Conduit March 2019 by Shelleys the Printers Ltd

Magazine SMASH HIT COMEDY

‘ALLO ‘ALLO AT THE OCTAGON 15-18 APRIL See p4 plus Yeovilton Military Wives Choir & “Boycie” visits!

Crossing counties, look inside for info on the best events and activities in West Dorset and South Somerset

INSIDE EVENTS ARTS

MUSIC

FOOD AND DRINK

Issue 217 March 2019

... AND COMPETITIONS

Serving Bruton, Castle Cary, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Langport, Sherborne, Somerton, Wincanton, Yeovil & Surrounding Villages www.theconduitmagazine.co.uk

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From the Editor Nothing signals the arrival of spring like the urge to get out in the garden and start growing! Our four pages of gardening topics in this issue are testament to how much our readers love seeing tips

EDITOR Jane Adkins

from our experts, exploring all the excellent plant fairs in the area and even taking themselves off on dedicated gardening breaks. Everyone enjoys seeing photographs of beautiful plants and gardens, but did you know one of the early photographic “greats”, William Henry Fox Talbot was a Dorset man – check out the column written by one of our new History contributors to find out more. In The Conduit we love to give you a real mix of articles to sit alongside the information on all the events in the area. So whether you enjoy reading about Wine, Books, Antiques or even how to make the most of your tax allowances, we guarantee there will be something of interest for everyone.

Contents

ASSISTANT EDITOR Lauren Hill

APRIL DEADLINES News and Articles: FRIDAY, 8 March Advertisements: MONDAY, 11 March

WHAT’S ON p4

Find out what’s going on in your area. Read The Conduit’s definitive guide to what’s happening in your town or village.

Domestic and contract flooring specialists 34 Princes Street, Yeovil, BA20 1EQ

p24 GARDENING p14 ARTS All the news from the Arts scene Top tips and Plant Fairs

Tel: 01935 478100 walterwallyeovil@hotmail.co.uk

BUSINESS & FINANCE p21

Recruitment and End of Year Tax Planning

LIFESTYLE p23 Find out what’s happening at The Emporium

MOVIES p30

Some great movies for March

FOOD & DRINK p35

How to make a Bircher Muesli

Visit our website for more Events, Services and Classifieds www.theconduitmagazine.co.uk Wyvern Buildings, North Street, Milborne Port DT9 5EP | 01935 424724 | info@theconduitmagazine.co.uk © The publisher is The Conduit Magazine Limited. The layout, format, design and all other aspects of this magazine are an original idea and therefore copyright of the publisher. No part of the contents may be reproduced in whole or in part without prior permission in writing. Whilst every care is taken in compiling the contents of this magazine, the proprietor assumes no responsibility for mistakes and omissions. The views of our contributors is not necessarily the view of the publisher.

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What’s On Coffee Mornings CASTLE CARY On Saturday 16 March from 9.00am to 12.30pm at Market House there is a Coffee Morning. Coffee, cake and raffle. For more information phone 01963 351324. On Saturday 30 March from 9.00am to 12.00 noon at the Market House there is a Choir Coffee Morning. Cake, coffee and raffle. For more information phone 01963 351324.

WHAT’S ON

Contact: Lauren Hill

/theconduitmagazine

E: info@theconduitmagazine.co.uk

@conduitmag

SHERBORNE On Wednesday 27 March at 10.00am at the Football Club Dorset Community Action have a Coffee Morning. These are great opportunities to network with other groups and raise your profile. For more information phone 01202 847605. SOUTH PETHERTON On Wednesday 27 February from 10.00am to 12.00 noon at the David Hall in South Petherton. Free entry. WINCANTON On Sunday 10 March from 10.00am at the Memorial Hall there is a Coffee Morning. Raffle, book and cake stall. All welcome.

LONG SUTTON On Friday 1 March from 10.30am to 12.00 noon at the Holy Trinity Church there is a Coffee Morning. In aid of Water Aid.

Fairs

MARTOCK On Friday 29 March from 10.30am to 12.00 noon at the Parish Hall it is Come For Coffee. Enjoy a cafetiere of coffee, pots of tea, home-made cakes and raffle. Occasional market stalls. Profits shared between Parish Hall Fund and charities.

EAST LAMBROOK From now until Thursday 28 February from 10.00am to 5.00pm it is the Festival of Snowdrops at East Lambrook Manor Gardens. An opportunity to see the spectactular array of snowdrops growing in the

garden together with additional displays showcasing some of the more unusual varieties. The festival will feature informal talks and tours of the snowdrops in the garden with many snowdrops on sale in the nursery. Open Tuesdays to Sundays. Garden entry £6, under 16’s free. For more information visit www. eastlambrook.com On Saturday 23 March from 10.00am to 4.00pm at East Lambrook Manor Gardens, Silver Street it is the Early Spring Plant Fair organised by East Lambrook and HPS Somerset Group. 22 of the South West’s top independent nurseries and seedsmen will be there. Admission £4. For more information visit www.eastlambrook.com SHEPTON MALLET On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March from 9.00am to 5.00pm at the Royal Bath and West Showground it is the annual West of England Game Fair. This year supported by the British Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC) and Countryman’s

Sounds of the 80’s with The Zoots The 80’s Show, You Just Can’t Get Enough Of! Friday 1 March, 7.30pm Tickets £17

The Counterfeit Sixties Re-live the sounds of the swinging 60s! Friday 5 April, 7.30pm Tickets £19/£18

Ronnie Scott’s All Stars Direct from London’s world famous Jazz Club. Saturday 9 March, 7.30pm Tickets £18

Jimmy Jemain & The Undercover Shadows The official UK No1 Cliff Richard Tribute Saturday 13 April, 7.30pm, Tickets £17.50/£16.50 The Chicago Blues Brothers Motown Mission Europe’s biggest & best loved production of the Blues Brothers. Saturday 22 June, 7.30pm Tickets £22.50/£21

Clare Grogan’s Altered Images With hits ‘Happy Birthday’ ‘Don’t Talk To Me About Love’ and more! Saturday 23 March, 7.30pm Tickets £22.50, Early Bird £21.50 Shylock Rhodri Miles as Shylock, was he a villain or victim? Thursday 4 April, 7.30pm Tickets £12

Grimethorpe Colliery Band Returning by popular demand! Saturday 29 June, 7.30pm Tickets £21.50

Old Market Hill, Sturminster Newton DT10 1FH Tel: 01258 475137

Web: www.stur-exchange.co.uk Email: info@stur-exchange.co.uk Follow us online: www.theconduitmagazine.co.uk Conduit March 19.indd 5

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WHAT’S ON

weekly. The event caters for those who are passionate about field sports with a focus on shooting, gun dogs and fishing and is the perfect event for those interested in the countryside. The event also has a wonderful mix of have-a-go activities including archery, air rifles, fly casting with Hywel Morgan and more. There will be a variety of companies selling a range of products, vintage tractors and vehicles to see and demonstrations. Tickets Adults £12, Children ages 5-16 £7, under 5’s free available from www. westofenglandgamefair.co.uk or 01392 421500. On Sunday 17 March from 10.00am to 2.00pm at Digby Hall there is a Charity Plant, Potato and Seed Fair. 15 stands. Refreshments available. Organised by Specialist Charity Plant Fairs. Free admission, donations to Macmillan Cancer Support. For more information and stall holders visit www. plantfairs.com WINCANTON On Saturday 9 March go along to Wincanton Book Festival with a Teddy Bear’s Picnic in the Library and other venues in town. Story reading; authors and poets in shops. For more information phone 01963 32173.

Food CREWKERNE On Friday 15 March from 12.30pm the Henhayes Centre there is a Chef’s Special Lunch with Roast Lamb followed by Jum Jum Cake. Start with fruit juices and finish with tea, coffee and chocolates. Vegetarian options are available. Entry £9. For more information phone 01460 74340. On Saturday 30 March from 10.00am to 11.30pm at the Henhayes Centre there is a Breakfast/Brunch. Entry £4.50 for egg, sausage, bacon, tomato or beans, toast, tea or coffee. Extra available at 50p each. For more information phone 01460 74340. EVERSHOT On Sunday 31 March at the George Albert Hotel enjoy Mothering Sunday Lunch. Two course carvery. Adults £17.75, Children £8.25. Pre booking essential. For

more information phone 01935 483430. HARDINGTON On Saturday 9 March from 8.30am to 12.00 noon at Hardington Village Hall there is a Village Breakfast. Raffle, donations gratefully received. Tickets from Springfield Stores. Money raised to Somerset Mind, Not Forgotten and the Village Hall. MEADWAY On Wednesday 27 March from 12.30pm at Meadway Hall it is the monthly Village Lunch. Booking required. For more information phone 01458 445463 or 01458 272485. TINTINHULL On Friday 29 March from 7.30pm at Eastfield Farm in Tintinhull go along to the next pop up restaurant ‘Butler in Buff with Canapes’. Steve James, award winning personal chef, will be hosting the evening and creating delicious menus for you to feast on. Enjoy an evening of fun, games, music and gorgeous men in the buff. Bring your own drinks. Entry £25 from www.allevents. in/yeovil/butler-in-the-buffcanape-evening/80001060593850 For more information phone 07909 651557. For more information, menu and to book visit www.stevejamesltd.com/ pop-ups-at-eastfield/ On Sunday 31 March from 12.30pm at Eastfield Farm in Tintinhull the pop up restaurant has a Mothers Day Roast. Steve James, award winning personal chef, will be hosting the evening and creating delicious menus for you to feast on. Canapes and three course meal £48. For more information, menu and to book visit www.stevejamesltd.com/ pop-ups-at-eastfield/

LEIGH On Saturday 2 March from 2.00pm to 4.00pm at Leigh Village Hall the WI are holding a Jumble Sale. Bric-a-brac, toys, books and more. Free entry. MARTOCK On Saturday 9 March from 10.00am to 1.00pm at Moorlands Shopping Precinct it is the monthly Farmers Market. Stock up for Easter from the 17 stalls selling ‘Slow Food’ including Whitelake Cheese, Duncan’s cauliflower, Eggardon black pudding, Bower Bakery’s walnut loaf, Barry’s bangers, Giles coffee, David’s honey, Gina’s cakes, Brenda’s marmalade, Cigdem’s baclava and more. For more information phone 01935 822202. MONTACUTE On Saturday 30 March from 10.00am to 2.00pm at Montacute House the monthly Levels Best Market returns for the year. All welcome. Free entry. SOUTH PETHERTON On Friday 22 March from 7.00pm at the David Hall go along to ‘Handbags and Glad Rags’. Grab a bargain - bags and bling, scarves and sequins. A great opportunity to refresh your wardrobe with lots of glamorous accessories. Free entry.

Quiz CASTLE CARY On Friday 8 March from 7.00pm at the Rugby Club there is a Macmillan Quiz Night. Entry £10. NORTH CADBURY On Saturday 23 March from 7.00pm at North Cadbury Village Hall Take Art host a ‘Living Quiz’ with Living Spit. In the Living Quiz every question is performed live: acted, sung, mimed or danced by Living Spit’s very own Howard Coggins and Stu Mcloughlin. Armed with just a guitar, a double bass and a ukulele, they mix improvisation techniques with their own unique performance style and apply them to the tired old ‘Pub- Quiz’ format, resulting in an explosively entertaining live quiz night with a difference. Form and name your team in advance, or join a brand new one on the night to compete to win a very special, mystery star prize. Licensed bar. Tickets £10, under 18’s £5 available from North Cadbury Stores or 01963 440705. SEAVINGTON On Wednesday 27 February from 8.00pm at the Volunteer Inn there is a Quiz Night.

If you have been diagnosed with an Asbestos illness you may wish to speak with one of our Specialist Solicitors. You may have been exposed to asbestos dust decades ago and you will not even know this as the dust comprises of invisible microscopic fibres. If you have been diagnosed with or have lost a loved one from:

ASSOCIATION OF PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS

Market CASTLE CARY Every Tuesday at the Market House from 8.30am to 2.00pm there is a weekly market. Fruit, vegetables, bread, fish, cheese, preserves, baked goods, gluten free options, season plants and other giftware available.

Helen has specialist Asbestos Disease Accreditation and would urge people to always look out for this when instructing a specialist solicitor as these cases are highly sensitive and need to be dealt with quickly, compassionately and in accordance with a strict protocol.

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Please contact Helen Grady on Freephone 0808 129 3320 or drop into see us at our legal surgeries at: The Old Barn, Old Barn Way, Yeovil, BA20 2NX. Free Parking & Disabled Access. on Thursday 28 March between 11.30 a.m to 1.30 pm for a free consultation If earlier appointment required please call our helpline.

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WHAT’S ON

SOMERTON On Thursday 28 March from 8.00pm at the Sports Club there is a Monthly Quiz. Teams of up to six. £1 per person. All welcome to this friendly monthly brain teaser.

Shepton Mallet and Castle Cary St Margaret’s shops or on 01935 709485. Entry £5. For more information phone 01935 709484 or terena.gill@st-margaretshospice.org.uk

YETMINSTER On Saturday 9 March from 8.00pm at the White Hart there is a Pub Quiz in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. Teams of six. Entry £5 per person.

DITCHEAT On Friday 8 March from 7.00pm at the Jubilee Hall go along to the Barn Dancing. The dancing will be to recorded music this time and the session has been extended by half an hour especially for beginners. Peter Bolton will call a range of dances, suiting beginners through to more experienced people. Nothing too serious, the emphasis is always on providing a fun evening, with a warm welcome and cheerful company. Admission £4. For more information phone 01749 672911.

Social CASTLE CARY On Saturday 23 March from 7.30pm at Ansford Academy there is a St Margaret’s Hospice Fashion Show. There will be four scenes: Up to the minute, Vintage, Young at Heart and the grand finale. All the models will be volunteers giving up their time to support this fantastic event. Bar, raffle and an auction with unique one off items. Clothes will be available to purchase on the night and stalls with new goods. Tickets £5 available from Wells,

MARTOCK On Friday 8 March from 2.00pm to 4.00pm at the United Reformed Church it is Time For Tea. All welcome, carers and the cared for. For more information phone 01935 822929.

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Potato Days 2019 Sunday 17th March 2019

10.00am -2.00pm Sherborne Charity Plant, Potato and Seed Fair Digby Hall Hound Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3AB Organised by Specialist Charity Plant Fairs. Free admission, donations to Macmillan Nurses. Refreshments available.

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On Sunday 10 March from 10.00am meeting at the Recreation Car Park the Community Group have another litter pick. While the urban areas of Martock are picked regularly by Parish Council staff, quite a few other roads are picked by thoughtful residents. All ages welcome, some of the Youth Club will be joining us. For more information phone 01935 822202. OBORNE On Sunday 31 March from 2.00pm to 4.00pm at Oborne Village Hall there is a Divine Union Soundbath. Divine Union refers to the Therapeutic Pure Sound effect that re-balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain bringing inner calm or peace, ‘the whole-brain state’, also known as ‘the relaxation response’. Bring something comfy to lie down on and a blanket/fleece to wrap around you. Entry £12, booking in advance. To book or for more information phone 01935 389655. SHERBORNE Every Tuesday from 10.00am to 12.00 noon at the Camelot Room, Village Hall join them for Art For Memory. This group is for people experiencing mild to moderate memory loss. Free entry. Funded by the National Lottery. Organised by ArtsLink Fizz. For more information phone 01935 815899.

you. Entry £12, booking in advance. To book or for more information phone 01935 389655. TEMPLECOMBE On Friday 1 March at 6.45pm at the Scout Hut Templecombe Scouts host Bingo with raffle and food. WEST CAMEL On Saturday 2 March from 7.30pm at the Davis Hall Country and Western Dance Club returns with ‘Memphis Belle’. Bring your own alcohol. Soft drinks, rolls, snacks available. Tickets £6. For more details 01460 78895. WINCANTON Every Thursday from 2.00pm to 4.30pm at Wincanton Memorial Hall enjoy an afternoon of Sequence Dancing. Entry £3. For more information phone 01747 851260. YEOVIL Every Tuesday from 7.00pm to 8.30pm at Westlands Sports Centre Yeovil Table Tennis Club have a social Table Tennis Evening. Play for fun, no need to sign up. Opportunities to join the club and play competitively if desired. Entry £4. Whist Drive every Saturday at the Holy Trinity Church Hall at 7.30pm. Enquiries 01935 862325.

Sport

Every Thursday from 2.30pm to 4.00pm at Tinney’s Lane Youth and Community Centre join in with Parkinson’s Dance. Dance movement class for people with their partners or carers who are experiencing the challenges of living with Parkinson’s, including those who think they have two left feet! Funded by the National Lottery. Organised by ArtsLink Fizz. Free entry. For more information phone 01935 815899.

CHARD Every Wednesday from 6.00pm to 7.00pm at Holyrood Academy, Zembard Lane there is Walking Netball. This is a slowed down version of the game of netball, designed for anyone looking to exercise in a relaxed, supportive and friendly environment. Every session contains a gentle warm up and suitable for all ages and abilities. Entry £4 a session. For more information phone 07738 696362 and visit www.englandnetball. co.uk/walking-netball

SOUTH PETHERTON On Sunday 10 March from 2.00pm to 4.00pm at the David Hall there is a Divine Union Soundbath. Divine Union refers to the Therapeutic Pure Sound effect that re-balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain bringing inner calm or peace, ‘the whole-brain state’, also known as ‘the relaxation response’. Bring something comfy to lie down on and a blanket/fleece to wrap around

YEOVIL On Sunday 31 March from 9.00am at South Street it is the A-plan Insurance Yeovil Half Marathon. Closed roads around the town centre before heading along the entire length of Yeovil Country Park. The route then leaves the town on the western side to Montacute House, before returning on quiet country roads to the Town Centre finish in the Quedam Shopping Centre. For more information phone 01935 315470.

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WHAT’S ON

Talks BROADWAY On Tuesday 12 March from 7.30pm at Broadway Village Hall the Ile Valley Flower Club have a demonstration called ‘Sally Forth Again’ with Sally Taylor from Yate. Visitors £6. CASTLE CARY On Tuesday 5 March from 8.00pm at Caryford Hall the Somerset Wildlife Trust have talk called ‘The Hedgehog Predicament’. The reasons for their decline and what we can do to help hedgehogs in our gardens. Entry £3. For more information email carolinerathbone@btinternet. com On Thursday 7 March from 7.30pm at Methodist School Room the Gardening Association have a talk called ‘A Growing Addiction: Bulbs from the Winter Rainfall area of South Africa’ by Paul Cumbleton. Non members £1 on the door. On Sunday 10 March from 4.00pm at Caryford Hall the History Society has a talk called ‘Somerset and the 800th Anniversary of the Charter of the Forest’. Discover why this ancient charter is still relevant to us in Somerset today – from foraging for food and collecting firewood on land you don’t own to why your electricity bill might be illegal. Join science and environment journalist – and former Pilton resident -Myc Riggulsford for a bit of history, comedy and some RADICAL thinking. Refreshments available. Tickets £5 on the door, or from Bailey Hill Bookshop. Profits go to Castle Cary Museum. On Tuesday 19 March from 11.00am at Caryford Hall the Arts Society has a lecture entitled ‘Brilliant British Humour in the Forgotten Art of the Picture Postcard 1909 – 1939’ with James Taylor. Millions of artist drawn humorous postcards were produced, not just for entertainment but to bolster morale, inspire, instruct, motivate and persuade. For more information phone 01963 350132. Entry £6. CORTON DENHAM On Wednesday 20 March from 7.30pm at Corton Denham Village Hall there is a talk called

‘Wall Shrubs and Climbers’ with Mrs Christine Brain. EAST COKER On Thursday 14 March from 7.30pm at East Coker Village Hall the Gardening Club have a talk called ‘Plant Hunters’ with Christine Stones. Visitors £3. For more information phone 01935 862447. HENSTRIDGE On Tuesday 5 March from 2.30pm at Henstridge Village Hall the Blackmore Vale U3A have a talk called ‘Saint or Sinner: The Famous Career of Sir Bernard Spilsbury’ with Diane Janes. Visitors £2.50, includes tea and cake. For more information phone 01963 371544. LANGPORT On Monday 4 March at Langport Library from 7.30pm the History Society have a talk called ‘The Incredible Journey: SS Great Britain’ by Commander Philip Unwin. Non members £4. For more information phone 01458 273471. MARTOCK On Tuesday 26 February from 7.30pm at the Primary School the History Group have a talk called ‘Dowsing’. Matt French will talk on this ancient art and its use over time. Admission £3. For more information phone 01935 822202. On Tuesday 12 March at 7.30pm at the Primary School the Gardening Society have a talk called ‘The Somerset Gardens Trust and The Strangler Fig’ by Christopher Bond. Visitors £2, includes tea or coffee. For more information phone 01935 823366. On Wednesday 13 March from 2.00pm to 4.00pm at the Parish Hall the U3A host the return of the Anoraks with their film ‘Damsels in Distress – Watermills’. First meeting free, annual £15. For more information phone 07840 235509.

called ‘Seed Sowing, Pricking Out and Planting On’ with a speaker from Brimsmore. For more information phone 01458 272135. On Wednesday 13 March at 7.30pm at Meadway Hall the WI have their meeting. For more information phone 01458 447075. On Wednesday 20 March from 7.30pm at Meadway Hall the Somerset Vernacular Group hosts Mike Heaton who will talk about his findings as he writes Heritage Assessments for planning applications, such as cross frames of 16th century jettied shop above Cafe Nero in Bath. Admission £2. For more information phone 01935 822202. MELBURY OSMOND On Friday 29 March from 7.30pm at Melbury Osmond Village Hall there is a talk called ‘Carpathia: Guided by a Greater Hand’ on the rescue of the survivors from the Titanic with Eric Flounders, the former head of public relation at Cunard. Light refreshments and bar. Tickets £10. For more information phone 01935 83659.

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MERIOTT On Tuesday 26 February from 7.30pm at the Tithe Barn the Gardening Club have a talk called ‘The Gardens of Japan’ by Jenny Short. Jenny will describe traditional Japanese gardens and the inspiration to create the same principles of simplicity and tranquillity in UK gardens. Refreshments and raffle. Non members £2 on the door. For more information phone 01460 72298. On Tuesday 26 March from 7.30pm at the Tithe Barn the Gardening Club have a talk on ‘Trekking the Himalayas through

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On Tuesday 26 March from 7.30pm at Martock Primary School the History Group have a talk from Kate Lunch, lively artistic character, Wessex born and bread, renowned Mummer and Wassailer. Kate had interesting experiences meeting farming characters while gathering material for her latest book called Farm. Admission £2. MEADWAY On Monday 4 March at 7.30pm at Meadway Hall the Compton Dundon Gardening Club have a talk

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WHAT’S ON

DORSET RAMBLERS

WHY NOT TRY A WALK WITH THE DORSET RAMBLERS THIS MONTH? March 3rd at Stourpaine March 10th at Langton Herring March 17th at Wool March 24th at Langton Matravers March 31st at Cerne Abbas For details: www.dorsetramblers.co.uk or email jenny.newman@zen.co.uk.

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at 18:45 The Market House, Castle Cary BA7 7AH Tickets £12 from www.wegottickets.com/event/459209 a Nurseryman’s Eyes’ by Clive Groves of Groves Nurseries, Bridport. Clive holds the national collection of violets and he will bring some varieties with him for sale as well as regaling you with a potted history of the start of Groves Nurseries in 1866. Refreshments and raffle. Non members £2. For more information phone 01460 72298. MILBORNE PORT On Tuesday 12 March at 7.30pm at Milborne Port Village Hall the Gardening Club have a discount shopping evening at Castle Gardens and talk. Entry £5. For more information phone 01963 32883. NORTH CADBURY On Wednesday 20 March from 7.30pm at North Cadbury Village Hall the Gardening Club have a talk called ‘Lytes Cary’ by Damian Mitchell, Head Gardener. Non members £3. NORTON SUB HAMDON On Wednesday 20 March from 7.30pm at Norton Sub Hamdon Village Hall the Crewkerne Astronomical Society have their next meeting called ‘Cassini at Saturn’ with Professor Carl Murray. First visit free, then £1 after, under £16’s free. OVER STRATTON On Monday 18 March from 7.30pm at Over Stratton Village Hall the Gardening Club have a talk called ‘Gardens of the First World War’ with Christine Stones. Visitors £3. For more information email somersetdays@hotmail. com

QUEEN CAMEL On Thursday 14 March at 7.30pm at the Memorial Hall the Horticultural Society have a talk called ‘Alternative Plants, Alternative Places’ with a speaker from Castle Gardens. Non members £2. For more information phone 01935 850673. SEAVINGTON On Thursday 28 February from 7.30pm at the Millennium Hall the Gardening Club have a talk called ‘Rogues Gallery - Garden Pests’ by Sally Nex. Flower of the month competition. On Thursday 14 March from 6.30pm at the Millennium Hall the Gardening Club have an AGM and talk called ‘Companion Planting’ by The Gold Club. Plants for sale. Flower of the month competition. Visitors £2. For more information phone 01460 249728. SHERBORNE On Wednesday 27 February from 7.30pm at Digby Memorial Hall Sherborne Science Cafe have a talk called ‘Waterfalls and Warplanes: A History of Cataract and Treatment’ by Simon Frackiewicz, Member of the College of Optometrists.

On Thursday 7 March from 7.45pm at Digby Hall the Historical Society have a talk called ‘The Impact of Famine and Plague in the 14c West Country – evidence from the Vale of Taunton Deane’. Dr Christopher Thornton considers how we can measure the impact on population levels of the ‘Great Famine’ and the ‘Black Death’. Visitors £5. For more information phone 01935 812233. On Thursday 7 March from 8.00pm at Digby Hall the History Society have a talk called ‘The Impact of Famine and Plague in the 14c West Country’. Dr Christopher Thornton examines how the ‘Great Famine’ (c.1315) and the ‘Black Death’ (c.1348) contributed to a fundamental historical turning point. Using evidence from the Vale of Taunton Deane, he asks how the impact on population levels of these two disasters can be measured. Visitors £5. For more information phone 01935 812233. On Saturday 9 March from 2.00pm at Digby Memorial Hall

Sherborne Museum presents The Jim Gibb Memorial Lecture ‘The Romans in West Dorset’ – what can we see today with Steve Wallis, Senior Archaeologist, DCC. In 1836 a tessellated pavement depicting Apollo and Marsyas was uncovered at Lenthay - it is now reset into the dairy floor at Sherborne Castle. It was the coming of the railway two decades later which drew further attention to other Romano-British farmsteads located along the Yeo valley suggesting an element of continuity for the lower part of Sherborne. Steve Wallis will focus, not on ‘underground’ archaeology but on what remains visible today and what this can tell us about the Roman army, what it was like to live in the area during the Roman period and how the influence of the Romans continued past the supposed end of the Empire in Britain. Tea and cake provided. Admission £5, Students £2. On Saturday 9 March from 2.30pm at Digby Hall the Blackmore Vale and National Trust Association have its AGM

On Wednesday 27 February from 7.30pm at Digby Hall there is an illustrated lecture called ‘Pierre Bonnard – The Colour of Memory’ by Julian Halsby. Tickets £9 from the TIC on 01935 815341. A partnership event by Sherborne ArtsLink and The Arts Society Sherborne, proceeds to both charities. On Wednesday 6 March at 3.00pm and 6.45pm at Digby Hall the Arts Society has a lecture called ‘Mary’s Gold, Mary Rose: The Lost Identity of a National Symbol’. This talk explains what the red and white ‘Tudor Rose’ really means by looking closely at some examples of medieval and 16th century works of art. This talk explains the findings from several years of groundbreaking research on what the red and white ‘Tudor Rose’ really means by looking closely at some outstanding examples of medieval and sixteenth-century works of art. Preconceptions will be challenged, but when we encounter the Tudor rose before the Tudor ascent in the Sherborne Missal amongst other examples, and then discover

what it was called, its true identity is revealed. Visitors £7.

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WHAT’S ON

with a talk called ‘Behind the Scenes in South Somerset’ by Keri Phillips, General Manager, South Somerset Portfolio of National Trust properties, and Damian Mitchell, Head Gardener, Lytes Cary Manor. Entry £3. For more information phone 01935 425383. On Sunday 10 March from 11.30am to 3.30pm it is Sherborne Steam and Waterwheel Centre Open Day, Oborne Road. Steam engines and waterwheel in operation. Audio-visual presentations. Displays of machinery and many other items of local and historic interest. Entry by donation. Tea room and picnic area. For more information visit www.sswc.co.uk

On Thursday 14 March from 6.30pm at Winstone’s Bookshop see local author Lucy Sewill talking about her new book ‘Dogs and Their Humans’. With a foreword by Gok Wan, this book includes photos of some of our best-loved celebrities, with their dogs. Some subjects include: Comedian Matt Lucas, DJ Sara Cox, actor Martin Clunes, musician and actor Gary Kemp, BBC Breakfast presenters Louise Minchin and Dan Walker, farmer and Countryfile presenter Adam Henson, The Telegraph’s cartoonist Matt, fashion designer Pearl Lowe and more. Tickets £3, redeemable against a copy of Lucy’s book, available from Winstone’s or 01935 816128.

On Monday 11 March at the Eastbury Hotel from 11.00am the Sherborne Literary Society have a talk called ‘Van Gogh, Reader and Writer’ by Jenny Newman. Tickets £8 from Winstone’s Bookshop and Sherborne TIC or www. jennynewmanvangogh. eventbrite.co.uk On Thursday 14 March from 2.00pm at Digby Memorial Hall Sherborne Museum host the last of the winter talks called ‘Blandford Fashion Museum’s Collection’ with Dr Helen Walters. Dr. Walters left university to pursue a theatre career, working for several years as Wardrobe Supervisor. This was to prompt her to combine her textile interests with the academic completion of her PhD in the History of Design at the Royal College of Art and the V&A. Having moved to the Sherborne area Helen now volunteers at Blandford Fashion Museum where she is much involved in collections management. Her talk will concentrate on the problems relating to conservation, storage and display and the way that a small museum can manage and utilise their fashion collections. She will also be bringing items from the Blandford Handling Collection. Tea and cake provided. Admission £5. On Monday 14 March from 2.30pm at Digby Hall the Gardeners’ Association have a visit to Castle Gardens for a discount afternoon and talk. Members only.

On Thursday 14 March from 7.30pm at Sherborne School see the ‘Sirocco Winds Recital’. A beautiful recital by this talented wind quintet from Scotland performing a lively programme of quintets by Ligeti, Nielsen, Patterson and Berio. Tickets £10 from tickets@sherborne.org or 01935 812249.

On Saturday 23 March from 2.30pm to 4.30pm at the Raleigh Hall ArtsLink have an illustrated talk called ‘Black Identity in Art’ with Joanna Cobb, considering the representation of people of colour as both subject and artist across a range of media. Tickets £8, includes tea and biscuits, from Sherborne TIC on 01935 815341. SOMERTON On Monday 25 February from 7.30pm at the Parish Rooms the Green Gardeners have a talk called ‘A History of Kelways’ with speaker Janet Seaton. Visitors £3. On Monday 4 March from 10.00am to 1.00pm at the Edgar Hall the Embroidery Club have a meeting. Tuition is given if required and a variety of projects are introduced by a qualified teacher. Welcome to all needle women or men beginners or experienced. For more information phone 01458 274198. On Tuesday 5 March from 7.15pm at the Parish Rooms the Women’s Institute are meeting. New members welcome.

On Wednesday 6 March from 2.30pm at the Parish Rooms there is a talk called ‘Think About It’ by Canon Brian Pearson. Organised by Friends of Somerton Library. Tickets on the door or from the library. On Monday 11 and Monday 25 March from 10.45am at West Street Church Somerton Sings are meeting. Purely for fun, for all ages and abilities. Sing anything well known, songs from the shows, old English melodies, and songs from the 30’s up to date. Visitors £1, including coffee and biscuits. On Friday 22 March from 10.00am to 12.00 noon at the Edgar Hall the Somerton U3A are meeting. All welcome. SOUTH PETHERTON On Wednesday 27 February from 7.30pm at the Methodist Church Hall the History Group have a talk called ‘The British postal system from 1516 to 1840’ with Roger Marsh. On Monday 4 March from 7.15pm at Frogmary Green Conference Centre the Arts Society have a lecture called

On Tuesday 19 March from 7.30pm Halstock Garden Club visit Castle Gardens. For more information phone 01935 891898. On Wednesday 20 March from 7.30pm at Digby Memorial Hall the Dorset Wildlife Group have a talk called ‘The Treasures of Dorset’ by Christopher Legrand. Entry £2.50. On Thursday 21 March from 7.45pm at Digby Hall the Historical Society have a talk called ‘Claretta Petacci and Benito Mussolini: A Fascist Love Story’. Professor Richard Bosworth reviews what Mussolini’s ‘last lover’ and her extensive diary reveal of life, family, Catholicism and politics in the ‘Italian dictatorship’. Visitors £5. For more information phone 01935 812233.

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WHAT’S ON

craftsmanship came naturally to him. Early professional recognition led to work as a design consultant to the all India Handicraft Board, co-founding the UK Crafts Council and acting as Trustee of the V&A. John has received a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Furniture Society and the Furniture Makers Company. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Arts University Bournemouth and Hereford College of Arts. Tickets £6. On Wednesday 27 March from 7.30pm at the Holy Trinity Church the Flower Arrangers have a floral demonstration called ‘Miss Potter and Friends’ with Elizabeth Witcombe. Visitors £6. YETMINSTER On Tuesday 12 March from 2.30pm at the Jubilee Hall the Gardening Club visit Castle Gardens for a discount buying afternoon and short talk. Guests £2.

‘Picasso in Britain: Art, Politics and Outcry’ by Kate Aspinall. Visitors £5. On Monday 11 March at the Blake Hall from 7.30pm the WI have a meeting called ‘Not Just Gertrude Jekyll’ by Christine Stones. Competitions: Garden design on paper and bloom on the month. Visitors £4. On Wednesday 27 March from 7.30pm at the Methodist Church Hall the History Group have a talk called ‘Lewd Wenches and Loose-living Fellows’ with Bruce Upton. Every day everyday life in Dorset in the early 1600s from the perspective of the Magistrates. Visitors £3. For more information email s_petherton_ history@hotmail.co.uk

TEMPLECOMBE On Monday 11 March at 7.15pm at Templecombe Village Hall the WI are meeting for a presentation/ activity event from the Red Cross about Every Day First Aid. Guests and new members welcome. For more information phone 01963 371124.

YEOVIL On Wednesday 27 February from 7.30pm at the Holy Trinity Church the Yeovil Flower Arrangers have a floral demonstration called ’50 Shades of…Colour’ by area demonstrator, Cathryn Brown. Visitors £5. On Friday 1 March from 7.30pm at the Holy Trinity Church the Yeovil Archaeological and Local History Society have a talk called ‘Walter Bagehot – Langport’s Unknown Celebrity’ with Barry Winetrobe. The life and works of the oft-quoted and influential Victorian writer and economist. Guests £2. For more information phone 01935 477174. On Monday 11 March from 1.30pm at The Yeovil Court Hotel the Yeovil Probus Club have a talk called ‘Modern Gliding’. New members always most welcome. For more information contact 01935 414765. On Thursday 21 March at 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre the YCCA presents ‘An Evening with Furniture Designer Extraordinaire John Makepeace’. Following an inspirational visit to Copenhagen’s great cabinet makers as a teenager, John found design and

LANGTON MATRAVERS On Sunday 24 March the Dorset Ramblers have a walk in Langton Matravers from 10.15am to 4.00pm. Car Park £1 for 2 hours, National Trust members free. Coastal cliffs, caves and quarries. 5 miles in the morning and 2.5 miles in the afternoon. Lunch stop Eateries in Swanage. For more information visit www. dorsetramblers.co.uk or phone 07914 433125. MARTOCK On Friday 15 March from 9.30am at the Precinct there is a Free Health Walk. Friendly and around 45 to 60 minutes long, led by trained volunteers at a pace suitable to the group. For more information phone 01935 824252. On Saturday 30 March at 10.00am from the Recreation Ground there is a Charity Walk for Blind Veterans. This scenic 10 mile walk from Martock to Kingsbury Episcopi takes in the historic villages and beautiful surrounding countryside. Suitable for all ages, families and furry friends alike. Refreshments included. Registration and sponsorship applies. Early bird discount available. Sign up today at www.blindveterans.org.uk/getinvolved/events-calendar/marchfor-veterans-south-west

On Wednesday 13 March from 2.30pm at St Andrew’s Hall the History Society have a talk called ‘Amelia Earhart’ with Mike Roussel. The life and exploits of the noted Aviatrix following her career and considering her disappearance and possible discovery. Non members £2.

Walks CERNE ABBAS On Sunday 31 March the Dorset Ramblers have a walk in Cerne Abbas from 10.15am to 4.00pm. Long gentle uphills 6 miles. Lunch stop at The Royal Oak. For more information visit www. dorsetramblers.co.uk or phone 07590 500167. EVERSHOT On Sunday 24 February the Dorset Ramblers have a walk in Evershot from 10.15am to 1.00pm. Five miles, easy walking, one gradual climb. Lunch stop The Acorn Inn. For more information visit www.dorsetramblers.co.uk LANGTON HERRING On Sunday 10 March the Dorset Ramblers have a walk in Langton Herring from 10.15am to 4.00pm. Coastal walk 5 miles morning and optional 2.5 miles afternoon. Lunch stop The Elm Tree. For more information visit www.

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dorsetramblers.co.uk or phone 07867 310176.

SOMERTON On Thursday 7 and Thursday 21 March from 11.30am at the Library there is a Health Walk for an hour. Wear sensible shoes and clothing. Organised by Macmillan, The Ramblers Association and SSDC. For more information phone 01458 274631. STOURPAINE On Sunday 3 March the Dorset Ramblers have a walk in Stourpaine from 10.15am to 4.00pm. River and woodland walk 5.5 miles morning and Hod Hill 3 miles afternoon. Lunch stop The White Horse. For more information visit www. dorsetramblers.co.uk or phone 07779 471273. WOOL On Sunday 17 March the Dorset Ramblers have a walk in Wool from 10.15am to 4.00pm. Circular walk, 5.3 miles in the morning and 3.5 miles in the afternoon. Lunch stop The Countryman

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WHAT’S ON

Inn, East Knighton. For more information visit www. dorsetramblers.co.uk or phone 07710 975682. SHERBORNE Every Tuesday at the Sports Centre from 6.00pm to 7.00pm join in at the weekly Walking Netball sessions. For all ages and abilities. All sessions contain a gentle warm up. No need to book. First session free then £3.50 per session. On Sunday 17 March from 2.00pm meeting outside the TIC go along to one of the Sherborne Walks. Recently moved to Sherborne? Join Blue Badge walking guide, Cindy Chant, to explore the hidden secrets of this lovely town where you have chosen to live. The walks lasts around two hours. Entry £8 per person. Booking not needed – just turn up. For more information email cindyatsherbornewalks@gmail. com Every Thursday at 11.00am starting by the Museum there is a 40 minute Health Walk. Generally flat with a mixture of pavement and fields in dry weather. For more details call Bryan Pearson on 01749 938191.

Workshops HARDINGTON On Saturday 20 March from 10.00am to 1.00pm at Hardington Village Hall the WEA have a half day course called ‘The Tudors – Henry and Elizabeth’. Entry £14. To register ref: C3530178 and visit www.wea. org.uk or phone 0300 303 3464. New members welcome 01935 863954.

SHERBORNE On Monday 11 March from 9.30am to 3.30pm at the Digby Hall the West Country Embroiderers have a workshop called ‘Miniature Crewelwork Sampler’ with tutor Clare Clensy. New members welcome. For more information phone 01963 34696. On Sunday 17 March from 1.30pm to 4.30pm at Digby Memorial Hall the Sherborne Folk Band have their monthly workshop. Workshops will be led by Hannah Cummings, who is an inspiring and experienced workshop leader, who will help you buildconfidence to learn and play new tunes by ear. Suitable for all levels and all acoustic instruments. Notation and audio supplied. Everyone welcome! Admission £10 in advance from 07527 508 277, 3 workshops for £25 via www.sherbornefolkband. org or £12 on the door. On Thursday 28 March from 7.00pm at the Catholic Church Hall the Floral Group have a workshop called ‘Interpretation’ with Kay Young. For more information phone 01935 813316.

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WHAT’S ON

Ultimate Countryside Experience Red Images Photography

The Royal Bath & West Showground, Somerset welcomes the ever-popular West of England Game Fair on Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 March 2019. This important countryside event, now in its 23rd year, is supported by the British Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC) and Countryman’s weekly. The event caters for those who are passionate about field sports with a focus on shooting, gun dogs and fishing and is the perfect event for those interested in the countryside. The event also has a wonderful mix of havea-go activities including archery, air rifles, Terrier and Lurcher show and family dog show with the Coursing Crew, clay shooting with Bristol Clay Shooting; fascinating demonstrations both indoor and outdoor – top names in the areas of falconry (Xtreme Falconry), wildfowling with Chris Green, ferreting – Pakefield Ferrets and Avon Valley Ferrets, gun dog training, fly casting with Hywel Morgan and more; an educational insight into a variety of countryside issues and sports and a fabulous shopping village with over 300 companies all under cover in five halls! There will be a variety of companies selling a range of products from country clothing, guns and accessories, fishing, deer stalking equipment to gundog equipment, country homewares, smallholder equipment, local food and drink and crafts:

BASC play a prominent role at the event providing shotgun coaching, gundog scurries and tests and sharing their knowledge and expertise on their trade stand in the shopping village, with features including a wildfowlers row, artists row, game tasting, shooting clinic and much more. The fishing area has organisations offering advice, a wide selection of rods and fishing accessories, flies, demonstrations, clothing, books and more. Vintage tractors and vehicles also form an interesting part of the show including restored tractors, engines and farming equipment. Step back in time! The Taste of Game cookery theatre will host a variety of chefs all with simple, easy to follow delicious game recipes, with the opportunity to buy Westcountry food and drink from a variety of local companies.

WIN

2 pairs of Adult tickets to the West of England Game Fair on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March at the Bath and West Showground. To enter just answer the following question: How many years has the fair been taking place? Send your answer by Thursday 28 February with your name, address, phone number and email to info@theconduitmagazine.co.uk or post it to the address on p.3. GOOD LUCK!

You can keep up to date with everything happening at the show by visiting www.westofenglandgamefair.co.uk or joining the Facebook group and following the Fair on Twitter. For exhibitor enquiries, please call 01392 421500.

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GARDENING

PLANT FAIRS TO GO IN THE DIARY!

Gardening

March is the start of the gardening season with the popular Digby Hall Plant Fair in Hound Street, Sherborne on Sunday 17 March. This year the event also hosts Pennard Plants Seed and Potato fair and as always, the main hall will be full of plant stalls. Admission is free with donations to Macmillan Cancer Support. Plant lovers have a new plant fair in the gardening calendar, with an event at Hestercombe Gardens near Taunton on 9 June. Also please note the Midney Garden Plant Fair near Somerton is moving to early autumn, allowing access to the garden when normally only open for groups. Specialist Charity Plant Fairs also hold popular events at Yarlington House and Mapperton Gardens, in fact this will be the 20th Spring Mapperton Plant Fair. Full details including stall holders can be found at www.plantfairs.com plus details of the charities benefiting from the entrance money. The organisers, professional horticulturists, Rob and Becky Cotterill also arrange garden coach trips. This May they are exploring Northern Ireland, visiting gardens in England and Scotland on route. The reasonably priced trip includes accommodation, coach travel from Somerset and visits to nine gardens including the recently restored walled garden at Hillsborough Castle plus the 17th March Giants Causeway. Full details at www. Digby Hall, Sherborne gardenbreaks.co.uk or ring 01460 242620

2019 dates ———

14th April Mapperton Gardens 11th May Yarlington House 17th March New 9th June Digby Hall, Sherborne Hestercombe Gardens th April 1st14September Mapperton Gardens Midney Gardens th th May 11 15 September Yarlington House Mapperton Gardens New 9th June Plantfairs.com Hestercombe Gardens st 1 September Midney Gardens 15th September Mapperton Gardens

2019 dates ———

———

——— ———

———

Plantfairs.com

Northern Ireland

BE PREPARED by Mike Burks, The Gardens Group Whatever your gardening mantra, it is always a good idea to be ready! When the conditions are right, you need to be ready to prepare the soil in the vegetable garden. If the soil is too wet, those with clay soil will know all about this, your boots will double or even triple in size as the soil clings on to you. Rather than improving the soil, you are in fact damaging it and so it is a good idea to wait for a drier day. However, if that’s the only opportunity you have then lay a good depth of garden compost, composted bark or soil improver on top of the soil and stand on that whilst you dig. As you move backwards over the soil, you’ll keep clean and the compost will be incorporated into the soil helping to open up the structure. When it comes to sandy soils, digging will be easier but I would also suggest adding compost to help create the structure binding the particles together. Once the digging is done protect the soil with a layer of mulch or bulky material, such as well rotted farm manure, composted bark or Bloomin ’Amazing, a fibrous material produced locally as a bi product from a renewable energy scheme near Poundbury. Such a layer will keep the soil warm and will protect from the hammering of the torrential rain that seems to be a regular feature of modern weather patterns. It does all this whilst slowing down rot and incorporating itself into the soil without you lifting a finger! In terms of what to sow in the vegetable garden, there is a wide choice available, but beetroot, parsnip, broad beans and peas could all be started now. Many ornamental varieties, particularly bedding plants will need to be sown inside at this stage to get them started but some can go straight into the soil now. For the best results in an ornamental garden, start off by having a good look around at the spaces you might have in borders and work out what could be used to fill them. Prune back any shrubs, such as the late flowering Spirea and those with the brightly coloured young leaves all of which will colour up better as the result of having fresh growth. Finish off pruning roses and as soon as the leaves start to appear, prune Dogwoods hard back to create lots of new fresh growth which will have the best colours the following winter.

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Hillsborough Castle Garden

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Hillsborough Castle Garden

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GARDENING

The Boutique Spring Plant Fair is back at

East Lambrook

Twenty two top independent nurseries and seed growers from all over the South West will once again be at East Lambrook Manor Gardens in Somerset on Saturday 23 March for the eighth Early Spring Plant Fair, organised in partnership with the Hardy Plant Society, Somerset Group.

the plants in bloom are daphne, primula, hellebore and pulmonaria plus spring bulbs including the seldom-sold blue Scilla bithynica, which carpets the Ditch after the snowdrops go over. For avid gardeners keen to shake off the winter blues the garden and plant fair is a wonderful way of getting inspiration.

This very popular and prestige plant fair takes place in the grounds of cottage gardening doyenne Margery Fish’s former home and is a wonderful opportunity to source unusual and often quite rare plants of the kind seldom found in garden centres. East Lambrook’s owner Mike Werkmeister comments, “There’s always a buzz at this event, described by one nurseryman as ‘his favourite plant fair’, and there’s always a queue at the gate by 10 o’clock waiting for it to open. We call it a ‘boutique plant fair’ because it’s smaller than many due to the size of the garden, yet there is none of the bric-a-brac so often found at bigger fairs, just plants of the highest quality.”

Hot soup, tea, coffee and excellent cakes will be available in the Malthouse cafe, where the wood burner will be blazing away. Alternatively book a table for lunch across the road at the delightful 17th century Rose & Crown inn.

Roy Stickland, of HPS Somerset Group says, “Last year Mike made room for four more nurseries and this was a big success. The line up this year again includes two Chelsea Gold Medal winners with something for every gardener, from alpines and apple trees to Zantadeschia and organic zuccini seeds. The real benefit for visitors coming to this event is the expert advice, freely given by growers keen to share their knowledge - from what to plant where to how to care for the plants they are selling.” The end of March is a wonderful time in the garden at East Lambrook with everything simply bursting into growth. Among

The plant fair runs from 10am to 4pm with the £4.00 per head entry price including reduced price entry to the famous cottage garden. RHS and HPS members need only pay £3.50. East Lambrook Manor Gardens, Silver Street, East Lambrook, South Petherton, Somerset TA13 5HH. www.eastlambrook.com

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GARDENING

UP THE GARDEN PATH by Julie Haylock, Sandhurst Garden Design

First impressions count! With more pressure than ever to make the most of our space, with less on street parking available, and new homes being built without driveways, many households have swapped their front garden grass for concrete. The Royal Horticultural Society estimates that over a quarter of the U.K.’s front gardens have now been paved over. Whatever space you have available there is always something you can do to create some kerb appeal for yourself, passers-by and your neighbourhood. If you have a garden gate, consider changing the style or colour to compliment the render of brickwork of your house. Add an arch above the gateway to give you some instant height to grow a scented climber, like the pink rose Shropshire Lad or an evergreen like Trachelosperum jasminoides. An existing tired looking path can be rejuvenated by using a pressure washer to remove grime and, maybe you could add some new edging to the path - decorative, rustic or contemporary in design? If you have an existing gravel path you could add some stepping stones at regular intervals to add interest. This will also help to stop gravel being transferred into the house on shoes. Use the vertical space that is available. Trellis or wires added to the front of the house can be used to train a climber like Lonicera x tellanniana – a honeysuckle that lacks in scent but has an abundance of vivid orange flowers or perhaps a Wisteria Sinensis with its gorgeous lilac or white scented flower. There is a plant that will suit all aspects, but remember they will need to be pruned and maintained from time to time so be prepared. No standing on a kitchen chair on one leg with a pair of secateurs! Frame your front door – here is your chance to add some wow factor! Lollipop style trees like laurel or bay look great either side of the door and under planted with some seasonal colour, and dare I say it they will look magical at Christmas time with some fairy lights! Hanging baskets and window boxes are a great way to inject some colour at any time of the year. If the front of your house is shady and does not get much sun, you could always use

ferns like Asplenium Scolopendrium, the Hart’s Tongue Fern or Polystichum Setiferum, the Soft Shield Fern. If you have the space, create a small, low maintenance border. For a shady border you could use hellebores, Astrantia and ferns and for a hot sunny border you could use grasses and lavender. If you have to have a hard standing at the front of your house to accommodate a vehicle or the bins consider removing alternate paving slabs to create a chequer-board effect. Plant up these squares with low growing plants like Ajuga or thyme that can stand being stepped or driven on from time to time. And then you could use pots – the heavier the better to stop someone walking off with them! These will look striking planted up with grasses or perennials. If your property faces onto a busy road consider planting a hedge, such as Hornbeam carpinus betulus or Escallonia with its pink, red or white flowers. A hedge acts as a natural green barrier helping to control levels of dust and pollution. In addition it will provide you with some privacy and a home for insects.

Sandhurst Garden Design Julie Haylock Garden Designer 20 Sandhurst Road, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2LG

Tel: 07899 710168 Email: haylock2lg@btinternet.com www.sandhurstgardendesign.co.uk Contact Julie for garden and border design, planting plans, plant selection advice and garden styling

BBC Gardeners’ World Live Gold Medal Award Taunton Flower Show Gold Medal Award and The Western Daily Press Cup for Best Show Garden

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TRAVEL

Would you like to start your next holiday straight from your front door? by Heather Muir, Miles Morgan Travel Miles Morgan Travel is an award -winning independent Travel Agent and we are proud to have been voted “The Best Travel Agent in the UK” for 2018. We have thousands of loyal customers who return to us year after year due to the high standards of service that we consistently offer and the expertise that we are renowned for. Customers often return and tell us how wonderful their holiday was, however at times their journey to or from the airport was not as stress free as they would have liked. That’s why Miles Morgan Travel is a main agent for Titan, an escorted touring and river cruise specialist offering a VIP Home departure service from your front door on many of their tours and cruises. What could be better than locking your front door and slipping into an awaiting Titan VIP vehicle to start your holiday in style and allowing someone else to whisk you to your departure airport? Their award-winning collection of holidays covers all seven continents, with carefully

planned itineraries ranging from rail journeys and river cruises, to small-group adventures and trips exclusively for solo travellers. Titan also offers amazing value for money and many have great early booking savings. You can book holidays not only for this year but departing up to 2021. Early booking is strongly recommended. Also, we know it’s frustrating when you see something you’ve just bought on sale for a fraction of the price you paid. That’s why Titan has a Price Promise - if they discount your tour after you’ve paid the deposit, they’ll automatically refund the difference, so you’ll never lose out by booking early. I have personally travelled with Titan and can thoroughly recommend it! We are delighted to announce that Titan is joining us here in Yeovil at the Manor Hotel to give you the opportunity to hear so much more about what’s on offer, the event is on Tuesday 2 April and please do call myself or one of my team on 01935 428488 to be added to our guest list. These types of events are unique and always popular, so do contact us today.

Learn more about

Local

TRAVEL Event

Join the Yeovil team to learn about Titan’s wide range of holidays including river cruises and escorted tours.

Tuesday 2nd April 2019 At The Manor Hotel, Yeovil 7pm

01935 428488

www.milesmorgantravel.co.uk

2 Borough Arcade, High Street Yeovil BA20 1RX

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FASHION

A SPRING IN OUR STEP! By Thelma Drabik, Melbury Gallery The latest spring collections have burst into Melbury and with our recent refurbishment things could not be looking more bright, fresh and colourful! We have simply been drooling over the new One Hundred Stars designs made in partnership with Kew Gardens! As you can guess they feature exquisite floral designs on glorious silky fabric and come in such wonderful colours. With their soft pinks, rich purples and vibrant corals these botanical beauties make us want to start planning our summer holiday now! For something altogether more practical we have delightful trousers from some of our favourite brands coming into the shop. Discover flattering wide-leg cuts from ADINI which boast distressed navy stripes for a more relaxed look and would be a welcome addition to any wardrobe. MASAI have once again designed fantastic culottes this season which prove

that being comfy doesn’t mean you have to compromise on fashion! Pair either of these styles with a matching jacket for an outfit that looks effortlessly put together and elegant! At Melbury another favourite has made a comeback! The now almost iconic YACCO MARICARD shirts are here in stunning new colours for Spring! Established in Harajuku, Tokyo in the late 70’s by three friends their garments aim to break the constraints of conventional clothing with oversized shapes in an excess of luxurious natural fabrics. The cult favourite shirts we stock feature immaculate pleated detailing in both super fine cotton as well as heavier jersey cotton for a truly unique design.

next few months so watch this space! OSKA, SAHARA, THOUGHT, LILY&ME and many more are still to come! And don’t forget to come and see us at our spectacular warehouse sale where you can pick up some wonderful bargains from past spring collections.

Lots more of the new spring collections will be making their way into both our Sherborne and Dorchester shop over the

BRAZILIAN GEMS

By Anthony (Tony) White FGA, PSJ Jewellers

Perhaps we tend to think eastwards (India, Sri Lanka, Thailand) as the main sources of coloured gemstones, so it may be a surprise to learn that the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil produces the greatest variety of precious gems in the world. Minas Gerais is a huge and historic mining centre where prospecting dates back so far that it has become a way of life for many and deeply embedded in its culture. It all began in 1693, when Portuguese explorers discovered alluvial gold in this mountainous region. Many hundreds of valleys cut through the mountains in this area where prospectors first started the arduous work of “panning” the gravelly stream beds for alluvial gold. These first finds soon led to many thousands of African labourers being “imported” to speed up gold extraction and processing for shipping back from Sao Paolo to swell the coffers in Portugal.

ThisPSJ startedJewellers the process of opening up the country by attracting White FGA, other prospectors who started a wider search for geological riches and by 1725 the first diamonds were discovered, also in alluvial river bed gravels and sands. From that point in time Brazil became the primary source of diamonds for a period that lasted over 150 years. Now largely worked out, they conveniently lasted just until the discovery of diamonds at Kimberley in South Africa.

Alexandrite, Chrysoberyl --- are all to be found there in quantity and quality of worldwide importance and value. The story goes that the first Tourmaline giant prism emerald was discovered here by someone watching a pair of bulls Tourmaline giant prism fighting each other. A strike by one missed its mark, dug into the ground and unearthed a brilliant green crystal! These beautiful gems were born near the end of violent tectonic ruptures more than 100 million years ago in what is now Brazil. With its last volcanic heave the earth exhaled huge volumes of metal-rich fluids from which grew the beauty of Aquamarine, Emerald, Tourmaline (like the astonishing prism above), Topaz and rare Alexandrite (we owe so much to plate tectonics!)

think eastwards (India, Sri Lanka, Thailand) as the main sources of coloured gemstones, is the birthstone for March: gaining its delicate se to learn that the state of Minas Gerais in BrazilAquamarine produces greatest variety ofright blue hue from a tiny the trace of iron, its real beauty lies in the degree of colour saturation. No two gems are the same, but we e world. select only the finest unique specimens at PSJ. But Minas Gerais remains a true cornucopia of coloured gems --- Aquamarine, Tourmaline, Rubellite, Emerald, Imperial Topaz,

ge and historic mining centre where prospecting dates back so far that it has become a 19 and deeply embedded in its culture.

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Hot Stones • Lava Shells Waxing • Body Reatments How to Cleanse Your Skin Correctly • Wedding Packages Spa Packages

BEAUTY

By Samantha Mullett, So Pampered

So Pampered Beauty Salon Relax • Unwind • Rejuvenate

HOW TO CLEANSE YOUR SKIN CORRECTLY

Cleansing is the basic key to a good skincare routine, but is so easy to get wrong! W the largest organ of the body - which breathes, feeds and grows. A beauty therapis cleanse’. The first cleanse to eliminate and remove daily grime, pollutants and mak cleanse which is actually cleaning the skin.

01935 434679 07772 822324 Email: info@sopampered.co.uk

www.sopampered.co.uk

By Samantha Mullett, So Pampered

Choose a suitable type. Every Beaut without a doubt m industry they are properly clean yo makeup and dirt it away, leaving b defeating the obj also contain alcoh its natural oils lea irritated. Those w use a cream base oilier skin type sh

Cleansing is the basic key to a good skincare routine, but is so easy to get wrong! We forget that our skin is actually the largest organ of the body - which breathes, feeds and grows. A beauty therapist’s number one rule is to ‘double cleanse’. The first cleanse to eliminate and remove daily grime, pollutants and makeup. Then repeat for a second cleanse which is actually cleaning the skin. cleanser. Those with a slightly Choose a suitable cleanser oilier skin type should use a tailored for your skin type. purifying cleansing gel. Every Beauty Therapist’s worst So now you know what to use nightmare is without a doubt on your skin, the next step is make-up wipes! Within the how you go about doing it! industry they are a big ‘noRichard These – another advertorial so can properly you box it or make it obvious thatWe it is advertorial please? always recommend that no’! do not Purest Aesthetics you make sure you wash your clean your face, they will It’s a new venture for nurse practitioners Louise Stenner and Pippa Bastable. A chance discussion hands thoroughly with antisimply spread makeup and dirt while working for a GP surgery in Shaftesbury has led to them starting Purest Aesthetics, a clinic specialising in anti wrinkle treatment and dermal fillers. We felt it best to try and link in with an bacterial soap around your skin instead existing business at this early stage said Louise. Weof were both keen to focus in the north Dorset area before you and we are so thrilled to now be officially located within Abbey View Physiotherapy Ltd in touch yourand face. This sounds taking leaving Shaftesbury.itWeaway, have been very busy settingbacteria up the business, building our website, Facebook Instagram pages and attending bespoke training courses with Harley academy and Cosmetic but is so easy to toCourses grown onthethe skin, Ltd, but now doors are open todefeating both men and women who obvious want to look naturally younger. We want to develop the business and expand our portfolio of treatments over the coming months to suit our clients’ requirements. forget. It goes without saying the object of cleansing at all. Our clients’ initial consultation is completely free and we can be contacted via the website, www.purestaesthetics.com or email purestaesthetics@outlook.com that spreading bacteria onto They will also contain alcohol your skin is not going to result which strips the skin of all of in clean, healthy skin, all it will its natural oils leaving your end up doing is blocking and skin feeling dry and irritated. clogging up pores, resulting in Those with dry or sensitive blackheads. Likewise you need skins should use a cream based

PUREST AESTHETICS It’s a new venture for nurse practitioners Louise Stenner and Pippa Bastable. A chance discussion while working for a GP surgery in Shaftesbury has led to them starting Purest Aesthetics, a clinic specialising in anti wrinkle treatment and dermal fillers. We felt it best to try and link in with an existing business at this early stage said Louise. We were both keen to focus in the north Dorset area and we are so thrilled to now be officially located within Abbey View Physiotherapy

Ltd in Shaftesbury. We have been very busy setting up the business, building our website, Facebook and Instagram pages and attending bespoke training courses with Harley academy and Cosmetic Courses Ltd, but now the doors are open to both men and women who want to look naturally younger. We want to develop the business and expand our portfolio of treatments over the coming months to suit our clients’ requirements.

to be using only disposable cotton pads to remove the cleanser, or face wash in the So now you kno shower and shower off the is using a toner - something debris on the skin. Warm that is often left out of skincare next step is how recommend that flannels are great to remove A good willtouch your face. This sounds hands thoroughly routines. with anti-bacterial soap toner before you cleanser and act as a mild hydrate the skin andonto help goes without saying that spreading bacteria youryour skin is not going to result in exfoliant, however youup must doing is blocking and clogging to up pores, resultinginto in blackheads. Likewise you moisturiser penetrate the cleanser, or face wash in the shower and shower of make sure that you usecotton thempads to remove the deeper layers of your skin. flannels are great to remove cleanser and act as a mild exfoliant, however you m once and pop them straight in once and pop them straight in the wash afterwards. You may often see facial sp the wash afterwards. You you would to treat theirmay tendency to If harbour germs arelike the worst thing you can use on your precious often see facial sponges or your mother this Mothering A good tip: The second most important step to cleansing is using a toner - somethi mitts, which because of their Sunday, 31 March, routines. A good toner will hydrate the skinwe andhave help your moisturiser to penetra tendency to harbour germs So-Pampered Gift Vouchers skin. are the worst thing you can use on available to buy from the If you would like to treat your mother this Mothering Sunday, 31 March, we your precious skin. Salon. Let your mum how available to buy from the Salon. Let your mum know know how much you appreciate he and rejuvenated! much you appreciate her by A good tip: The second most making her glow, feel relaxed important step to cleansing and rejuvenated!

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

STRUGGLING TO RECRUIT GOOD PEOPLE? By Peter Radford, Beyond This

What’s the first priority of leadership? One leader I heard likened a business or organisation to a bus. First, he said, get the right people on the bus. Second, get the wrong people off the bus. Third, get the right people in the right seats. There is some wisdom here. If you have spent any time leading people then you will know how frustrating it can be to move forward when people are pulling in different directions, sometimes sabotaging the efforts of others or downright refusing to budge. Perhaps you’ve fantasised like me: how amazing it would be if we were all pulling in the same direction! I hesitate to endorse the second principle above though. Partly the phrase ‘wrong people’ doesn’t sit quite right, but also it can come dangerously close to legitimizing bullying ‘underperforming’ staff in an effort to get them to quit. Usually the third principle is the key - get the right people in the right seats. Most often people underperform because they are in the wrong seats, the wrong job, the wrong position, or floundering with inadequate

training or support. Nobody sets out to underperform. The skill of leadership is finding what it is that will bring out the best in those you lead. In an educational context, Ken Robinson calls this ‘the element’. He says we all have an element: the thing that makes our eyes light up; the thing that sparks the engine to fire on all cylinders; the kind of work that we find intrinsically motivating because it energises us. The task of teachers is to find in each child ‘the element’ and then help them develop it. Exactly the same applies in any organisation or sports team: the critical task of leadership is to know your team so well you know exactly how to play them in the most effective format. So you need to know what you’re looking for. The GC Index® identifies five team roles that form the basis of an effective and dynamic team. See diagram. If you’re missing some of these roles then it will have a major effect on your output. For example: a team with lots of implementers and no game-changers will be great at

maintaining the status quo but will likely be resistant to change. When recruiting for progress you need to know who you’ve already got on the bus in order to know who you need to get on board with you. Did you know Walt Disney was fired from his first job for, “lacking creativity and imagination”?! Some employer somewhere failed big-time to recognise the ‘element’ and maximise its potential! That’s a failure of leadership. Peter Radford is a speaker and trainer helping teams make a game-changing impact.

Specialist Legal Advice and Solutions for whatever life brings - at home or at work

The Employment Team at Battens provides businesses across all sectors with prompt, practical and proactive support and advice on all HR and employment matters

Speak to one of our Employment specialists today. enquiries@battens.co.uk 01935 846000 www.battens.co.uk Yeovil, Sherborne, Castle Cary, Dorchester, Wareham, Bath and London

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

END OF TAX YEAR PLANNING By Mark Salter, Financial Planner The end of the 2018/19 tax year is fast approaching and it’s your last chance to take full advantage of your tax free allowances and exemptions. The list below will help you take advantage of some of these and remember they must be used on or before 5 April 2019. ISA Allowance The annual ISA allowance is £20,000 per person (£40,000 for a couple!). There is no difference in limits between a stocks and shares ISA and cash ISA so you can save the entire £20,000 in a cash ISA or invest it in a stocks and shares ISA. Alternatively you can have a mixture of the two providing you don’t exceed the £20,000 limit. The benefit of ISAs is that you don’t pay income tax on the interest and they are not subject to capital gains tax. Lifetime ISA (LISA) These ISAs were introduced in April 2017 to help younger people save to buy their first house or if they don’t use it to buy a house, it can be used for retirement. You have to be between 18 and 40 to open a LISA and you have the option of a cash LISA or a stocks and shares LISA. The maximum you can invest is £4,000 which receives a government bonus of 25% (up to £1,000). Any contribution to a LISA forms part of your £20,000 ISA allowance.

bringing your earnings for tax purposes down into another tax bracket. With the increased flexibility on taking benefits from a personal pension, pension contributions are now even more appealing. Please bear in mind that individuals with high earnings (adjusted income above £150,000) need to take care as the annual allowance is reduced by £1 for every £2 above this limit and professional advice is essential. Income Tax For those individuals whose earnings are in and around the tax band thresholds, some last minute planning may be tax efficient. Up until 5 April you can earn up to £46,350 without going into the 40% tax band (personal tax free allowance of £11,850 + £34,500). If your income exceeds £46,350 then additional pension contributions may be worth considering as higher rate tax relief may be available.

Junior ISAs Just like ordinary ISAs, there are Junior Individual Savings Accounts known as JISAs. They can be opened for children under 18 who don’t have a Child Trust Fund account. The child can take control of the JISAs from the age of 16, but cannot withdraw from them until they are 18. This year’s annual tax free JISA allowance is £4,260.

Capital Gains Tax The annual CGT exemption is £11,700 for 2018/19 tax year. If you have unrealised gains, you may decide to dispose of some before the end of the tax year to use up your annual exemption. Married couples are taxed individually on capital gains, so transferring an asset from one spouse to another before realising a gain can be tax efficient. As far as possible it is important to use the annual exemption each tax year because, if unused, it cannot be carried forward.

Pension Allowance In the 2018/19 tax year you are able to place up to £40,000 into a pension (subject to UK relevant earnings). Any past years’ pension allowance which had not been used up can be carried forward, but only for the last three tax years. Using your pension allowance can significantly reduce the earnings you get taxed on, possibly

Annual Inheritance Tax Exemption and Small Gifts The first £3,000 given away each tax year is not subject to inheritance tax if you die. Amounts greater than £3,000 can later become subject to inheritance tax, if you die within seven years. If you don’t use the exemption this year, you can carry it forward for one tax year and use it then.

As such, if you want to use 2017/18 unused annual inheritance tax exemption, you must do so before 5 April 2019. There is also the small gifts allowance, which means you can give up to £250 to any individual each year without being subject to IHT. For example, you could gift £250 to your grandchildren and great grandchildren and it would be immediately outside your estate for inheritance tax purposes. We would suggest keeping accurate records of any gifts made. No decision should be taken based on the content of this article. Always take full individual advice first. At Fort Financial Planning, we have The Tax Reduction StrategyTM which is an important part of our Comprehensive Financial Planning service. A pound of tax saved is, after all, an extra pound in your pocket.

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LIFESTYLE

INSPIRATIONS FOR THE

CURIOUS SHOPPER By Dawn Woodward, The Emporium, Yeovil

This month we’re welcoming some excellent new traders into The Emporium, more details to follow next time, but suffice to say that we are very excited. We still have one or two spaces available for new traders, so would welcome enquiries from anyone wishing to launch or expand their business, here in The Emporium. Our blend of wonderful stock, from around 70 different independent traders all housed in our store, continues to get us noticed. Come and see our gifts, antiques, collectables, artisan crafts, furnishings and decorative and fashion accessories. Our events are going to keep us busy this month, we have two amazing evenings planned - firstly, our ‘Sshhh... Secret Acoustic Folk Supper’ in conjunction with Bearcat Collective, will be held on 14 March. As many of you will already be aware, these evenings of live, acoustic music, as well as great food and drink are fabulous. Just £5 entrance fee on the door and pay as you go for the food and drink - hope to see some of you at this event. If you can’t make this one then stay tuned, they happen every two months! Our other special event in March is our Chef’s Vegan Tasting Evening. Following the sell-out success of our brilliant vegan dinner in January, we’ve decided to run these evenings every two months. Come and sample our Chef’s vegan cuisine. How he manages to make it so flavoursome is beyond us! Hope to see you in our cafe soon - our breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea menus offer something for everyone, all made with such care and detail. We now have a cocktail menu and our Cocktail Lounge experience awaits!

Anyone for cocktails? Check out our cocktail menu in our cafe.

Sharon O’brian photographed by Simon Page played at our last Secret Folk Acoustic Secret Supper. The line-up for March 14th looks great!

Please contact us via our website for any further information, to book a table in our restaurant or for details of how to trade with us : www.theemporiumyeovil.co.uk or Tel 01935 411478 (office) or take a look at our Facebook page for our latest information. The Emporium, 39 Princes Street, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 1EG

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VISUAL ART

From Monday 25 February to Saturday 16 March from 9.30am to 4.30pm at the Ilminster Arts Centre has their next exhibition called ‘A Moment in Time’. A group of artists exhibiting together for the first time whose work is informed by the centuries old desire to capture a fleeting moment in time, whether to memorialise an event or evoke an evanescent emotion. Using paint, pastel, glass and mixed media, each artist in their own style rises to a challenge that has absorbed generations of artists, notably the Fauves and the Impressionists. Participating artists are: Peter Coates, Barbara Green and Caroline Lewis.

From Monday 18 March to Saturday 6 April at Ilminster Arts Centre from 9.30am to 4.30pm go along to the next exhibition ‘Reflections’. A group exhibition of painting, sculpture and photography that radiates with reflected light from water, materials, the land and sky. Dazzling birds and wildlife, the shimmer of urban architecture reflected in water, busy boat yards and maritime scenes, panoramic photographs that meditate on the timeless spirit of ancient landscapes, the sublime serenity of Carrera marble and Portland stone. Artists include Sue Allen, Rob Crisp, Mike Lanigan, Anthony Lock and Philip Tonkyn. From Monday 18 March to Saturday 6 April at the Gallery Cafe in the Ilminster Arts Centre from 9.30am to 4.30pm there is a solo exhibition by Terry Ward. He is a member of Neroche Artists and has painted in oils for many years, focusing on his favourite subject matter the British

coast and countryside. His work has been shown in galleries across the South West, including the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol.

From Saturday 30 March to Saturday 4 May from 10.00am to 5.00pm ACE Arts in Somerton have their next exhibition called ‘Course of Events’ by Barbara Karn. A celebration of movement, change and the ground beneath our feet in paintings based on the colours and textures of rocks and other collected materials. For more information phone 01458 273008. There will be an artist Q&A on Saturday 13 April from 2.00pm.

MUSIC

On Sunday 24 February from 4.00pm at the White Hart in Yetminster there will be live music from ‘Rip It Up’ playing rockabilly and rock and roll classics. On Sunday 24 from 7.00pm at the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster see the ‘Sunset Café Stompers’. Mayor of Ilminster’s Charity Evening. Tickets £12 from Harriman’s Menswear, Silver Street. On Wednesday 27 at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil from 7.30pm enjoy the Zemlinsky String Quartet performing Dvorak in America. Tickets £14. On Friday 1 March from 7.30pm at Meadway Hall see the ‘Sam Kelly Trio’. Sam Kelly is a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Bristol-based singer, song-writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a semifinalist on Britain’s Got Talent in 2012. Bar available. Tickets from 01458 448694.

By Rachel Mowbray

ARTS ARTS

On Friday 1 from 7.30pm at Halstock Village Hall ArtsReach presents ‘Holy Moly & The Crackers’. The ever evolving six piece folk alt rock group from Newcastle have been making an impact on both the national and international live music scene since their debut album release in 2012. Influenced by an eclectic range of music, Holy Moly plays an exciting and visceral blend of rock, pop, folk, blues, Balkan, klezmer, ska and reggae. They are back with their brand new album ‘Take a Bite’ set to be released in April. Tickets £10, under 18’s £7. For more information phone 01935 891744. On Saturday 2 at 1.00pm and 6.00pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil go along to ‘The Little Mix Experience’. Four hugely talented girls pay tribute to one of the UK’s finest girl bands. With breathtaking dance moves, replica costumes and some of the finest vocals in the UK, this is a high-energy show from beginning to end, packed with all of Little Mix’s greatest hits and suitable for all ages! Featuring songs such as ‘DNA’, ‘Wings’, ‘Black Magic’, ‘Love Me Like You’ and more. Tickets £16. On Saturday 2 from 6.30pm at St Mary’s, Gillingham see the Warminster Military Wives concert for Parkinson’s. On Saturday 2 from 7.30pm at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton ArtsReach presents ‘Holy Moly & The Crackers’. The ever evolving six piece folk alt rock group from Newcastle have been making an impact on both the national and international live music scene since their debut album release in 2012. Influenced by an eclectic range

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ARTS

of music, Holy Moly plays an exciting and visceral blend of rock, pop, folk, blues, Balkan, klezmer, ska and reggae. They are back with their brand new album ‘Take a Bite’ set to be released in April. Tickets £10, under 18’s £7. On Saturday 2 at Westlands Entertainment Venue in Yeovil from 8.00pm see Ben Portsmouth, The World’s Number One Elvis Tribute Act. Ben, a multi talented musician, singer and songwriter had Elvis’s DNA in his blood from an early age. His father was an avid Elvis fan and Ben grew up on a diet of Elvis songs. He looks like Elvis, sings like Elvis and has an on-stage charisma that has audiences believing at times they are watching the King himself. Tickets £26.50. On Tuesday 5 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see Seth Lakeman. The charismatic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist found time at the beginning of the year, in between charging around the globe with Robert Plant and his band, the Sensational Space Shifters, to record a new studio album. It is a return to the organic, classic folk-rock approach with hints of Fairport Convention, Neil Young, Nick Cave and Billy Bragg plus Lakeman’s trademark foot-stomping, fiddle bow-shredding and soaring vocals. Tickets £26. On Wednesday 6 from 7.30pm at the Exchange in Sturminster Newton see the Yeovilton Military Wives Choir perform. Directed by the talented Matthew Rock, the choir will perform a mix of remembrance songs from their latest album ‘Remember’ and a range of popular classics. The Hazelbury Bryan

branch of the Royal British Legion is proud to be hosting this prestigious event which continues the commemorations of the 2018 WW1 centenary. Profits will go to the RBL Dorset Welfare Fund, which supports our service personnel, past and present, in their time of need. Tickets £16. On Thursday 7 at 7.45pm at Sherborne School Chapel there is a Spring Organ Recital. A lively and varied programme of music including Bach, Buxtehude, Franck and Whitlock performed by Kentaro Machida and James Henderson. Free entry. On Friday 8 from 8.00pm at the David Hall in South Petherton see the ‘FB Pocket Orchestra’. Working backwards from the 1930s, the FB Pocket Orchestra explores repertoire that formed the embryo of what is now known as popular music. The members originally began playing together simply as an exercise in exploring heritage repertoire - taking on a few informal performances and recording dates as schedules allowed. The aims of the orchestra are to present a contemporary slant on popular Acoustic music from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Tickets £13. On Friday 8 from 8.00pm at the Ilminster Arts Centre see ‘The Savannah Jazz Band’. They are an extremely popular bunch of guys who have carried on playing, in spite of the fact that the trad boom was supposed to be over by the end of the 70s. Tickets £16. On Friday 8 from 8.00pm at the Exchange in Sturminster Newton see Georgie Fame. With his much loved blend of Jazz and Rhythm & Blues, Georgie Fame has

consistently worked in the highest musical circles and has become a true icon of the British music scene. Tickets £19.50. On Saturday 9 from 6.45pm at the Market House in Castle Cary see Reg Meuross. Reg has a rare gift of being able to touch people with his collection of extremely beautiful songs performed with humour and depth. Cash bar available. Tickets £12 from Bailey Hill Bookshop or www.wegottickets.com/ event/459209 Proceeds to the Friends of Castle Cary Library. On Sunday 10 from 3.00pm at Templecombe Village Hall go along to ‘Songs for Sunday’ with Sarah Poole on soprano and David Heyes on double bass. One hour whistle stop tour around the world featuring exciting and enjoyable music from Britain, America, France, Spain, Netherlands, Finland and Austria. Somerset folksongs, collected over a century ago, contrast a programme of engaging and accessible music with a wide range of musical styles and idioms with something to suit most tastes. In aid of St Mary’s Church Restoration Fund. Tickets £6, Children free, includes tea and cakes. On Wednesday 13 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see ‘The Manfreds’. The 1960s group Manfred Mann is now considered, more than ever, one of the finest and most respected bands from that era. Their numerous hits were R&B based with an undercurrent of jazz, a very unusual but winning combination of playing style and substance. As a result, their records have a timeless quality and, some 55 years on, The Manfreds, with both original

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front men, Paul Jones & Mike d’Abo, will be performing many of their hits, including Do Wah Diddy Diddy, one of the most popular and instantly recognisable songs of the 60s, and still the biggest audience pleaser at their concerts, plus Mighty Quinn and more. Tickets £24.50. On Friday 15 at 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre Concerts in the West presents ‘Sara Deborah and friends’. Sara Deborah Timossi - whose elegant playing has been compared to the ‘instrumental voice of an angel’ and who has been described as ‘one of the rising stars of the baroque violin’. Accompanying Sara will be two equally accomplished classical musicians, cellist Lucy Scotchmer who has played at Carnegie Hall, USA, Royal Albert Hall, UK and National Centre Of Performing Arts, China and the multi-award winning guitarist Johan Löfving, who will be performing on theorbo. The programme includes Biber Sonata No 1 in A; Boismoitier; Trio Sonata for cello, violin & bc; Abel Trio Sonata; Tartini Sonata ‘Didone Abbandonata’ No 10 in G minor; Kapsberger Canario for solo theorbo; Porro/ Mozart Grand Trio (Extrait de Mozart); Paganini Cantabile for violin and guitar; Giuliani Serenade in A major, Op 19 (BAC/EV). Tickets £15. On Saturday 16 from 7.00pm at Charlton Horethorne Village Hall join for an evening of rock and roll spanning 60’s to modern day music including Motown Magic and the renown Crystal Ship rock band. Entry £10. For more information phone 01935 814199. On Saturday 16 from 8.00pm at the David Hall in South Petherton see Kitty Macfarlane, a Somerset based singer and

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ARTS

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songwriter. Her lyrics combine honest snapshots of everyday humanity with the bigger questions that have connected minds and voices for centuries, driven by her own fingerpicked guitar. Support is from Plymouth-based vocalist, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist, Jack Cookson, combines dry and visceral word-play with intricate fingerstyle guitar arrangements, to create emotionally-charged yet honest and memorable songs. Tickets £14. On Sunday 17 from 3.00pm at Cheap Street Church there is a Wessex Strings Concert. Programme includes Corelli Concerto Grosso No 2, Finzi Romance, Tchaikowsky Serenade for Strings and Boccherini cello concerto in B flat major. Tickets £9, includes tea, from Sherborne TIC or £10 on the door. On Monday 18 at 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil it is the Hidden Needs Trust Charity Concert which features ‘Just Take That’ tribute band. They will take you on a journey of Take That’s, Gary Barlow’s and Robbie Williams’ biggest hits spanning 30 years. Raising money for Special Educational Needs Children in Dorset and Somerset. Tickets £20. For more information visit www. hiddenneedstrust.org or 07516 288571. On Thursday 21 at 7.30pm at St Mary’s Church in Gillingham go along to ‘Shreen Harmony Concert’.

On Friday 22 at 7.30pm at the Jubilee Hall ArtsReach presents the ‘Mela Guitar Quartet’. Bringing the colours and textures of four classical guitars to life with a wonderfully inventive, eclectic mix of repertoire, Mela explore the art of a classical quartet to the highest level. Individually, Mela’s members have a wealth of concert experience from performances on BBC Radio 3 and 4, to concerto performances in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and the Purcell Rooms. Formed after meeting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music, expect precision and intensity from this acclaimed quartet. Programme includes Carmen Fantasy by Goss based on Bizet’s Carmen, Bacchanale by Saint-Saen, Jimi Hendrix and Handel inspired Pluck, Strum and Hammer and Brazilian works by Milhaud, Gismonti and Assad. Bar available. Tickets £10, under 18’s £5 from 01935 873719, the Spar Shop or www.artsreach. co.uk or on the door. On Friday 22 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see ‘The Christians’. They enjoyed huge acclaim in the late 80s and early 90s both in the UK and Europe. Still headed by enigmatic lead singer Garry Christian Mirror’s description of him as having who has only gained in vocal stature (and wit) over the years! They will be playing their well known back catalogue and one or two

favourites selected from newer albums. Tickets £27. On Friday 22 from 8.00pm at the Ilminster Arts Centre see the ‘Alto Saxophonist Duncan Anselm’ and his quintet. This will be straight-ahead jazz 1950s/60s style and beyond, whether it is hard bop from the fantastic Blue Note artists such as Sonny Clark and Hank Mobley, carefully arranged standards from the great American songbook or one or two of Duncan’s original compositions. The aim will be to present a varied programme of well-arranged highly accessible material in a good swinging groove with lively soloing. Tickets £14. On Saturday 23 from 2.30pm at the former URC building, North Street in Stoke Sub Hamdon the Hamdon Community Arts Project is hosting a ‘Young Peoples Music Festival’. Listen to young people showcasing their musical ability in concert. Awards are given to everybody taking part. Refreshments

available. Free admission, donations to the Arts Project invited. For more information phone 01935 579730. On Saturday 23 at the Exchange in Sturminster Newton from 7.30pm see ‘Altered Images’, an early 1980s Scottish New Wave/ post-punk band. Led by lead singer Clare Grogan, the band branched into mainstream pop music, and had six UK Top 40 hit singles and three Top 30 albums between 1981 and 1983. Altered Images quickly had worldwide success, selling millions of records, which topped the charts in several countries. Tickets from £21.50. On Saturday 23 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil Ballet Theatre UK present ‘Swan Lake’. This remains as one of the most enduring, moving and irreplaceable classical ballets due to its fantastical plot filled with romance, sorcery, and betrayal. This immortal tale

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tells of a princess held captive as a swan by the spell of an evil magician, a spell that can only be broken if a prince swears true love to her. Featuring new choreography by Artistic Director Christopher Moore and over 120 new costumes and stunning sets, this production promises to provide you with a new look at the classic tale and leave you with a new love for Swan Lake. Tickets £18.50. On Saturday 23 from 7.30pm at Norton Sub Hamdon Church see the Stoke Sub Hamdon Band. This talented and highly acclaimed band return to entertain with a varied programme of music. Wine bar. Tickets £7 from the Community Shop or £8 on the door. For more information visit www.nortonfestival.org On Saturday 23 from 8.00pm at the David Hall in South Petherton see ‘Tankus the Henge’. They have built their reputation on unforgettable songwriting, spectacular live performances and relentless hard work, playing hundreds of shows across Europe and building a devoted fan base along the way. Their funk-fuelled repertoire is wildly eclectic, ranging from New Orleansinspired swing to heavy rock riffs; and, since their beginnings in the ratty alleyways of London’s Soho, the band has evolved into a wild groove machine. Their hairraising show, like no other, has to be seen and heard to be believed. Tickets £18. From Wednesday 27 March until Saturday 6 April at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see ‘42nd Street’. Based on the 1932 novel by Bradford Ropes, 42nd Street tells of the great director Julian Marsh and his upcoming production of the musical Pretty Lady. With a classic score of musical theatre standards including ‘We’re in the Money’ and ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, this heart-warming musical provides exceptional tap routines and classic comedy. A must see for all music and dance lovers alike! Various show times. Tickets £19.

On Friday 29 from 8.00pm at the Ilminster Arts Centre see Pete Oxley and Nick Meier and their quartet. They will be playing a very broadly based mix of music from many parts of the World, on at least six different types of guitar (last time there were ten), covering most of the styles of music that anyone might think of. This will be a treat for all who have a particular interest in guitar music but also for those who like to hear fascinating mixes of tunes from different cultures. Tickets £16. On Sunday 31 at the White Hart in Yetminster at 7.00pm see ‘The Olde Boston Tea Party’. David is the mainstay of the band and has played with many well-known American bluegrass musicians who have come over to the UK. Charlie is a songwriter with two UK Country Radio Awards to his credit and seven self-penned albums, three recorded in Nashville. Mandolinist Jeremy is a familiar sight at bluegrass festivals, some of which he flies to, having built his own aeroplane! Pete was first recognised by the Moody Blues who were keen to promote his band and he has since played with many of the bestknown English bluegrass bands.

On Tuesday 26 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see ‘BalletBoyz’ who are back with two brand new works, both set to original scores by world class composers. ‘Them’ is created by the BalletBoyz dancers themselves, and then together with key collaborators, and the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon brings the achingly beautiful ‘Us’, inspired by his critically acclaimed duet featured in the Company’s memorable production, ‘Fourteen Days’. Set to contrasting scores by cult singer-songwriter Keaton Henson and emerging composer Charlotte Harding. Tickets £16.50. On Thursday 28 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil Concept Concerts presents eight piece band ‘The Goldhawks’. They deliver a stunning live performance of The Who’s

PERFORMANCE

On Saturday 23 February from 7.30pm Living Spit return to the Exchange in Sturminster Newton with a brand new show ‘Giants of Science!’ Howard Coggins knows nothing about Science. Stu Mcloughlin knows even less. Nevertheless, they have agreed to give a lecture on the subject, and after enlisting the help of the smartest scientific sages of the ages, that is just what they aim to do. But even with the likes of Albert Einstein, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Mary Anning and Kriss Akabusi along for the ride, the chances of the dim-witted duo making it through the evening with any sense of dignity remaining intact seems less than likely. Still, they are determined, like a pair of Atoms missing a couple of electrons, to

stay positive. With jarring jokes, pitiful puppetry, and the silliest of scientific songs, you can expect this raucous romp through the hilarious history of scientific stupidity to be well, if nothing else, thoroughly entertaining. Tickets £13.

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ARTS

smash hit concept album, ‘Quadrophenia’. From the very first show it has received standing ovations. Released over 40 years ago in October 1973, The Who’s second rock opera Quadrophenia was Pete Townshend’s homage to a pivotal moment in British youth culture. The album tells the story of Jimmy, a Mod, by chronicling his dissatisfaction with life, work, love, home, and family life. It served as an ode to teenage angst and counterculture rebellion, as well as a criticism of the British class, economic and educational systems but you don’t need to be clued up on the history of the Mods and Rockers to enjoy this show because at its core, Quadrophenia, which peaked at No. 2 on the UK and USA charts, is just about teenage confusion, conflict and frustration. Tickets £23. On Friday 1 March at the Exchange in Sturminster Newton from 7.30pm see ‘The Zoots’ for an eighties show. They will play floorfillers, party anthems, classic pop and power ballads from Wham, The Jam, Queen, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Madness, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and more. Tickets £17. On Thursday 7 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see the Richard Alston Dance Company. Richard Alston has been making dance for 50 years. He will celebrate his half-century with a programme full of his trademark lyrical choreography performed by undoubtedly one of the world’s best dance ensembles. The evening centres around exciting new

works by Richard Alston and associate choreographer Martin Lawrance. Alston’s Brahms Hungarian is set to the hugely popular Brahms pieces, featuring live solo pianist Jason Ridgway, where the dancers are carried along by fast steps and an abandoned fervour. Detour, Lawrance’s new work is set to Michael Gordon’s pulsing Timber with his customary fast paced style. Proverb, one of Alston’s most telling choreographies is set to the vocals of Steve Reich. Tickets £17.50. On Friday 8 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see ‘Oh! What A Feeling’ with a stellar line-up of world class musicians including Talon’s own Jonny Miller and the awesome talent of Malcolm Pitt as the voice of Lionel Richie in this high octane show. Includes all the greatest hits ‘Easy’, ‘Say You Say Me’, ‘Stuck On You’, ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’, ‘Three Times A Lady’, and more. Tickets £22. On Saturday 9 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil Swansea City Opera presents ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’. They are known for their sparkling performances of comic opera and their Così will be no exception. Beautifully staged in English with elegant classical 19th century costumes and performed by some of the finest singers and orchestral players in the country, Così Fan Tutte contains some of Mozart’s most ravishing music and makes for an enchanting and hilarious evening’s entertainment -a feast for the eyes and ears. There will be a pre performance talk about the opera and production at 6.15pm, given by the Artistic

Director of Swansea City Opera, Brendan Wheatley. Tickets £21.50. From Monday 11 to Saturday 16 March from 7.30pm at Sherborne Studio Theatre the Amateur Players of Sherborne presents ‘The Birthday Party’. Described by Irving Wardle as a ‘comedy of menace’ is one of Harold Pinter’s best known plays. When two new and mysterious guests, Goldberg and McCann, arrive at a rundown seaside boarding house, the ensuing 24 hours become an increasing nightmare for resident Stanley Webber. Pinter creates menacing atmosphere with elements typical of the author, such as ambiguity, contradiction, confusion and, some say, dark political symbolism. Goldberg and McCann throw a party for Stanley as it’s ‘his birthday’ (which Stanley denies). They interrogate Stanley with questions that become ever more aggressive and absurd. They talk about a mysterious ‘organisation’ and are generally threatening. Drumming, hysterical laughter and a game of blind man’s bluff intensify the situation. The intimate setting of the Sherborne Studio Theatre is well suited to this play and the audience will soon become immersed in the claustrophobic, intense but thought-provoking drama. For more information visit www. aps-sherborne.co.uk From Monday 11 to Saturday 16 March at 7.30pm the Swan Theatre Company in Yeovil presents ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’. When Martha and George are joined by

young couple, Nick and Honey, after a party, the stage is set for a night of drunken recriminations and revelations. Battle-lines are drawn as Martha and George drag their guests into their own private hell of a marriage. Tickets £12, Students £11 from 07500 376031 or www.swantheatre.co.uk On Tuesday 12 from 7.30pm at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil see Steve Steinman’s ‘Vampires Rock’. X Factor favourite and winner Sam Bailey will be stepping into the shoes of legendary singer and actress Toyah Willcox who played the part of the Vampire Queen for two years performing over 200 shows. Throwing in just the right amount of fun and humour Steve Steinman, always has the audience roaring with laughter and shouting for more. A tongue in cheek story, spellbinding cast, guitar gods and sexy vampettes take you on a ride through some of the greatest eighties classic rock anthems ever! With incredible stage set, lighting and sound production this musical concert will have you up and dancing in the aisles to all your favourite eighties classic rock anthems including tracks from Queen, ACDC, Meat Loaf, Journey, Guns N Roses, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Alice Cooper, Bonnie Tyler and more. Tickets £28. From Thursday 14 to w at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil hundreds of talented and enthusiastic local children, teenagers and adults from The Helen Laxton School of Dance join together to perform in an exciting variety dance,

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music and singing spectacular. Various show times. Tickets from £16. On Friday 22 at the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster from 7.30pm Somerset Opera presents ‘The Mikado’. Tickets £12, Children and Students £6 from Harrimans Menswear, Silver Street. On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 at the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster from 7.30pm there is a County Drama Festival. Sponsored by Clarks. For more information visit www. thewarehousetheatre.org.uk On Friday 29 from 7.30pm at Norton Sub Hamdon Village Hall TakeArt presents ‘Isla’ by Spanish circs company, D’Click. Isla (Spanish for Island) tells the story of three shipwrecked characters who find themselves alone and dependent upon each other. Using their amazing physical circus skills, they overcome unbelievable and death defying situations. Based on a work of movement and body, D’click bring to life an entrancing story, incorporate the most typical tools of the circus, such as acrobatics and the Chinese pole. Isla reminds us of the subtle barrier that exists between physical theatre and dance; circus and risk, magic and dreams. Tickets £10, under 16’s £6 from the Village Shop or 01935 881227. On Saturday 30 from 7.30pm at Yeovil College Main Hall go along to ‘Casson and Friends: Choreocracy’. A fun,

interactive dance show that puts the audience in control of the performance. Choreocracy is part of Petherton Arts Trust’s programme of events specifically for youngsters. Ticket prices have been subsidised thanks to a generous donation from customers at the Co-op in South Petherton. Tickets £10.

CHILDREN

On Saturday 9 March from 2.00pm at the David Hall in South Petherton see ‘Tom Thumb’. One-night, tiny Tom overhears Mum and Dad talking, there’s nothing left to eat so they are going to leave him and his six brothers in the forest! Outwitting his parents and the ogre, Tom shows everybody that, even though he is small, he is still mighty, as he protects his brothers, finds the treasure and makes sure they’ll never be hungry again. Performed entirely on and under a kitchen table, this classic story is brought to life in a playful and fascinating show full of Lyngo’s magic with feathery spinning birds, a flying house and a portable forest. Tickets £8. On Saturday 30 from 10.00am at Wincanton Library go along to Savour-Flavour Storytime. Free event for adults and children hosted by the Library Friends.

OTHER

On Sunday 23 February from 7.30pm at the David Hall in South Petherton there is an Acoustic Night. All styles and

On Wednesday 6 March from 8.00pm Westlands Entertainment Venue in Yeovil are encouraging talented locals to go and join them for a brand new monthly Open Mic Night on the first Wednesday every month. Whether you are a singer, actor, comedian, musician or something else altogether they want to give you the chance to share your talents! Free entry. Register at westlandsyeovil@ southsomerset.gov.uk

forms of performance, not just music. If you wish to perform email folk@chriswatts.org On Saturday 26 from 7.30pm at Westlands Entertainment Venue see ‘Kai Hoffman and her Kombo’. They have been jiving, rocking and swinging in the UK for over ten years. With an eight-year vintage club night residency at Ronnie Scott’s. This event has cabaret style seating around a large dance floor. Tickets £15. On Thursday 28 at the Exchange in Sturminster Newton from 7.30pm David Starkey will be presenting ‘Henry VIII: the first Brexiteer?’ Henry VIII, like a colossus, bestrides the history of our country. He invented the idea of British uniqueness; in fact, the Reformation could be defined as the first Brexit, when his ministers devised the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty. In this talk David Starkey draws on his unique knowledge of Henry’s reign to examine his tumultuous personal life, which pitted religion against politics as brutally as in our own age of Isis, through to the Grand Tourists who bought European culture with British money, all offering so very many parallels with the Brexit situation we find ourselves in today. Tickets £15. Please note tickets bought for 23 November are valid for this event.

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On Thursday 21 at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil from 7.30pm see John Makepeace talk about his life and work. John’s career has been described as an adventure in wood. Following an inspirational visit to Copenhagen’s great cabinet makers as a teenager, John found design and craftsmanship came naturally to him. Early professional recognition led to work as a design consultant to the all India Handicraft Board, cofounding the UK Crafts Council and acting as Trustee of the V&A. John has received a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Furniture Society and the Furniture Makers Company. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Arts University Bournemouth and Hereford College of Arts. Tickets £6. On Saturday 24 from 7.30pm at the David Hall it is Acoustic Night. All styles and forms of performance welcome – not just music. If you wish to perform email folk@chriswatts. org

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MOVIES

MOVIES A QUIET PLACE (15)

American post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film. Two parents do what it takes to keep their children safe in a world full of creatures hunting every sound they can hear. Not a sound can be heard from the family hiding in silence, but all it takes is one noise and everything can go wrong. Starring Emily Blunt. SHOWING AT Ilminster on Saturday 2 March, Warehouse Theatre, 7.45pm, Guests donation.

A STAR IS BORN (15)

In this new and fourth take on the iconic love story, four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper makes his directorial debut, and also stars alongside multiple award-winning, Oscar-nominated music superstar Lady Gaga in her first leading role in a major motion picture. Cooper portrays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers and falls in love with struggling artist Ally. She has given up on her dream to become a successful singer, until she meets Jack, who immediately sees her natural talent. In addition to playing Ally, Gaga performs original songs in the film with Cooper, which they wrote with a handful of artists, including Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell and Mark Ronson. The music is original and all vocals for the movie were recorded live during filming. SHOWING AT Kingsbury Episcopi on Thursday 7 March, Community Centre, 7.30pm, Tickets £5 from 01935 823298. Sherborne on Wednesday 13 March, Digby Memorial Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £6 from Sherborne TIC, 01935 815341 or on the door. Ditcheat on Thursday 21 March, Memorial Village Hall, 7.30pm. Tickets £5 from Maryland Farm Shop or 01749 860444.

BEAUTIFUL BOY (15)

Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heart-breaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years. SHOWING AT Yeovil on Monday 15 March, Westlands Entertainment Venue, 3.00pm & 6.30pm, Tickets £10.

AROUND THE TOWNS AND VILLAGES

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (12A)

A foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Starring Rami Malek. SHOWING AT Corton Denham on Wednesday 6 March, Queens Arms, 7.30pm, Tickets £15 includes main meal & drink. Booking essential on 01963 220317. Hardington Mandeville on Friday 15 March, Village Hall, Tickets £5 from Springfield Stores on 01935 862363 or £6 on the door. Milborne Port on Friday 15 March, Village Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets from Wayne the Butcher from 1 February, £5.50 on the door. South Petherton on Friday 29 March, David Hall, 8.00pm, Tickets £5. West Camel on Friday 29 March, Village Hall, 7.30pm, Admission £5 on the door.

FIRST MAN (12A)

The riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight. A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, the film explores the triumphs and the cost – on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself – of one of the most dangerous missions in history. Starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy. SHOWING AT Yetminster on Tuesday 12 March, Jubilee Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £6, includes choc ice, from the Spar Shop. South Petherton on Friday 15 March, David Hall, 8.00pm, Tickets £5. Somerton on Saturday 16 March, Parish Rooms, 7.30pm, Tickets £6 from Cobbs, Brunel Precinct or on the door. Castle Cary on Tuesday 26 March, Caryford Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £5 from the Market House or £6 on the door.

GREEN BOOK (12A)

A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South. SHOWING AT Yeovil on Tuesday 12 and Monday 18 March, Westlands Entertainment Venue, 3.00pm & 6.30pm, Tickets £10.

HOTEL SALVATION (PG)

Faced with his father’s untimely and bizarre demand to go and die in the holy city of Varanasi and attain Salvation, a son is left with no choice but to embark on this journey. SHOWING AT Crewkerne on Friday 8 March, Wadham School, 7.30pm, Tickets £6.

KING OF THIEVES (15)

The incredible true story of the spectacular Hatton Garden diamond heist, the biggest and most daring in British history, carried out by a group of OAP career criminals. The stellar cast includes Sir Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay and Charlie Cox. SHOWING AT Odcombe on Monday 4 March, Village Hall, 8.00pm, Tickets £5 from 07934 737104 or £6 on the door. Hinton St George on Saturday 9 March, Village Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £5 in advance from Personal Services Store and Dorothy’s Tearoom or £5.50 on the door. Norton Sub Hamdon on Tuesday 12 March, the Lord Nelson, 7.30pm Tickets from 01935 881227.

MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (15)

Mary Stuart’s attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution. Starring Gemma Chan and Saoirse Ronan. SHOWING AT Yeovil on Friday 29 March, Westlands Entertainment Venue, 3.00pm & 6.30pm, Tickets £10.

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PHANTOM THREAD (15)

Set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock and his sister Cyril are at the centre of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants, and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis. SHOWING AT West Coker on Friday 8 March, Commemoration Hall, Tickets £5 on 01935 863176 or on the door. Ilminster on Saturday 23 March, Warehouse Theatre, 7.45pm, Guests donation.

RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (PG)

Aging ex-marshal Steve Judd is hired by a bank to transport a gold shipment through dangerous territory. He hires an old partner, Gil Westrum, and his young protege Heck to assist him. Steve doesn’t know, however, that Gil and Heck plan to steal the gold, with or without Steve’s help. On the trail, the three get involved in a young woman’s desire to escape first from her father, then from her fiancé and his dangerously psychotic brothers. SHOWING AT Yeovil on Wednesday 20 March, Swan Theatre, 7.30pm. Guests £5. 01935 421905.

THE FRONT RUNNER (15)

Hugh Jackman stars in this true story account of Democratic Senator Gary Hart’s bid for the presidency IN 1988 which was blighted by an extra marital affair. SHOWING AT Yeovil on Friday 1 and Tuesday 5 March, Westlands Entertainment Venue, 3.00pm & 6.30pm, Tickets £10.

A STAR IS BORN Wednesday 13 March 7.30pm 15 Digby Church Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne

Tickets £6 in advance from Sherborne Tourist Information Centre 01935 815341 or on the door if available

THE LITTLE STRANGER (12A)

This tells the story of Dr. Faraday, the son of a housemaid, who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. During the long hot summer of 1948, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall, where his mother once worked. The Hall has been home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries. But it is now in decline and its inhabitants – mother, son and daughter - are haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life. When he takes on his new patient, Faraday has no idea how closely, and how disturbingly, the family’s story is about to become entwined with his own. Starring Charlotte Rampling, Ruth Wilson and Domhnall Gleeson. SHOWING AT Castle Cary in Tuesday 26 February, Caryford Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £5 from the Market House or £6 on the door. South Petherton on Friday 1 March, David Hall, 8.00pm, Tickets £5. Cerne Abbas on Monday 11 March, Village Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £5 from Marion on 01300 341375.

THE GUARDIANS (15)

An affecting human drama of love, loss, and resilience unfolding against the backdrop of World War I. The women of the Paridier farm, under the deft hand of Hortense, the family’s matriarch, must grapple with the workload while the men, including two sons, are off at the front. Hortense reluctantly brings in an outsider, the hard-scrabble teenage orphan, Francine, to help her daughter Solange. New tools allow the women to triumph over the land, newfound independence is acquired, yet emotions are stirred especially when the men return from the front on short leaves. In French with subtitles. SHOWING AT Castle Cary on Tuesday 12 March, Caryford Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £5 from the Market House or £6 on the door.

THE WIFE (15)

After nearly forty years of marriage, Joan and Joe Castleman are complements. Where Joe is casual, Joan is elegant. Where Joe is vain, Joan is self-effacing. And where Joe enjoys his very public role as Great American Novelist, Joan pours her considerable intellect, grace, charm, and diplomacy into the private role of Great Man’s Wife. Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work. His literary star has blazed since he and Joan first met in the late 1950s. The Wife interweaves the story of the couple’s youthful passion and ambition with a portrait of a marriage, thirty-plus years later–a lifetime’s shared compromises, secrets, betrayals, and mutual love. SHOWING AT East Coker on Wednesday 27 February, Village Hall, 7.30pm, Admission £6 on the door. Leigh on Monday 11 March, Village Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £6 from 01935 872323. Halstock on Sunday 17 March, Village Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £6 from the Village Shop or on the door.

VICE (15)

The story of Dick Cheney, an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today. SHOWING AT Yeovil on Monday 11 and Friday 15 March, Westlands Entertainment Venue, 3.00pm & 6.30pm, Tickets £10.

WIDOWS (15)

Follows the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica, Alice, Linda and Belle take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. Starring Liam Neeson. SHOWING AT Corton Denham on Wednesday 20 March, Queens Arms, 7.30pm, Tickets £15 includes main meal & drink. Booking essential on 01963 220317. Martock on Saturday 30 March, Parish Hall, 7.30pm, Tickets £5.50 from Martock News or Martock Gallery or £6 on the door.

www.sherborneartslink.org.uk Charity no 1007680 Company no 2471382

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MUSIC GIGS

Music Gigs All Music Gigs are FREE entry unless mentioned.

FEBRUARY 23

‘NiteLite’, Yeovil Labour Club, 8.30pm ‘Bad Edukation’, Classic Rock, The Phoenix, Gillingham, 9.00pm ‘Blackout City’, Rock/Pop, The Westminster, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘ReD, Rock/Pop, The Old Barn Club, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘The Tracks Band’, Pop/Rock, Sports and Social Club, Langport, 9.00pm ‘k’fuffle’, Rock/Pop, Stoke Sub Hamdon Working Mens Club, 9.00pm ‘The Relics’, Rock/Blues, The Arrow, Yeovil, 9.30pm ‘Nevertheless’, Rock Covers, The Tippling Philosopher, Milborne Port, 9.30pm ‘Unknown Identity’, Covers and Originals, White Hart, Sherborne, 9.30pm ‘Greg Agar’, The Bell Inn, Yeovil, 9.30pm

MARCH 1 2 3 8 9 15 16 17 22 23 29 30 31

Sam Kelly Trio, Meadway Hall, Compton Dundon, 8.00pm, Tickets £10 from 01458 448694 ‘D-State’, Covers 70s – present, The Westminster, Yeovil, 8.45pm ‘The Foo Fakers’ Tribute Band, Chicago Rock Café, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Old Dogz New Trix’, Rock/Blues/Pop, Yeovil Labour Club, 8.30pm James Hollingsworth, Acoustic Blues/Folk/Rock, Dolphin Hotel, Wincanton, 9.00pm ‘Bad Edukation’, Classic Rock, White Hart, Sherborne, 9.00pm ‘Utter Chaos’, Various Covers, The Bell Inn, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Unknown Identity’, Covers & Original, The Westminster, Yeovil, 9.15pm Don Alan, Yeovil Labour Club, 4.00pm ‘The FB Pocket Orchestra, David Hall, South Petherton, 8.00pm ‘Bowie Fashion’ Tribute Band, Chicago Rock Café, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Shockwave’, Rock/Pop, Yeovil Labour Club, 8.30pm ‘Project 17’, Pop/Rock, The Arrow, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘D-State’, Covers 70’s-present, The Bell Inn, Yeovil, 9.30pm ‘Warthogs’, Pop/Rock, Stoke Sub Hamdon Working Mens Club, 9.30pm ‘Silverback’, Rock Covers, Fleur De Lis, Stoke Sub Hamdon, 9.00pm Kitty Macfarlane Plymouth and Jack Cookson, David Hall, South Petherton, 8.00pm Stacey Lou, Yeovil Labour Club, 9.00pm ‘Snooky Duke’, The Bell Inn, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘One Tree Hill’, Acoustic, The Brewers Arms, South Petherton, 3.00pm ‘Jackdaw’, Classic Rock, The Westminster, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Tankus The Henge’, Pop/Folk, David Hall, South Petherton, 8.00pm ‘Stray Dogs’, Rock, Yeovil Labour Club, 8.30pm ‘Mandown’, Rock/Pop Covers, White Hart, Sherborne, 9.00pm ‘Jackdaw’, Classic Rock, The Great Lyde, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Calibr8’, The Bell Inn, Yeovil, 9.30pm ‘Powercut’, Acoustic/Electric/Rock/Pop, Stoke Sub Hamdon Working Mens Club, 9.30pm ‘Duality’ – Sax and Guitar Duo, The Old Pound Inn, Langport, 8.30pm ‘Snappa’, Covers 50’s-present, Chicago Rock Café, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Grouvecat’, Acoustic Rock, The George Hotel, Castle Cary, 8.00pm ‘D-State’, Covers 70’s-present, The Great Lyde, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Bad Edukation’, Classic Rock, The Westminster, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Bowie Fashion’ Tribute Band, The Arrow, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘One Tree Hill’, Acoustic, The Old Barn Club, Yeovil, 9.00pm ‘Unknown Identity’, Covers & Original, Merriott Social Club, 9.15pm ‘Jackdaw’, Classic Rock, The Bell Inn, Yeovil, 9.30pm ‘Wrecking Ball’, Country Rock, The Foresters Arms, East Coker, 3.30pm

A MUSICAL NOTE!

By Ryan Leese, Manager of Waterloo Music When we first launched our music shop Waterloo Music, four years ago, we were really keen to be specialists in our field and to provide expert, credible advice to our customers. Whether they be complete beginners or gigging, professional musicians, we like to provide meaningful and helpful guidance, going the extra mile to support customers with their instruments, accessories and servicing.

So when I was invited to visit the Godin Guitar factory in Montreal, Canada last year, I jumped at the chance... being a fan and player of these exquisitely made guitars, as well as the Seagull guitar brand, which is also made by the same company, I couldn’t wait to get there! Getting up close and seeing all aspects of the production process from start to finish, has given me a great insight to the brand!

This really is the value of buying in-store, the honest advice, expertise and the ability to try before you buy cannot be found when purchasing on-line. On top of that, we can repair, set-up and service your instruments in our own workshop and our teaching department offers a range of lessons for students of all ages and abilities.

Come and have a chat and see our collection of these models, they are beautiful guitars. Seagull and Godin are just a few of the premium brand guitars we stock, there’s so much to discover in our store in Yeovil and our staff will always be there to advise you!

All of our staff live and breathe music; as well as being professional musicians; they cannot help but devour the facts and figures of the latest guitar model specifications and of course, give them a play!

Tel: 01935 507330

shop@waterloomusic.co.uk

16 Hendford, Yeovil, Somerset www.waterloomusic.co.uk

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Antiques & Collectables AUCTIONS, FAIRS AND SALES

ANTIQUES

This section covers local sales, auctions, antiques fairs and events in the area with advice from dealers and experts on different topics. If you are interested in this and have some items to sell or run an antique or restoration business then do contact us for our next issue.

A Lifetime Collection

On 7 March, Dukes in Dorchester will be holding its Classic Cars and Automobilia sale followed by an Art and Design Post 1850 sale two weeks later on 21 March. Dukes will also be continuing with its General Sales and is holding an Avenue Auction on Tuesday 19 March 2019 at 10.30am. Please note viewing is every Saturday prior to sale from 9.30am12.00noon and on every Monday prior to sale - 9.00am-7.00pm as well as on the morning of the auction day from 9.00am.

A lifetime collection of medals and militaria is going under the Charterhouse, Sherborne hammer in the two day March collectors’ auction on 14 and 15 March.

Sadly he passed away last year and the family have now taken the difficult decision to dispose of his collection so other collectors can enjoy the items just as much as he did.

“It’s a fabulous collection of militaria from the 19th and 20th centuries,” commented Richard Bromell. “There are thousands of military buttons and badges from regiments many of which have either now been amalgamated or disbanded along with numerous medals from the Victorian era onwards.”

Lawrence’s Auction house in Crewkerne has General Sales on Wednesdays 20 February, 27 February, 6, 13 and 20 March. All sales start at 9.30am and viewing is from the Tuesday before the sale from 9am to 7pm. For more information call 01460 73041. On Friday 8 March there is a Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photography sale.

The collection was amassed by a Dorset man who lived all of his life in his village just a few yards away from the home he was born in.

One of his treasured medal groups is a gallantry group awarded to a Dorset man. The group of four First World War medals were awarded to 813 Private W J Chaffey who served with the Dorset Yeomanry. The group comprises a 1914-15 Star, a Victory medal, a War medal and a Military Medal, which are estimated to sell for £600-1,000. Overall, the collection is expected to sell for well over £10,000.

Meanwhile in West Dorset, Sherbornebased Charterhouse has a collector’s auction where they will be selling a fabulous collection of Militaria from the 19th and 20th centuries on Thursday and Friday, 14 and 15 March. See our article about some of the exceptional items on sale.

As a young lad during The Second World War, he took a keen interest in the military operations which went on in the village between helping getting the harvest in , feeding the family chickens and helping on local farms. He even witnessed the Sherborne Air Raid on 30 September 1940. After the war, when he was old enough he serve, he joined up with The Dorset Regiment. This sparked a lifetime of collecting militaria, with particular emphasis on anything related to his regiment.

Charterhouse is now accepting further entries for this March auction of coins, medals, militaria, stamps, toys and other collectors’ items and for April auctions which include specialist sales of Asian Art, Sporting Items, Pictures and Classic Cars.

The group of four medals awarded to Private W J Chaffey MM £600-1,000

TOP PRICES PAID FOR OLD TOYS - any condition

We are always keen to buy antique silver and old Sheffield plate at current prices Please telephone or call into the shop 38 CHEAP STREET, SHERBORNE DORSET DT9 3PX

01935 816828

enquiries@henrywillis.co.uk

www.henrywillis.co.uk

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Trains, cars and lorries, soldiers, etc Britains, Dinky, Corgi, Hornby, Meccano, Tri-ang, etc

01935 816072 (07527 074343) Pastimes of Sherborne, 3 Westbury (in front of the Abbey)

CLOCK REPAIRS

ANTIQUE AND MODERN CLOCK REPAIRS

Long Case Clocks a speciality Free pick up and delivery 40 years experience

01935 477582

Rifle Brigade helmet plate badge (£50-80) & a Gordon Highlanders cross belt plate (£100-150)

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BOOKS

COMPUTING

BOOK REVIEW By Wayne, Winstones

The Stone Circle

A Dr Ruth Galloway Mystery £18.99 Last year we had a wonderful talk and signing with Elly Griffiths. Elly was both friendly and entertaining, riveting the audience with stories about her writing career and central character Ruth Galloway. Ruth is back… DCI Nelson has been receiving threatening letters telling him to ‘go to the stone circle and rescue the innocent who is buried there’. He is shaken, not only because children are very much on his mind, with Michelle’s baby due to be born, but because although the letters are anonymous, they are somehow familiar. They read like the letters that first drew him into the case of The Crossing Places, and to Ruth. But the author of those letters is

dead. Or are they? Meanwhile Ruth is working on a dig in the Saltmarsh - another henge, known by the archaeologists as the stone circle - trying not to think about the baby. Then bones are found on the site, and identified as those of Margaret Lacey, a twelve-year-old girl who disappeared thirty years ago. As the Margaret Lacey case progresses, more and more aspects of it begin to hark back to that first case of The Crossing Places, and to Scarlett Henderson, the girl Nelson couldn’t save. The past is reaching out for Ruth and Nelson, and its grip is deadly.

‘My favourite series’ Val McDermid ‘Ruth Galloway is one of the most engaging characters in modern crime fiction’ Kate Mosse 8, Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset. DTP 3PX 01935 816 128 winstonebooks1@gmail.com www.winstonebooks.co.uk

MYTHS, TRUTHS & LEGENDS By Jimmy Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

All the pictures, music and documents on my computer slow it down Not at all; your computer is slowed down by the number of programs actually running either while you use them or in the background. Moving all my pictures and music onto a removable disk will speed things up Moving all your precious data won’t speed up your computer at all; by moving it you’ll then only have one copy of it and risk losing it altogether. Yes! Have a removable disk but just use it for backup. Downloading and installing free clean-up software will speed my computer up Rarely, but by all means use the free clean-up software but be careful when you install it that it doesn’t invite all its friends and relatives as well. Uninstall it after you have used it. Password protected wireless networks are safe from hackers Absolutely! Open wireless networks allow somebody outside your house to connect to your network and then try and hack your computer. Most new routers are secured automatically. If you clear the browser history and cookies, you’ll gain some speed No! Your browser history and cache is a finite size and new stuff comes in at the top and old stuff falls off the bottom. Cookies are little snippets of information about the websites you’ve visited. They are harmless in themselves but could be used by a virus to gain personal information.

interested. This doesn’t stop a Mac user opening a fraudulent email and getting scammed! On-line banking is far too risky On-line banking is VERY secure. Banks are not stupid, and they force you to have multiple levels of security and use one-time code generators to ensure that transactions are valid. If you do get defrauded, then the bank will just refund you anyway. Risk Free! Build a website and my business will increase No, it won’t! Build a website, throw loads of money at it and over time, you’ll get some reward. Don’t forget that the big widget manufacturers throw lots of money at their websites to get to where they are. Most websites are simply “this is who we are, this is what we do, and this is how to get in touch”. A new computer will speed up my internet connection Sadly, not! A new PC will be faster than your older PC because it’s got new tech in it that is faster. However, your internet connection will still run at the same speed. If you haven’t already, then sign up for fibre broadband instead. I hope that this has been of some help but, as always, if you need assistance you know where to come!

Macs Can’t Get Viruses Generally true. However, you can install unwanted software but it is easily uninstalled again without damage. As Macs are still only about 10% of the market, the virus makers aren’t really 34

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Food & Drink

FOOD & DRINK

HOW TO CREATE BIRCHER MUESLI By Crispin Bond, New Farm Restaurant

What’s that? Bircher is the creation of Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss doctor and nutritionist, who developed it for patients at his Zurich sanatorium at the turn of the last century as a way of shoehorning yet more raw fruit into their diets. He believed apples had cured him of jaundice as a young man, leaving him unfashionably evangelical, for his time, on the powers of fruit and vegetables. Fresher and fruitier than the more familiar dry variety, Bircher muesli is the perfect way to start the day. Chef Jane Bond at the award winning New Farm Restaurant, located in Over Stratton, South Somerset has come up with her own version.

BIRCHER RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Makes three days’ supply for a family of four • 300g Rolled or Porridge Oats • 150 g Chopped dried fruit (whatever takes your fancy, on this occasion I used Cranberries, figs, apple and raisins) • 50 g mixed seeds (once again the choice is yours; I used sunflower, pumpkin and Chai seeds) • 300 g Fresh fruit (or frozen) eg : Raspberries and Blueberries • 500 ml Apple Juice

METHOD

Mix all ingredients together in a sealable container, leave overnight in the fridge, stir well before spooning into a breakfast bowl and enjoy a healthy start to the day! If the mixture is a little dry add more apple juice, we like it topped with natural yogurt and a sprinkle of my home-made granola.

If you don’t fancy cooking, then book in at our New Farm Restaurant. Bring a copy of this month’s Conduit and you get 10% off! Visit: www.newfarmrestaurant.co.uk or telephone 01460 240584.

The

Conduit Magazine

01935 424724 info@theconduitmagazine.co.uk

APRIL DEADLINES

News and Articles: FRIDAY, 8 March Advertisements: MONDAY, 11 March

The Mitre Inn

Sandford Orcas

Nr Sherborne, DT9 4RU

01963 220271 FREEHOUSE

Allen & Cheryl welcome you with a cosy bar & great food. Wed to Fri - Senior Citizens 2 course lunch £11.00 Sunday Roast - £9.95 Adult, £8.95 OAP and £6.50 children 2 En-suite double rooms now available Tuesday - Saturday 11.30 - 2.30, 7.00 - 11.00 Sunday 12.00 - 3.00, 7.00 - 10.30 (Monday drinks only 7.00 - 11.00)

www.MitreInn.co.uk

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FOOD & DRINK

OILING THE WAY TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE By The Stag’s Head Inn, Yarlington

We are all regularly encouraged to lead a healthy life and enjoy a healthy, balanced diet, with the knowledge that a diet that closely resembles that of the Mediterranean is the healthiest of all, promoting optimum cardiovascular health and longevity! With that in mind, on a very recent trip to Southern Italy, we took up a friend’s ‘don’t miss’ recommendation to try an olive oil tasting, which turned out to be a fascinating and highly rewarding experience. Puglia has the ideal, temperate climate for the growth and cultivation of all Mediterranean flora but especially for the olive tree. The region uniquely offers olive growers the necessary Five “S’s” for successfully olive farming: silence, solitude, (dry) spells, sun and stones! We visited a traditional olive oil mill in the heart of the Itria Valley, Martina Franca. Coratina Olives are

handpicked, harvested whole at maturation and immediately transferred to the traditional, original millstone where they are ground and slowly cold pressed. After settlement, maturation and refinement, the resulting product is ‘Mosto’ (‘must’), an unfiltered oil resulting from the first raw press. As it is unfiltered, it is cloudy, and contains high levels of the antioxidant polyphenol, also with a low percentage of oleic acid and with an optimum balance of linolenic acids. We were taught how to taste the oil, a process taken as seriously as wine-tasting. A perfectly clean palate is required, before a small spoon of oil is poured into the mouth, and is then chewed/ sloshed (not the technical term!) side to side (from inner cheek to cheek), then a sharp intake of air is required before swallowing. (It takes a little practice and a couple of

unintentional chokes to get it right, as the oil has quite a peppery finish!). The Mosto has an herbaceous, green grass and pleasantly bitter taste and is perfect to eat as it is. We then tried Viride, which is essentially filtered Mosto. It is gently refined through a natural filtration system, to produce young, fresh, green oil, which has an intense sharp and robust flavour (again very ‘peppery’!) Like Mosto, this should be used as is, on salad and vegetables and drizzled over bruschetta. The next product had been left to mature in the natural underground cistern in calcified rock, and left to mature at a natural, constant temperature. This mature oil had a unique, sweet, almost almond-like flavour. It was noticeably lighter and delicate and is wonderful for use in all methods of cooking, especially fish cookery. There is specific evidence that extra-virgin olive oil has been found to mimic the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, helping conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. The compound oleocanthal in the oil can inhibit pro-inflammatory

enzymes – as well as the risk of Alzheimer’s. When studied in relation to rheumatoid arthritis, researchers found that the compound had a significant impact on both chronic inflammation and acute inflammatory processes, and they believe that a 3.5 tablespoon dose is equal to a 200mg tablet of ibuprofen....! We came away from Southern Italy feeling completely sold on the virtues of extra virgin olive oil, but also somewhat conflicted as we so love all the wonderful dairy products that Somerset has to offer and are not going to give any of them up in a hurry! However, life as well as diet is all about balance, so we’re making sure that extra virgin olive oil features a little more than it did before. Let’s face it, the combination of delicious peppery extra virgin olive oil drizzled over perfectly ripe tomatoes, raw red onions on warm toasted focaccia is pretty hard to beat for delicious simplicity.... ...Keep an eye out for our new delicious spring menu, which will be available in the pub shortly, to see how we will be embracing all things olive and healthy!

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FOOD & DRINK

THE IDES OF MARCHE THE HIDDEN GEM OF ITALIAN WINE

By Camilla Wood, Owner /MD The Somerset Wine Company It being March I can’t resist jumping on a pun and highlighting this region in Italy very close to my heart as I’ve owned a home there since 2006 (see www.monasterofavari.com - available for holiday rentals). Translated as The Marches in English, and pronounced ‘Lay Markay’ in Italian, the plural phrase relates to a time when this region was made up of several ‘marca’ or marches, border areas between Papal States and ruled by the Vatican. This bred a contentious, steely, opportunistic spirit amongst its inhabitants who historically were called upon as tax collectors for the Popes, giving rise to the famous Italian phrase “megio un morto in casa che un marchigiano alla porta” better a death in the house than someone from Le Marche at your door! Thankfully today, like all good Italians, even the Marchigiani don’t want to pay their taxes. Le Marche isn’t a huge region, but it is immensely varied, identifiable by the bump on the eastern coast of Italy, or the calf muscle on the boot shape. Abutting the Sibilleni Mountains to the South, the Apennines inland and the Adriatic coast, this is a land of mountains, sea and picturesque terracotta-hued hilltop towns letting down vineyards olive groves and sunflower fields from their beautiful church-capped crowns. It might be known rather pejoratively as ‘the poor man’s Tuscany’ but here penury seems fortunate as Le Marche is never over-crowded with tourists nor overlycommercialised nor pretentious, rather it is an honest, modest land of plenty which seems happy not to have the great art cities of Tuscany to swell its numbers. It is under the radar, proud to keep its gems hidden, such as the stunning cities of Urbino and Ascoli Piceno, the former the birthplace of Raphael and home of the Ducal Palace. And the same can be said of its vinous offerings. This isn’t a land of 98 Parker pointed Super-Tuscans, famous Amarones or expensive Barolos, but quietly high-achieving whites (Verdicchio, Pecorino) and some stellar, value for money reds (Rosso Piceno, Rosso Conero, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba). Le Marche’s sea to mountain terrain offers a wealth of produce, making it a food lover’s paradise: from brodetto (fish stew) to porchetta (herb-filled, slow cooked pork) to olive ascolane (stuffed, breaded and fried olives) to ricotta and

pecorino cheese, every corner boasts a speciality. I love it that wine follows food in language as well as content - there is even a word for wine and food pairing - ‘abbinamento’. The wines here are as diverse, and as beguiling, as the land with the white variety Verdicchio taking centre stage and to thank for most of its vinous fame. Green-tinged (verde, meaning green), citrus and lemon zesty, with a herbal note, hung together with a seam of minerality, this is Pinot Grigio on steroids, with loads of personality: a perfect foil to the region’s seafood dishes. Unlike most Italian whites, the best Verdicchios also show sensitivity to their terroir and can boast supreme longevity, developing a lovely honeyed richness with time in bottle, helped along by a natural affinity to oak. Verdicchio can also make fantastic Spumante (sparkling wine) leaving Prosecco in the shade. Pecorino, (the grape not the cheese but named for the sheep ‘pecore’ grazing in its hinterland) is the other up-andcoming white of Le Marche. Pecorino is a more rounded, stone-fruited, peachy style redolent of white and yellow flowers finished with a bitter almond lift. This is the perfect match with the rustic, inland dishes of white meats, chicken pastas and porchetta.

reds from two main DOC’s, Rossos Piceno and Conero, a soft, plummy, cherry-laded richness. These pair so deliciously with dishes such as wild boar ragù, osso bucco and the regional speciality, Vincisgrassi, a porcini and veal based lasagne. And let’s not forget the monstrously marmite red, Lacrima, from around the town of Morro d’Alba - an incredibly perfumed variety, all roses and parma violets, like Turkish Delight in a glass! A little strange for English palates perhaps but put it with a plate of pappardelle alla’ anatra (pasta with duck sauce) and you are in culinary heaven. If these wines and dishes whet your appetite and you’d like to try them for size, our next alphabet-themed Supper Club at the Market House in Castle Cary is “M is for Marche” appropriately on Saturday 2 March. Food by the wonderful Lucas Hollweg, ex Sunday Times food writer and critic, and wine chat by yours truly. Tickets £45 per head for a 3 course meal and 5 tasting wines. Booking on 01963 548228 or info@ somersetwinecompany.com. Come and experience for yourself that Le Marche is a savvy alternative to Italy’s more trodden paths.

Wine production in the region is evenly split between reds and whites with Sangiovese and Montepulciano counting for much of the former’s output. Here however, unlike in Tuscany, the Montepulciano grape is King lending the 37

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PET HEALTH

HISTORY

IS IT AN EMERGENCY? By Peter Luscombe BVSc MRCVS, Newton Clarke Partnership We all hope our pets will never get ill or injured unexpectedly. If this does happen the veterinary practice usually receives the first call for help. If the unexpected happens, the first advice I would give is DON’T PANIC! Many emergencies are not as urgent as owners might think, but animals cannot talk and we tend to assume the worst. When I receive emergency phone calls passed to me by our trained receptionists or out-of- hours call handlers, they usually fall into four categories: 1. The life and death situation. This might result from major trauma such as traffic accidents or other serious disease. An example of this was the call I received at 12.30am one Christmas morning while wrapping presents, about a dog with a twisted stomach. My nurse and I operated through the night. He was in great pain and he would have been dead within hours. We finished operating at 5.30am and I got home just in time to see my children open their presents! 2. Conditions while not life threatening are causing pain and distress and need attention promptly for the welfare of the animal and to prevent further deterioration. My examples of this are the animal with a broken leg, which although not life threatening, would be unfair to leave unattended without suitable pain relief and treatment. Another common example would be the animal having a fit; most seizures resolve after a matter of minutes but may progress to a life threatening state.

www.newtonclarkevet.com

3. Unpleasant conditions which although not as serious as the above are distressing for the animal and would be unfair to wait too long on welfare grounds. Examples of this might be conditions such as wasp stings or cystitis in cats. Sometimes first aid can be effective when appropriate. 4. Any condition that worries the owner. Animals cannot talk for themselves, and sometimes it can be difficult to judge if a condition is serious. If a pet’s condition is worrying or causing anxiety for the owner, to me that becomes an urgent call. My example of this is a call I received from an owner at 4.00am one morning after finding her cat had given birth. After establishing that mother and kittens were well, I was able to offer my congratulations and reassure her that all was well! If you are worried about your pet, you should phone your vet. We are always happy to talk to owners and help decide whether a pet needs seeing as a matter of urgency, or offer first aid advice as necessary. But what happens if the surgery is closed? All practices are legally obliged to offer some form of out of hours cover for their own clients. This might be shared with another practice, or undertaken by another provider which could involve travelling a long way to an unfamiliar practice. You should make sure you understand the emergency cover your practice provides; so that you can be prepared should the worst happen.

THE HISTORY OF LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY By Robin Ansell

In this series of articles I hope to convey something of the fascinating history of local photography, both in the county of Dorset and more specifically in Sherborne. The latter aspect will be covered in subsequent articles, by case-studies of three locally-prominent photographers. One of the early photographic “greats”, William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) was a Dorset man! Though usually associated with his home, Lacock Abbey, in Wiltshire (where he conducted many of his early photographic experiments) he was actually born at Melbury House, Melbury Sampford - some 8 miles southwest of Sherborne. The Melbury estate was owned by Talbot’s maternal-grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Ilchester. He was baptised at the adjacent mid-15th century, Parish Church of St Mary. Despite these closelinks with the county, he is not known to have ever taken any photographs in Dorset - and if he did, none have survived. Unfortunately, Dorset missedout when the first generation of photographic studios started to appear in 1841, only two years after the invention of photography. Initially known as “ photographic institutions”, they tended to be attracted to the larger centres of population, of which Dorset was singularly lacking. In the south-west, such early “institutions” were established at Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham and Plymouth. In fact, Dorset had to wait for another 10 years, before it gained its first photographic studio. The man behind this venture was Thomas Sharp (1806-1896), a highlyexperienced “photographic artist” ,who had operated the

Bath Photographic Institution - and therefore could claim to be both Somerset’s and Dorset’s first professional photographer! He opened his Dorset studio at 67, St Thomas Street, Weymouth in 1851. Unfortunately, it was rather short lived, closing late the following year. However, Sherborne was soon to follow, with the opening of its first studio in 1855. The town’s earliest photographer was Thomas Geake (1822-1870), who originally had premises located on Acreman Street, subsequently moving to Long Street. Unfortunately he was declared bankrupt in 1867 and left the area soon afterwards. Several technical developments, coupled with the expiration of restrictive patent rights, lead to a rapid rise in the number of photographers at this time. Historic trade directories of Dorset clearly reveal this upward trend, listing 6 photographers in 1859 and 24 by 1867 - an incredible 400% increase over a mere 8 years! This growth in demand was swelled yet further, by the patronage of the Royal family, who posed for their first carte-de-visite photographs in 1860. This began a photographcollecting phenomenon, dubbed “cartomania” - a National obsession that continues to the present-day in the form of the ubiquitous, digital “selfie”! Author note: Robin Ansell lives in Sherborne and is a retired chartered librarian. He has recently compiled (with coauthors Allan Collier and Phil Nichols), “Secure the shadow: Somerset photographers, 1839-1939”, published by the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society. Some of the information above has been gleaned from this book and from research currently being undertaken for a possible Dorset companion volume.

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Health

& Wellbeing

PUBLIC SPEAKING? NO FEAR!

MORNINGS ARE THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY... by Samantha Kirk – Oxley Sports Centre

By Niki Cassar

Experiencing dry mouth, pounding heart, sweaty palms, sensations of unreality and a feeling of panic? You’re not alone in having this experience when standing up in front of an audience, no matter how large or small. You may have already read self-help books, done a course, or bought an app, all designed to help you overcome your fear and mount a podium or stride onto a stage and speak confidently. Now think back to when you were younger. Did you stumble over your words in class or forget your lines in the school play? How did your teacher react? Were you teased by your classmates, even bullied? And now think back even further, imagining yourself as a very small child. Did someone, a parent perhaps, criticise or laugh at you when you were trying to sing or dance or just express yourself to them? What did that make you think, and how did that make you feel? More importantly, what belief did you form as a result? Perhaps that you’d never do that again or that it was better and safer to keep quiet? Your powerful subconscious mind – that part of the mind that continually stores data and has no delete function – would have stored that crucial piece of information,

HEALTH & WELLBEING

and taken great pleasure in replaying it to you over and over again, whenever you were in what it perceived as a similar situation. Because the subconscious has no concept of linear time, it continues to replay the information throughout your life, whether you are 4 or 40 or 80, with the sole intention of keeping you safe. In the state of hypnosis, best described as a focused state of awareness, we can work with all levels of the mind simultaneously. Using the concept of ‘wouldn’t it be nice if I’d known then what I know now’, we can help the subconscious to replace the old outdated information with something much better and certainly more healthy – the truthful version of events. When that happens, and the changes are reinforced by the hypnotherapist through the use of positive suggestion, you will start to feel much more confident in every area of your life, and not only ready but actually excited about speaking or performing in public. Butterflies? Yes they’ll still be there, and for good reason, as they remind us to stay on our toes and give 100% effort. Fear? Definitely no fear! If you’d like to talk, call: 01963 371 695. Mention The Conduit and I’ll reward you with a £15 discount on your first session!

Do you ever get that feeling that you are on your own, that the day is stretched out in front of you until 3pm when you take the trip back to the school to collect your little one? Are you someone who sits twiddling your thumbs or someone who needs to get out and about and stay active? Do you have a day off in the week; are you a person of leisure or a retiree? Do you struggle to find interesting things to fill your day? Are your evenings taken up Pool, Fitness Suite, Classes, Racquet Sports with family commitments, Treatment Room & Coffee Pod travelling to and fro from Membership and Pay as You Go Options various social events or are you getting home late from 01935 818270 work and all you want to www.oxleysc.com do is put your feet up...and Bradford Road, Sherborne DT9 3DA breathe... For many of us, the best time of the day is the pool looks too good to miss. morning. Everyone has gone off Did you play netball at school? Did to work and school and you now you hula hoop in your formative have some quality time to yourself. years? Fancy trampolining but on So what could be better than trying a smaller scale (heights were never something new whilst keeping your your thing!)? Have you thought mind and body fit and healthy? about using the gym but didn’t Taking a walk or making the leap know where to start or maybe you to start or revisit running could be a always wanted to take a Spin class new beginning for you. What about but thought they were all too Lycra taking up something you haven’t clad and serious for your liking!? done in a long time? Challenge yourself. I was once told Now, get off the sofa, stop “you only regret the things you watching daytime TV and leave don’t do, not the things you have the housework for another day done!” So why wait...take the bull (or maybe the afternoon!) and by the horns and make a trip over start discovering what’s on your to Oxley Sports Centre. doorstep. Your mornings could be filled with It might involve pulling on your Walking Netball, Boogie Bounce wellies and stomping across the (small trampolines), various Fitness surrounding fields with the dog Classes, Adult Swimming lessons, (or a borrowed dog!), choosing Beginners Group Cycle and you’ll an alternative route and enjoying find the Fitness Suite quiet and a different view. It might be that approachable. Then you could you’ve always wanted to take up an finish off the morning with the best activity such as swimming but had a coffee in town at the Coffee Pod scare when you were younger and (with a chocolate delight on the now you are worried about getting side), you know you deserve it. back in the pool. Maybe thoughts Give us a call for more details of people seeing you in your 01935 818277 or check out our costume or shorts does not appeal website www.oxleysc.com but now there’s a summer holiday you’ve been hankering after and the We look forward to meeting you.

Get fit with us

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WIN £10 IN OUR

WORDSEARCH

PUZZLE

How many times do you flick through the TV Channels and end up watching an episode of Friends? Hopefully not just me then! It’s one of my favourite sitcoms and I think it makes a great topic for a Wordsearch. Just find the hidden words in the grid below, ring each word until you have found all of them and when you have completed the puzzle send it to: The Conduit Magazine, Wyvern Buildings, North St, Sherborne DT9 5EP. The lucky winner receives a £10 cheque. The closing date is: Monday 18 March. Good luck.

GOOD LUCK WAITRESS GELLER PHOEBE COURTNEY COX FRIENDS CHANDLER LISA KUDROW

RACHEL BING MATT LEBLANC ANISTON GUNTHER APARTMENT

SPORT

TAI CHI

– THE LOWDOWN By Gary Shackle, Sherborne Sports Centre At the beginning of January we started Tai Chi. For us it was nothing new, as we had run a class a number of years ago. with the resurgence of the activity and the health TaiHowever Chi – the lowdown promoting benefits we thought we would give it another go.

By Gary Shackle, Sherborne Sports Centre

Many people ask me about Tai Chi, so today I would like to

answer of some of these questions: At try theand beginning January we started Tai Chi. For us it was nothing new, as w number of years ago. However with the resurgence of the activity and the hea What is Tai Chi? weTai thought we would give it another go. art in 13th-century Chi originally developed as a martial China, and ask is now world, withlike evidence Many people mepracticed about Taiaround Chi, so the today I would to try and answer som that it also promotes longevity.

What is Tai Chi? How many different types of Tai Chi are there? TaiThere Chi originally developed a martial in Ng. 13th-century China, and is now p are five types: Yang,asChen, Sun,art Wu, At Sherborne world, with evidence that it also promotes longevity. Sports Centre the instructor has been teaching the traditional Wu Tai Chi in India for the past 20 years. So you really are

ROSS GREEN JOEY NEW YORK BUFFAY MONICA

How manythe different typeswith of Tai getting real McCoy us!Chi are there? There are five types: Yang, Chen, Sun, Wu, Ng. At Sherborne Sports Centre the What do do in Tai Chi? teaching theyou traditional Wu Tai Chi in India for the past 20 years. So you really Tai Chi is known for its slow, graceful, continuous movements McCoy with us! that are gentle on the joints and muscles. Many movements

are completed with What do you do in Taibent Chi? knees in a squat-like position. TaiAre Chi there is known its slow, graceful, continuous movements that are gentle o anyfor health benefits of Tai Chi? muscles. Manyto movements completed bent knees in a squat-like posi There seem be so manyare benefits that Iwith will list just a few! Researchers say Tai Chi has made a dramatic improvement

Aretothere any lives health of Tai Chi? people’s as benefits follows- better balance control, flexibility, strength, respiratory and cardiovascular function and an Researchers say Ta There seem to be so many benefits that I will list just a few! increase in muscle strength in the legs. The movements of dramatic improvement to people’s lives as follows- better balance control, flex Tai Chi continuously massage your internal organs, including respiratory and cardiovascular function and an increase in muscle strength in t lungs, heart, liver, and spleen. movements of Tai Chikidneys continuously massage your internal organs, including lun kidneys and spleen. Don’t I need to be fit and young to do Tai Chi? No, Tai Chi is for everyone. It is ideal for inactive older people

Don't I need to be fit and young to do Tai Chi? wanting to raise their activity levels gently and gradually. As No,it Tai is for everyone. ideal forbe inactive older people wanting to raise is aChi low-impact exerciseItitiscan also used for younger gently and gradually. As it is a low-impact exercise it can also be used for youn people as part of a rehabilitation program. rehabilitation program.

I have trouble breathing, will Tai Chi help me? Tai Chi increases your breathing capacity by helping your I have trouble breathing, will Tai Chi help me? normal breath to become significantly deeper andyour longer Tai Chi increases your breathing capacity by helping normal breath to bec lasting, thus putting a lot more oxygen into your body.

deeper and longer lasting, thus putting a lot more oxygen into your body. So when can I try Tai Chi?

SoOur when try Tai Chi?a Sunday morning from 11am-12 and Taican ChiI class is on Our Tai session Chi classcosts is on£4.50. a Sunday morning from 11am-12 and each session costs each

Name:__________________________________________________________ Tel :_________________________Email:______________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

Sports Centre

If you would like to know who has won our Wordsearch Puzzles see our website.

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CARE

VOLUNTEER WITH US Find out about joining us

01935 414 015* volunteering@samaritans.org samaritans.org/yeovil

*Local call charges apply. A registered charity.

YEOVIL, SHERBORNE

Prisoners are ten times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. In fact, statistics currently show that on average, at least two prisoners will take their own lives in a UK prison every week, and 950 will deliberately harm themselves. All around the country, Samaritans are working in partnership with prisons and the Yeovil & District Branch is no exception. The relationship with Guys Marsh near Shaftesbury in Dorset goes back many years. I now head up a team of seven who are involved and help to train ‘Listeners’prisoners who have chosen to volunteer to support other prisoners who may be in distress or even feeling suicidal. Over the past year we have trained eight Listeners who

AND DISTRICT

By Graham Chase, Samaritans Yeovil, Sherborne & District In 2018 our Listeners were called out to visit someone in distress 254 times. Many callers are experiencing mental health difficulties, bullying and are selfharming.

come from a variety of backgrounds and who together make a committed team. Two Samaritans from the Prison Support Team meet with the Listeners every Wednesday evening to discuss call outs and other activities they have undertaken and to provide ongoing advice, training and support.

Prisoners who volunteer to support their peers in this way do a fantastic job for no financial or other reward. As with Samaritans their reward is knowing they have given something back to their fellow man and made a contribution to their own community. In the case of Guy’s Marsh that can be a very difficult and demanding experience for those who live there.

All Listeners at Guys Marsh are trained by our team to follow the Samaritan rules of confidentiality, being impartial and nonjudgmental. There is a Listener ‘on call’ at the prison 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Call outs to see prisoners in distress are all acted upon face to face and may last for up to two hours or more. Listeners also try to meet every new prisoner during reception/ induction.

Call for more information! strengthening the local community

Working in a prison environment is a great opportunity for Samaritans to be a small part of a multi-cultural community and to remind ourselves that whatever one’s mistakes or failings we are all human and face similar

Class timetable booking not required

0779 130 9773 Sherborne

SAMARITANS REACH OUT TO PRISONERS AT GUYS MARSH

Tuesday

Chair Yoga

challenges experiences and pressures in our lives. Could you volunteer with the Yeovil Branch of Samaritans? Our principle work is answering phones at our Centre in Yeovil, but our outreach work includes schools and Yeovil District Hospital, as well as Guys Marsh Prison. Why not join us at our information evenings which take place on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm at 25 The Park, Yeovil, BA20 1DG. To find out more, call our information line on 01935 414015, email recruitment@yeovilsamaritans. org.uk or visit our website at https://www.samaritans.org/ branches/samaritans-yeovilsherborne-and-district.

For more information call 07791 308 773

13:30 - 14:30 West End Hall, Littlefield, Sherborne, DT9 6AU

Easily affordable, easily accessible’ Sit & Strengthen Wednesday 14:15 - 15:00 1 hour classes £5, 45 minute classes £4 Stand & Strengthen Wednesday 15.15 - 16:00 ALL PAYG

DON’T LOSE IT, MOVE IT!

West End Hall, Littlefield, class Sherborne, DT9 muscle 6AU strength, An active circuit-based improving

£5 £4

aerobic fitness and core stability. Be proactive, not reactive, West End your Hall, health Littlefield, £4 towards andSherborne, fitness! DT9 6AU Wednesday 16.15-17.00, West End Hall, Sherborne. Don’t lose it, move it! Wednesday 16:15 - 17:00 West End14.30-15.00, Hall, Littlefield, Sherborne, DT9 6AU Centre, £4 Friday Tinneys Lane Community CHAIR YOGA Sherborne. All the benefits ofStrengthen traditional yoga, Thursday but without the need to Sit & 14:30 - 15:30 Digby Memorial Church Hall, Sherborne, DT9 3NL £5 get up and down from the floor! BODY BOOTCAMP Tuesday 13.30-14.30, West End Hall,Friday Sherborne. 12:30 - 13:15 Youth Sit & Strengthen Community Tinneys Lane, DT9 3DY fitness £4 Squat.and Press. Lift. YourCentre, cardiovascular and muscular will

SIT AND STRENGTHEN Stand & Strengthen

Friday

be challenged in this class! A variety of exercises and format

13:30 - 14:15 Youth and Community Centre, Lane, DT9 3DY each week to keep the body Tinneys guessing.

£4

A chair-based exercise class aiming to increase your strength, Thursday 6-7pm, West End Hall, Sherborne. flexibility, joint mobility balance - all while having Don’t lose it,and move it! Friday 14:30fun! - 15:15 Youth and Community Centre, Tinneys Lane, DT9 3DY £4 Monday 11.00-12.00, Jubilee Hall, Yetminster. THE COMMUNIFIT SHERBORNE 5KM SERIES Tuesday at Abbey Manor Community11:00 Centre, Yetminster12.15-13.15 Sit & Strengthen Monday - 12:00 Jubilee Hall Yetminster, Church St, Yetminster, DT9 6LQ Our Monthly 5km events are open to all ages and abilities,£5 Yeovil. Wednesday 14.15-15.00, West End Hall, Sherborne. beginners are especially welcome and there are no time limits Manor Community Centre, The Forum, Abbey Manor Park, Yeovil, BA21 3TL Thursday 12.30-13.30 at East CokerTuesday Village Hall. Friday £5 Yeovil Sit & Strengthen 12:15 - 13:15 Abbey to worry about. Join us and see your 5km time improve over 12.30-13.15,Tinneys Lane Community Centre, Sherborne. the year. We have fabulous medals for each event and great East Coker Sit & Strengthen Thursday 12:30 - 13:30 East CokerSign Village Hall,see Halves Lane,details East Coker, BA22 9JJ £5 support. up and all event via communifit.co.uk

STAND AND STRENGTHEN

The Sit and Strengthen, but you Only are Yoursame Homeobjectives PersonalasTraining By Appointment standing! Targets all the major muscle groups. Wednesday 15.15-16.00, West End By Hall, Sherborne.Only Your Home Sports Massage Appointment Friday 13.30-14.15, Tinneys Lane Community Centre, Sherborne. communifit

communi_fit

45 minute session to suit your needs PERSONAL TRAINING

£35

Hit any health and fitness related goal with our 1-1, 2-1 or 3-1 45 minutetraining. session toAll suit needs of your own home. 1-1 £35 personal inyour the comfort £35, 2-1 £50, 3-1 £60 (per 45 minute session)

@communifit

communifit.co.uk

info@communifit.co.uk 41

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CARE

TYNDALE HOUSE, A NEW CHAPTER IN SAFE HANDS… By Jade Cleal, the Carlauren Group Moving to a care home can be a stressful experience and yet at no other time is there a greater need for a stress-free transition than when making the move into full-time care. This calm and thoughtful transition is the experience we strive to create at Carlauren Care. At any Carlauren home it is important to us that our residents feel like they are taking a new, fresh and positive step into the next part of their life journey and that the inevitable change has a positive and rewarding outcome. Our luxury homes are a place of tranquillity, protection and expert support; after all good care begins with caring. We believe that a sense of community and engagement with our residents and their families is vitally important to delivering a unique later life care journey. Participation is key, whether that’s the way we seek to involve and invite feedback from families, to the resident activity programmes we create both inside and outside our homes. At Tyndale House in Yeovil our home offers 18 spacious care suites suitable for

residential, respite or dementia care within a Victorian period property. Our residents will enjoy the independence and privacy of their own care suite, secure in the knowledge that their personal care, laundry, meals and all the hassles of managing their own home, are taken care of by our professional care and support staff.

We also encourage our residents to maintain their sense of adventure so weekly outings are also a great way to settle in with us; from visiting local beaches to horse racing and theatre trips there is always something in the calendar that makes the Carlauren Care lifestyle a rewarding way to live.

Everything we do is centred on the unique individuals entrusted to our care. In simple terms people matter to us; both those needing our care support and their families who have the reassurance that their loved one is at the heart of our focus.

To find out more or to book a tour of Tyndale House please contact us on 01935 317811 or visit tyndalecare.co.uk

Our aim is to create a home from home where we cherish the individuality of our guests whilst providing the friendship, stimulation and support of a compassionate and caring community. Whether you want to try something new like Tai Chi or piano lessons we are here to help make that happen; we believe that in a Carlauren environment you should thrive.

For more details please contact us on:

T: 0800 0226001 E: info@carlaurencare.com www.carlaurencare.com

STONEWATER LAUNCHES RENT TO BUY SCHEME IN WINCANTON Leading social housing provider Stonewater has launched its first Rent to Buy scheme. In partnership with South Somerset District Council, Stonewater’s first new homes development featuring affordable homes for local people taking advantage of Rent to Buy, is nearing completion in Wincanton. The properties will be available for rent at 80% of market value for a similar property to enable tenants to save the deposit to buy the home they are renting at the end of the five-year rental period.

and saving enough money for a deposit at the same time often seems impossible. The new scheme allows you to rent a brand-new home at 80% of the market value rent, with an option to purchase the home at the end of the tenancy.

The new Rent to Buy scheme is designed to give working families the realistic opportunity to work towards owning their own home whilst renting it. The principal idea for the scheme is – Rent now, Buy later. Getting on the property ladder while you pay rent each month is difficult. A huge proportion of your monthly income goes towards your rent

All 15 properties will feature private gardens and parking for two cars. The homes will also be energy efficient, resulting in lower utility bills and housing costs meaning tenancies are more sustainable. Construction by the Somersetbased developers, Halsall Construction is nearing completion, and the new homes are due to be available

The organisation’s first Rent to Buy scheme is at Balsam Park, Wincanton, conveniently located within walking distance to the High Street. The development will feature 15 new homes – seven twobedroom and eight threebedroom houses.

for rent at the end of February. The houses will be offered to prospective tenants where a minimum of one member of the household is in paid work. Though there is no maximum income cap, Stonewater is committed to help those whose needs are not met by the open market. Both first time buyers and buyers who are returning to the market are welcome as long as you do have an intention to purchase the home after five years. Stonewater’s Sales & Marketing Manager, Susan Edwards, said “I am absolutely delighted to announce our first Rent to Buy homes in Somerset. As house prices in the South West continue to rise at a faster rate than incomes, the scheme offers hard working families a realistic opportunity to work towards owning your own home whilst renting. Affordability is a real issue in South Somerset with

the average house costing £226k and average private rents at £617 per month. This innovative scheme will make a huge difference to the 15 households that will initially rent the homes but perhaps more importantly will contribute to tackling the housing crisis nationwide.” Val Keitch, Leader of South Somerset District Council, said: “Many people, particularly young families who support local services and businesses in the area, are being priced out of their community because housing is simply too expensive. “We hope that these new affordable homes will go some way to tackling the housing shortage in the area and help more local people find a good quality home close to their friends, family and workplace, at a price they can truly afford.”

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Simply B

Bargain Hunters Corner

If an item/items are valued at more than £200 there will be a £6 charge. Wanted adverts are also charged at £6.

Total Gym £50.00. Cross Trainer £50.00. Teeter Table £50.00. Vibrator exercise Plate £20.00. Body blade £20.00 Tel: 01935 479173 White Kenwood (K25 M12) 25L Microwave. As new condition £24.00 Tel: 01460 279687 Mens Precision Radio-controlled solar-powered stainless steel calendar wrist watch, very smart £25.00 Tel: 01935 815887 Oak Sideboard by JC 78”Lx 33” Hx16”D, 3 drawers 4 doors period fittings and panels £120.00 ono. Oak Stereo Unit by JC 38”Hx23W x19D, leaded glass doors, 3 shelves bottom drawer, lift up top £60.00 ono. Oak CD Stand by JC 31”H x20”Wx7”D, holds 108 CD’s £40.00 ono. Tel: 01935 478370 or email kenschool@btinternet. com

Trouser Press gwo £7.00. Mother & Child Lamp gwo 6’ Silver Grey colour £10.00. Men’s Green Wellington Boots size 10, hardly worn £10.00 Tel: 01935 814824

Portable Janome Electric Sewing Machine. As new £55.00 Tel: 01935 814407 Quest Elite Ragley Range padded lounger/camp bed (ideal for those unexpected or extra guests, camping trips etc) only used twice. Can be seen online £35.00 Nike 23 degree utility golf club with graphite shaft and head cover in excellent condition £30.00 Tel: 01935 414928

6 cushion covers, embroidery sets, includes silks and all that is needed to make cushion covers. £5.00 each o.n.o. Money to Hospice. Tel: 01935 426404

BOSE Music System - Lifestyle 5 Series 11 Combined AM/FM Radio and CD Player plus auxiliary ports for other external signal inputs/ outputs. Superb sound quality, view in Sherborne £150.00 BOSE Music System - Lifestyle 5 Series 11 Pair of double cube Speakers Remote controller, superb sound quality, view in Sherborne £150.00 BOSE Music System - Lifestyle 5 Series 11, Powered Sub-Woofer, superb sound quality, view in Sherborne £150.00 Tel: 01935 817815

Simply Bathrooms & Bedrooms 14x4 v3.qxp_Ad-style 02/05/2018 By Registered Firearms Dealer

07970 742471

Bissell Pro heat2x Carpet Cleaner with dual dirt lifter power brushes + solution for cleaning carpets. Down-sized, hardly any carpets. Retails @ £200. Will accept £45.00 o.n.o. Tel: 01935 414677 (Yeovil) to view Chubb Oval Extra Fishing Umbrella 50” with pegs and groundsheet. Never used £65.00 o.n.o Tel: 01935 476815 (Brad Abbas)

Beautiful Books

GUNS WANTED FOR CASH Any size, any condition, make or model We collect in any area

Heavy duty four wheel Rollator walking aid, used once, as new £90.00 Tel: 01935 421547

Memories and Photos preserved for Friends and Family to treasure 11:16 Full Pagememoir 1 writing service available (01458) 223251 07969 333940 Please visit: www.mandybloom.co.uk

2’6” bed, electric rise and decline. Excellent condition £90.00 Tel: 01935 823178 Copper Scuttle, beautiful hammered copper design coal scuttle in superb condition. Base is intact and item is unused £60.00 Marketeer 4 wheel shopping trolley with tartan canvas bag. Collapsible design for easy storage, adjustable height handle with finger grips. £30.00 Vintage coffee table in mahogany wood. Space underneath either side to store books. Excellent condition. £30.00 Tel: 01935 824029

Dry Stone Walling and Paving All types of stone walling undertaken www.yenstonewalling.co.uk

01963 371123 Patrick Houchen - DSWA member

Professional & reliable service

WANTED Dave buys all types of tools. Tel: 01935 428975

Simply Inspirational ...

Quality bathrooms & wetrooms individually designed and expertly installed

Visit our Showroom

Simply Bathrooms & Bedrooms

The Old Bakery, Half Moon Street, Sherborne, DT9 3LN (Through Archway by Half Moon Inn)

Tel: 01935 817111 * www.simplybathandbed.co.uk * info@simplybathandbed.co.uk Conduit March 19.indd 43

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Affordable family homes to own in Castle Cary, Somerset. From ÂŁ84,000 for a 40% share*, Shared Ownership allows you to part buy and part rent until you are ready to buy the rest. Located approximately one mile from the centre of Castle Cary and half a mile to the Station. Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architect AHMM. Please go to stonewaterhomes.co.uk to see more details or phone 023 8065 8858.

All images are indicative. Subject to change.

A number of affordable rental homes are also available on this development. Please contact your local authority for more information. *Upon application, terms and conditions apply. Valuation correct at time of publishing. Subject to change. Please note that all sales particulars and images are for marketing and illustrative purposes only. Plans, computer generated images and photos may contain elements which are not present upon the final completion of the property. ÂŠStonewater Homes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A registered society under the Cooperative & Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.

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