and take on new properties –anyone who would like to know more can email

jemmalonstbsd@gmail.com

Saving lives in crisis-hit countries:

By Dan Goater dan@westdorsetmag.co.uk

A midwife from Weymouth who has saved thousands of lives in warzones, earthquake hit regions and refugee camps around the world is sharing her incredible story in a new paperback.

Frontline Midwife by Anna Kent, a cardiology nurse and midwife at Dorset County Hospital, details her years of volunteer work with Médecins sans frontières (MSF) in Sudan, Haiti and Bangladesh. From delivering triplets in mud huts, treating gunshots and spear wounds to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and her own miscarriage, Anna says sharing her at times heart-breaking story is her way of ‘speaking up’ for vulnerable women everywhere.

Anna knew she was meant to help other people when, aged six, she watched Live Aid on TV and was shocked to learn so many people around the world were still starving and living in poverty.

Anna grew up and trained to be a nurse, working in A&E departments for three years before, aged 26, applying to work for MSF.

“I had quite a naïve view of the world,” Anna said, “that I could single-handedly make a huge difference and feel satisfied that at some point I would come back home feeling heroic.

“I went to Sudan – now South Sudan – with MSF in 2007 and it was a really shocking wake-up call for me.

“I worked for a year in the middle of nowhere as one of only two medical providers for an area the size of Belgium, with an estimated one million landmines.

“People had endured years of civil war, but they also needed everyday medical care for things like broken wrists,

headaches, toothaches as well as midwifery care.

“I was treating people for gunshots and spear wounds, injuries from landmines as well as malaria and other diseases like kala azar (black fever) and schistosomiasis. “One day myself and the other nurse I was working with treated more than 500 children for malaria.”

Anna accomplished this while living in a single tent in 50 degree heat with no running water or electricity. She added: “Despite the really basic set-up we did save the vast majority of people who came to us. We were treating around 1,000 patients a month.”

While in Sudan, Anna helped train local hospital staff in midwifery techniques. They sometimes had to suffer the loss of patients due the conditions. “We couldn’t do surgeries because we were in mud huts. We could sometimes get people airlifted out to a surgical hospital if the local runway wasn’t too muddy for planes to land or take off.

“It’s awful to see people die

under your care that, if they were in the UK, you know would

“South Sudan is still one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth. Not just because of the war but because of the low social standing of women, no hospitals, no midwives, no scans. There was an awful local saying that pregnant women have one foot in the grave.

“I helped a woman called Grace give birth to triplets. I wasn’t trained as a midwife at that point, but I made a commitment to myself that I would train to become one.

“Grace suffered a major bleed and had to have a hysterectomy after giving birth, but I was able to save her life and her babies.”

Anna returned to the UK and got a midwifery degree from Nottingham University, before going to Haiti with MSF in 2010 after the island nation was rocked by a devastating earthquake. She worked in a tent hospital and remained on

the island to help deal with a cholera outbreak following the quake.

In 2011, Anna went to work for MSF in Bangladesh, helping provide medical care for some 30,000 Rohingya refugees living at a camp after fleeing Burmese persecution. Anna worked with a doctor to set up a hospital and built a birthing unit out of bamboo. She also helped train 25 midwives at the new hospital, which is still running to this

Anna also heard ‘endless’ stories of torture, trafficking and sexual violence.

After returning to the UK Anna suffered what she called a ‘mental health breakdown’ and was diagnosed as suffering from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I was at work and had hallucinations,” she said, “I could see with my eyes – it was all emotions and sense –but I could hear and smell the

NEW LIFE: Anna Kent

Picture by Tamas Markos Inset below, Anna in Sudan

Dorset midwife’s incredible story

monsoons of Bangladesh. It was very scary.

“There are so many women out there who have it so much worse that, at the time, I felt it was indulgent to say I felt overwhelmed. But I’ve learned since then that with your mental health it’s no good to bury things away.”

Anna said she hit a low point in her early 30s – sofa surfing, drinking too much and having a ‘series of one-night stands’ while seeing her friends getting married and starting families. She said she later had a ‘wake up call’ moving to a Buddhist community for a period while MSF paid for her to have cognitive behavioural therapy.

“It saved my life,” Anna said. “I think whenever you have anxiety you learn to live with it rather than ever making a full recovery.”

Anna returned to Bangladesh to teach the country’s first midwifery course and met and married a Bangladeshi man with whom she conceived her first child.

Sadly, Anna’s unborn daughter suffered a rare brain tumour in the womb. Anna miscarried on what was meant to be her wedding day.

“I really underestimated the depth of that sense of loss,” Anna said. “It was a shock to learn before she was born that my daughter would die of something I hadn’t even heard of or treated before in all my years in midwifery – it seemed additionally cruel.

“I had to give birth to her knowing she would die. I also suffered a bleed after the birth and, this time, a midwife saved my life.

“If I had been in any of the places I had been to with MSF, I would have died.

“I don’t think you ever get over the loss of a child but, having had a breakdown, it taught me a healthy way of dealing with grief.”

Anna, who is now a mum to six-year-old Aisha, has divorced her partner but continues to find purpose in serving the community through her work at Dorset County Hospital. She also spends her free time meditating and sea swimming, which she says ‘helps me keep a form of balance and be a better mum’.

She added: “I wrote most of my book in the lockdown. It started as a mental health exercise, but I realised when I was writing it that it had become a testament to the women I have worked with and my own love of midwifery.”

Frontline Midwife, published by Bloomsbury, is available in

hardback and now paperback at independent local book stores, Waterstones and from Amazon.

It is also available as an ebook and audiobook, read by Anna herself, and has previously been selected as one of The Independent’s non-fiction books of the month.

Refugee supporters to be honoured

A couple who support refugees in Bridport will be honoured at this year’s Community Charter Fair. Organisers are expecting huge crowds at events in Bucky Doo Square and Millennium Green at Mountfield on Saturday, May 20.

The Lyric School of Dance will begin proceedings at Mountfield with their traditional Maypole dance, followed by the crowning of the May Queen. Deputy Mayor Ian Bark will then present two awards honouring people for outstanding service to their community.

Jim and Jenny Tigg will be presented with the 2023 Charter Fair Trophy, which was designed by master stone

mason Karl Dixon. Jim said: “Jenny and I will be honoured to receive this trophy on behalf of the local refugee support community in its many guises.”

The Above and Beyond award will go to Dr Jo Millar for her work with The Living Tree Cancer Support Group, created in 2012 by Dr Millar

and the late Jo O’Farrell. Supporter Ros Copson said: “The two Jos have taken the Living Tree from a small cancer support group to an important part of the cancer outreach for the area and touched many lives.

“Jo Millar has the knowledge and the ability to put everyone at ease. That in itself means a

lesser burden to carry for the person who needs to talk.

“Friendliness and empathy are key to members of the Living Tree and Stepping Out and this is certainly what Jo encapsulates, just in being Jo.” The fair is free to attend and features an eclectic array of performers, including The Big Band, Bridport Choral

HONOURED: Jenny and Jim Tigg and, right, Above and Beyond winner Dr Jo Millar, right, with the late Jo O’Farrell

at Charter Fair

Society, Shiraz, and Rough Assembly, all performing in Bucky Doo Square.

At Mountfield there will be performances by Trumbonium, Local Vocal, Wyld Morris Dancers, Bridport Young Performers, Bridport Musical Theatre, Phoenix Youth Band and Bridport’s Ukrainian Choir. There will be more than 40 community stalls at Mountfield and a children’s play area, organised by the young performers and featuring artist Jo Burlington of OOPSWOW! fame plus Rex the friendly dinosaur. A bar will be provided by the Jurassic Fields Festival and refreshments by Brit Valley Rotary Club.

The Bridport Community

Charter Fair is now a partnership between The Charter Fair, Bridport Town Council, Bridport Community Fair, and the international Love Your Local Market group and ‘seeks to reflect the diverse creativity, passions and pastimes of the Bridport community, with all ages and interests welcomed and encouraged to take part’. A new monthly event, Bridport Colour Walk, will be launched on the same day as the fair – a gathering of creative people who love colour and dressing up. There are no rules – the more colours the better. This will be held on the third Saturday of every month from May to September.

Portland Port welcomed a record 5,000 passengers in the first cruise call at its newly developed deep-water berth. The MSC Virtuosa has brought the greatest number of guests of any single vessel visiting the port so far. She is the first cruise ship to use the port’s new berth, part of a £26m redevelopment project to boost capacity. Passengers took buses into Weymouth and the local area during the 12-hour stop over. The guests are among a record 130,000 visiting Portland on cruise ships this year.

n The Local Vocals buskers raised £344 for the Disasters Emergency Committee earthquake appeal for Turkey and Syria performing in Dorchester. To join the group email Lesley Whatley at lesley@whatfish.plus.com

n Weymouth Town Council’s Finance and Governance Committee have approved three grants worth £5,700. God’s Green Fingers (GGF), at Tumbledown Farm, won £500 to create and develop more growing space to provide 50% more healthy, natural food and flowers to local food banks and distributors to vulnerable people, and to buy seating for their quiet space to enable people to sit and enjoy their surroundings. Weymouth Food Bank was awarded £2,700 to buy fresh fruit and vegetables for six months. Dentaid (The Dental Charity) won £2,500 towards providing oral healthcare and advice in Weymouth next year, with the mobile dental unit based at The Lantern Trust. To apply for grants, go to weymouthtowncouncil.gov.uk

Schools reunion for pupils from the 80s

A group of 50-year-olds who attended Castlefield and Thomas Hardye schools in Dorchester in the 80s marked their half centuries with a reunion. The group, some of whom travelled miles to attend, met up in the Junction before enjoying a 70s and 80s themed disco at the Colliton Club.

Among them were Leon Brown and Louise Greenwood (nee Hadfield), who were both born in the old maternity hospital in Dorchester, Somerleigh Court on May 5, 1973. Their mums met while on the ward and became best friends, and Leon and Louise have stayed firm friends ever since.

It’s a Giant step for the AA

The AA has named its top five walking routes across the country and west Dorset is on the list.

A 5.5-mile walk around the Cerne Valley, taking about two-and-a-half hours, was among the places listed. According to the AA’s 50 Walks in Dorset walking

guide: “The chalk outline of the Cerne Abbas Giant is so familiar that the reality, seen from the hillside opposite rather than above from the air, is a surprise. His proportions change at this shallower angle, and this of course is how he was designed to be seen.”

REUNITED: Castlefield and Thomas Hardye reunion and, below Leon and Lousie, then and now

FORM a queue for sculpture park

By Karen Bate karen@westdorsetmag.co.uk

Thousands of art lovers are immersing themselves in FORM: The Sculpture Show at Pallington’s sculpture park, with works by 35 leading contemporary artists being shown across its 26 acres and in gallery spaces. The event, now in its third year, showcases the works of highly regarded and collectable contemporary artists.

Simon Gudgeon, sculptor and founder of Sculpture by the Lakes, said: “Year by year we are seeing FORM grow in stature and significance. Just a few weeks in and we have already welcomed well over 1,000 visitors,

including many coming for the first time, as well as serious collectors and buyers travelling several hours to be here.

“The response to the

exhibition we have so carefully created, and the new talks we’ve added for this year, has been universally positive. To add to that, it is a great

accolade that two artists I greatly admire and respect have chosen Sculpture by the Lakes as the setting for their latest works. It’s also my pleasure to be revealing two new pieces during FORM as well.

“Seeing brand new works, especially in a setting such as this, is a special experience and we feel very privileged to be able to offer this to our visitors.”

n Entry to The Sculpture Park is ticketed and the price remains at £14.50 per person throughout the FORM exhibition which runs until June 4. For more information, and to book tickets visit tickets.sculpturebythelakes. co.uk

SAYING GRACE: The Three Graces by David Williams-Ellis Picture: FINNBARR WEBSTER

Heroes on two wheels: Bikers are all

By Miranda Robertson miranda@westdorsetmag.co.uk

A group of Dorset and Somerset-based heroes on two wheels are riding the equivalent of more than five times around the world every year – saving lives and saving the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds as they go.

YFW Blood Bikes are the oldest surviving blood bike group in the country, helping transport vital blood, platelets, blood and tissue samples, medication, breast milk, documents, CT scans, and equipment to hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes as well as private addresses across much of Somerset and all of Dorset.

The volunteer bikers transport some 3,500 packages a year. Many of these are ‘category 1’ life saving deliveries. Last year they made more than 1,800 out-of-hours deliveries. The group was launched in 1978 by Cecil Turner. It is a registered charity and member of NABB – the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB).

They currently operate a fleet of eight motorcycles,

Dorchester and Wincanton and provide their services completely free.

Volunteer Tony Colston said: “We have never had financial support from national or local government nor from the hospitals that task us, neither do we charge for any services.

“All our members are volunteers, receiving no remuneration or expenses at all. We operate all year round, riding in all weathers whenever we are needed, 24 hours a day, entirely free

specialist laboratory for analysis or deliver equipment to an operating theatre.”

The bikers operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, collecting and delivering to hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, laboratories, and patients. Their bases are Yeovil District Hospital, Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. All the riders have either Institute of Advanced Motorists Roadsmart,

supplies and equipment where they are needed. There are just over 100 volunteers in all – 70 of them riders – and YWF are always looking for volunteers for riding, fundraising and admin and dispatch.

YFW Freewheelers are part of a nationwide network of nearly 4,500 volunteer Blood Bikers who between them responded to over 163,000 urgent requests for assistance from the NHS in 2021 alone. Around 36 different groups operate across the UK, with riders often coordinating pick ups and deliveries nationwide. Locally, the blood bike team currently comprises of nearly 100 men and women, all of whom are volunteers, giving their time and energy free of charge.

In recognition of these efforts, they were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021 –the charity equivalent of an OBE.

As a charity, YFW Freewheelers rely entirely

ON THE ROAD: The YFW Blood Bikes crew and, inset below, Steve Barnes, left, and Steve Williams at St Osmund’s Middle School, Dorchester, as guests of their Student Voice group. They put on a tea party for them

lifesavers

on donations from the public and local businesses to keep them on the road. Servicing costs for the group’s current fleet of nine motorcycles and one Dacia 4x4 car (all proudly displaying the nationally recognised blood bike emergency response livery) runs at around £85,000 per year. This pays for the maintenance and rolling replacement of the bikes, fuel, servicing and new tyres. Tony said: “Many people want to know why we use motorcycles rather than cars. The most important reason for this is because they offer a unique capability to deliver a fast, efficient, reliable and consistent emergency courier service, largely unaffected by traffic. As a result, our blood bikes enable the rapid redistribution of essential supplies between hospitals and care homes as well as facilitating quicker sample analysis, quicker patient diagnosis and quicker discharge or transfer times for patients than would be possible by car.”

YFW Freewheelers also have an internal team of qualified trainers that routinely revalidate training and riding standards. And, in addition to their riding skills, our riders have also been trained to meet NHS Good Distribution Practice for blood samples and medication.

The Dacia 4x4 takes the strain when it’s too dangerous for the motorcycles to be on the roads due to hazardous road conditions – torrential rain, fog, snow or ice. Volunteers come from all walks of life and range in age from their early 20s to late 80s.

n yfwbloodbikes.org

0300 030 1180

Bid to improve school facilities

West Dorset’s MP Chris Loder met staff and governors of the Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis to discuss ways of improving the school’s classroom facilities.

Mr Loder said: “Woodroffe is a very special and unique school, but the gradual construction process of the site with different blocks built in different eras has meant we now have some serious long-term issues relating to classroom conditions and futureproofing for climate resilience. Some of the temporary classrooms at Woodroffe are from that generation of Portacabins that I was taught in over 25 years ago and are requiring

New service to support issues with

pregnancy

A new specialist service is being launched to support women experiencing pregnancy-related fear, trauma or loss.

The Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS), run by Dorset HealthCare, focuses on:

n Birth trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

n Moderate-to-severe tokophobia (fear of childbirth)

n Baby loss including miscarriages, IVF failure, stillbirth or neonatal death. To access the service, speak to your GP or other health professional and ask them to make a referral on your behalf.

frequent work to keep them functional.”

Mr Loder was shown around the school by headteacher Dan Watts, parent governor Chris Newall and site manager Mat Daly to see the

condition of the many buildings around the school site, the varying conditions and to demonstrate the need for additional support to resolve some of the classroom issues.

Mr Loder said: “The number of young people being taught at Woodroffe has also increased significantly in recent times with over 1,000 pupils going to school there now, up from around 800 only a few years ago. I will continue to work hard as your MP to find ways to improve the Woodroffe School facilities in the same way we have successfully done for other schools in the constituency.”

VISIT: Parent governor Chris Newall, site manager Mat Daly, Chris Loder and headteacher Dan Watts

Trust the pub to be the life and soul of the community

Patrons of The Lugger Inn in Chickerell are taking on a new mission – to become the Life and Soul Community Trust.

Inspired by the pub’s regular fundraising events, a group of regulars have now formed a trust with the aim of “bringing happiness to others, promoting wellbeing and nurturing strong community spirit”.

“It’s early days,” said pub owner Liam Coles. “We’re all really excited to get started but we also realise the importance of getting an accountable structure in place and a really good network of volunteers before we can do anything.

“This is a new idea based on providing small kindnesses

that will hopefully ripple out into the wider community as whole. We want to do this through engagement and by creating happy experiences for people. Fundraising is necessary but it also allows us to put on a number of fun, social gatherings that promote friendliness and wellbeing too.”

The trustees said they have

“been inspired by the simple pleasure small kindnesses and group social activity have brought to the many visitors to the pub over the past two years” adding that they want to “carry on the positive action with the local community at its heart”. Independently run and backed by pub, the newly formed trust says it still needs other volunteers to register with them to provide practical assistance for people.

The Lugger Inn will assist the trust by helping to plan a day at the races on Saturday, May 27.

For more information visit The Lugger Inn’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT: The Lugger Inn

Commando unit’s vital wartime role

out jumped soldiers in their dozens. They formed up on the side of the platform and out of nowhere an officer appeared, immediately calling them to attention.

“You lot are about to be given orders to, on your own volition, find a billet for the night, and report to me back here at 6am.”

These men were to be replacements for the many lost at Dunkirk.

This month’s contribution from Alvin Hopper discusses the daring No 4 Commando unit, formed in Weymouth, who completed a string of successful operations during the Second World War A train pulled into Weymouth station on July 21, 1940 and

Mr Churchill wanted retaliation and he was going to be sure of getting it.

The next morning, July 22, the first Commando Brigades were formed near the old Weymouth Pavilion, where the men were addressed, officially formed, and enjoyed a hearty lunch.

Things after that were very

different, with troops exercising, learning judo, sprinting, close combat drills and cross- country races in and around Osmington. The local Home Guard would be invited to join in on the exercises, sometimes to act as the enemy. After several months, it was time to leave Dorset and travel to Scotland for more intensive training. But that was not the last the No 4 unit would see of Weymouth. They would return two years later, having completed a series of raids in Norway, to train for a combined operation. In July 1942, No 4 Commandoes were training in climbing the cliffs at Worbarrow Bay near Lulworth Cove in preparation for their role in Operation

Jubilee, the assault on German held Dieppe.

Their objective was to knock out heavy artillery overlooking the sea and the landing beaches. Although the Dieppe operation was a tragedy, with Canadian forces losing many troops in the frontal attack on the town, No 4 Commandoes went on to win one of only two Victoria Crosses earned that day, August 19, 1942. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the raid, two plaques were unveiled both on the same day.

One at Worbarrow Bay and one on Weymouth Promenade. The Worbarrow Bay plaque was unveiled by the Army and the one on Weymouth Promenade by the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset.

ACTION MEN: No 4 army Commandoes join Operation Jubilee on August 19, 1942

Cream tea’s £600 for Parkinson’s UK

More than 100 guests tucked into a cream tea laid on by the Bridport & District Parkinson’s Group, raising £600.

The afternoon was part of a UK wide Parkinson’s UK attempt to break the record for the largest cream tea, and featured Bridport’s Town Crier John Collingwood opening proceedings. The guests packed away more

Classic cars & motorbikes

than 160 scones and cakes and more than 105 cups of tea.

Organiser Jane Kellas said: “It was great fun and thanks to all of you who came and brought your friends and family.

“Big thanks to Frances and Janet and our other lovely volunteers Ann, Oddny, Vicky,

Sue, Birgitta, Roger, Shelley and Iain, and of course the Market House in West Street for hosting us and Steptoes for the raffle prizes.”

The Bridport & District group supports local people with Parkinson’s providing information on treatments and research, support, friendship and lots of laughs. They meet monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 2pm-4pm at St Swinthun’s church hall and stay in touch online. They welcome new members. Contact Jane at jane.kellas@parkinsonsuk.goassemble.com

Visit the abbey for free

Families can explore the history of Sherborne Abbey together for free this summer. The historic abbey is the burial place for two Saxon kings, Tudor poet Thomas Wyatt and was the worship place of Sir Walter Raleigh. The abbey offers children’s trails and information guides for free, although donations are always welcomed.

TEA TIME: Enjoying cream teas in aid of Parkinson’s

Hermann the German’s hole-y head

A sculpture of Nazi Hermann Göring’s head with two bullet holes in it is attracting attention at Dorset’s Tank Museum after featuring in a book. The metal model of the Luftwaffe leader was shot by either Russians or Americans at the end of the Second World War and was probably brought back to Britain by someone from the Royal Tank Regiment. It was donated to the museum in 1957 and is featured in a recentlyreleased book that marks the visitor attraction’s centenary: The Tank Museum in 100 Objects. The book shows items especially selected by curator David Willey and is already proving popular.

The sculpture of Göring’s head was displayed in Berlin through the war – part of the cult of the personality encouraged by the Nazi party.

It now has bullet holes between the eyes and just below the nose – summing up what the victors felt about their Nazi foe.

Mr Willey said: “The Tank Museum’s mission has always been to tell the story of tanks and the people that served in them.

“I’ve put together a book detailing some of – what I find to be – the most interesting items in our

collection that tell these stories.

“One of those is the head of Göring with bullet holes in it. There are two stories about who shot it – but it was either Russians or Americans.

“Disfiguring portraits of enemies has a long tradition going back to ancient Egypt and Rome –and more recently we watched as statues of Saddam Hussain were toppled after his defeat.

“Our Second World War exhibition in which this object is a part is running alongside our new exhibition called Tanks for the Memories: The Tank in popular culture.”

Hermann Göring was put on trial at Nuremberg at the end of the war and found guilty of four charges including war

He was sentenced to hang but cheated the noose by taking cyanide the day before and dying on St George’s Day, 1945.

The Tank Museum has amassed over 100,000 collection items since it was founded in 1923.

Mr WIlley added: “Our extensive collection goes much further than just tanks, with medals, uniforms, weapons, photographs and art all playing a huge part in helping our audience to understand the history of tanks and tank warfare.”

LUFTWAFFE HEAD: David Willey with the bullet-holed bust of Hermann Göring at Bovington Tank Museum

Cheers all round as community pub

By Margery Hookings newsdesk@westdorsetmag.co.uk

Broadwindsor’s community pub The White Lion celebrated its first birthday with a special get together for villagers.

The Palmers pub, which had been closed since the summer of 2021, reopened last year to a long queue of customers. The opening followed a massively successful fundraising campaign and a major interior refurbishment carried out by vocal volunteers.

“It’s certainly been an eventful 12 months,” said Rick Dyke, chairman of Broadwindsor Community Pub Ltd.

The pub has chalked up a number of successes in its first year – winning West Dorset CAMRA Pub of the Year, Palmers’ Master Cellarman award and retaining its five-star food hygiene rating.

Mr Dyke said: “Our first

manager Kate Staff and her entire family put an enormous effort into getting the pub open and trading during 2022.

“It is well documented how the hospitality trade was affected by covid, how many people left the profession and the consequent difficulty there

was in recruiting experienced staff. “We therefore have admiration for the task that Kate and her family took on and for keeping the pub open during difficult trading conditions. Ultimately though, Kate and her daughters decided it was time to move on and

we wish them well in their new ventures.”

The pub is now run by managers Kerry and Clive Dammert, who took up the reins just in time for Easter. The couple are experienced in the pub and hotel trade and were looking for their own place to run.

Mr Dyke said: “We’ve had very positive reports of a warm welcome, great interaction and exceptionally good food. “We’re delighted that Kerry and Clive have joined us, and we’re excited about the next stage of the White Lion’s progress into a pub that is widely renowned for the quality of its food.”

In between managers, volunteers manned the pumps to keep the pub not only open but serving food. Volunteers still run the pub on Tuesday nights when a chip van makes its weekly visit to Broadwindsor and a folk music session is held once a month.

£2m boost for digital Dorset

More than £2million will be put into improving Dorset’s digital infrastructure.

West Dorset MP Chris Loder has hailed the launch of the new Rural Prosperity Fund as a ‘topup’ to the existing UK Shared Prosperity Fund which was launched last year.

The fund will be giving £2,066,000 to Dorset to improve its “digital infrastructure and productivity, job creation and the resilience of communities in Dorset”.

WARM WELCOME: Kerry and Clive Dammert at The White Lion at Broadwindsor Picture: Margery Hookings

marks its first birthday with party

Three regulars at The White Lion pub in Broadwindsor have now become a permanent fixture in Compost Corner thanks to artist Sasha Slater.

Twenty-year-old villager

Sasha drew pictures of pubgoers Chris Sewell, John Eggleton and Tony Hawkins which are now framed and hang in pride of place in the corner next to the bar.

The three friends used to sit in the space known affectionately as Compost Corner before The White Lion was refurbished a year ago. They now use a round table nearby. Sasha, a biochemistry

student at the University of Exeter, said: “These last couple of years, my time for art has been restricted heavily by university, but I am always reminded of why I draw by being involved in projects like

this. I am so glad I got the chance to draw Chris, John and Tony and have my work displayed in our community pub. I love using art to show the community of Broadwindsor how

grateful I am to be a part of it.”

Pub chairman Rick Dyke said the portraits had been very well received by customers.

“The likeness is incredible,” he said.

“Sasha has captured Chris, John and Tony so well. The committee was delighted when she made the offer to do their portraits and even more so when we saw them, as they’re absolutely brilliant.”

n To view more of her work and enquire about commissions, you can contact Sasha via her Instagram account @sashafrosts

ABOUT US

OUR

COMPOST CORNER: Sasha Slater with her portraits of Chris Sewell, John Eggleton and Tony Hawkins

Spring is sprung with SADS flower show

The Sherborne and District Gardeners’ Association held its Spring Flower Show, where members voted for each other’s exhibits to find their winners.

Helen Pugh, who had judged many shows for them over the years, turned up unexpectedly and judged the overall Best in Show.

It was felt this was the best set of exhibits for several years , with the daffodils, tulips, spring cut flowers and the miniature floral arrangements being particularly good. A total of 130 exhibits were entered and classes won by 14 different individuals.

The Polly Shield for the exhibitor with the highest total number of first places was shared by Glenda Shave, Sue Pickering and Anne Rutter.

The Minterne Cup for best

exhibit in the show was won by Peter Neal. Castle Gardens Vouchers for winners of the Grownon Daffodils were awarded to Elaine Edmonds and Marie Hulme.

The association, founded in its current form in

1942, welcomes new members to its meetings held on the second Thursday of each month in the Digby Hall, Hound Street. For further information contact secretary Richard Newcombe on 01935 389375

Pictures: Linda Woods

Class winners

1: Jane Taylor. 2: Margaret Cook

3: Peter Neal. 4: Stephanie Durham

5: Jane Taylor. 6: Linda Woods

7: Anne Rutter. 8: Joint Winners; Mary Banks, Glenda Shave. 9: Sue Pickering. 10: Anne Pugsley. 11: Barbara Elsmore. 13: Peter Neal. 14: Joint Winners; Anne Rutter, Glenda Shave. 15: Elaine Edmonds. 16: Sue Pickering. 17: Sue Pickering. 18: Glenda Shave. 19: Linda Woods

20: Anne Rutter. 21: Barbara Elsmore. 22: Elaine Edmonds. 23: Marie Hulme

End of an era as hall doors are closed

After almost 100 years of serving the community, Melplash Village Hall has closed its doors for the final time.

The hall’s trustees confirmed they have decided to close the hall and dispose of the building and site.

Alan Moss told The West Dorset Magazine: “In brief, the hall was built in 1927 mainly by volunteer labour and using the materials that could be afforded. It experienced damp and subsidence from

the outset. Successive trustees and local volunteers have tried to deal with these issues but without ever being able to tackle the root causes of the problems.

“As the building deteriorated it became less attractive to potential users, thus reducing income.”

Mr Moss added: “The current trustees set about trying to raise grants to complete a full rebuilding programme but were unable to raise anything like the £350,000 that

would be required.

“After the situation was explained to the community in two wellattended public meeting those present agreed almost unanimously the sale of the hall was the best option.” He added that proceeds from the sale of the hall will go towards village projects proposed by members of the community.

The hall’s trustees are currently in consultation with the Charity Commission to make

arrangements for the sale. Most of the contents of the hall must also now be disposed of including furniture, stainless steel kitchen floor units and sundry kitchen equipment. Any village hall or community group in the area which might be interested in any of these items should contact Mr Moss on mos34524@ gmail.com or 01308 488789 for further information. A donation to the continuing charity will be required.

BLOOMERS: Miniature flower arrangements, cut flowers and, right, daffodils and tulips

It’s Big Pete & Grim Reaper

Tickets for this year’s Dorset County Show are now on sale – with a muchimproved line-up on offer for less money than in 2022.

The world’s biggest monster truck will be making an impressive job of squishing stuff at the revamped Dorset County Show on September 2 and 3.

Big Pete is 16ft tall and 12ft wide and weighs an eye-watering 7.5 tonnes. Pete can crush anything in his path including entire cars – and he can also jump 15 feet in the air!

Pete will be joined by The Grim Reaper, a 4.5-tonne Monster Truck.

Show chairman Nicki Ralph said: “We cannot wait to welcome Big Pete and The Grim Reaper to

the county show. This exciting, adrenaline-filled display will certainly leave a lasting impression on all our visitors, no matter their age.”

The show will this year have a new layout and a host of new attractions including Dorset Axemen, who put on thrilling axecutting battles against the clock.

Farmers meet up with key minister

Members of Melplash

The show is also expanding its food and drink offerings, with a special focus on Dorset produce. Adult tickets are on sale now until June 1 for £17, and children go free. The tickets are lower than 2022 up until the show weekend itself. Book via the new and show website dorsetcountyshow.co.uk

Agricultural Society were invited to Parliament by West Dorset MP Chris Loder, to meet with the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food, The Rt Hon Mark Spencer. President Michael Fooks said: “It was a privilege to take part in this visit. I’d particularly like to thank our MP for inviting us to join him there. “He gave us all a wonderful insight into the background and workings of the Commons and the Lords. We also had a very interesting meeting over dinner with Mark Spencer. It was good to hear first-hand how the Government is planning to continue to champion British produce and support us local farmers. It is clear that there is much to do, and that we farmers must work together if we wish to influence the future direction.”

MONSTERS: Big Pete in action and, right, The Grim Reaper

Flowers? That can be arranged

Bere Regis Floral Group is running a free two-hour beginners’ flower arranging workshop on Tuesday, June 13 at Winterborne Kingston Village Hall, at 2pm. This class is open to anyone with an interest in flower arranging who wants to learn some new skills.

The class will be led by Irene Hickson, a leading flower arranging teacher in the area and will be both informative and fun. The workshop is free to both members and nonmembers.

For more information, contact chairman Bob Holman on 01305 848262 or email him at bobdi holman@btinternet.com

Club’s

grand gesture for wheelchair

Weymouth Rotary Club has donated £1,000 to the town council to purchase a new beach wheelchair. The cash grant will go towards a third beach wheelchair, which will allow those suffering from restricted movement to make the most of their time at the seaside.

Weymouth Rotary Club president David Langridge said: “I am delighted that the Weymouth Rotary in its 100th year has been able to donate £1,000 which will help towards a new beach wheelchair.

“It is great to be able to support such a worthwhile initiative such as this as we have done

for the past 100 years in Weymouth.”

Weymouth Mayor Ann Weaving added: “My sincere thanks go to Weymouth Rotary Club for their generous donation, it really means a lot.

“Weymouth Town

Council recently received another donation of £1,000 from Weymouth and Portland Lions Club, which means we are a step closer to securing a third beach wheelchair for people to use when they visit enjoy Weymouth beach.”

£300m solar farm plan is withdrawn

Controversial plans to build a 1,400-acre solar farm in Chickerell have been withdrawn by the applicant.

Energy firm Stratera said it is abandoning £300million plans to install solar panels on land between Friar Waddon and Buckland Ripers following a public backlash.

A spokesperson for the energy firm said after “extensive engagement with the local community, we have listened and have decided to drop the promotion of a large-scale solar project at this location”.

But the firm added it still plans to apply for permission to build an energy storage plant close to the Chickerell substation.

Despite being described by Stratera as ‘relatively small’ in national terms, the solar farm would have taken up the same area as 950 football pitches and been next to a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

West Dorset MP Chris Loder had decried the plan as “an appalling use of greenbelt farmland”. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in Dorset described the plan as a “huge solar monstrosity”.

Despite the developer claiming the site will help the county meet national energy production targets, nearby homeowners also expressed concerns over the scheme.

Chickerell resident Helen Hazell told The West

Dorset Magazine: “This is taking away much needed agricultural land used for food production and farming – a topic currently close to all our hearts.

“Appalling damage will be done to the countryside by the panels, one third of which is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.” She added: “The loss of hedgerows and arable farmland will have a detrimental effect on wildlife. Currently this provides a habitat for many different species. The proposals to replace these with small planted areas surely is not enough to make up for the loss of the current natural habitat.”

Nottington resident John Paton feared the development would disturb

‘centuries old’ badger setts at the Friar Waddon site. Mr Paton said: “Badger setts can be found continuously along the line of the green sand outcrop at the site and are identified by their characteristic spoil mounds outside their setts. “There is one such sett at Friar Waddon, and doubtless others within the proposed development area, which is over 70 metres long and has a huge number of entrance holes. “It must be many centuries old and maybe thousands of years old and will lie just a few metres outside the development boundary, but changes to land use and the strong security fencing used around solar arrays will deny the badgers the food they have enjoyed from time immemorial.”

THANKS VERY MUCH: Rotarian David Langridge, Mayor Ann Weaving, rotarian Sasha Knott­Fancy and senior resort officer Charlotte Lidgley­Ryan

Ward name first to honour a woman

Two wards at Dorset County Hospital are merging to create a centre of excellence for the care of older people.

Barnes Ward and Day Lewis Ward have now merged as the Mary Anning Unit, a name the ward team picked in honour of the famed palaeontologist –the first unit at DCH to be named after a woman.

Divisional head of nursing and quality Sonia Gamblen said: “In England there are 295 older people per 1,000, whereas in Dorset this figure is 527. The population of those aged over 75 is projected to grow by 28 per cent over the next 10 years in Dorset. We need to embrace the needs of our older population.”

The specialist unit will meet the complex care needs of frail older people and promote professional support and training.

Care workers to have wage rise

Care providers are being asked by Dorset Council to pay care workers an additional £1 per hour to take their hourly salary up to £11.50/hour when commissioned through the local authority. It comes after the council announced its uplift in care fees in the community for 2023, for care businesses that work with the local authority through the Dorset Care Framework.

Farewell florist

Florist’s Lavender Blue Flowers in Bridport is closing on Saturday, May 27 after 19 years. Owner Sue Clark, 64, is retiring.

CARING TOGETHER: Members of the ward teams coming together create a centre of excellence for the care of older people at Dorset County Hospital.

Ploughmen outstanding in their field

Enjoying clear blue skies and gentle spring weather, North Chideock was the perfect backdrop for the village’s 21st annual ploughing match. Head judge Simon Mills said: “Considering the rain in the week, most of the plots ploughed well on a cold start but sunny day.” There were five classes competed by 32 people. Overall Champion was awarded to Brian Johnston –as judged by a six-strong panel of Mike Goodlife, Stuart Slocombe, Austin Yeatman, Peter Stone, Mike Dennett and Simon Mills. Mr Mills said: “Ploughmen are judged on the opening of the plot, its straightness, burial of trash, firmness of soil, the finish and finally overall appearance of the plot. Judges have the task of

sorting the wheat from the chaff.”

Pete and Vonda Symonds and Pete’s brother Michael organised the event, getting the field off Butt Lane match ready for both the participants and spectators.

“Thank you to everyone who entered on the day,” said Pete. “To Mr Coates of

Chideock Manor for giving his permission for us to use the fields, to farmer Mr Curtis, renting the fields, to Dave Symonds for towing the tractors into the field, and to everyone who helped raise £605 from the raffle for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.”

This year a new cup was

awarded, The Les House Memorial Cup. Les, who died in 2020, enjoyed ploughing matches and judging, alongside his dog Ebony. The Biss family, who donated the cup, awarded it to Dave Joy.

Winners:

Class 1: 1;Malcolm Williams, 2;Andy Westcott, 3; Michael Symonds.

Class 2: 1; Brian Johnston, 2;Paul Mancini, 3; Tony Dawe.

Class 3: 1; Malcolm Selby, 2; Jim Mentern, ; Colin Barnes.

Class 4: 1; Barry Dennett, 2;Mark Symonds, 3;Colin Barnes.

Class 5: 1; Jo Paine, 2; Geoff Fry, 3; Derek Brown. Overall Champion: Brian Johnston.

Youngest Ploughman: Reece Watts.

NICE DAY FOR IT: Action from the competition

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Bridport has been found ‘excellent’ following a recent inspection.

The report by SIAMS, the body that grades church schools, was glowing in its praise throughout all of its key findings.

It stated that ‘The vision of enabling ‘all to learn and shine’ is emphatically seen in the outstanding provision for all’. The report also noted the ‘culture of aspiration and high expectations’ and said that ‘transformational relationships inspire aspirations and attitudes, growing hope and trust’. The school has 209 pupils and has recently become part of Initio Learning Trust, which was created

Excellent report for St Mary’s

after a merger between Wimborne Academy Trust and Minerva Learning Trust.

Headteacher Kate Batorska said: “The report is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff, and the efforts of our pupils. We have a clear vision about building a caring community and everything stems from

this. Christian values lead to a loving environment.” The report also said: ‘watching over one another in love, is the spontaneous culture of the school’ and that a ‘language of expectation, challenge and next steps, flow across learning’. It also noted how pupils were instrumental in making the school ‘plastic free’ and had written to

supermarkets calling for policy change and had even visited parliament to lobby the Government. Liz West, chief executive officer of Initio Learning Trust, said: “This is a fantastic report. “Rarely do you see one as positive as this and I know staff there will continue to maintain the incredibly high standards they have set.”

WELL DONE EVERYONE: Staff and pupils at St Mary’s in Bridport

£300k Lotto windfall a boost for mental health

Burrough Harmony mental health and wellbeing centre in Bridport is celebrating after being awarded £299,086 from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Harmony will use the funding to continue the development of their

mental health and wellbeing services to meet local needs, take on more staff and improve facilities.

Centre trustee Ali Cliffe said: “Thanks to this National Lottery funding, we can develop our capacity and, working in partnership with

other local organisations, provide a better mental health and wellbeing hub for the benefit of the whole community.”

Carrie Gamble, the centre’s services manager, said: “This will make a big difference to people’s lives.”

Hunter’s gatherers bring in £10,500 for Parkinson’s

Regulars at the Hunter’s Moon pub in Sherborne raised £10,500 for Parkinson’s UK. They raised the cash throughout 2022 with a series of events including Easter bingo, a 24-hour cycling challenge, summer and Christmas markets and quiz nights.

Landlord Dean Mortimer said fundraisers chose to support Parkinson’s UK after his friend started showing symptoms of the illness.

He added: “I’m glad to say that this person is now in a happier state of mind with the help and support of

the Parkinson’s charity, The Michael J Fox Foundation and, of course, the local hub and his nearest and dearest.

“We at The Hunter’s Moon soon realised that so many of our friends and customers had or knew someone affected by Parkinson’s.”

LitFest launches uni bursary scheme

Bridport Literary Festival is launching a new bursary scheme to help local students planning to go to university this year.

The BridLit bursary will allow two successful candidates £1,000 a year for each year of their threeyear degree course, in any subject.

Trustees chairman Deirdre Coates said: “The festival is now in its 19th year and we feel we should use surplus funds to help the community that has supported it all these years. “As a registered charity, the festival has as its objective the advancement

of education, so what better way to use these funds than to help local students go on to further education?

“The ever-growing costs for university students must be working as a deterrent for some and the bursary may go some way to helping two students a year to decide to read for a degree course.”

BridLit already supports Read Easy, a nationwide charity with an active branch in Bridport, which helps adults with reading difficulties. It also helps the Bank of Dreams and Nightmares, a registered charity which offers free

creative writing workshops to West Dorset children aged seven-18. The Bridlit Bursary is open to Year 13 students applying for an undergraduate course beginning in 2023 who are in the Beaminster-Colfox joint sixth form or who live within Dorset Council’s Bridport ward.

To be considered for one of the two bursaries available for this autumn, students should complete the application form on the Bridport Literary Festival website at bridlit.com/ bursaries

In no more than 4,000

characters, they will need to explain why they think they are a suitable candidate, why they have chosen their subject of study, and how they see the Bridlit Bursary helping them to achieve their goals. Mrs Coates added: ‘This process is very simple and every young person in the Bridport area who is planning to go to university this autumn is encouraged to apply.’

n This year’s Bridport Literary Festival takes place in venues in and around the town from November 5-11.

THUMBS UP: Regulars at the Hunter’s Moon in Sherborne

Freedom to explore marine delights

Disability charity sailing ship MV Freedom is being made ship-shape ahead of its summer season out on the open water. Sailors with disabilities will be able to set sail on a glorious voyage along the Jurassic coastline on weekdays until October, with two-hour trips out every morning and afternoon.

Depending on the weather, which if poor can lead to last minute cancellations, trips either go east towards Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door or west to Portland Harbour.

The charity aims to provide a safe, enjoyable experience, which ‘builds confidence, enhances knowledge, and develops a

sense of wellbeing and self-worth’ as well as providing a respite for carers.

Passengers come from a wide geographic area and individuals and holidaymakers are welcome to book a place. The ship often hosts groups from care homes for the

elderly and people with special needs and military veteran support organisations. The vessel can carry 12 eligible passengers, accommodating up to six wheelchair users, plus a skipper and two crew. Carers are welcome plus service dogs.

Based in Weymouth Harbour, MV Freedom is a charity providing access to the sea for people living with disability. Established over 35 years ago, and with a brand-new catamaran in 2021, the charity holds the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. The charity asks for a minimum £5 donation towards running costs but welcomes support from local businesses and individuals, who may be organising a fundraising event themselves.

n Eligible passengers and their carers are welcome to book a trip by calling 07974 266867.

For more information visit mvfreedom.org

GET ON BOARD: The MV Freedom

Chris Loder MP

hello@chrisloder.co.uk 01305 818446

Cleaner water in Cleaner water in our rivers and seas our and seas

Legally binding targets on cutting sewage discharges were introduced on 25th April 2023. These include making water companies cut phosphorus pollution from their sewage treatment sites by 80% before 2038.

100% compulsory monitoring of sewage outlets

Currently 91% are monitored, up from 7% in 2010, shining a spotlight on discharges and allowing progress to be made on sorting it out.

Plan for Water

Launched 4th April – bringing forward £1.6 billion investment in water infrastructure, with £1.1 billion especially to tackle sewage discharges.

Unlimited Penalties for South West Water

Maximum civil liability penalty was increased thousand-fold from £250,000 to £250 million in 2022. £142 million has already been raised from water company fines since 2015.

Water Restoration Fund

Channelling money from fines and penalties back into restoring the environment and cleaning up our rivers.

Dividends of water companies now linked to environmental performance

On 20th March 2023 following MP lobbying, OFWAT announced new license conditions preventing water companies paying out dividends to shareholders if they are not looking after the environment or their customers.

Your Member of Parliament for West Dorset

You can cosy up to a pair of nesting barn owls at any time of the day or night as Dorset Wildlife Trust brings its owl cam back online.

Wildlife lovers can watch live video from inside a nest box at Lorton Meadows nature reserve on the trust’s website. Last year, four chicks hatched and, remarkably, all four survived to fledge in the summer.

Everyone is welcome to tune in to witness firsthand intriguing barn owl behaviours, including preening, mating, and eating. The characteristic chittering, screeching, or hissing of these fascinating birds can also be heard live via the webcam stream. With the breeding season now upon us, eggs are expected to be laid soon. Later, the webcam will give an insight into those special first moments of a chick’s life.

Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Dan Bartlett said: “It’s already very exciting to be able to view this pair at home in their nest. We are very much hoping that they will successfully breed again this year - the rougher grassland fields at Lorton Meadows provide plentiful supplies of food such as field voles to help

What a hoot! Watch owls in nest box over webcam

them to rear their young. Other rough grassland sites in Dorset will also support prey for the barn owls. In Dorset, we work with farmers and advise them on how to manage grass margins and field corners to increase hunting

habitat for species such as owls. Each year’s story is different, so we can’t wait to see what the barn owls have in store for webcam viewers in 2023.”

Webcam followers can comment on the dedicated barn owl webcam

Facebook page @DWTBarnOwlWebCam to share what they’ve seen and help build a picture of how the pair are getting on.

nVisit dorsetwild lifetrust .org.uk/webcam2023

Get on your bikes to help FoTE’s Green Week

Friends of the Earth are inviting people in and around Bridport to join in their Great Big Green Week. Running from Saturday, June 10 to Sunday, June 18, the awareness event will begin with a bike ride setting off from Bridport’s community orchard behind St Mary’s Church at 10.30am

on Saturday, June 10. Following this there will be talks on “eco writing” at the town hall from 7pm on Monday, June 12, on landscape recovery at St Swithun’s Hall at 4pm on Tuesday, June 13 and on river monitoring at the town hall from 7.30pm on Wednesday, June 14.

Young people’s eco films will also be screened during the week, plus there will be walks aimed at promoting hedge care, dealing with Himalayan Balsam and cleaning the lower Brit river on paddleboards.

n For full details visit westdorset friendsoftheearth.org.uk

IN A FLAP: A barn owl in flight and, below, captured on webcam

Pictures: ANDY ROUSE/JACK CLARKE

Support now close at hand for those living with cancer

Emotional and practical support is being offered to Dorset people living with cancer.

National charity Cancer Support UK has partnered with Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF) to offer the assistance to those in need plus cancer support training for businesses.

DCCF was founded by three local nurses in 2012 to help Dorset families struggling financially

All aboard! Mayor rides land train

Weymouth Mayor Ann Weaving got on board for the first land train trip of the season around the resort.

Mrs Weaving and her escort Cllr Ken Whatley joined local business owners and families for a tour of the Esplanade, harbourside and Hope Square.

Land train owner Tony Poole said: “The

because of a cancer diagnosis. Through fundraising and events, the charity has since donated over £646,000 to help cancer patients pay for specialist equipment, travel to and from hospital, childcare during treatment and everyday living costs. Cancer Support UK is now training DCCF staff and volunteers, including an introduction to its Cancer Coach peer support group programme. DCCF staff and volunteers are also

being trained as Workplace Cancer Support Ambassadors.

DCCF charity administrator Penelope Saunders said: “As someone who has both survived cancer and now talks each day to Dorset people who are struggling under a cancer diagnosis, I can see the huge benefits of Cancer Support UK’s programmes.”

n Go to cancersupportuk.org and dccf.co.uk

Weymouth Land Train is the absolute best way to discover Weymouth and provides lots of fun for all ages. The kids really like having their photo taken in the driving seat of the

train too.

“The train will run every day now until September providing a circular route from the seafront to Hope Square, many people hop off at Hope Square for the

Nothe Fort and Gardens and then hop back on the train when they are ready to return to the seafront. “This year for the first time in a long while, the train will be travelling along the Esplanade during June, July, and August providing a transport link between car parks at Lodmoor and the town centre.”

Clunes’ setback in travellers site bid

Doc Martin star Martin Clunes is losing his battle with Dorset Council after a proposal to build a permanent traveller site next to his farm was recommended for approval. The 61-year-old actor objected to the application made by his neighbours –former town councillor Theo Langton and his partner Ruth McGill, who own the land and have lived there in a mobile home for 25 years.

Dorset Council had granted the couple a five-year licence to live on the land

in 2015 but they are still there.

The couple are now trying to turn their land into a permanent private residential traveller site. Mr Clunes and his wife Philippa lodged an objection to the couple’s proposal, claiming it would only cause an increase in travellers visiting the site and would spoil an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Mr Clunes’ planning agent Will Cobley said: “Our clients have lived at their property for many years

and are concerned by the proposal, which seeks to authorise and intensify a nearby traveller use on a permanent basis.”

Mr Cobley said Mr Clunes believes protected countryside is a ‘wholly unsuitable’ location for a traveller site and pointed out the lack of access to basic services like electricity, water and sewage.

Beaminster Town Council also said the land was ‘unsuitable’ for a travellers’ encampment but Dorset Council officers have now

recommended the proposal for approval.

Beaminster resident and WDM columnist Rachel Hayball said: “I would hate to see a family who have lived happily in this town for over 20 years with temporary permission to become homeless because others with money like to shout. Theo and Ruth have done no harm to this town and has helped many groups within the town.

“It’s their home on their land and they should be able to stay in my mind.”

ROUND TRIP: Mayor Ann Weaving and Ken Whatley with the land train team on the Esplanade

Making a right song and dance!

By Karen Bate karen@westdorsetmag.co.uk

A Bridport Youth Dance pupil has won a place at London’s renowned West End Musical Theatre.

Iris Stephens, 15, who attends Colfox, auditioned for the prestigious school, where she will train professionally at weekends, without telling her family.

Iris is tutored by dancer and choreographer Nikki Northover. Nikki, and Iris’s mother Athalia and grandmother Monique Pasche say they were stunned, delighted and so proud.

Iris said: “I have been following WEMT for a year or so on social media and see all the videos posted of their students singing and dancing. I emailed them without thinking I would get an audition, but I did and within a week I was accepted.

“I am so excited to be part of their training programme. It means I will be travelling to London every weekend. I love singing, acting, and dancing, it is all I dream of. I love being on the stage. “I have loved performing since I was little. I learnt tap dancing with Nikki,

who is amazing and great fun.”

The training programme started last month and runs for ten weeks on Sundays every term.

The course will feature singing, dance, acting and musical theatre classes together with working regularly with West End guests, including leading performers, casting directors, agents, musical directors and theatre producers. Now Iris needs about £2,500 to help her pay for the course fees and her travelling costs.

Iris said: “Any donations would be extremely helpful, and I would be eternally grateful.”

n If you can help Iris, go to gofund.me/f0323c50

Masks ruling lifted for health sites

Wearing masks at Dorset HealthCare sites is no longer mandatory.

An NHS spokesperson said after the ‘success of the vaccination roll-out’ and a reduction in covid cases, visitors and staff are no longer required to wear

masks in public and clinical areas. Mask wearing will now be a personal choice for anyone working at or visiting NHS sites and masks will still be available for anyone wishing to wear one.

THAT’S SHOWBUSINESS: Iris Stephens on stage. She now has a place at West End Musical Theatre

ON SONG: Encore refreshment volunteers and, right, merchandise volunteers Julie-Anne and Sam.

Below: The Encore Singers

Encore Singers on song to help the C’Siders

Weymouth and Portland cancer support group C’Siders thanked the Encore Singers for staging a concert for them.

Chairman Peter Meacham said: “What a fantastic show it was, with the audience captivated from the first note to the last. One audience member was heard to say, ‘It’s the best night out I’ve had in a very long time.’

“And, indeed she was right to say

so, as musical director James Crawshaw led us through the program of songs sung both by the choir, but also by an eager audience

when invited to join in.”

The singers performed songs from shows including West Side Story, Fields of Gold and Oliver!

A retiring collection raised £665 on the night, which will go towards funding the group’s two meetings per month, plus table tennis knockabout sessions and rehabilitation classes.

For more information visit csiders.org

Bishop backing school’s flood opera

A special guest dropped in to watch the rehearsal of Noyes Fludde performed by young thespians from Symondsbury Primary School.

The new Bishop of Salisbury Cathedral, The Rt Rev Stephen Lake, dropped into St Swithun’s Church in Allington unannounced to encourage performers and organisers. The opera, which was written in 1957 by Benjamin Britton, tells the story of Noah’s Ark and in this production, the children’s choir represented the procession of animals boarding the Ark to escape the flood.

Composer, musician and parent Matt Kingston directed the performance, along with teacher and musician Ruth Wakefield,

which drew upon the talents of professional and amateur musicians, the huge array of supporters and helpers and the musical efforts of every pupil, from older children taking lead solo roles to the smallest child in the

chorus.

Ruth said: “We were due to perform the opera just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and it sadly had to be cancelled. We are so delighted to stage the work at St Swithun’s and the story’s

message of hope and new life is especially poignant. This really is a celebration of the children’s resilience and the power of community collaboration.” Bishop Stephen said: “It was a great joy to drop in on the children during their rehearsal and to see and hear their enthusiasm for this retelling of the centuries old mystery play.

Canon Deb Smith, Rector of Bridport, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome this wonderful group of musicians and this lovely children’s choir here.

“The sound is wonderful and the enthusiasm infectious. St Swithuns has great plans for the future and events like this are very much part of our vision.”

STAR TURN: The Right Rev Stephen Lake with some of the cast of Symondsbury Primary School’s Noyes Fludde

Village club is just our cup of tea!

Volunteers who have provided a welcome slice of cake and bacon butties – and most importantly, companionship for elderly villagers – celebrated 10 years with a special cake… though a decade ago, they didn’t think their coffee mornings would last longer than three weeks.

The ladies and gents who run the Saturday morning coffee shop at the historic Briantspuddle Village Hall were treated to super flowers and chocolates by regular visitors Diana Holman and Maggie Hoyle. The mornings, where people from the parish can have a coffee and a slice of cake for £2 every Saturday, and a monthly lunch club where visitors can have a twocourse meal, sherry, cheeses and coffee for just £6, have proved a runaway success, and the room is always full to bursting.

Diana said: “Ten years ago a dedicated team of people – largely unchanged over the years – put on their green aprons and set out to create two very special

meeting places for local residents to be able to meet, chat and enjoy lovely food. It was a real pleasure to be able to do something to show how we all appreciate what they have done for us.” Maggie said: “We just wanted to show our appreciation for the long service these ladies and gents have given.” Their efforts to create a social hub for the village started in 2013, when Jenny Lightfoot and Jenny

History talks at museum: Book up, you can see ’em

Bridport Museum is set to run a series of talks on local history this summer

The topics of the talks, which begin on May 15, include the geology of the Jurassic Coastline and Bridport’s rope-making history.

The museum will open for the talks at 5pm every

Monday until the end of August.

A full programme is available from the museum shop or Tourist Information Centre.

Tickets are £5 each from Bridport Museum on South Street or on the door, with proceeds going to the museum trust.

Beedle acted on a villager’s suggestion they could host a weekly coffee morning.

Jenny Beedle said: “Older people in particular needed somewhere to get together for a chat and we wanted to get people back in the hall after its renovation. But we only thought it would last three weeks!

“We keep our prices low, just aiming to cover our costs.”

Jenny Lightfoot said:

“Everybody is welcome –we are very inclusive.” The Jennies were joined by Angie Talbot, Andrea Smith, Angela Tozer, Kate De Burgh, Diane George and Cindy Read, with chaps Allan Smith, Robert Beedle, Peter Talbot, John Tozer and George Croft. They all received a gift of flowers or chocs. The tenth anniversary was celebrated with a fantastic cake made by Jenny Lightfoot’s daughter Katy Barrett.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US: Volunteers at the Briantspuddle Saturday morning coffee shop celebrate their tenth anniversary

Family showcase historic holiday homes

By Karen Bate karen@westdorsetmag.co.uk

When Ali Stamper and her husband Richard visited Greenwood Grange, a quiet little holiday complex next to Thorncombe Woods, it was love at first sight.

A few weeks later the pair bought the seven-acre plot, home to the 17 stone cottages, transformed from farm buildings, which had been built by Thomas Hardy’s stonemason father Thomas in 1849.

“We fell in love with it,” said Ali, who was making several cups of tea in the kitchen of the largest of the cottages. “We wanted a family project, for me and Rich, my son Joe and for my daughter Katie. Greenwood Grange had belonged to a corporate and we wanted it to be kept local and familiar. We have lived in this part of the world for 30 years and recently sold our holiday park in Chickerell. We know the area inside and out

and I think this is so helpful for visitors.”

Each one of the cottages retains its character while throwing a decadent nod to 21st century style. The smallest has two bedrooms, while the largest cottage sleeps 12. It is quite clear all Ali’s 21 members of staff work

extremely hard – Greenwood Grange is impeccable. And with a games room, tennis courts, indoor heated pool and the assortment of hens, it’s idyllic.

Ali said: “Greenwood Grange is perfect for friends and gatherings; we have no end of space and options to suit

everybody. We also have many people who are here visiting family and want to stay close by. We welcome the friends and family of our guests, and they are more than welcome to stay and use our pool or games room.

“We like our guests to feel comfortable, warm and relaxed.

“Some of our cottages are also dog friendly, which are perfect for your furry friends to enjoy the beautiful woodland walks on our doorstep.”

Ali added: “We are committed to providing our guests with an exceptional experience, and we look forward to welcoming you to our holiday cottage complex.”

n greenwoodgrange.co.uk

Higher Bockhampton, Dorchester DT2 8QH

(opposite Thorncombe Woods Car Park)

T: 01305 268874

hello@greenwoodgrange.co.uk

Therapy garden up and running at beautiful new site

The Potting Shed therapy garden is now up and running after moving to Middlemarsh last year – offering a range of therapies and classes in beautiful, rural surroundings.

A special place to relax unwind and be inspired is promised at the new site, which is starting to burst into life.

In addition to the classes, you can enjoy cream teas and buy pots, plants and metal work. Classes include morning outdoor yoga from 9am-10am every Friday in May. This is an hour-long session costing £8 and suitable for all ages and abilities. To book your place contact 07817 624081 or email hello@yogasherborne.co.uk

Pilates for Nature sessions will be held on Thursdays, May 18 and June 1, from 6.30pm and 11.30am respectively. Go to lovickpilates.com to find out more, or email lovickpilates@gmail.com

Snapdragon Holistic Therapies will be

offering Angelic Reiki, hand reflexology, ear candling and Indian head massage on selected dates – email snapdragonholistictherapies@outlook.com or call 07768 808658 to book. Snapdragon also offers natural manicures, facials, children’s pamper parties and ‘intuitive artwork’.

There’s a Twilight Meadow Meditation on Thursday, May 25 from 7pm-9pm. Meditate by an old oak tree for mindfulness and spiritual wellbeing with Hilary Campbell of Antlered Path. Energy healing sessions are held from 11am-2pm on Thursdays from May 18. These are free, or a donation entry.

PAGAN VIEWS

by JO BELASCO

When I saw the image of the Green Man on the Coronation invite I decided it was time for a church crawl. While visiting West Dorset churches en masse I couldn’t help but be struck by how many were in close proximity to manor houses.

I was also amazed that so many flew the Union Flag and had royalty magazines next to the church guides. At The Saint Mary Magdalene church in Loders, the church guide steered me in the right direction, explaining: “As far back as the 7th century AD, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, founded the parochial system of the Church of England by persuading lords of the manors to build and endow parish churches,

In search of the little green men

and giving those lords in return the right of nominating the parish priest.”

It seems obvious how this bound the landed gentry and their royal connections to the life of the church. As we all know England used to be a Roman colony. When the Romans withdrew they famously left us with their feats of engineering and sanitation. The aqueducts and Roman baths crumbled over the following centuries but one Roman import thrived – Christianity. It’s hard to think of Christianity as anything but English, but it had some trouble ousting the Pagan beliefs

which preceded it. The Romans were masters of propaganda and knew the value of an image. When they colonised England they Romanised the people rather than destroying the previous ways of life, including worship – they blended the two together. Hundreds of years after the Romans left our shores churches were still being built which utilised this method of unifying beliefs. Carvings of green men decorated our churches right next to images of Jesus on the cross.

We hardly notice the green men in our midst any more. I had to have two

trips to find the one at St Peter and St Paul’s church in Cattistock. Many carvings of the green man showcase the renewal of life with writhing tendrils regrowing after winter –rebirth which of course fits in with Christianity. Others like the examples at St Martin’s church at Shipton Gorge seem to be merely tamed, gentrified versions. The style depends on what time period they were created in, of course. Essentially, green men celebrate the wonder and necessity of nature and are therefore perfect for our environment-championing new King.

Trip to Wales’ Bannau Brycheiniog well worth it

Nearly every spring since 2014 I’ve been making the journey to Wales’ Brecon Beacons (or, more correctly, Bannau Brycheiniog) for Awesome Astronomy’s Astrocamp star party: an immensely fun gathering of stargazers from all over the country

under the dark skies of the International Dark Sky Reserve. This particular event was exceptional, despite the unfavourable weather for two of the three nights. The clear skies on Sunday more than made up for the other two.

As well as some great talks and fun quizzes, and great views of stars, planets, galaxies, etc, we were treated to an amazing display of the Northern Lights. This was a first for me, and although the colours were muted

visually, the camera picked up the stunning greens, pinks, purples and reds beautifully.

With solar activity set to increase over the next couple of years, it’s highly likely that we’ll see more of the aurora, even this far south. There are lots of aurora alert apps available (I use AuroraWatch UK), and suggest you try one.

If you have any interest in astronomy, I highly recommend making a visit to Astrocamp – more information can be

MAN UP: St Laurence Church in Upwey has a green man with tendrils coming out of his mouth, the green man at St Martin’s, Shipton Gorge, and, right, the back door of St Peter’s and St Paul’s at Cattistock

Kevin Quinn is a Dark Sky Custodian for the Cranborne Chase Dark Sky Reserve who lives in Piddletrenthide. Read his blog at theastroguy. wordpress.com

Sally Cooke lives in Tolpuddle with her husband, two grown-up sons and spotty rescue dog. She loves to photograph and write about the everyday wildlife she sees in her garden and on her daily dog walks. You can follow Sally on Instagram at Sparrows in a Puddle.

Looking in on nests of our garden birds

In the late 1970s my family went to visit my very elderly great-aunt and uncle. Hearing that his seven-year-old greatniece had become very interested in birdwatching, my great uncle offered to show me his egg collection. I was simultaneously thrilled and horrified as he recalled the tree climbing and trespassing required to get his prizes. He showed me them all, from the small birds such as house sparrow and great tit to the last and biggest of his collection, of which he said sombrely: “I’m afraid this egg is from an osprey.” He definitely seemed to feel a little guilt and shame about his collection in his old age, but egg collecting was a common hobby for young boys in Edwardian times and considered harmless or even quite a wholesome hobby as they

were out in the fresh air and learning about natural history. Thankfully, the 1954 Protection of Birds Act made egg collecting illegal, and any modern-day collectors can expect six months in prison if convicted. But modern camera technology has given us a much better way to learn about birds’ nests and eggs at this wonderful time of year. When we first moved into our bungalow we could tell that house sparrows had taken ownership of the wooden cladding and were nesting in all the natural ‘nooks and crannies’ that had formed. Over the years we have added three terrace-style nestboxes and, unknowingly to the sparrows, have also

added boxes with cameras housed inside. Over the years I have watched the sparrows raise many families, from both inside and outside the nest. I’ve learned a lot from watching the whole process, from knowing when to expect the eggs to hatch right through to predicting the day the fledglings will be coaxed out into the big wide world. Watching has sometimes been tough, when we’ve had to watch a weaker fledgling outcompeted for food by its siblings and frustrating too when the sparrows have put

nesting material in front of the lens!

I’m always a bit behind but the latest camera systems allow you to check on your nestbox families from your phone at any time. A visiting friend recently showed me incredible live colour footage of his beautiful great tit nest, a simple click and he sent me the still images. Online, it’s possible to visit other nests from Dorset and further afield whenever you like. This year I’m enjoying following the progress of the peregrine families on the cathedral tops of Salisbury and Chichester and the Dorset Wildlife Trust barn owls at Lorton Meadows. The Birds of Poole Harbour live feed of the osprey pair high on their eyrie nest provides much drama, I think my great uncle would have agreed that it’s a much better way to enjoy these amazing birds.

for an amazing display of the Northern Lights

found on the website: astrocamp. awesomeastronomy.com

But what can we look forward to this month in our neck of the woods?

Well, the week beginning May 15 is a great time for early risers to witness Saturn rising in the southeast, along with a fine waning crescent Moon. By month end Jupiter will have joined the pre-dawn show. Venus will continue to dazzle in the evenings, its phase ever narrowing until, by the end of July, it’ll appear

as the thinnest of crescents; something I’m looking forward to seeing. Mars is still hanging in there, naked eye in Gemini, but it’s a long way away at the moment, and appears very small, even with a telescope.

The brighter evenings means reduced hours of astronomical darkness and less observing time. However, it’s worth making a point to stay up late to watch the Milky Way rise (by the end of May it’ll be

visible from around 10.30). By the early hours, though, the bright galactic core will be on show, low to the south, and makes for an aweinspiring sight when viewed with binoculars.

n My latest book (The WOW! List– 50 Stunning Deep Space Objects for Amateur Stargazers) is out now.

Dean and I need to talk. It’s about a boat. My boat, to be precise. I built it 13 years ago at the Boat Building Academy at Lyme Regis during the long course I did there after a career in public service. I had gone to Lyme as someone with no practical skills and emerged nine months later with Level 3 Distinction in all three areas of Traditional Wooden Boat Building and a beautiful boat, Witch of Weymouth, a nineteenth century beach fishing boat for crab and lobster. But times change. I am getting almost no use out of the boat and I have decided it is time to move her on to someone who will make real practical use from her, so I am giving Dean my boat. Most people know Dean. He and his Cologne-born wife Antje, a talented textile artist, have lived here for many years.

Kimberlins, like me and my Sherborne girl Marion, we were all attracted to Portland by a combination of sea, landscape and the singularity of life on a tied island, somewhere that has uniquely retained its own identity.

Dean and Antje arrive for supper, a Thai curry I have made. There’s a rustling in a bag Dean is carrying. “I’ve brought a starter!” he says as he produces two beautiful blue lobsters and holds them aloft for all to see. They came out of the sea half an hour ago

Why my boat is worth a couple of blue lobsters

on Chesil. Quickly despatched, they are plunged into boiling salted water and begin to turn terracotta red.

Dean is descended from a long line of Poole fisherman. Initially he took a different course and after a degree in accountancy at Manchester University, he began a long career in business that took him all over the world. But here we are now, in our kitchen talking about lobsters and

boats and fishing. My father used to opine that we have within us a ‘folk memory’, that we are drawn to things our ancestors did before us. I can vouch for that. I have always felt really drawn to working with wood. We knew almost nothing about my mother’s side of the family as both her parents died when she was young, but when I did some research into her father’s line, I found they were all woodsmen,

sawyers and coopers, living in the woods of northern Hampshire making products from the trees there. It seems to be the same with Dean, that long established fishing tradition will not lie down. The lobsters are cooked and split open. The white meat within is soft and delicious, having that fragrance that one only finds in the freshest of seafood. We dive in with our fingers. Unlikely implements, an olive fork, the pointed handle of a teaspoon, are employed to ease the meat out of the claws, the prized coral is divided amongst those that like this tasty morsel. The emptied shells are piled into a large saucepan – I shall make a lobster bisque from them tomorrow with some homemade bread. Wine is drunk, conversation evolves around the fishing trips we shall do, where the best fishing spots are currently, the opportunity that having this larger boat will bring Dean to explore further our productive coastline. The bonds of friendship are renewed and further cemented. I know my boat will be well used and appreciated and that was what it was built for.

As Tuesday evenings go, this was a good one!

KIM BERLIN – A newcomer to the Rock

FAIR EXCHANGE: Tucking into the fresh lobsters

MP playing to the CROWD on water quality

MP Chris Loder has launched a Clean Rivers of West Dorset (CROWD) taskforce to examine the performance of Wessex Water and to press for improvements to water quality across the area.

Mr Loder set up CROWD earlier this year, with the support of local river groups and catchment partnerships, to take positive action to clean up West Dorset’s rivers and coastal waters. By pooling resources and

data and sharing local knowledge, CROWD is working to hold water companies to account.

He said: “The launch of CROWD comes at a time of significant progress in terms of improving our nation’s waterways.

“Ofwat’s changes will mean shareholders of polluting companies will not receive big payouts –something I have long argued was wholly wrong. Potential civil liability

penalties for water companies has risen from £250,000 to £250 million and greater powers have been given to Ofwat and the Environment Agency to crack down on Water Companies not fully committing to slash their sewage discharges.”

The launch of CROWD at Charmouth Village Hall was attended by representatives of Wessex Water, who were questioned on the performance of the company.

SANG-ing the praises of nature reserve

A new public nature reserve has opened between Crossways and Warmwell May to provide a space for dog walkers, bird watchers, anglers, horse riders, cyclists and ramblers, along with multiple natural habitats for local wildlife. Knighton Reserve forms part of the Silverlake estate, a private ecological luxury holiday home estate built around an expanse of lakes, woodlands and heathlands.

The 15.5 Hectare Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANG) will open to the public for the first time since the site was a sand quarry and Second World War air base. The SANG has been carefully designed to meet the needs of a wide range of wildlife species, including dormice, smooth snake, great crested newts and the silver-studded blue butterfly.

It is made up of acid grassland, broadleaved woodland, wet

woodlands, scrubs, waterbodies, lakeside beeches and reed beds. Integrated into the natural habitats will be walking routes, dog friendly zones, bridal paths and birdwatching lookouts. There are four dogfriendly circular walking routes, from 1km to 4km, including one where dogs are allowed off-lead, and

there’s a dog splash pond and dog swimming area in an enclosed area of one of the three lakes. Bird watchers can take their places at various viewing posts, from where an array of species can be seen. The Silverlake Estate becomes home to dozens of local and migrating species throughout the year,

including a number of red and amber listed species, such as woodlarks, warblers, nightjars and scaup.

There are also many gulls, geese, ducks, waders, bird of prey and other species. Running around the edge of the SANG is a bridleway which joins with local riding routes, and in the centre of the SANG are two fishing lakes exclusively for the use of members of the onsite Angler’s Club, featuring carp, perch, bream, roach, hybrids and rudd.

Will Vicary, director of land and planning for Habitat First Group which owns and manages the Silverlake Estate and Knighton Reserve, said: “Open space is incredibly important for mental health and we hope that people will come and enjoy the space, but ask everyone to understand that we all have a responsibility to protect the animals, insects and plant life that have made the SANG their home.”

NATURAL BEAUTY: A sika deer and, below, a starling murmuration over Silverlake Pictures: MIKE ELLIOTT

Down to earth

JOHN WRIGHT is a naturalist and forager who lives in rural West Dorset. He has written eight books, four of which were for River Cottage. He wrote the award-winning Forager’s Calendar and in 2021 his Spotter’s Guide to Countryside Mysteries was published.

The road was high above the surrounding countryside, its banks running down either side. I stopped to look at the vegetation at the boggy bottom of the eastern bank and saw five tiny plants, the names and nature of which I could not even hazard a guess. This blissfully annoying discovery was made on the last walk in a series of eight I took across Britain with my wife, ‘D’. We walked around Hayling Island and our own Dorset village, across London, the tamed agricultural landscape of north Hampshire, the New Forest (where the boggy plants were found), Snowdonia, the Cheviot hills and the Scottish island of Seil.

The idea of these adventures was to look closely at every living thing we saw and tell their stories in a book. Inevitably, I also wander off on discussions about such things as the old Maiden Newton Market, the ecological importance of sheep, the pestilence of bracken, the difficulties of identifying what one finds and the problems that ensue from telling one’s wife that we should definitely turn right when we should have turned left. The book, The Observant Walker, discusses over four hundred species, from grey squirrels to an orange alga, though we recorded three times that number, and even then, there was vastly more that we missed.

My fungus-identifying skills are good, and I am not too bad at naming plants, but for everything else – lichens, invertebrates, mosses and so on – I am often in serious

Book deserves a pat on the back

trouble, despite having 50 books on my shelf that purport to help with identification. I guess that for many people that ‘serious trouble’ covers most things they might see, so I provide tips and tricks in the book on how they might identify unfamiliar organisms. Mostly, I just suggest that people walk slowly and look closely at what they find.

As to the unknown plants in that unprepossessing boggy bit, I discovered them to be marsh pennywort, bog pondweed, bog st john’s wort, floating club-rush and common spike-rush, all of them rare. The habitat in which they lived is called a ‘valley mire’ and the New Forest hosts no fewer than 90 of the 120 such habitats that are found in northwestern Europe. Unnoticed by nearly everyone, valley

mires are great treasures. My hope for the book is that it will encourage people to take note of such things on their walks, the ‘observant walker’ of the title becoming, I hope, the reader. For now, here is an excerpt from the chapter on Frome Valley:

‘… Leaving this last field, I needed to walk through a substantial herd of cows. It is a sad thing that such an experience is rare these days, with so many confined to quarters for the duration, in the south at least.

“Cows are an essential part of conservation, as it is only through them that grass can be kept to a height that will allow the more delicate plants to flourish. Also, and a much- neglected aspect of cows and conservation, there is the cowpat. These are endlessly fascinating, with scores of specialist fungi

dependent on them, various nematode worms and over three hundred insects. I always look out for cowpats on fungus forays, checking for small Inkcap species and the commonest of the fungi on dung, the little orange and nicely named cup fungus, the Cowpat Gem, Cheilymenia granulata. Studying cowpats in the field is a bit odd, so I suggest bringing one home in a bucket and placing it in a quiet corner of the garden. Check every now and then for insects and fungi at some point you will need to look more closely by taking a bit of it apart to see what has developed inside. I strongly suggest you obtain your cowpat from an organic farm or a nature reserve, as some of the medicines given to cattle can kill any prospective fungi and invertebrates. There is an excellent little book by a couple of old friends of mine, Roy Watling and Mike Richardson, entitled Keys to Fungi on Dung, a great read for the enthusiast, if no one else.

“There is also a more substantial book (165 pages) keying out and listing most of the invertebrates found on dung. It is called Insects of the British Cow-Dung Community. Copies are rare and very expensive (£400 being the top price on offer), but you might be able to find it online as a file.

“In a particularly eyecatching piece of nominative determinism, the name of the author is Peter Skidmore.’

A REAL FUN GUY: John Wright’s latest book The Observant Walker with, top, cloud fungus and the walk around Maiden Newton

AA-mazing! Top award for Elm Tree

The Elm Tree Inn in Langton Herring has been awarded the AA Two Rosette award for culinary excellence.

The 17th century inn’s current team, led by Paul and Sasha Clarke, took over the Elm Tree last March with the objective of “delivering the highest quality dining experience”.

Executive chef Paul said: “At the Elm Tree we operate as one big family, with the kitchen headed up by me and Emma, and front of house led by my wife Sasha and Sarah. Everyone does an amazing job and together we are so proud of what we have achieved in such

a short timeframe.

“Last year, we were awarded a Taste of the West Gold and we were shortlisted as one of the very best hospitality establishments in the South-West of England.

The AA Two Rosette award this year really is

the cherry on the cake.” Manager Sasha added: “Our passion for great food and amazing service is at the heart of what we do. We are so grateful for the continued support from everyone who visits us. We are really looking forward to the year ahead

and to continuing our incredible journey.”

Since 2020 the inn has been owned and operated by the Electric Pub Company.

During the war, Barnes Wallis stayed there when the bouncing bomb was being tested on the Fleet and it was even a secret rendezvous site for the Portland spy ring during the Cold War.

The AA Rosette awards were started in 1956 and were the first nationwide scheme for assessing the quality of food served by restaurants, pubs and hotels across the UK. Very few pubs and restaurants in Dorset have ever been awarded two rosettes.

Grab a pizza this fabulous Italian inspiration

RESTAURANT REVIEW

By John Clements, chef at Bridport’s Olive Tree

Parlour Cafe

Burton Bradstock

The Italian-inspired Parlour Cafe and Restaurant near Burton Bradstock sits smack bang in the middle of a working farm: UK Agri-Tourism for real. A campsite, a microbrewery, a live music venue and a racing car workshop too, I think. In short, everything that would make Jeremy Clarkson green with envy. Gotta be worth a visit then.

One of my favourite peeps keeps banging on about the

RURAL NIRVANA: The pizza and, right, the antpasti at the Parlour Cafe

pizza here. Now pizza is tricky… the allure being the cheapness and simplicity of the ingredients… flour, water, yeast, tomato, cheese. BUT cooking a decent pizza is very, very hard. The crunch and the chew. Not many can pull if off.

Booking? Smooth as silk. By phone and no credit card needed. Joy. We arrived for lunch and were

shown to our table in the main restaurant in front of the open kitchen. We could have chosen to sit al fresco or in the outdoor covered patio. We ordered antipasti to share. A huge plate of Italian cheese and salamis arrived, absolutely excellent. No one is going to leave the farm hungry. Menu is very Italian and reassuringly compact. Other starters included

wild bass carpaccio, spiced pork belly in milk and burrata with salad. Mains were margarita and napoletana pizza straight out of the huge red pizza oven and they were both stunning. Crunchy and chewy and too big to finish. Other mains were aubergine parmigiana, spaghetti with red mullet, roast leg of Dorset lamb, turbot and confit duck. I think I spied an indoor charcoal barbecue to grill meat and fish as well. Some nice kitchen kit... Service is very laid back and informal as is the music and overall vibe. You must go there for a piece of rural Dorset Nirvana. Take that Jeremy ‘Mr fancy-pants’ Clarkson.

WINNERS: Assistant manager Sarah Bonner, Sasha Clarke, head chef Emma Dedman and Paul Clarke

Vittles (food & drink)

Picture yourself in cider apple orchard

Drinking in the sensory feast of Dorset Nectar

Cider’s orchards in full bloom this May, it is hard to imagine such a tranquil place is also the hub of a thriving family business. Back in 2006, when Oliver and Penny Strong were still in the business of making metal sculptures and topiary, they settled with their family on a wildly beautiful cider orchard near Waytown.

“We really didn’t want to work on an industrial estate,” Penny told The West Dorset Magazine, adding that she and her husband were more interested in finding ‘somewhere beautiful’ to sculpt metal, grow topiary shrubs and harvest cider apples.

At first the couple sold their roughly 150 tonnes of apples each year to a major cider manufacturer but, in 2008, they decided to have a go at producing their own brew.

“We had a bit of experience in homebrewing, but this has been a learning experience for us,” Penny explained. “The business has grown but we still consider ourselves a small artisan producer. We’re making proper craft cider, with no pesticides or chemicals, using whole crushed apples from 15 varieties including Yarlington Mill, Porter’s Perfection, Michelin and Dabinett.

“Our produce is certified organic, including our

apple cider vinegar, and we sell to cafes, restaurants and festivals as far afield as Edinburgh, Yorkshire and London.

“Our daughters Amber and Kiah are partners in the business but are away at university. Our three boys – Ryan, Dante, and Christian – help with the day-to-day running and we couldn’t do it without them.”

With around 3,000 large, mature apple trees, the

orchard is a beautiful place to be, especially this month as the blossom comes in. That’s why, in addition to producing cider, apple syrup, apple juice and apple cider vinegar, Dorset Nectar is inviting people to book a tour of the orchard and to camp on their land.

Penny said: “Since covid, the cider industry, indeed the whole hospitality industry, has changed. We were affected the same as

everyone else, so we’ve diversified the business by offering orchard tours and camping on site, which is proving to be very popular.

“The orchard is a very tranquil and beautiful place to be, especially now when it is blossom. People come here for forest-bathing, where you just lay yourself down beneath a tree and look up and take it all in. There’s an old Japanese belief that it has a calming and restorative effect on people. And that certainly seems to be what our guests say.”

Penny said the brewery’s next project will be a batch of pink elderflower cider using flowers grown by a friend in Bridport plus other products that will be revealed at a later date.

Dorset Nectar Cider has won several awards and is also experimenting with brewing craft ales under the name of Windward Brewery. Penny and Oliver also keep bees, pigs and chickens on their grounds, where there is also a cider drinking garden featuring the couple’s topiary and metal sculptures.

n To buy any of Dorset Nectar’s 13 varieties of cider, its Truly Scrumptious apple syrup, juice, or cider vinegar – or to book a tour or a camping spot – visit dorsetnectar.co.uk, email dorsetnectar@live.co.uk or call 01308 488382.

THE APPLES OF OUR EYE: Oliver and Penny Strong with sons Ryan, Dante and Christian at their cider orchard

Vittles (food & drink)

By IAN BAIRD

It is mid-April and I am standing on a hillside near Cerne Abbas feeling like I have landed in a Thomas Hardy novel. I am with a group of willing pilgrims, following the amazing Eleanor Gallia, medical herbalist, shepherdess and bio-dynamic farmer, on a journey both through herbs and history on a hilltop that has evidence of human activity going back at least 5,000 years. Eleanor herself would eloquently step into the role of a Hardy heroine. The weather has been good to us and in the bright spring sunshine we are set to task, with Eleanor’s expert help, in identifying and gathering herbs to go into Cerne Abbas Brewery’s Beltaine Brew, a beer infused with native wild plants that have beneficial health properties.

Eleanor knows exactly where each plant is to be found and as we gather them under her guidance, she tells us of their many uses and benefits. We are harvesting nettles, dandelion root, cleavers, hawthorn buds, sorrel and elder buds, each of them available to pick on this West Dorset hillside with some patience and perseverance.

The utility of the herbs is extraordinary, each offering benefits both as medicine, food and often dye for textiles, all of which is explained by Eleanor whose depth of knowledge is clearly borne through love of her subject, the plants themselves and

Journey through time with herbs on a historic hillside

the landscape in which she lives. Our journey in herbs is also a journey through time; we pass by a Neolithic long barrow, a Bronze Age round barrow and an Iron Age farmstead, clustered together on the hillside overlooking the mesmerising view south along the valley of the Cerne Brook towards Dorchester.

After our herb gathering, we have a treat! Nettle soup and home-made bread in Eleanor’s barn, a timeless and tranquil place that could be a stage set for Far from the Madding Crowd! The nettle soup is delicious, very much reminiscent of pea and asparagus.

And so, to the brewery, where we are led through the process of brewing, and the herbs we have gathered are carefully weighed to the correct proportions for

the brew. Everyone has the opportunity to add some of the herbs to the mash tun and as the lid is lifted, the malt-laden steam fills the air with the scent of barley and hops, conjoining in that magical alchemy of transforming into the wort that will become craft beer. This is both a process and a product that our grandparents would recognise. Small batch beers and ales, made

entirely from natural ingredients, a world away from the chemical-tasting industrially produced beverages that pervade the market. That Cerne Abbas brewery is situated in an enchanting, wooded valley just south of the village, only adds to the sensory experience. Oh, by the way, dear reader, you can visit, sample and buy the beers and there’s wonderful food available too!

TAKE YOUR PICK: Eleanor Gallia selects her herbs and, right, in the micro-brewery

Vittles (food & drink)

Simple and delicious: Black loaves matter

The joy of discovering epicurean talent is ever evolving, and I had the pleasure of visiting Chesil Smokery in Bridport.

On an overcast, chilly April day, the sun conspicuous by its absence, I opened the door to the smokery saturating my senses and moving them into overdrive. The charring pungent scent of woodsmoke for me a comforting aroma evoking many childhood memories.

I was born in Essex, famous for its cockle sheds and blackened smokehouses. Cockle shell mounds were my playground and sixpenny bowls of fresh shrimps and cockles a regular treat. Chesil smokery are passionate about their products, evident in the quality and care shown, they are innovative with their many products and ideas from meats to fish, they have embraced the challenges of lockdowns

and inflation with an indomitable attitude. I was both impressed and heartened by their dedication. Their smoked salmon is a flawless artwork of perfection. I would recommend a visit.

Black Bread

I first came across black

bread in a Auberge in Northern France. We arrived for a late lunch and was presented with seafood platter accompanied with thin slices or delicious black bread, so simple, so delicious. Dense in texture, it has a nutty favour. Serve with pâte, or smoked salmon with creme fraiche, pickles, eggs, horseradish sauce, cucumber, parsley and chopped onion.

Ingredients:

2 x 7 g packets of fast-acting yeast

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons treacle

100 g unsalted butter

25 g dark cocoa

300 ml dark stout

350 g rye flour

400 g strong bread flour Salt

Method

Warm the Guinness in a jug, add butter and allow to melt, add the treacle to the warm liquid.

Mix all the dry ingredients together, add the liquid. Draw it all together, it should feel a little sticky, but firm and dense. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it well.

Pop the dough ball into the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for two hours, or until it has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. On a floured surface, knock back the dough and place in greased loaf tin. Leave to rise in a warm place. When risen, place in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until crisp on top and cooked through – it will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Enjoy with a chilled glass of spicy gewürztraminer.

New direction for Bridget’s Market as shop shuts

A tight-knit team who have managed to keep a fruit and veg shop going through covid have reluctantly called time on the shop – but say they are continuing their doorstep deliveries.

Bridget’s Market in Bridport say issues with the building in East Street, and a drop in footfall over the last couple of years

they have decided “to take the business in a new direction”.

A spokesman said: “We have absolutely loved the last five years and we really couldn’t have done the last five years without our incredible team and wonderful customers.

“With home deliveries becoming so busy we’ve decided to go on the road.

“We have been looking to expand home deliveries and wholesale for a while and we now think this is the right time for us to branch out.”

Bridget’s has set up a crowdfunder to help them kit out their van.

They are encouraging local growers to sell them their produce.

They said: “If you have an

allotment, garden and have some surplus please let us know.

“We had an incredible response last year and would love to keep this going.

“We want to say thank you to our lovely customers for being so supportive over the last five years.

“This is not goodbye – this is just a new adventure.”

Karen Broad lives in Burton Bradstock, with her husband and two mad dogs. She ran The Mousetrap in Dorchester, has lived in France and loves discovering new food producers.

DENSE AND NUTTY: It’s easy to make black bread

Vittles (food & drink)

Lizzie Crow – AKA Lizzie Baking Bird – is a self taught baker, who has a stall outside The Old Ship Inn in Upwey each Saturday. See her scrumptious eats at lizziebakingbird.co.uk or find lizzibakingbird on Instagram.

Say cheese! Just grate with macaroni

Macaroni Cheese with Sweet Potato

If you love macaroni cheese - and why would you NOT - this cheap dish provides real comfort. Why not try this version of a traditional dish.

A similar dish appeared in the 14th century - Italian Book of Cooking Liber de Coquina. Some years later it cropped up in 1769 in its modern form in the Experienced Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald. You can add anythingcrab, greens, sweet potato, etc - and create a dish that tastes completely different. Evaporated milk creates this delicious rich and creamy sauce. Cook the sweet potatoes in the oven when cooking something else. You can even put them on the oven floor until soft.

Use any cheese that you find in the fridge - at the moment I’ve got tasty cheddar bought from the lovely local Open Air Dairy. The main thing is to use your favourite. Stirring the sauce with a wooden spoon can make it lumpyI find a whisk better.

Serves 4

500g approx 2 sweet potatoes

200g dried macaroni

35g butter (plus a little extra for the dish)

35g flour

400g evaporated milk

150g milk

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

125 g cheese (reserve 25g for topping), grated Salt and pepper

Butter (or oil) an ovenproof dish for the macaroni. Heat the oven to Gas 6/ 200C and put the sweet potatoes in. Cook until soft (45 - 55 minutes). When cool peel the skin off and gently mash. You can keep the potatoes in the fridge, covered, until needed (up to three days). Turn the oven down to gas 4/ 180C. Cook the macaroni (according to the instructions on the packet) until firm to the bite and drain.

Melt the butter in a pan and tip in the flour and stir. Cook on a low heat for around a minute. Pour in the milk, mix well and cook for around five minutes until thickened. Use the mustard, salt and pepper and season to taste. Add the squished potato and cheese and stir well. Pour the mixture into your prepared dish. Scatter the reserved cheese on top and pop in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the cheese on top is brown and bubbly.

Serve with roasted veggies or a simple salad.

n Find Lizzie at The Old Ship Inn, Upwey on Saturday mornings or look out for her at various food festivals and farmers markets. If you try this recipe tag Lizzie in on Instagram lizziebakingbird.co.uk

Mum’s Kitchen... with Diana Holman

Easy Lemon Curd and Almond Cake

This unusual cake is very quick to make, and has a dense texture and a good flavour. It is best served slightly warm, or at room temperature.

Ingredients:

200g ground almonds

300g self-raising flour

500g lemon curd

2tablespoons flaked almonds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan,

and line a 20.5cm round tin with non-stick baking paper. Spread the ground almonds on a baking tray, and spread the flaked almonds onto another baking tray. Cook in the

oven for 10 minutes until both ground and flaked nuts are golden. Tip the ground almonds into a large bowl and whisk in the flour. In a jug, whisk the lemon curd with 200ml just-boiled water. Pour into the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Scrape the mixture into the lined tin and smooth the top.

Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

TASTY TREAT: Macaroni Cheese with Sweet Potato

Homes & Gardens x sponsored by Valley Drains

By Karen Bate karen@westdorsetmag.co.uk

A horrific motorcycle accident changed everything for Spencer Lewis. His career in refurbishing homes and gardens came to an abrupt halt.

Thankful to be alive but with metal in both hands, Spencer knew his 18-month recovery was going to be a long haul, so he started exploring a long-held dream to start his own company designing and creating high-end garden buildings.

And then without warning, the whole country came to a halt. The silent skies and sunny days of the first few months of lockdown gave Spencer the boost he needed to plan and plot his future as his ideas, designs and strategy came alive on sheets of paper and his trusty Apple Mac.

In 2021, healing nicely and his mission complete, Spencer and his partner Kate launched Timber & Black. Thousands upon thousands of people had been working from their kitchen tables and spare rooms and with a complete return to the office almost a thing of the past, many home workers want a quiet space in their gardens. Lockdown for Spencer was serendipity. And then came Alan Titchmarsh...

“Timber & Black was in the early days and then something brilliant happened. Alan Titchmarsh’s ITV programme Spring into Summer was looking for some planters for a set they were building. None of the mainstream suppliers could make and deliver the planters ‘next day’, but I knew we could.

“We spent an entire day and

Gorgeous things for your garden

make it special or take an original design and make it luxurious yet authentic to its roots.”

Spencer and Kate are now in the process of relocating to Beaminster, having fallen in love with the stunning Dorset countryside and arty Bridport.

Spencer said: “We use Dorset and Devon sawmills and timber merchants, alongside local blacksmiths and traditional forges to design and build gorgeous things for gardens: shepherd huts, gazebos, cabins, proper-posh sheds, bike stores, pergolas and log stores. Many of our customers have told us our building’s have transformed the way they live. And we really care. We are on hand every step and can create bespoke buildings to suit every space and every need. “If anyone is thinking about a garden building, they must give us a call. We can talk through everything from the design and more than anything, we love hearing people’s ideas and how we can transform them into a reality.”

night building them – and we painted them in our living room. The following day we drove them down to the TV set in Hampshire, which was on a remote farm.

“Our planters appeared on the show, so we told everyone we knew. Lots of people started ordering ‘planters like Alan’s’ from us and our fledgling company literally took off overnight.”

Timber & Black pride themselves on creating luxurious, authentic and stunning out-buildings, using the best materials the pair can source.

Kate said: “We don’t want to

build everyday sheds, basic gazebos or shepherd huts that are either too chic or cheaply made. We love to take something normal and

n timberandblack.com

n hello@timberandblack.com

Spencer 07500 860 705 Kate 07528 796 400

WORKING TOGETHER: Kate and Spencer relax and, below, some of their high-end garden buildings

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Going wild can be enormously rewarding

Mike Burks is the managing director of The Gardens Group, with garden centres in Sherborne, Yeovil and Poundbury. Mike is a former chairman of the Garden Centre Association and is a passionate advocate of eco-friendly gardening practices.

There is some confusion around wildflower gardening as some people think that it is just a case of allowing areas to go wild whereas they will, in fact, need managing.

In fact, many ‘wild’ areas are an artificial state. Take, for example, traditional hay meadows. These were created and perpetuated by agricultural techniques whereby before the extensive use of weedkillers and artificial fertilisers, hay meadows were full of wildflowers as well as a huge range of grasses too. In fact, any species that could grow, flower and set seed before the hay was cut would be selected by the farmers habit of cutting at the same time each year. Selective weedkillers and high nitrogen fertilisers have destroyed these areas and arguably the richness of the food and vitamin source

for the livestock too. Left to go “wild” these meadows would be scrubland within a few years and eventually turn to woodland.

The cornfield display with lots of poppies was again perpetuated by the farming system. Poppy seed falls to the ground at harvest and germinates the following year only when the ground is cultivated for another wheat (or other) crop. Without that cultivation the seed remains dormant. In order to get success from such systems in our own gardens we need to understand this principle. In my own garden I am allowed, from time to time, to leave areas of the lawn un-mown. I do this in graceful curves rather like the shape of an informal border. I haven’t fed the lawn for years, which reduces the vigour of the grass and helps the growth of non-grass species. In a fairly short time we were rewarded by a proliferation of lots of

wildflowers such as self heal, bugle, vetches, daisies, clovers of different sorts and, early on, violets. We’ve also been lucky enough to have some Pyramidal orchids appear! The insect activity, particularly bees and butterflies have speedily grown and the scent from the clover is wonderful too. Such gardening requires a

different mind-set to the traditional. It can be enormously rewarding and as well as some spectacular displays. There is also a detail that is really pleasing. At the same time, it assists nature and our struggling pollinating insects. Not only that, dare I say it, it tends to be resistant to the lack of water that may be a feature of this summer.

W A R D O N H I L L

T R A D

N G P O S T

A lovely day out is easily arranged

By DIANA HOLMAN

I have had such a lovely day that I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Along with two other students, I spent my day with floral designer and tutor Catherine Nix at her studio at Sandy Hill Arts in Corfe Castle. Catherine was teaching us how to make attractive dried flower wreaths, using the wealth of colourful dried flowers she provided.

She had constructed twig circles for us on which to bind our flowers, and showed us how to make up small posies which we bound onto the twig rings with florists’ wire. All three of us were soon producing pleasing results, whilst we chatted, drank coffee and sampled a tempting

array of biscuits.

Catherine, whose original career was in nursing, has many floral strings to her bow. Her monthly workshops are just a small part of her work with dried flowers, as she designs not only for individual clients, but for weddings and businesses, creating dried flower wedding bouquets,

chandeliers, pew ends, archways, table centres and runners, buttonholes, hair crowns and slides. She also creates large installations for businesses and events.

Dried flower designs are not only more planet-friendly, but create lasting souvenirs to keep or to give away to family and friends.

When we had completed our designs, we all went next door

to Catherine’s workshop and looked at the totally amazing store of dried plant material, with great diversity of colour, form and texture. Soft, fluffy gypsophila contrasted with bright strong colours of dried flowers and grasses, bold forms of seedheads and woody protea types. The day finished with lunch and lots of chat and laughter. What a lovely and unusual gift a workshop would make for a relative or friend, I could not help but think. Anyone living in Swanage could come over on the train if they wished to make their day even more special. The studio and workshop are just a few yards from the Corfe Castle station. n Contact via the website dorsetdriedflowers.com or call 07590 375202.

DRY DESIGNS: Catherine Nix with some of the wreaths at her workshops

Healing energy from blooming primrose

Spring is well and truly here. Weeds and grass are growing, and shrubs and hedgerows are beginning to green up. The sun has started to make a welcome appearance as the natural world starts to rejuvenate after a long winter.

The quince shrub is in bloom and the healing energies of the plants are starting to rise as they begin to come alive.

Primroses are in full bloom – the energy healing from these lovely little plants helps to bring relief from everyday pressure and helps us to understand the earth’s energies. Working with the soil is a form of natural anti-depressant, releasing negativity and allowing

energies of the soil and the plants to be absorbed into your inner being.

Here at The Potting Shed, the ambience of the garden and meadow have been felt by our visitors. Some only popped in for a quick look around and stayed hours, not noticing the passing of the time, they just wandered around and sat and enjoyed their

surroundings. Every Friday we have additional therapies being offered by Snapdragon Holistic Therapies including Indian head massage, hand reflexology and reiki healing. Appointments can be made by contacting snapdragonholistictherapies@ou tlook.com

We will be starting outdoor yoga

and holistic pilates in May, which will be held in the wildflower meadow.

We can now see which shrubs survived the move last summer in the heat, and those that the harsh frosts finished off. To our surprise the pittosporum trees didn’t make it, several gardens I work for have also lost theirs. Luckily, we had put a couple that

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ON SHOW: Helen Frost’s Waistcoat, an assemblage of beach-found metals, with buttons, leather and a nail, all combined in the form of a waistcoat and, right, Chiaroscuro, made from found rubber, with handmade discs of calico. Inset below: A bowl by Karen Hally

Talented

artists’

work on show at the Manor

Two talented villagers from Affpuddle are exhibiting their work as part of Purbeck Arts Weeks, from May 27 to June 11. Glass artist Karen Hally and mixed media artist Helen Frost will show their work from 10am to 4pm each day at Affpuddle Manor, DT2 7HH (on the B3390).

Karen was born in New Zealand and travelled to the UK in her early 20s. She moved from London to Dorset in 2009.

Karen has a varied portfolio of glass art, generally centred around the technique of fusing layers of glass together in a kiln which reaches temperatures of over 800 degrees.

Karen’s inspiration comes from her love of vibrant colours and geometric design, the latter coming from her passion for the Art Deco era.

Her studio has been converted from three disused stables, with views of the surrounding countryside which provides for an amazing creative space to work

from. Incorporated into this space is a gallery displaying her work. Helen moved to Affpuddle after 30 years in Chichester.

She said: “My work is inspired by our beaches, where I pick litter and collect ‘treasure’. I take a camera to record my finds, finding absorption in the hunt.

“But this is just the start – work is produced in response to the items that I find on my walks around the shore. I am drawn to the texture, marks, colour and form of the junked and the jettisoned. A long-lost spoon, a boat engine fuel filter, a piece of ship’s metal –these are my pieces of treasure. I spend many hours hunting the shores and have developed an eye for spotting things that don’t belong there. I am fascinated with the process by which a pristine, man-made item enters the sea and is returned to the land at some point, brought by tide and wind.

“On its return it has become unique – altered, distressed, made more beautiful and rendered useless!”

Bands lined up for another reunion

The series of reunion gigs for bands and musicians from the 60s, 70s and 80s from Weymouth’s music scene have raised tens of thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes.

And there’s another event coming up on Saturday, May 13, once again at the Centenary Club in Jubilee Sidings,

Weymouth.

Bands so far on the bill are Crystal Ship featuring Alexis, 11th Hour and Monkey Jump.

Tickets are £10 and are on sale from the club on 01305 839310 so hurry and get yours as they go very fast indeed. Doors open on the night from 7pm.

World music duo’s Passage to Dorset

Acclaimed world musicians Amadou Diagne and Cory Seznec head to Dorset later this month on an album tour.

Senegalese Amadou and French-American Cory will perform tracks from their new album Touki –Right of Passage at two special concerts organised by Artsreach, the county’s touring arts charity. Expect a multiinstrumental tour-de-force, with powerful beats, driving grooves, and silky voices that leap from East to West Africa and across to America.

West African multiinstrumentalist and composer Amadou Diagne has musical roots tracing back through a long line of Griot musicians. A member of L’Orchestra National du Senegal, Amadou regularly performs as a percussionist in concerts, cultural events and on television for the top West African stars. Since moving to England, Amadou has forged his own musical identity and released acclaimed solo albums featuring the kora, guitar and percussion,

which have received air play on BBC Radio 3 and across the world. Cory Seznec discovered fingerstyle guitar and clawhammer banjo whilst growing up in the US. Now based in Paris, numerous travels and encounters in countries including Ethiopia and Kenya have helped shape his playing.

After 10 years on the road with renowned roots act Groanbox, his style is now more syncopated, polyrhythmic, and crosspollinated. Influenced by blues and ragtime, Cory draws heavily upon American traditions, combined with African fingerstyle techniques. When Amadou and Cory had a chance encounter in a bar in Bath in 2007, they knew one day they would record together.

Thirteen years later, after many “touki” (journeys), they embarked on a new musical adventure and, following rehearsals in Paris and a recording session at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Somerset, their debut album Touki - Right of Passage was created. Drawing heavily on the traditional music and rhythms of West Africa, the kora dances playfully around banjo and the guitar. The calabash and other percussion add powerful, driving beats, overlaid with entrancing, silky vocals. The influences are many, rather than remaining in any one tradition. The touki brought them together, the touki took them apart. Now the voyagers are reunited with the richness of their various experiences. Who knows what’s in store? n Artsreach are pleased to present Amadou and Cory, playing live with their trio in Blandford Parish Church (01258 480698) on Friday May 19, and Chetnole Village Hall (07966 177789) on Saturday, May 20. Full details and tickets can be found by visiting artreach.co.uk

COME AND SEE US: Amadou Diagne and Cory Seznec

Culture vultures now have the chance to book tickets for this year’s packed Beaminster Festival, which offers a multitude of music and some great events, kicking off with live theatre on June 11. This year the al fresco theatre (June 11, at the Beaminster Manor), features the talented Three Inch Fools who will present a fast paced, musically driven and hilarious performance of As You Like It. This is always a lovely occasion –bring picnics from 1.30pm.

On Saturday, June 17 from 10am-4pm at Beaminster Public Hall there’s an exhibition of skills, hobbies, interests and collections of local people called There is a Talent in the Town which will discover what latent talent many of us have within. There will also be refreshments and amateur music making.

Exeter Cathedral Choir will sing Choral Evensong on June 19 at 6.30pm, followed by a short recital, which is free, but tickets must be booked. The main events run from June 25 to July 2, all in St Mary’s Church, with precoffee concerts (local schools) at 10.45am, which are free.

The coffee concerts themselves are at 11.30am and literary events at 2.30pm, which all cost £12 and evening concerts at 7.30pm, costing £19 and £22.

There is an amazing choice of top quality

What a lot we got!

Jam-packed diary at Beaminster Fest

performers including two great young pianists, Ethan Loch, BBC Young Musician finalist, on June 28 at 11.30am and Yuanfan Yang on June 29 at 7.30pm.

If you have any preconceptions about the accordion – forget them! Ryan Corbett, gold medal winner of the 2022 ROSL competition is in huge demand playing music from Bach to

Albeniz with delicacy, verve and virtuosity, (June 29, 11.30am).

Curator Lois Pearson said: “Viola player Timothy Ridout was a rising star when we first tried to invite him a few years ago but he seems to have risen to great heights in the meantime. He recently won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist’s Award, and he is garnering high praise

from venues all over the world.”

This concert is the one not to miss as he performs a beautiful programme together with Jonathan Ware, piano, on June 27, at 7.30pm.

The Choir of Clare College Cambridge conducted by Graham Ross are returning with a wonderful programme of sacred and secular choral music on June 26 and the festival finishes on July 2 with a Gala Symphony Concert by the Orpheus Sinfonia including Mozart’s Overture: Marriage of Figaro, and Symphony No. 40 in G minor and the Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1. If you like your music on the lighter side there is a lovely concert including some well-known classics from the Hathor Duo, flute and harp, (June 26, 11.30am), or jazz and cabaret from Dominic Alldis and Friends (June 30, 7.30pm). Really exciting Serb/Roma/Jazz is brought to us by the Faith I Branko quartet also on June 30 at 11.30am, and if you love to dance then go along to Beaminster School on July 1 at 8pm for the brilliant band Zoots, celebrating the sounds of the 60s and 70s.

Tickets at beaminster festival.com

Leaflets are available in TICs and libraries and Yarn Barton Centre.

Tickets also from TicketSource 0333 666 33 66. Quote Beaminster Festival.

COMING THIS: Faith I Branko and, below, Timothy Ridout are lined up for appearances at Beaminster Festival

Eype Layer exhibition is set to be very a-peeling

Artists will peel back the layers of their creativity at an exhibition in Eype in May.

The Layer upon Layer exhibition will run from May 2 to 14 at the Eype Centre for the Arts at St Peter’s Church.

Among the exhibits will be the work of artist Jenny Penney, who uses coloured mountboards to produce sculpted, semi-abstract landscapes of Dorset landscapes.

Portland based artist and teacher Lyn Kirkland will

also exhibit fine art pieces sculpted in encaustic wax while Sue Jenkins has created textile pieces using Ecoprint, a process involving natural leaf pigments from locally gathered leaves layered on fabric.

A spokesperson for the exhibit said: “Layering is often used to describe something that is complicated and interesting because it has many different features.

“In terms of artwork, this layering approach can

include using different media in layers, adopting a different process between layers, or simply building in an element of 3D perspective. The artists exhibiting at Eype Centre for the Arts each adopts an element of layering in their chosen media and the results are quite stunning.” During the exhibition there will be demonstrations from one of the artists each day. Please check social media for details of who is demonstrating on which day.

Art lovers with a Spring in their step

Art lovers in Dorset should head to The Tincleton Gallery in Dorchester to absorb some fine contemporary art in the Spring Exhibition which runs until July. Using a range of mediums including sculpture, oils and prints, gallery artists and four guest artists are showcasing their talent. The exhibition also includes a fine selection of landscape monoprints from Bristol-based Ruth Ander which contrast nicely with landscapes in oil from Dorset-base Kim Pragnell.

The Hampshire artist Philippa Headley adds her landscape oils to the mix and then Dorset-based Colin Moore provides further contrast with his linocut landscapes, and the detailed landscape etchings of Devon-based Mary Gillett.

A variety of raku ceramics will be on show, from London-based artist Alison Wear as well as stonework from Sarah Moore and the

fine metal/ glass/stone sculptures from Berkshirebased Johannes von Stumm. Imogen Bittner has some new textile

pieces as well as work from London-based guest artist Chloe Fremantle and pieces by local guest artist Sarah Batt.

ON DISPLAY: Some of the work at Layer upon Layer

CONTEMPORARY: Early Bird Reflection in the Lake DIstrict by Philippa Headley and, right, Blackbird and Fruit by Imogen Bittner

SPRING SHOW: Ruth Ander’s Ballinskelligs Sunset and, right, Sunlight and Grasses at Milford by Kim Pragnell

Bridport-born alternative rock legend PJ Harvey marked the release of her new Dorset dialect poem Orlam by gifting items for display in the county museum.

The When Under Ether singer gave the museum in Dorchester early proofs of her new book, covered in her hand-written notes, plus an exclusive signed photograph of her wearing a brooch of traditional Dorset buttons.

The photograph’s inscription reads: “To Dorset Museum, with good wishes always, Polly Jean Harvey.”

Accompanied by her mum Eva, the star singer spent an afternoon at the museum pursuing her interest in 19th-century Dorset dialect poet William Barnes and donating a signed copy of her new book.

The singer’s donations will be on display at the museum until July 9 outside its collection discovery centre.

Museum interim director Elizabeth Selby said: “We were thrilled to receive these items from PJ Harvey. Her awardwinning career, which spans over 30 years, has been extraordinary and wide-ranging.”

She added: “Her achievements and creative output are something of which Dorset can be proud. We are delighted that we now have an opportunity to display them for visitors, and fans of PJ Harvey, to see.”

Discussing her new book, a spokesperson for PJ

Polly’s Barnes-stormer gift with the accent on dialect

Harvey said: “The verse novel Orlam is the first substantial work written in the Dorset dialect for many decades.

“It brings a modern, surreal twist to traditional West Country words and phrases. Although the poem offers a fictionalised and distorted view of the county, it draws upon Harvey’s memories of her secluded childhood in a small Dorset village, particularly in its depictions of nature and folklore.

“The poem’s language is similar to that used by William Barnes in his 19th-century Dorset

dialect poems.”

The spokesperson added:

“Barnes’s Glossary of the Dorset Dialect was Harvey’s principal dialect reference source but its content and tone are strikingly different.

“The peaceful rural life celebrated in Barnes’s poems becomes a veneer that Harvey peels away to reveal corrupt lifestyles.

“Harvey’s musical background can be felt in the poem’s strong rhythmical pulse and lyricism.”

Orlam has standard English translations on facing pages written by

Harvey’s friend, mentor and editor, Scottish poet Don Paterson.

Harvey’s award-winning creative career spans three decades. The PJ Harbey trio released their first album, Dry, in 1992, to great critical acclaim. Harvey is the only musician to have won the Mercury Prize twice, for her albums Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, which was partially written in Dorset in 2001, and Let England Shake in 2011, which was recorded in Eype. She was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2013.

In 2015, Harvey published her debut poetry collection with photographs by Seamus Murphy, The Hollow of the Hand.

SIGN HERE: PJ Harvey, centre, in Dorset Museum’s library with her mother Eva, right, and museum interim director Elizabeth Selby Picture: Zachary Culpin BNPS

Picture: Maria Mochnacz

Pull up a barstool, the INN Crowd is back in Dorset! Artsreach is to present a vibrant programme in rural Dorset pubs, with three shows.

On Sunday, June 5, writer, performer and radio producer Rosa Torr heads to The Gaggle of Geese in Buckland Newton with Rattus Rattus: The Epic Tail of Man vs Rat. It’s New Year’s Day 2015 and Rosa’s dad has made a life-changing resolution. At the same time, a rat sneaks into her family home and so begins an epic battle for control of the house. As the months pass, her father goes to ever greater and more extravagant lengths to trap the rat. Expect a funny real-life story about family, growing up, and the times we all find we’ve gone a little bit mad.

In June, Callum Patrick Hughes returns to Dorset with Thirst, his hit show about love; love of pubs, love of community, love of family, and a reminder that not everything you love is necessarily good for you. Join this acclaimed writer and performer for a riotous, warm and musical journey from a small Oxfordshire town, through Beijing’s Hutongs and the Scottish Highlands, to the ‘Big Smoke’. Intertwining storytelling and song, Thirst is both a love letter to sobriety and a celebration of all things alcoholic; exploring life, family, theatre, religion and most importantly the positivity of the pub and

It’s three good reasons to spend time down the pub

how creating a community under the roof of your nearest watering hole doesn’t have to involve alcohol. Callum will perform Thirst at The Royal Oak, Drimpton on Sunday, June 11, and at The Swanage Mowlem Showbar on Monday, June 12.

Finally, in her fantasies, poet Brenda ReadBrown is an imprisoned pensioner who rescues fellow passengers from

crashed aeroplanes. In reality she is a bit of a hoarder who likes Greek islands. Join Brenda at The Bibbern Bar at Sturminster Newton Exchange on Wednesday

26 July for But I Haven’t Finished Yet, a riotous celebration of growing older in a brand-new show to delight and entertain audiences, however advanced in life they may be! Brenda Read-Brown has performed her poetry

on BBC Radio 4, and in Texas, Denmark, the House of Lords plus various festivals. Brenda was also Gloucestershire Poet Laureate from 201219 and is a prize-winning playwright.

n Tickets for all INN Crowd performances are £5. Full details including start times, age ratings, booking information and pub kitchen opening hours are available at artsreach.co.uk

LOOKING INN: Calum Patrick Hughes and, below, Rosa Torr and Brenda Read-Brown

Tales of county’s history a Real treat

Locals and tourists alike may think they know Dorset, but in his new book local author and publisher Jon Woolcott proves there’s plenty more to learn about it.

Real Dorset is the latest addition to the Seren Real Series. In it, Woolcott criss-crosses the county, making connections and uncovering the hidden and forgotten, to reveal what lies beneath the tourist friendly façade.

Dorset is famous for its spectacular coastlines, historic towns, eco-foodie reputation, for Hardy and Fowles. Yet, there’s much more to our popular county – subversion, rebellion and

revolt, wealth and poverty, ghost stories, rich folklore, film and music.

Woolcott travels the whole county in this discursive, humorous, idiosyncratic and personal exploration. A huge and lost Neolithic earthwork contrasts with Victorian pleasure gardens and nightlife in Bournemouth. The legacy of the black GIs, the Cerne Abbas Giant, the model village of Milton Abbas, vie for attention with the importance of Dorset for writers and artists including William Barnes, TE Lawrence and Sylvia Townsend Warner, John Piper and Elisabeth Frink. Tombstoning at Durdle Door, exploring the beguiling strangeness of Portland, climbing the

famous Gold Hill, delving into holloways: Real Dorset covers all aspects of life past and present. Sure to delight tourists, locals and armchair travellers alike, Real Dorset is the must-read alternative guide to this richly historical and much-visited edge of south-west England. Jon Woolcott is a writer and publisher who has lived in Dorset for fourteen years and grew up nearby in southern Wiltshire. He currently works for independent publisher, Little Toller, where he also edits The Clearing, an online journal for new writing about place and nature.

For more information visit:

A GOOD SIGN: Jon Woolcott and, inset, Real Dorset

Our amazing feats of clay: Gallery’s

By Karen Bate karen@westdorsetmag.co.uk

Inspiration, fascination, and excellence comes in many shapes and sizes – you just need to know where to look.

At 20 Gloucester Street in Weymouth, you can find Lea Phillips in her studio where she throws, fires, and decorates the most magnificent collections of abstract, vibrant and breathtaking tableware, lamp bases and large, one-off ceramics. She shares this light, airy and contemporary space with sculptor Ama Menec.

Lea may have taken a while to warm up – she undertook a one-year apprenticeship at the renowned Dartington Pottery aged 39 before working there for a year – but coming from a long line of brickmakers, clay is in her blood. Her grandfather lived in one of the Brickyard Cottages in Chickerell.

The Happy Crab Gallery, named for both artists who were born in July, celebrated its first anniversary – fulfilling Lea’s cherished dream to live and work in Weymouth.

Lea said: “The ceramics I make today are a contemporary interpretation of the studio pottery tradition, rather more colourful than the brown pots favoured by Leach and his followers, but

with the emphasis on function and hand making on the wheel still rooted in the classic tradition.

“I spent over 20 years working in Devon and benefited from arts orientated visitors and a local culture where buying and using handmade pots was not uncommon.”

South Devon has a high

proportion of makers and artists, partly due to the legacy of the Elmhurst’s contribution to encouraging the crafts at Dartington Hall. The origins of Dartington Pottery lie in the early 1930s when Bernard Leach, often regarded as the founder of the AngloJapanese tradition and the modern studio pottery movement, set up the first

pottery at Shinners Bridge.

Lea said: “The pottery training workshop was started in 1976 by Marianne de Trey who was working into her 90s and lived to 102. So, I was very conscious of being part of a living tradition.

“Having lived in rural Devon for 20 years, I’m really appreciating being in town and being part of this vibrant

Second Music by the Lakes set to be an amazing show

Family friendly event Music

By The Lake returns to Dorchester Showground next month, raising money for Weldmar with a feast of tribute acts. If you love the music of Queen, Take That, or Adele, then you’re in for a treat as the

UK’s leading tribute acts perform. Tributes to Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston, and Sir Tom Jones are also on the bill, over the weekend of June 30 to July 2.

‘A fantastic event, brilliantly organised’, ‘all the acts were

superb’’, and ‘the best weekend we’ve had for a long time’, were some of the comments from revellers following last year’s show. Fabulous food and drink are on offer, although visitors are very welcome to bring along a

picnic too. Basilico will be serving delicious artisan pizzas, there’s a bar and there’ll be coffees, teas, and sweet treats on offer from The Saddle Stop. Weldmar’s own caterers will also be serving up hot food, such as loaded fries,

POTS OF JOY: Lea Phillips at The Happy Crab Gallery in Weymouth. Right, some of her beautiful ceramics

first anniversary

FEATHERED

FRIEND:

Kingfisher sculpture by Ama Menec and, right, walking into The Happy Crab Gallery

local community. Maybe you need to spend two decades in a rural business centre to enjoy the contrast, shops, cafes, pubs, and beach. But it is the support of the local community that we most appreciate, the locals who pop in for a chat and remember us when they need a present or have visitors to show round.

“My grandmother’s parents came to Weymouth from Italy and sold ice cream on the beach. I remember my grandmother being outraged that modern people eat ice cream all year round, whilst her family struggled to get through the winter as ‘in those days people thought they’d get pneumonia if they ate it in the winter’. There’s a

similar seasonality to selling pottery in a seaside town and we are so grateful when local people support us and bring in their friends too. There is nothing like seeing and handling pots in the real world and meeting the maker face to face. The great thing about The Happy Crab is that it’s a working studio so visitors can see all the making processes and pots at every stage of production. This winter I also started teaching and it’s so satisfying to pass on skills to budding potters, whether new to clay or improvers.”

n Lea and Ama can be found at The Happy Crab Gallery Tuesday to Saturday, 10.30am – 4pm and online at leaphillips-pottery.co.uk

with a fab line-up of bands

gourmet burgers, and more. Weldmar’s James O’Neill said: “We can’t wait! As well as a terrific line-up of live music, with something for everyone, there is such a great atmosphere. Every ticket sold will help Weldmar to continue

Prepare to be a-mazed at Labyrinth exhibition

A modest terraced house in Rodwell, Weymouth will offer people a portal into a vibrant world of art. The Through the Labyrinth exhibition will offer an insight into the life and emotions of artist Janet Hall at 11 Kempston Road from May 27 to June 4, from 2pm to 7pm.

Janet says she has always been interested in art but never had the time to engage in it seriously until retirement in the early 2000s.

She said she began ‘nervously’ attending a course and was ‘amazed at the passion which suddenly overwhelmed’ her while she worked.

as a lay minister, I have marvelled at how people come through so many experiences and at their resilience in rising again from brokenness.

“Our circumstances are different, yet the same emotions affect us all.

“This theme of the ups and downs of life came to me as I was walking a labyrinth recently, for such a walk is never straightforward.

“All seems to be going well for a while until an obstacle forces us to go back on our tracks, sometimes for quite a while.

providing specialist care to people in Dorset with lifelimiting conditions.”

Tickets from £28 for one evening to £77.70 for all three nights are available now at musicbythelake.net

Children go in free.

Since then, she has attended numerous courses, most recently at the Studio Art School in Upwey and is experimenting with various art styles and media at her Weymouth studio.

Janet added: “In my work

“Eventually we get back to a path which moves us in the right direction, and then another blockage.

“As you walk from room to room you will experience all life’s joys and sadness, as an immersive installation, walking the labyrinth through my own home.”

HOME EXHIBITION: Some of artist Janet Hall’s work which will be on show at her house later this month

By Karen Bate karen@westdorsetmag.co.uk

An artist in Bridport who has given hope to hundreds of people is holding an exhibition in May to showcase the work she created in lockdown and during the conflict in Ukraine. Thinking of the rose as a verb, Judith Gait has encapsulated the struggles in conflict through her mixed media drawings, including the Conflict Rose and the Morning, Mourning Rose Judith will be holding the Art Through Difficult Times exhibition at The Paperback Gallery in Bridport.

“During lockdown and now with the conflict in Ukraine I have been drawing roses. The exhibition will be of mixed media drawings. Quite a difficult time for everyone! My response during this time has been to draw roses...and to try to think of ‘rose’ as a verb and not just a flower,” said Judith.

“Art is a very good way to help us all through difficult times in our lives. I’m retired now, but I have spent many years using art to help improve health outcomes for persons with addictions and other chronic health conditions.”

Scripture was just one of many inspirations for Judith’s series of drawings, but one poignant message is the text from 2 Corinthians 5:15 ‘And He died for all, that they should not live

Artist’s hopeful exhibition a rose by any other name

unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again’.

Judith explained: “Another translation of ‘unto ourselves’ is that because the love of Christ overwhelms us and in thinking about this passage the word ‘rose’

stood out for me.

“There is probably much more others could say about this passage of scripture, and of course there are other references to this, not least in realising how so many people’s lives have been so positively changed

through them.

“To answer why the rose is so significant to me would require a lifetime!” n The exhibition will be held from May 15-18 and May 22-25 from 10am3pm at The Paperback Gallery, 2 Gundry Lane, Bridport.

ART THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES: Artist Judith Gait in her studio and, above, from left some of paintings: Morning Rose, Evening Rose and, right, A Vision

Get ready for a jampacked summer of music, arts and entertainment as Artsreach gears up for 17 performances in 17 rural communities.

The season kicks off with a performance in Gillingham by acclaimed Norwegian dance company Panta Rei Danseteater Living Spit will return with their rural romp One Man and His Cow which tours to Cranborne and Studland. Expect a multitude of agricultural antics and farmyard frolics, told entirely in rhyme and song.

West African multiinstrumentalist and composer Amadou Diagne and FrancoAmerican guitarist and songwriter Cory Seznec head to Blandford and Chetnole for two live gigs with their trio. Drawing heavily on the traditional music and rhythms of West Africa, expect the kora to dance playfully around the banjo and guitar.

The INN Crowd series of performances in pubs continues, with three shows heading to Dorset. The Gaggle of Geese in Buckland Newton welcomes writer, performer and radio producer Rosa Torr with Rattus Rattus: The Epic Tail of Man vs Rat - a funny, real-life story about family, growing up, and the times we all find we’ve gone a little bit mad.

Callum Hughes heads to The Royal Oak, Drimpton and Swanage Mowlem

17 in 17: Get set for a jam-packed summer arts fest

an exhilarating retelling of Don Giovanni at Lytchett Matravers. Sung in English, this exciting young ensemble offers the perfect introduction to opera.

Balkan band Paprika will performs in Portesham and Langton Matravers as they fuse together Eastern European, Balkan, Gypsy and Classical music in a whirlwind performance of frenzied virtuosity.

The Three Inch Fools are heading back to Sandford Orcas with their calamitous take on the legendary folktale, Robin Hood. Grab a blanket, pack a picnic and prepare for a riotous summer adventure.

Showbar with Thirst, a love letter to sobriety and a celebration of all things alcoholic which combines storytelling and song. Finally, prize-winning playwright and poet Brenda Read Brown will be in The Bibbern Bar at Sturminster Newton Exchange with But I Haven’t Finished Yet, a riotous celebration of growing older.

With a mix of absurd and extravagant theatre, impressive acrobatics and satirically spicy puppetry, Brainfools head to The

Halstock with Lucky Pigeons, an open-air circus show for all the family.

Opera in a Box presents

With a plethora of costume changes, a pantheon of Gods and a prohibited peek into a pithos, The Last Baguette retell the preposterous and problematic story of Pandora in Pandora’s Box Jar at Winterborne Stickland sports ground. Calf 2 Cow head to Springhead Gardens in Fontmell Magna with a hilarious new adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s famous poem The Jabberwocky. In a special season finale, Artsreach invite you to take a turn in the saddle of one of 16 special bikes as they team up with Portland’s b-side festival for a pedal-powered cinema screening of The Illusionist in the stunning gardens of Pennsylvania Castle.

n Full details and tickets are available from artsreach.co.uk

HEADLINE MOOS: Living Spit with One Man and his Cow and, below, The Three Inch Fools. Inset: The Artsreach programme

Crossword

Jumbo 3D Sudoku

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

Killer Sudoku

Pro:

Place 1 to 9 once each into every row, column and bold-lined 3×3 box. No digit may be repeated in any dashed-line cage, and each dashed-line cage must result in the given value when the stated operation is applied between all of the digits in that cage. For subtraction and division operations, start with the highest number in the cage and then subtract or divide by the other numbers in that cage.

Cryptic Crossword

Across

1 Potatostewinitiallyfollowedbydessert (4)

4 MakeillateaseoneinFranceonbench (8)

8 Placesforretirementwithappeal –or temporaryaccommodation (6)

9 Musicalinstrumentsexcitedgroans (6)

10 MethodoftransmittingdataprovidedinWest Indies (2-2)

11 Righttoretainvariedpricesinedict (8)

13 Inertiarootedpossiblyingettingworse (13)

16 Cosilytreatedwithdoctorinterveningasa token? (8)

19 Supportmemberofpack (4)

20 It’susedforbindingnumberofhorses (6)

22 Executivetypicallyheartlesslyworkingaround company (6)

23 Loadsontoacomputerpopularoutletsina market? (8)

24 Songsandtheatricalworkswithoutpiano (4)

Brain chain (Hard version)

149

RESULT -102+109×3/4-73-25%

Can you solve these brain chains entirely in your head? Start with the bold value on the left of a chain, then follow the arrows and apply each operation in turn. Write the result in the box.

2 Seesummaryfirstinanexactway (9)

3 Hateregulationofspeedaroundisland (7)

4 Completestate (5)

5 Backerquietlysoonpreparedtoenter southernregion (7)

6 Golfinrankforonewhoplaysitfamiliarly? (5)

7 Waterfallbroughtupnothing (3)

12 Snappolicemanbyyard –andmake reproduction (9)

14 Trouble,say,overUSgangsteroutsidethe law (7)

15 Currentthemewithalecturer (7)

17 ConstructedtargetmostlyaroundItalian article (5)

18 Nameslocationfortourists,wehear (5)

21 Lightish-brownarmouredvehiclewithrear destroyed (3)

Bank plans would spell disaster for our

I am urging everyone to carry on using cash! I am a Bridport resident aged 72 and love our town, especially the market is close to my heart as quite a few friends have a market stall.

I don’t know if you are aware that the government (and this is a global agenda) want to get rid of cash and introduce a Central Bank Digital Currency. This would be disastrous for my generation as many older people are not even computer literate, nor do they have a smart phone.

The Bank of England is currently running a consultation (that strangely hardly anybody knows about) on the introduction of this Central Bank Digital Currency. Not only have most banks disappeared (I would guess in preparation for this) but it would also spell the end of our beloved Bridport Market as many stalls only accept cash.

This in my opinion is very dangerous for the future of our town that is such an attraction to people as a market town. Search Google for Central Bank Digital Currency.

Karin Schafer,

Bridport

In April’s West Dorset Magazine, Dr Gordon Lethbridge labelled me as a manmade climate change denier. In reply, I can do no better than quoting from Michelle Stiles’ book, One Idea to Rule

Them All, Reverse Engineering

American Propaganda: “Much of what is called ‘truth’ today is supported by ‘research’. What ‘the research says’ is the essence of supposed objectivity and the backbone of a superior argument, leaving the fellow without research in the dust. “The logic is as follows: All worthy ideas get funding for research; your ideas have no supporting research; therefore your ideas are inferior.”

As you can see, all ideas do not have equal opportunity to advance if the control lever of funding is biased. With this scheme in place, entire flotillas of specialised science could be created and used to commandeer social policy, legislation and judicial ruling by directing the money spigots flowing into academia.

(Tax exempt) foundations’ control of monies to academia can be thought of as a

Energy support

West Dorset’s ‘Warm this Winter’ group met in Dorchester, calling for the government:

n to insulate homes.

n to continue to help with energy bills

n to invest in renewable energies

n to turn away from oil and gas

We invited our MP Chris Loder to attend and support this campaign but he did not.

Instead of committing to the above, this government has just approved the opening of yet another oil field, the day after their supposed ‘Green Day’ on April 1!

This is done under the umbrella of energy independence following the war in Ukraine. What isn’t mentioned is that these oil fields are privately owned and will sell oil to the highest bidder. A number of oil fields in the North Sea are owned by China. It seems this government does not have an environmental bone in its body.

Joe Brake, Broadmayne

chokehold on the seedbed of ideological germination centres targeting idea creators and their livelihoods.

Foundations include Novo Nordisk, Copenhagen; Ford Foundation, USA; Rockefeller Foundation, USA; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle; Wellcome Trust, London; INGKA, Leiden, Holland.

Robert Theobald,

Weymouth

It was heartwarming on my recent return to Dorset to read letters in your April edition from two of the county’s wellloved former teachers, Norman

Saunders-White and Furse Swann. Both are passionate and eloquent as ever in their respective stands against the proposed developments at Vearse Farm in Bridport and the water meadows to the north of Dorchester. When those who are elected (and paid) to represent us are merrily selling our farmers, fishermen and young people down the river, and our beautiful countryside to the highest bidder, it’s good to know we have long-retired public servants prepared to stand up for Dorset and its heritage.

Sue Baillie, Bridport

On behalf of all at the Rajpoot Restaurant, Sherborne I would like to thank your readers for the immense support they gave us following The West Dorset Magazine report last spring, highlighting difficulties in renewing our lease.

We spent some 40 years earning our reputation but were under threat when the landlord applied to turn part of the premises into flats…our differences have now been resolved and we look forward to a bright future.

During that worrying period of negotiation our spirits were lifted by the constant messages of support from the public and I take this opportunity of expressing our heartfelt gratitude.

Abdul Kuddus, Sherborne

Very sadly, many local carnivals have folded, due to a lack of enthusiasm and dwindling numbers of entrants. lease don’t let Bridport, which is known for being an alternative / creative/ happening town, suffer from such a fate.

It is up to the inhabitants of the area to ENTER the carnival – don’t leave it to ‘someone else’ – and it is FREE to enter, and there are monetary prizes to be won!

Joining in can give participants wonderful practical skills and experiences, from organising and planning the entry, painting and decorating, sewing costumes, and working out routines – as well as a bit of socialising /fun, team building and leadership skills. It is also a great way of advertising your club/ hobby/ business to others for FREE!

A bit of friendly rivalry is being encouraged this year, by the introduction of awards that can be won for best

beloved market – let’s keep using cash

pub/hotel, best sports/dance, best school/youth organisation, best club (adult), as well as best overall, best costumes and most original entry. There are many classes that can be entered – you do not have to enter a big float (but if you do, talk to Ben at Cains farm, as they are willing to lend out their curtain siders..) there are classes for walking entries, non-motorised entries, mini floats / mobility scooters, or supporters who want to join in, but not be judged! Hopefully everyone catered for! For more information, and entry forms, visit bridportcarnival.co.uk joycedunford@yahoo.co.uk, Gill

Crump, Bridport

I don’t tend to write on party politics. There is too much to share with you about my work in West Dorset and improving day to day life for local people. But it does

not escape my attention that the other political columns often repeat established party-political central office attack lines, whilst my column focusses on what is being done to deliver on the things that matter for West Dorset.

The Liberal Democrat columnist chose to attack my record as a Conservative on supporting farmers when it was his own party in West Dorset who said I had ‘lost the plot’ after I defended small farmers against predatory supermarket supply chains. It was also his party, the Liberal Democrats who alienated farmers across Oxfordshire when they banned meat and dairy products from being served at their council offices – just as Labour have done in Exeter and in Oxford in the last week! The facts also speak for themselves when it comes to sewage. Edward was in Lyme Regis and Uplyme with the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Honiton

criticising the Conservative Government’s record on sewage. Then a week later, the same Liberal Democrat MP failed to vote for further measures under the Government’s motion to place binding targets to cut down on sewage pollution. It has exposed the sheer political gameplaying that the Lib-Dems, Labour and Greens have all deployed

The Lib-Dems also voted time and time again against laws I have backed that are finally exposing and dealing with water pollution. And after my own campaign in Westminster, water company dividends are now going to be tied to their environmental performance to stop shareholders being rewarded when their company is failing the planet and the fines for these companies are now unlimited. Actions speak louder than words and definitely more accurately than yellow leaflets. Chris Loder

From pages 80-81

Constituency issues with West Dorset MP Chris Loder

Only we have made water firms accountable

What a wonderful day last Saturday was. A momentous day that marks the ceremonial beginning of a new era for Britain. I attended the special service in Sherborne Abbey on Friday afternoon. I then went to Westminster to watch the magnificent procession from Whitehall. Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation in 1953 marked a turning point away from that era towards a modern and colourful new age and King Charles’ Coronation I think will be the same. I hope you enjoyed this momentous occasion however you celebrated it. One of the major environmental issues we have across the UK is water pollution. The reason why the problem has become so pronounced is that we were the first Government to

Politics

properly expose the issue with mandatory monitoring.

The Labour Government introduced self-regulation of water companies in the late 2000s, giving water companies effective free rein. Only around 10% of outflows were ever monitored, and the situation became so bad along the River Thames the Labour Government at the time were even taken to court by the EU in 2009 because of it! We have increased monitoring drastically and expect to be at 100% by the end of the year. While this has greatly increased the profile of this issue, it means we can now see the scale of the problem and deal with it. This came with the launch of the Environment Act 2021 which placed legal duties on water

companies to monitor all outflows by end of 2023, monitor water quality near their sites, invest in their infrastructure to reduce discharges, report real time information on discharge information and above all, commit under law to reduce their spills, with increased fines on those companies who do not comply. Since then, these moves have been strengthened time and time again. Late last year, the Government announced it would increase the civil liability penalties for water companies, from £250,000 to £250 million. We have also cracked down on polluting companies giving away massive dividends to their shareholders. After my work lobbying my colleagues in

Westminster to push for this to happen, OFWAT announced new powers to lock in dividends with environmental performance –another thing that the LibDems say they would do, but we have already done it. The reality is that if the LibDems are taking this issue seriously, why did they fail to vote for Government motions to cut sewage discharges? And why, if the Labour Party are so committed to this, did they fail so badly in their 13 years of Government, they were taken to court by the EU because of it? While the opposition indulge in party politics, we are delivering on restoring our rivers and seas and I shall continue working hard as your MP to add even more to the improvements we have achieved to date.

Forcing the water companies to come clean on sewage

It’s finally getting warmer and with it comes the temptation to get back into the sea. Our family loves beach days and I can’t wait for the first swim of 2023.

Our rivers and beaches aren’t just a tourist draw, they are part of our natural environment and one of the reasons West Dorset is so wonderful.

But all is not so wonderful with our water right now. The recent release of the 2022 sewage data made for grim reading: The equivalent of 65 days’ worth of non-stop untreated sewage was released into Lyme Bay. There were weeks where swimming was not only not recommended, it was

By EDWARD MORELLO West Dorset LibDems

downright dangerous.

It’s easy to think that this is a problem that only affects the coastal parts of our community, but that isn’t the case. One of the worst affected places in West Dorset was the decidedlyinland Sydling St Nicholas where over 1,000 hours of sewage was released into Sydling Water. Even the River Yeo in Sherborne was not spared.

Are we even getting the full story? New research by the LibDems has found almost 2,300 of the sewage monitors are faulty. That is more than

one in six nationally. Meaning we don’t actually know the full extent to which the water companies have been poisoning our rivers and beaches. Conservative MPs –including West Dorset’s –voted against an attempt to ban the release of sewage. The paltry new rules introduced by the Government are lip service only. The “unlimited fines” are only for discharge not resulting from heavy rainfall. Yet rainfall is the reason for the overwhelming majority of discharges that keeps happening.Water companies have no reason to fear these new rules. The Conservatives will tell

you that fixing the problem is expensive. Of course it is. But water companies make £2.2 billion in annual profits. Is it right that they are allowed to pay executive bonuses rather than fix the problem?

The LibDems will act to protect West Dorset. We will introduce a Sewage Tax on water companies profits and a ban on executive bonuses until they stop polluting. We’ll make the sea and our crucial waterways safe again for families to enjoy, and for the environment to prosper. My family and I can look forward to getting back in the water very soon. Here’s to sunny days and clean water!

We’re letting down our children with youth service

Are we doing enough to protect our young people from violence and drug abuse? A recent report from the advocacy group Liberty finds that one of the key issues in our failing to protect vulnerable young people is the “gutting of youth services over the past decade”, and in 2020 the former Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill cited the cutting of youth services in the county as a reason for an increase in youth offending. The problem started in 2016, when the former Dorset County Council withdrew funding and the direct delivery of youth clubs, forcing any local community that wished to retain its youth club to organise its own.

By KELVIN CLAYTON West Dorset Green Party

The results in Dorset have been mixed, with some faring better than others, but all our youth clubs face three major issues. The major threat to their survival is funding. Whilst a few, like Dorchester & Bridport, receive life-saving grants from their town council, all survive by a constant round of funding applications –effectively a survival lottery. This funding is needed to not only pay for youth workers, but in many cases to safely maintain the buildings that house the clubs.

Another problem is the recruitment of youth workers. With the loss of

local authority delivery of youth work has come the erosion of youth work as a profession. A similar process has happened to one of my former occupations, the careers service – now pretty much extinct. I can be very critical of Tony Blair’s New Labour government, but one thing they got right was the formation of the Connexions service – a thoroughly joined-up and fully-funded support service for our young people. But the coalition government of 2010 heralded the slow death of this professional approach.

A third, related, problem is the loss of a co-ordinated approach to helping protect our vulnerable young people. Yes, the new Dorset Council does offer some

opportunity for people working with young people to share their concerns, and the Dorset Youth Association (itself a charity) does a great job in supporting those youth clubs and youth workers who want to work with them, but it’s not enough. It’s far too easy for at risk young people to fall through the net.

Our young people deserve better than this. I know that the young people of Dorset don’t face the same levels of violence as those living in our inner cities, but they deserve somewhere safe to meet, to express their creativity, and to receive support for the issues they face. They deserve a fully funded, professional and coordinated youth service.

We must support our nurses in fight for fair pay

I think I speak for many of us when I say I feel angry and saddened at the government’s treatment of nurses working in our NHS. Although most of the health unions voted to accept the offer of a lump sum and 5%, the Royal College of Nursing, the largest part of the NHS workforce, rejected it and remain in dispute with the government and are going to hold another ballot on whether to continue strikes in the coming months.

Local Labour Party members went to show their support for the nurses on the picket lines on May 1 outside Dorset County Hospital and judging by the many drivers beeping their horns as they went past, the public is still very much

By CLAUDIA SORIN West Dorset Labour Party

on their side in their fight for a fair pay deal.

Speaking to one of the RCN reps, Lucy Walton, it was clear that the government’s pay offer is in fact a pay cut in real terms as it is much lower than inflation and comes on the back of years of real terms pay cuts. The nurses on the picket line chanted: “Claps don’t pay the bills!”

highlighting the hypocrisy of a government that clapped for the NHS during the covid pandemic but now refuses to recognise the real worth of these brave, overworked nurses. Lucy told me that she knows of colleagues having to use foodbanks and that young

nurses just starting out on their careers with debts of £50k are really struggling with housing and the cost of living.

There is real concern about the future of our NHS, where 137,000 vacant posts mean it is less safe for patients and levels of stress for nurses are high. Lucy regularly does 16 hours of unpaid work a month and said that is normal for

most nurses trying to fill the gaps due to chronic staffing shortages. It’s with great reluctance that nurses have taken strike action and it is unprecedented in their history. Clearly, they can’t continue working under such conditions and being so undervalued; we must support them in the fight for a better pay deal and to save our NHS.

Freelance copywriter ANDREW KNOWLES is based in Wyke Regis. He’s been freelance for nearly 15 years, including work with Dorset Growth Hub, helping to support and train hundreds of small business owners.

Networking doesn’t have to be scary

She opened the door just a little, to peek into the room.

It was busy with several dozen smartly dressed women and men, chatting noisily in small groups. She closed the door and walked away.

From across the room I’d seen her furtive glance. I watched through the clear glass of the door as she went down the steps to the street. I guessed what had happened and immediately followed her. I’d never seen her before, but from her outfit, I knew she’d planned on attending the networking meeting for local business people. I assumed it was her first time and that on seeing the crowded room, her nerve had failed. Who finds it easy to walk into a room of strangers? Particularly when it’s to do networking - when you don’t really know what that is.

I caught up with her crossing Weymouth’s Town Bridge, along the road from the venue.

“Hi. I noticed you looking in on the meeting back there. I’m one of the organisers. Can I help?”

I can’t remember her words, but she confirmed my suspicions. The crowd had been too much for her.

We went back in together. She had just gone freelance. I introduced her to a group of other business owners I knew. I got her a coffee. Very soon she looked comfortable in conversation.

She became a regular at these networking events and her business grew to take on several employees.

This experience taught me that networking is genuinely scary. Someone recently told me he was physically sick with

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anxiety at his first networking event. On the other side, many small business owners credit networking for bringing them new customers, new ideas and even new friends. Business networking explained Don’t confuse networking with selling. It’s an easy mistake.

The woman in my story thought she had to turn every conversation into a selling opportunity - that was part of her reluctance to come in.

Networking isn’t selling. It’s simply talking to likeminded people, getting to know them. Some networking groups are very structured and some do focus on sales. But many don’t. They’re informal gatherings where conversations can, in time, open doors to opportunities.

If you’re unfamiliar with

networking, my top tips are:

n Arrive early, before the start time. Being one of the first makes it easier to get into conversations with others.

n Ask questions that go beyond “so what do you do?” and “how’s it going?” Find a topical angle, or ask how someone got into doing what they do.

n Don’t expect to sell. No one likes being sold to. Be prepared to say a little about what you do, but make it interesting. People remember stories more than they do facts.

n Keep going back. Good networkers invest time in developing relationships. You can’t do that if you only turn up occasionally.

If you’re new in business, or new to the area, networking has lots to offer. Don’t just peer in the door and run away.

Why choose print advertising?

Does print advertising still work, in this day and age? Surely, a quick post on Facebook will be cheaper and get to the right people? Well… Figures show advertising in the right publication is a good investment for many businesses.

More than double the numbers of people trust what they read in local publications than trust what they read on social media. And they are much more likely

to absorb your message in print – our readers are more engaged than those scrolling through countless posts. They will remember you, through our advertising and features. The West Dorset Magazine offers the best penetration in this area, with an estimated 70,000 readers from Portland to Lyme Regis, up to Sherborne. Give us a call, on 01305 566336 or email advertising@ westdorsetmag.co.uk

Make your brand roar with Jurassic

Jurassic Embroidery is a local family run business based in Dorchester offering an extensive range of branded and personalised garments. Director Glenn Taylor, 42, launched Jurassic Embroidery four years ago, after he felt there was a gap in the local market.

He said: “As I had a lot of experience in supplying trade customers for many years, it felt a natural step to buy the machines and start to do it ourselves and try to give the quality and service we would expect when placing an order for any personalised garments.

“We understand the importance of feeling comfortable and stylish at work and that’s why we are dedicated to providing the best workwear solutions that truly reflect your brand and personality. Our motto is

‘Your brand is your business, wear it well.’”

You can find Jurassic Embroidery on Poundbury West Industrial Estate. The team’s flexible approach enables them to cater to all markets, including trade businesses, hospitality, groups, societies & sports teams, schools, stag & hen parties & private individuals. They also produce the strips for Dorchester Town Football Club’s kids’ teams, and for

several holiday parks. Glenn said: “We wanted to give Jurassic Embroidery a clear identity and I think our logo is eye-catching and relevant to the area. We have a lot of regular customers, such as the charity Addison’s UK – we print their charity fundraisers’ tops and send them out directly to the people fundraising.”

They also do heat press and screen printing, turning out classrooms-full of school leavers’ hoodies each year. They have recently started to embellish horse rugs and other

equestrian items. They have produced sports kits aplenty, too. Glenn said: “We can do anything embroidered or customised, with more of a personalised service than you might get elsewhere.”

Whether you’re after a single garment or 10,000 plus, Jurassic Embroidery pride themselves on offering the best service they possibly can, and pride themselves on their glowing feedback.

n 01305 622603

n hello@jurassic embroidery.co.uk

n jurassicembroidery.co.uk

Employer Settlement Agreements: What you need to know

Lisa Pharaoh is the West of Dorset’s only qualified and registered mediator with the Civil Mediation Council

An Employer Settlement Agreement (SA) is a legallybinding agreement between an employer and an employee that usually results in the termination of employment. The purpose of an SA is to provide a mutually agreedupon solution to a workplace dispute or to provide a clean break for both parties. An SA can be beneficial for both employers and employees, but

it is important to understand the key terms and conditions before signing any agreement –that’s where we come in! As an employer, offering an SA can provide a cost-effective way to resolve disputes with an employee. In many cases, an SA can be a quicker and more efficient way of resolving disputes than going through an employment tribunal. An SA can also help to protect the reputation of the employer by ensuring that the terms of the agreement remain confidential. For employees, an SA can provide a financial settlement in exchange for giving up certain legal rights. An SA can provide a clean break from an employer and may offer a

more attractive package than an employee could expect to receive in an employment tribunal.

There are a number of legal requirements that regulate settlement agreements which must be satisfied in order for a settlement agreement to be valid and binding on the parties. The conditions are:

n the agreement must be in writing

n it must relate to the particular proceedings

n the employee or worker must have received advice from a relevant independent adviser as to the terms and effect of the proposed agreement and, in particular, as to its effect on their ability to

pursue their rights before a tribunal

n there must be in force, at the time the adviser gives that advice, relevant insurance covering the risk of a claim by the employee or worker in respect of loss arising as a result of the advice

n the agreement must identify the legal adviser

n the agreement must state that the conditions regulating settlement agreements under the relevant statutory provisions (which should be identified) have been satisfied

We advise employers and employees. We provide practical advice and solutions. We can explain the process and your legal rights.

SEW GOOD: Morgan Highfield operates the embroidery machine

Retirement made Steve itch to do some ink else

A health food shop owner who retired early ‘fell into’ another business – now he wants to move it to Weymouth, creating four jobs.

Steve Whiting, now 66, has been so enthused by his new products, which take the itching, ink stains and infection risk out of tattoos, he actually went and got his first tattoos (Bob Dylan and George Best, since you ask).

Steve says when his son got a tattoo years ago he gave him a roasting, telling him he’d never get a decent job. “He’s a CEO now,” he said.

Midlander Steve and his wife moved to Weymouth a few years back, pulled by the lure of the seaside having retired aged just 52.

Out on a boat with a friend who had just had a major inking done – a full sleeve –he had a flash of inspiration.

Steve said: “A good friend of ours, a keen body builder and a collector of tattoos, came to stay for the weekend. We went fishing off Portland Bill, my friend having just spent £600 on having a full sleeve tattoo and was applying a cream to the area frequently. I asked what it was and he said it was aftercare to aid its healing.

“Whilst he stayed with us my wife moaned at him as the ink from the tattoo stained the bedlinen. Never having had a tattoo I asked him about the healing procedure. He said the gooey aftercare helped heal but the downside was the tattoo stuck to clothing and stained bed linen. But the worst was the terrible itching as the tattoo healed. He was a builder, so he booked 10 days off work as he didn’t want to get any dirt on it.”

While visiting family in the

Midlands

Steve met his friend for dinner. An ambassador to The Royal Society of Chemists, he formulates for leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Steve said: “I mentioned my friend’s issues with tattoo healing and he said I will formulate a product for you. I didn’t think anything of it, but a few months later he posted me a few unlabelled samples and said try them. This was a dry, breathable antibacterial coating for tattoos, so no sticking to clothing There’s no itch and no infection. I sent the samples to five people to trial and the feedback was 100% positive. I needed a challenge

and believed in the product.” Now the tattoo aftercare product is stocked by all leading UK wholesalers and is the only UK tattoo aftercare stocked by US wholesalers. Last year Steve’s company The Cambridge Clinic was voted The UKs most innovative tattoo and microblading aftercare company, and now offers products for microblading, laser treatment and scalp micropigmentation, too. Steve said: “We are now looking to relocate production and distribution to Weymouth in the next 12 months, in a small industrial unit. Well, I say to retire is to expire…” Go to thecambridgeclinic.co.uk or search for Fade the Itch, Fade the Heat or SPMU Dry Heal Serum on eBay/Amazon. Also sold at Red Wasp in King Street, Weymouth.

Recruitment Open Day

Wednesday 17 May 5PM - 7PM

Drop in and meet the team! Machinery demonstrations, chat with our team members and find out about our current vacancies!

Book your place here

Sport

Alyce in 630-mile coast run fundraiser

A woman from Weymouth is planning to ‘run home’ by tackling the 630-mile length of the South West Coast Path to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. Alyce Rockliff, 36, was due to begin her epic run in Minehead on Monday, May 8 and aims to complete her journey in Studland in June.

The route’s elevation is four times the height of Mount Everest and will take her through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall before reaching her home county of Dorset.

Alyce has chosen to support the charity because her father has been fighting prostate

cancer for five years.

Alyce said: “I’m both excited and apprehensive about taking on this challenge. The mental game is going to be just as tough, if not tougher, that the physical aspect. I

am used to road running, so running on trails is going to be a challenge for me. It’s all part and parcel of the experience and I hope to conquer my fear of heights and cows along the way! “Since I started running 10 years ago, my dad has been my biggest supporter. If he isn’t running alongside me, he’s the loudest cheerleader on the sidelines. And although the cancer drugs have slowed him down, there is still no stopping him. His determination to keep moving forward and to fight this silent killer is inspiring and I want to show the same support he has shown me all

these years by taking on the longest and most difficult run of my life.”

Prostate cancer is a devastating disease which claims a life every 45 seconds.

It is one of the most common types of cancer, with experts saying that one in eight men will get it during their lifetime.

To follow Alyce’s journey along the coast path visit: @alycerunshome on Instagram or Facebook. Donations are welcome to support the cause, please visit givewheel.com/ fundraising/702/alyce-runshome

ON THE RUN: Alyce Rockliff

Herbst happy with mid-table finish

By Stuart Wickham stuart@westdorsetmag.co.uk

Bridport manager Chris Herbst has told The West Dorset Magazine of his delight at their mid-table finish, and is targeting a promotion push in 2023/24 campaign.

Herbst guided his team from the lower reaches of the South West Peninsula League, to the relative comfort of eleventh place, and is confident that there is more to come next season. He said: “I’m confident we can push on from here and we will be targeting the top four or five next time. I’m over the moon with eleventh place and am sure we can continue to build. When I took over with us at the bottom, I said I was aiming for a finish in mid-table, so I’m delighted with this.

“We did start to show signs of the struggle towards the end of the season, so we will need to build the squad up. With the backlog of games, they came thick and fast at the end, and that took its toll with some injuries. We called up some from the reserves, but they had the same challenges, so we were down to 15 or 16 in the squad. When you have so few players and less time for

them to recover, it’s natural that you’ll pick up more niggles, so the cycle continues.”

Herbst is looking to bolster the squad in the close season. He said: “If I can keep the core of players and add four or five more through the spine of the team, I think we’ll be well-placed to challenge near the top next season. We think we’ve got a striker on his way, and would

like to strengthen with a right back, centre back and central midfielder too.”

Herbst took over the reins from Edgar Marcu and building up the team’s fitness levels on his arrival was a priority. Chris said: “It was obvious that they were behind with their fitness when I joined, so we had to have a mini pre-season during the season, just to try and build the players’ fitness and stamina. That was quite hard to do. This time, it will be great to be able to build up their levels during the summer. We’ve recruited a new fitness coach, so when the players return on June 27, we’ll be good to go and hope to be in better shape.”

Bridport Town FC are always open to hearing from potential new players from the local area. Please contact the club for details.

Zebras’ steep learning curve in Prem

The chairman of Sherborne Town has reflected on a difficult season as the Zebras adjusted to life in the Premier Division of the Toolstation League.

John Bowers has spoken of the challenges on and off the pitch, and is upbeat about the prospects for next season under new manager, Nik Andrews.

John said: “It was a strange season for us really. Of course, it all started with Wayne deciding to leave just two weeks before our first competitive game, so overall I’ve got no complaints at how we’ve done. Panic set in a little bit, and it did affect our chances of a few new players. Luckily Neil (Waddington) stepped in, and with the help of a couple of the senior players, got us out of the mire really. We

didn’t travel very well and would have liked to get more points on the road, but we had some very good performances during the season. I know we finished down near the bottom but it didn’t really feel like we were in a relegation fight and I always knew we’d be OK. “We’re looking forward to being more prepared this time around. Nik comes in with a wealth of experience managing at this level, and we hope to consolidate next season and aim for a mid-table finish. We accept that we’re not a Southern League team, but if we can be in the middle and maybe enjoy a good cup run, that would be great.”

The Zebras’ first friendly is scheduled for July 19, but preparations have already begun.

John said: “Our reserves had only finished a week ago, and already we’ve been busy working on the pitch. We’ve dug up and returfed the goalmouths, so I’ve been down there every day to water them. We’ve also done some work on the advertising hoarding around the ground. It all comes at a cost, but we’ve been lucky to get some support from the Football Foundation to help with the ground improvements. It remains a struggle running a club and it’s a bit hand to mouth sometimes. Lots of clubs are struggling and we’ve learned that a couple of teams are having to call it a day. There is some money coming from the League, with £40,000 being distributed among the teams. It will help,

but we’ll have to still keep our focus on sponsorship and events and the revenue from the bar.” John touches on the challenges of travelling in light of the failed merger talks between the Toolstation and Peninsula Leagues. He said: “It’s certainly a drain on our resources and we had our second trip to Falmouth near the end of the season. The conditions were possibly worse than they were when the original fixture was postponed, and the ref was saying at half-time he was going to have to call it off, but Neil managed to persuade him to carry on. We couldn’t have afforded to go there a third time and would have really struggled to get a team. The drain on resources and players is immense for clubs like ours.”

AIMING HIGHER: Bees’ boss Chris Herbst

Jack retains title with a double haul of carp

By Graham Howard

Good half & bad half for Magpies

Regular contributor and Dorchester Town fan STUART VOSS of The Same Old Few podcast, gives his opinion on the Magpies’ season of two halves.

In my pre-season preview, I said I’d take a twelfth place finish and a cup run, after some recent dire seasons. Well, thirteenth and no cup run was what we got. Still a marked improvement, but it could have been a lot more. An excellent first half of the season found us in the playoff positions in late January and had us hoping for an exciting finish to the season, but our form fell off a cliff. So, although we’ve made undoubted progress from this time last year, it did leave us feeling a bit deflated come the final day.

Plus points were the new signings who fitted in well with, Shaq Gwengwe, Jordan Ngalo and Kieran Douglas particularly

impressive in my opinion, our home form was hugely improved, and Charlie Gunson was excellent all season. However, our goal difference was awful and was in the minuses even when we were in the top five, away form was woeful, and our capitulation in the latter half of the season was really disappointing after such a good start. All in all, it’s still a vast improvement on last season, albeit with a slight asterisk given how we showed such early promise before reverting to old habits. Keep the core of this squad and make some good additions and we can further improve next season. Up the Magpies!

Seven Juniors turned out in the rain at Luckfield Lake for the second round of the DDAS Junior championship. Changeable conditions made the fishing unpredictable, forcing the juniors to target the smaller species in most pegs. The sun did come out in the middle of the day as did some very nice-looking roach and perch.

Fishing close in with maggots seemed to be the best method and Austin Scott-Kennedy looked odds-on to win the day until reigning champion, Jack Copp, pictured, rolled the dice to try to catch

some carp. He managed to find two hungry fish boosting his weight by 19lbs. Former champ Oliver Smith had a steadier day by quietly sneaking some good fish without many seeing. The rain returned in the end, but not that Jack noticed. He was the winner, weighing 23lbs 9ozs, second was a worthy Austin ScottKennedy weighing 13lbs 3ozs, and Ollie was third weighing 6lbs 14ozs. The top three all win vouchers to Alan’s Angling in Dorchester. Our next event is at Todber Manor on Saturday, May 13. Please see ddasjuniors.co.uk for details.

Dean lands Chesil Champs

Dean Francis scooped the coveted Chesil Champs, landing a super small eye ray to pip leapfrog Mike Taylor. The 48th running of the tournament took place between Hive Beach, Burton Bradstock, and the Dragon’s Teeth, Abbotsbury, with the 69 entrants finding conditions very challenging.

Dean, who runs the

Facebook group Fishing Tales and Friends, has been sea fishing for around four years but only started match fishing in the past year. Dean said of his win: “It’s a dream come true, winning the Chesil Champs. It was my first time fishing the match and being 48 years old and winning the 48th champs is very special to me.”

HIP, HIP, HOO-RAY!: Dean Francis with his small eye ray and, right, receiving his trophy

SHAQ ATTACK: Newcomer Shaq Lengwe engulfed by the influential Charlie Gunson and other players and fans

Picture: PHIL STANDFIELD

Celebrating centenary of bowls club

By Stuart Wickham stuart@westdorsetmag.co.uk

In their 100th anniversary year, we take a look back at the history of Bridport Bowling Club.

The club began competitive bowls in 1923 when they were elected to the South Dorset League, by which time their membership stood at 33. In April that year, the club built a pavilion with one room reserved for ladies and the membership had swelled to 80 by the time it opened a month later.

An early reference in the Bridport News in October hailed the club’s impressive start as they notched three successive victories against Crewkerne and Axminster in friendlies, and Portland Borstal Officers in the league. With membership continuing to build, the club was able to plan for two teams in 1924, and although they only won two fixtures, the sportsmanship of the team was unquestioned, with one opponent commenting: ‘There is one thing Bridport men can take defeat in a sportsmanlike manner, and we trust to better luck next season’.

The 1925 season saw results improve, with the maturing green widely considered to be the best in Dorset. The season opened with a game against the Town Council, which became the traditional first fixture for the next 30 years.

Prominent net-maker, William Saunders Edwards, became the club’s inaugural President in 1925, and the standing of the club was further enhanced when they were affiliated to the Dorset Bowling Association in November 1926. The following season saw members reaching the

BACK IN TIME: Club members in around 1929 and, right, a ladies outing in 1973 and, below, watching a game in 1935

County Pairs Final, losing to the team who eventually went on to win the National Final. The club introduced blazers in time for the arrival of the County team in August, where the remarkable improvement on the green was evidenced with a narrow defeat at home being following by an impressive 39 – 32 win at Poole Park.

By 1929, several members had been selected to play for Dorset, however with increasing friction between the three separate sports teams at the venue, the bowls club were soon to be looking for a new home. At the Annual Supper held in November, President Edwards announced that he wished to donate a parcel of land he owned by the River

Brit, which has remained the club’s home to this day. 1930 was a milestone year in the club’s history when the new green was laid at a cost of £750, and said to be financed by J.C.Hunt, who then leased it to the club on a 99-year lease for the princely sum of £3 per annum. It was reported that the turf was transported from South Wales, with Mr Andrew Rae of Cardiff laying it diagonally from corner to corner and Major S H Cleal given the honour of laying the final piece.

Mr Edwards died in 1932, although his generosity and leadership remain central to the club’s standing today. In 1934, it was decided that women should not be allowed membership of the club, with just one day set

aside for members’ wives to use the green, and a year later, the club took the unusual step to withdraw from the county league and concentrate purely on friendly matches.

In 1937, the club adopted its badge which has been unchanged to this day, and with the onset of war in 1939, all league games were suspended although the club doors remained open to members throughout. When play resumed after the hostilities, the club continued to enhance its reputation, winning several titles, cups and individual awards.

The club joined the South Dorset League in 1964, winning it at the first attempt, and, in 1967, the club won the Baker Cup despite seeing its membership dwindle. With membership fees vital to the prosperity of the club, the growing popularity of Bridport as a retirement haven, helped to boost numbers by the end of the decade and a ladies’ section was formally re-introduced in 1965.

In 1973, with the death of J.C. Hunt and later his widow, the club took the opportunity to purchase the freehold of the club, making it one of the few clubs which owns its own facilities.

Club members celebrated its Golden Jubilee with an invitational match against the English Bowling Association, with Bridport losing 125 to 105.

At a pre-match luncheon, club President Harry Castle declared that the civic reception and visit of the EBA was the highlight of the celebration and a unique and outstanding event in the history of the club.

n Next month: 1973 to present day.

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands

By The Rev DEB SMITH Rector of Bridport

I remember seeing a TV programme a while ago which attempted to make a scientific study of happiness. It looked at ways in which happiness can be measured and understood.

One study compared the quality and length of life of those who are naturally miserable and those who have a positive outlook. The study was carried out in a convent in America and the survey concluded that all the happy nuns lived on average nine years longer than the grumpy nuns. Let that be a lesson to us all!

The programme makers

Services

Sherborne Abbey Monday to Saturday at 8.30am, Morning

Prayer, The Sepulchre Chapel

Every Monday at 9am, Holy Communion, The Lady Chapel

Every Tuesday at noon, Holy Communion, The Lady Chapel

Every Wednesday at 10.30am, Holy Communion with Homily – The Lady Chapel

Every Thursday at noon, BCP Holy Communion, Lady Chapel

Every Friday at 9am, Ecumenical Holy Communion, The Lady Chapel

The first Friday of the month at 9am, Requiem Holy Communion, Sepulchre Chapel

Every Saturday at 9am, Holy Communion, Sepulchre Chapel

Sunday, May 14

St Paul’s at the Gryphon

found it difficult to define happiness – but they kept referring to it as the thing we all want most. It is what makes life good.

In a well-loved verse from John’s Gospel Jesus says: I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness

Perhaps life in all its fullness is a definition of happiness. It seems to

10.30am Holy Communion

St John the Baptist, Symondsbury

9.30am Celtic Worship

North Poorton 9.30am Holy Communion

Dottery 10.30am Morning Worship

Askerswell 11am Benefice

Eucharist

Broadoak 6.30pm BCP

Evening Prayer Rogation

Halstock, 11am Holy Communion

West Chelborough 9.30

Morning Prayer

Melbury Osmund 9.30 Holy Communion

Frome St Quintin 11am Holy Communion

Melbury Bubb 11am Morning

Prayer

Maiden Newton 9.30 worship service

Cattistock 6pm Holy Communion

Thursday, May 18

Sherborne Abbey

7pm Ascension Day Eucharist

speak of life which bursts out of all confines, life which can’t be contained. Perhaps it speaks of an underlying wellbeing, even when life knocks us off course. Like when a pandemic hits us for instance. When we are grieving, uncertain of the road ahead.

Life in all its fullness is perhaps something to do

Saturday, May 20

Sherborne Abbey

3pm St Aldhelm’s Celebration Service

Sunday, May 21

St Paul’s at the Gryphon

10.30am All Age Worship

Sherborne Abbey

6pm Friends of Sherborne

Abbey Evensong and AGM

St Mary Magdalene, Loders

9.30am Celtic Worship

St Mary the Virgin, Powerstock

11am Benefice Eucharist

Corscombe 10am Morning

Worship

Halstock 9.30 Breakfast Church

Evershot 10am Holy Communion

Rampisham 11.15 Holy Communion

Maiden Newton 9.30 Holy Communion

Chilfrome 11am Morning

Prayer

Saturday, May 27

Sherborne Abbey

with apprehending how precious is that gift, despite everything else, even in taking the time to really look when we are out walking, appreciating the beauty around us. Drinking in the birdsong, noticing little kindnesses that are shown us.

“I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” It’s easy to recognise that on good days. But the ability to glimpse the possibility and the promise in our lives even on dark days, can make those moments the brightest of all.

5pm Choral Evensong with the Danensian Choir

Sunday, May 28

Frome Vauchurch 11am Communion

St Paul’s at the Gryphon

10.30am Morning Worship

Melbury Osmund 9.30

Morning Prayer

Sherborne Abbey 5pm

Evensong with the Danensian Choir

Cattistock 10am Holy Communion

Dottery 9.30am Holy Communion

Symondsbury 11am Benefice

Eucharist

North Poorton 6.30pm

Evensong

Askerswell 6.30pm Evensong

Sunday, June 4

St Paul’s at the Gryphon

10.30am Morning Worship

Powerstock 9.30 Celtic Worship

St Mary Magdalene, Loders

11am Benefice Eucharist

Health & Wellbeing

Di’s fitness journey really takes the

A Dorchester woman is celebrating 17 years as part of a group that helped her shift two stone and regain her fitness.

Di Taylor, 73, was nearly 57 when she joined Slimming World and found herself getting bigger and bigger – despite dieting and exercise.

She knew she was on to a winner when the plan included carbs, leaving the way clear to indulge in her food faves – jacket potatoes and digestive biscuits.

The weight started to come off and now, nearly two decades later, she is a fit

and slim pensioner, regularly running and playing badminton.

Di said: “I received such a warm welcome and

everyone was so kind and eager to share their Slimming World journeys with me. “I’m a carb girl so I

couldn’t believe it when I discovered I could eat a jacket potato every day if I wanted to – heaven – and I love a digestive biscuit

MONDAY: 7pm

CROSSWAYS

Crossways Youth & Community Centre, Old Farm Way DT2

8TU

Julie 07871 821928

TUESDAY: 5.30pm & 7.30pm

BRIDPORT

St Mary's Church Hall, South Street DT6 3NW.

Sue 07542 649812

TUESDAY: 7pm

DORCHESTER

The Old Salvation Army Hall, Durngate Street DT1 1NA

(google The Pointe)

Tracie 07827 710552

TUESDAY: 5.30pm & 7pm

WEDNESDAY: 9am &10.30am

WAREHAM

Masonic Hall, Howards Lane

BH20 4HU

Jackie 07715 438810

WEDNESDAY: 5.30pm & 7.30pm

FRIDAY: 9.30am & 11.30am

WOOL

The D'Urbeville Centre, Colliers Lane BH20 6DL

Jane 07887 866730

WEDNESDAY: 9.30 & 11.30am

#YesYouCanWithSlimmingWorld slimmingworld.co.uk

#YesYouCanWithSlimmingWorld slimmingworld.co.uk

St Mary’s Church Hall South St

Natalie 01308 426521

THURSDAY: 9.30am

LYME REGIS

Woodmead Halls, Hill Road

DT7 3PG.

Sue 07542 649812

THURSDAY: 7pm

PUDDLETOWN

Puddletown Village Hall, High Street DT2 8FZ

Call/text Julie 07871 821928

THURSDAY: 9.30 & 11.30am

BRIDPORT

Bridport Christian Fellowship

Hall (East st car park, Long stay)

Natalie 01308 426521

THURSDAY: 5.30 & 7.30pm

BRIDPORT United Church Hall in East St (side entrance)

Natalie 01308 426521

FRIDAY 9.30am & 11.30am

SATURDAY: 9.30am

NEW CONSULTANT DORCHESTER

NEW VENUE from April 21: Dorchester Youth & Community Centre, Kings Road, DT1 1NJ Sam 07814 619200

BEFORE AND AFTER: Di Taylor 17 years ago and, centre, as she is today. Right, at a recent clothes throw, R-L consultant Sam Roach, members Jo Mc Bryde and Mary Miller and Slimming World Consultant Tracie Williams

with coffee which I could factor into the plan, bliss!”

Di dropped two dress sizes, but says she never felt hungry or deprived.

Di credits meeting her Slimming World friends every week and the support and encouragement from them and her consultant Tracie Williams for her continued success.

She said: “We are all each other’s cheerleaders and we have fun every week as well as learning about new recipes, food ideas and hints and tips to stay on track at tricky times like special occasions or even just weekends.”

She enjoys supporting other members and loves taking part in the Big Slimming World Clothes Throw, where members who have slimmed out of their larger clothes bag them up to raise cash for Cancer Research UK. She said: “It is good to be a part of an initiative which reaches out to others in need whilst also benefitting ourselves as members, as we never want to give ourselves permission to grow back into those bigger size clothes again.”

A recent clothes throw event in West Dorset raised the equivalent of £1,620 for Cancer Research UK

Slimming World members collected 54 bags in Dorchester alone..

To find out more about any of the local Slimming World groups visit slimmingworld.co.uk and to find your nearest local group type in your postcode.

Wayne’s world improved after £4,500 bike challenge

By Karen Bate karen@westdorsetmag.co.uk

A Weymouth man who was left with serious injuries after a serious assault in 2021 has sown the seeds for greenhouse therapy after raising £4,500 from a gruelling cycle challenge. Inspirational Wayne Clarke lives with right-side paralysis, aphasia and personality change and cycled across Normandy, France, pedalling 270 miles in less than 35 hours using his left leg.

The money he raised will be helping people in Dorset recover from brain injuries with a new greenhouse and gym equipment.

After Wayne was assaulted, he received treatment over 10 months from Dorset HealthCare’s Acquired Brain Injury Service, which included occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychological support and

speech and language therapy.

Occupational therapist

Jennifer Peak said: “We are over the moon that Wayne thought of us when donating some of the funds he raised. We run a weekly allotment gardening group for patients in the east of the county, overseen by an assistant rehabilitation practitioner and volunteer. “And the greenhouse now means that patients are no longer restricted in what and when they can start growing. With shelves inside, it will also enable the involvement of those patients with physical limitations and dizziness. “There are many therapeutic benefits to gardening, and our group focuses on addressing patients’ work stamina, mobility, balance, fatigue levels, concentration and general wellbeing.”

Along with the greenhouse, the gym equipment Wayne kindly donated is already in use and making a big difference to the recovery of patients with brain injuries across Dorset. Jennifer said: “Many people require aids and pieces of equipment to help with movement and increase their physical activity. The donated pieces of exercise equipment such as gym balls and balance boards can be used by patients who experience a variety of difficulties.

“Overcoming physical challenges is something that Wayne has experienced, so it is fitting that his donation is supporting the physical wellbeing of others. Not only is his donation hugely beneficial but his achievement of cycling so many miles is also an inspiration to us all.”

GREENHOUSE EFFECT: Wayne Clarke in the greenhouse with some of the gym equipment

Health & Wellbeing

Don’t let the news control your anxiety

By Ian Smith of the Wellbeing Practice in Poundbury

This year Mental Health Awareness week is from May 15-21 and the theme is anxiety. One in 10 people will suffer from anxiety in their lives and it is most common in the 35-59 age group. When feeling stressed people will often say, ‘It’s just my anxiety’, this can however present itself in many ways. The most common types of anxiety and those talked about most often are:

n Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

n Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome

n Generalised Anxiety

TURN OFF THE NEWS: You can’t control it, so don’t let it control you

Disorder

n Phobias

n Separation Anxiety

n News Anxiety

n Health Anxiety

News anxiety is part of our everyday lives. Most of us can identify with checking our phones,

listening out for news headlines about situations that we cannot control. It can bring about feelings of hopelessness and social isolation. It is important to remember that YOU are in control of these things. What can you do? Firstly, turn off the notifications on your phone, avoid listening out for the news and stream your favourite tracks instead. Spending more time around friends and family will reduce the feeling of social isolation and you will find yourself challenging your thinking. Turn it off, you can’t change the news, but you can be proactive in how you let it affect you.

n Wellbeing Practice will be celebrating Mental Health Awareness week by holding a free workshop on managing children’s anxiety and offer new creative therapy sessions details and booking are on our website: wellbeingpractice.co.uk

Routine appointments £40

Toenails cut only (not ingrowing nails, corns or hard skin) £22

Ingrowing toenails £28

Corn removal (up to 2) £28

Ingrowing nail surgery:

1 nail £275

2 nails £375

Verruca treatment (acid) £25

Verruca needling surgery

(local anaesthetic) £190

NEW Omega laser

(for plantar fasciitis, pain, injuries and arthritis) from £28

Orthotics including fitting £70

Podiatrist and owner Gillian May BSc (Hons) MRCPod Degree in Podiatric Medicine

HCPC Registerred CH33115

Foot Health Practitioner Samantha Mclaren

Open Mon-Sat, 8am4pm in Princes Street, near the old Argos Building, DT1 1RL

WRAXALL

Wraxall is unique among Dorset parishes in that it has no recorded public rights of way. However, it does have an unpaved, unwanted, unloved, unclassified county road, Wraxall Lane, which is, in places, in worse condition than any of the right of way you’ll have used so far if you’re doing these walks.

Start at the ancient church, which is usually open. The graveyard is worth a look too, particularly the tomb just behind the church,

Health & Wellbeing

WALKING IN DORSET with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

which has a cluster of skulls carved on it. Then walk down the road a short distance and cross a ford (there’s a bridge next to it) to enter Wraxall Lane. The first part is easy going and there are lovely view of the countryside to the north, however, once you’re past the farm and going downhill it’s very rutted and muddy so you’ll be glad that you’re appropriately shod and carrying a stick. My dad

once told me that it was in much better condition when he used to ride horses along it in the 1930s. At the worst bit join a road on your left, heading downhill to the north, over a stream, which is the parish boundary, into Cattistock parish where you soon join a Tarmac road that takes you northwest for half-a-mile then turns left down over a bridge back into Wraxall. Continue along the road

through Lower Wraxall, past the church and up the hill, missing the first junction but turning left at the second which takes you down to Higher Wraxall where the ancient Manor House is being refurbished. There are some stables too, but the clock on them is wrong.

Then walk back up the road, turn right and soon you’ll be back where you started, having walked about three miles.

Agriculture

Left it late, but it’s the lambing season

Just like that, lambing was upon us. Having decided to lamb late we are only just beginning when others are finishing. It was hoped that we would avoid the mud, but it was not to be. Not only that, it got cold. Our most dependable ewe was spot on time, giving birth effortlessly, bringing two strong ram lambs into the flock. A great mum. After this year we will be retiring her from lambing as she really struggled with the last few weeks. Her burden

so heavy that she plodded on but was clearly uncomfortable. A few days later I noticed that her lambs were only drinking from one side, and after losing my favourite sheep last year to mastitis, the vet was called out with haste. The vet confirmed my suspicion and gave a shot of long-acting antibiotics as well as pain relief. Bless her though, she is still

feeding the lambs from one side and managing, the mastitis has not progressed, and we have everything crossed for a good outcome. Disney Mismarked Princess was next and produced a ram and a ewe. One is perfectly marked and one looks as though it has been splatted with white paint, although totally against breed standard it is a beautiful

little thing and both are doing well. We are nearly there. Number 64, known as Aunty, is hanging on to her coffee table look. A week ago we thought she was imminent, now we just think she is having a laugh at our expense. She flits from being quiet and subdued to thinking that she is not pregnant at all. Maybe, we are wondering, she is having a huge set of twins. Last year she had King, a very fine huge ram lamb who is the gentlest of characters and a credit to the breed.

The rams are grazing happily in the flocks’ home village and enjoying the beauty of the Blackmore Vale. Tired is an understatement currently and fingers crossed that the last to lamb uncross their legs and just get on with it now!

Mud-phobic Tria Stebbing lives on the outskirts of Sherborne.

HERE THEY ARE: Two of our recent arrivals

Smart new strip for Young Farmers

Members of Beaminster Young Farmers Club are sporting a new club look thanks to support from local businesses.

The Chedington Court Estate Ltd together with Hedway Fencing and Groundworks Ltd have sponsored new rugby shirts for every member of Beaminster YFC, which will be worn at club meetings as well as at county competitions and sporting events. Further funding towards the shirts was also secured via a grant from the FMR Trust – which provides grants to groups and organisations within Broadwindsor, Drimpton

and Blackdown for sporting and active recreational projects.

Club chairman Kai Kenway said: “We are very grateful to our sponsors and the FMR Trust for their support. Our club now has almost 40 members and participates in every competition it can and it’s great to have a team

LOOKING

SMART: Beaminster YFC chairman Kai Kenway with Dr Geoffrey Guy

identity at these events. In the past year we have entered a wide range of Dorset YFC sport, public speaking, and drama competitions with some of our members going on to compete on behalf of the County and beyond. Closer to home, we enjoy putting teams forward for some of the rural competitions that

SPONSORING

Melplash Show organises, such as hedge laying and stock judging. We look forward to wearing our shirts with pride at the Dorset YFC Rally this weekend where our Tug of War team will now look the part.”

Hedway Fencing and Groundworks Ltd is run by ex-Beaminster YFC member Stuart Hedditch. Dr Geoffrey Guy from The Chedington Court Estate Ltd came along to Beaminster YFC’s meeting to meet the members and hand over the new shirts. Club members will be helping with parking at the Chedington Open Day on Saturday, May 27.