Culture

Wessex Military Band will perform a winter concert at Bridport’s Electric Palace from 3pm to 5pm on Sunday, December 4. Founded as a youth band in 1981, by 1990 the Wessex Military Band had been invited by the Army to form as the voluntary band of the Army Air Corps based at Middle Wallop near Andover, as they didn’t have a regimental band at the time. The band became known as the Voluntary Band of the Army Air Corps but in 1993 the Army decided to disband the band who, undeterred, went on to reform as the Wessex Military Band. The Ministry of Defence repaid its gratitude to the musicians by providing financial assistance in reforming as the Wessex Military Band and allowing the band to use the recently decommissioned ‘Wessex’ regiment emblem with its distinctive wyvern. One of the early and most prestigious engagements the band was involved in the early performing for HRH the Prince of Wales and HRH the Duke of Kent. When, in 2006 the band’s founder retired to Austria, the band was fortunate to have in its ranks people who were willing to take over the day to day running of the band. This included Phil Bond as bandmaster, Mandy Bell as band administrator, treasurer and librarian, and Shirley Courage as band co-ordinator plus Louise Goligher as their marketing manager. Last year, the band performed several times in Bridport’s Bucky Doo Square and in the town’s remembrance parade as well as at Weymouth’s Nothe Fort. The Wessex Band will perform at the Electric Palace in December and, although the music has not yet been finalised, bandmaster Phil Bond promises an “enjoyable, entertaining and fun programme, with something for all musical tastes young and old.” The band has also been invited to attend perform as Schützenfest in Germany later this year. For tickets and information about the Winter Concert please contact the Electric Palace: 01308 428354.

PARP: The Wessex Military Band at the Electric Palace and, below, in Bucky Doo Square Band set to strike up for winter concert at Palace

Upton, McIntosh and Wilson putting the yippee into Eype

Musical trio Upton, McIntosh and Wilson are performing at Eype Centre for the Arts on Friday, November 4, from 6.30pm. Also known as Jess, Robbie and Steve, the players will perform some of their favourite songs with expert three-part harmonies. Robbie McIntosh has a CV which beggars belief, supplying his peerless work for artistes including Paul McCartney, The Pretenders and Tom Jones, Norah Jones and John Mayer. Steve Wilson has become one of the most well-loved local musicians as the bassist with The Little Green Men, The Guilty Pleasures,and his own band, Wilson. Jess Upton has established a gilt-edged reputation with her renowned Soul Band as well as The Guilty Pleasures. Tickets are £13.50 plus fees with all profits going to the centre. See concertsateype.eventbrite.com

I’m making a mountain of art out of

When artist Anthony Paul moved to Lower Bockhampton eight years ago, his first task was to create a warm studio gallery out of a semiderelict workshop. Now he has accomplished that, he’s throwing open the (presumably) freshly painted door of Molehill Studio to the public for Dorset Arts Week. Paul’s daughters, Kerry and Sally, are joining him in a special exhibition of their collective artwork at the studio from November 18 to 20 between 10am and 4pm. Anthony, whose works have been shown in Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Royal Society of British Artists, and The Royal Society of Marine Artists’ Mall Gallery exhibitions, is showing a variety of pictures, many painted using the hand-made classical mediums of egg and casein tempera. He also displays a great range of greetings cards featuring his work and his work can be viewed on Instagram @anthony paulart_molehill_studio Sally Paul says of her work: “I have always crafted in various materials, but I felt born again when the covid shut down began, allowing me to experiment with a new medium. I had enjoyed seeing foiled stained-glass pieces and fused glass work, but never had the time to learn. I asked my dad to show me how to solder, then I bought some stained-glass pieces, some copper foil and the necessary tools, and set to work. It didn’t go well to start with, but I persevered and am now enjoying creating exciting and interesting pieces, which will complement my dad’s and sister’s work.” Sally’s work can be seen on Instagram @sallypaul 858. Anthony’s other daughter Kerry Tristram has a degree in jewellery design from Middlesex University and later gained her PGCE teacher training qualification at Roehampton. Over the last 20 years Kerry has worked as a primary teacher and arts educator, most recently as head of art at Amesbury, an independent prep school in Surrey. She is now working as an independent designer and maker in her hometown of Farnham, Surrey. Kerry is showing multimedia works, collages,

FAMILIAR SIGHT: Sheep at Colmers Hill and, below, memories of Brownsea and Kerry’s winter greetings card

my Molehill Studio

MOLEHILL MAESTRO: Anthony Paul and, above, inside the studio and, below, the derelict workshop

prints and greetings cards celebrating nature, and uplifting images of the human experience. Her worked can be viewed on Instagram @studiocuckoo n To get to Molehill Studio from the A35 to the north, follow the signs to Lower Bockhampton on Bockhampton Lane and park 100 metres past Yalbury Cottage where you will see Bockhampton Bridge. On the left, just before the bridge, you will see a long brick and stone wall running down a farm lane and the gate to Molehill Studio is at its end.

The West Dorset Magazine, November 4, 2022 51 Culture Artists united to raise cash for cancer charity

Artists in Lyme are banding together to show their support for a local cancer charity. Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support will host an art exhibition in Uplyme Village Hall on Friday and Saturday, November 11 and 12. Nine local artists will be exhibiting their work and there will be the opportunity to purchase the displayed art during the show to support the charity’s work. The art show starts on Friday evening, with a private viewing by invitation, followed by an open viewing on Saturday from 10am to noon. Light refreshments will be available. The artists exhibiting at this year’s show are Anne Townsend, Alban Connell, Alison Boskill, Liz Biles, Jools Woodhouse, Christine Allison, Jeanne Coates, Maggie Stead and Dot Wood, who died of leukaemia in July. “We are thrilled to bring to you a mix of talented artists across a range of different forms and materials, with unique styles who are contributing their works to support our charity,” said Mary Kahn, founder of the charity. “We would like to thank all the artists who submitted their works and contributed to making this art show possible, as well as the volunteers making this event possible. “We support anyone affected by any cancer in our area and this will help us to continue to provide needed help and care to many in our community.”

n If anyone wants to access support or contribute directly to the charity, more information is available at axminsterand lymecancersupport.co.uk

Cartoonists drawn to show

Shaftesbury, widely known as a cultural nerve centre and a pulsing magnet for all things arty and crafty, recently hosted SHAFTOON!, the Shaftesbury Cartoon Convention. Professional cartoonists from all corners of the UK, including The West Dorset Magazine’s own cartoonist Lyndon Wall, all members of the Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain, converged on Ye Olde Two Brewers Inn, at the foot of Gold Hill, for four days of frenzied doodling. An open day gave the public the chance to see the cartoonists at work, have their caricatures drawn and purchase books and prints.

Witchcraft? Yes, we did that for a spell...

Dorchester Arts hosts a nudey-rudey, sidesplittingly funny comedy on Saturday, November 5 at the Corn Exchange. Witch Hunt (A&E Comedy) kicks off at 8pm, (doors and bar 7.30pm), and tickets are £14/£12 members and concessions. Witch Hunt weaves a cautionary fairy tale for our time. It celebrates the wisdom of the witch, unpacks the notion of predator and conjures a world of coven-ready weird sisters. A ritualistic voodoo brouhaha designed to enchant and hex the pricks and predators; imagine Vic and Bob doing The Crucible. Using buffoon, puppetry and magic and armed with a ‘wiccan’ sense of humour, A&E Comedy ask: “Can we use witchcraft to take down the Patriarchy?” Yes we can! ‘I think they are

WITCH REPORT: A&E Comedy at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester on November 5

CATCH THE MOON: Kevin Parr and The Quiet Moon amazing!!’ – Phoebe Waller-Bridge ‘You won’t see a more kick-ass show this year’ – Broadway Baby ‘These two women are unafraid, unabashed, completely hilarious and very, very silly to boot –Broadway Baby ‘Sexy, sassy, two performers at the top of their game’ – Fringe Review ‘Watch out, there are wild women about. Knicker-Wettingly funny’ – Total Theatre Book at dorchesterarts. org.uk or call 01305 266926.

Once in a blue moon, a book like this

Anyone who’s ever pondered the effect of the moon on our lives will be fascinated by a book by a West Dorset author Kevin Parr due out in January. The Quiet Moon – Tracing Paths to an Ancient Way of Being, tracks the changing moon through the year, leading to some interesting observations on mental health and the changing of the seasons. Will Millard, BBC presenter and author of The Old Man and the Sand Eel, said: “Kevin Parr stands among the finest natural history writers of our generation ... a masterful storyteller and a man wholly unafraid to bare his soul on the page.” The ancient Celts lived by and worshipped the moon. In a quest to find a more harmonious way of being, Kevin Parr discovers how a year of moons has much to teach us about how we live within the world that surrounds us. January’s Quiet Moon reflects an air of melancholy; it is the time of the Dark Days for the ancient Celts, when the natural world balances on the edge of a knife. By May, the Bright Moon brings happiness, time slows and the mood lifts. Mayflies cloud and elderflowers cascade. With the descent into winter comes the sadness of December’s Cold Moon. Yet it is the Blue Moon that surprises Kevin most as stoat packs charge, buzzards grapple and salmon leap. Fergus Collins, Editor of BBC Countryfile Magazine, said: “A powerfully honest and deeply reassuring exploration of an individual’s place in the world, and the incalculable wealth found when we take the time to notice the natural world and its rhythms.” Kevin Parr is a writer, fisherman and naturalist. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Rivers Run (2016), which was longlisted for the inaugural Richard Jefferies Prize for Nature Writing. He is a monthly columnist for BBC Countryfile Magazine and the angling correspondent for The Idler magazine and has written for the Daily Telegraph and Independent. Kevin lives in West Dorset with his wife and a colony of grass snakes a few strides from his garden.

Local talent on silver screen

Bridport Arts Centre hosted a fundraising celebration of young Dorset filmmakers. The film screening event raised funds to support a new project called BACSscreen designed to teach and support budding movie producers. Among the movies on show was Bait and Sudden Light, which was filmed by Sophie Littman around Abbotsbury with a central performance by teenager Millie Ashford that secured her a role in the upcoming Ridley Scott film Napoleon. The short film Kitchen Remedies, made by a small group in Bridport and later nominated in the Best Indie Short category at the Cannes Film Festival, was also shown. Kitchen Remedies is the story of a teenage boy grappling with loss and betrayal written and directed by actor-filmmaker Howie Blow, a member of The National Youth Theatre who is about to start actor training at Drama Studio London. The lead actor is George Earwicker who recently graduated with a first in film from Falmouth University and is the new facilitator for the BACStage drama group at Bridport Arts Centre. He said: “Currently, as part of my work for BACstage, I am seeing a great group of young people excited to explore filmmaking for the first time and look forward to what they will bring to the medium. “Working with BACstage has made me even more excited and hopeful for what it is to come with BACscreen and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such enthusiastic and creative people to help energise a local film scene.” Details of how to donate to BACstage project are at bridport-arts.com

The Perfect Gift for all Lovers of Dorset

DOWNSTREAM DORSET,

River Tales and Local History by Mary van Coller

282 pages full of snippets, facts, place names and colour photographs Available for £19.95 +p&p online at www.downstreamdorset.co.uk www.countrybooks.biz Supporting the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance service Published by Spiral Publishing Ltd & Country Books Have you herd? Holy Cow all the Raj

Epic Indian Tales are being brought vividly to life in Burton Bradstock and Sydling St Nicholas as Emily Hennessey and Sheema Mukherjee present Holy Cow! Storyteller Emily and sitar player Sheema have been fusing live storytelling and music for many years, specialising in Indian mythology with music drawing on Indian classical and contemporary traditions. With a style that is highly accessible and deeply engaging, they have toured a wide range of venues including the British Museum, York Theatre Royal and The Ancient Technology Centre. Work and extensive travel in India have kindled Emily’s great love of Hindu mythology, having lived and worked with a yakherding family on the Tibetan plateau, studied Kathakali dance-drama in Kerala and spent several months at the Kattaikkuttu School in Tamil Nadu. Sitar player Sheema performed in the 2016 staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe Theatre, and has collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as Courtney Pine and Sir John Tavenor. This outstanding musician has also supported Jimmy Page and Robert Plant on tour, performed at the Olympics Festival for Sydney 2000 and makes regular appearances at WOMAD Festival with her own ensembles Expect a mesmerising evening of storytelling and music, with a fast-flowing stream of cosmic creatures, celestial curses, wise women, and gods behaving badly in these tales of liberation, transformation and love. Emily and Sheema will perform live in Sydling St Nicholas on Wednesday, November 23 and Burton Bradstock on Thursday, November 24. Tickets at artsreach.co.uk

INDIAN INSPIRATION: Emily Hennessey and Sheema Mukherjee Pictures: Richard McMellon