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Antiques & Collectables

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. AUCTIONS, FAIRS AND SALES

On 10 March and 31 March Dukes in Dorchester will be holding an Avenue Auction comprising a sale of Toys & Collectables, Vintage Clothing & Accessories at 10.30am. Please note viewing is every Saturday prior to sale from 9.30am-12.00noon and on every Monday prior to sale - 9.00am-7.00pm as well as on the morning of the auction day from 9.00am. On 27 February there is a Fine Art sale for Coins, Militaria, Tribal Art, Sporting & Maritime and on 19 March there is Art & Design Post 1880. Contact one of their specialists to find out more: enquiries@dukes-auctions.com. Auction house Lawrences in Crewkerne has General Sales taking place on Wednesdays 26 February, 4, 11 , 18, 25 March. All general sales start at 9.30am and viewing is from the Tuesday before the sale from 9am to 7pm. For more information call 01460 73041. Bridport Auction House has its sale of Collectables and Antiques on Friday 28 February, starting at 10am. Viewing Days are Wednesdays

WIN £10 IN OUR ‘CAMERA AT THE READY’ WORDSEARCH PUZZLE

TOP PRICES PAID FOR OLD TOYS - any condition 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)

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

and Thursdays and on the morning of the sale. For more information call: 01308 459400. Mendip Auction Rooms in Binegar, Somerset has sales of Victorian and Later Effects on 3 March and 17 March, and Antiques & Collectables on Saturday 7 March. Note that sales of Antique, Fine Art & Collectables are held on a monthly basis on Saturdays and starting at 10am. Entries of items are invited. For more info, call: 01749 840770. Yeovil Auction House has a sale coming up on Saturday, 22 February. Yeovil Auctions is located at Court Ash - opposite the main car park in the town centre we hold an auction, usually of antiques and collectables, every month. Call: 01935433965 or email: yeovilauctionrooms@gmail.com .

By Julie Haylock, Sandhurst Garden Design UP THE GARDEN PATH

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

January proved to be a busy month to kick start the New Year. We attended the Marshalls Regional Road Show in Exeter with Sherborne Garden Angels and had a chance to preview their new and exciting range of garden and driveway paving materials. Despite the very wet and windy drive to Exeter, we had a really nice evening and got the chance to ask the Marshalls experts questions about their new products. During the first week in January I started a short course on Key Historical Influences on English Garden Design run by fellow Garden Designer Marion Dale. The course will explore what have been the main influences that have shaped English garden style through key periods in history and I am sure I will find this really interesting. We had the thumbs up from two separate clients to start work on their new garden projects that I designed at the end of last year, fingers crossed the weather stays good for us, but we are still a little way off spring yet! I found myself reflecting on projects we completed during last year and I definitely saw a desire from clients to create natural and wildlife friendly gardens which I am all for and positively encourage. The natural habitat for our insects is fast being eroded and if we can all do our little bit to create a haven for them, then we will all be a lot better off for it. A simple wood pile in the corner of the garden, or a homemade insect hotel constructed from some discarded house bricks and some hollow bamboo canes will offer shelter for solitary bees and other insects which in-turn will repay you by pollinating your garden plants and providing a food source for birds and small mammals, including hedgehogs which are sadly in serious decline. I am sure you will have noticed the amount of new housing developments springing up around our towns and villages. A blank canvass garden can be quite a daunting project to undertake when perhaps all you have to work with is a tiny strip of patio and a patch of lawn, which no doubt masks discarded rubble and stones left behind by the builders! But don’t despair, I would be more than happy to take a look and come up with some ideas that perhaps you had not thought about or to advise you on what to plant and where. Next month I am going to talk about Common Problem Areas in the Garden and offer some practical solutions to overcoming them. Until next time Julie

Remember the days when taking a picture involved rolls of films and strange terminology involving f-stops and depth of field? We thought we would take a step back into the darkroom in this month’s Wordsearch and bring back all those long forgotten memories of Polaroid snaps, waiting for the post and the arrival of all those unfortunate holiday photographs on the door-mat. 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, Unit 4, Barton View Business Park, Sheeplands Lane, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4FW. The lucky winner receives a £10 cheque. The closing date is: Monday 23 March.

GOOD LUCK

BACKGROUND BOX BROWNIE BULB CABLE DEVELOPER EXPOSURE FLARE F-NUMBER FOCUS MAGNIFICATION MATT MODEL NEGATIVE PRINT PRISM RINSE SHOTS SLIDES SPOOL SUBJECT TINTS TONER Name:__________________________________________________________ Tel :_________________________Email:______________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

Almost under the radar in the autumn, confused by the election and overshadowed by the missed 31 October Brexit deadline, came a bit of legislation from the EU. It is important legislation to do with keeping the EU and, of course the UK, safe from plant pests and diseases. Just because we’re now officially no longer part of the EU it doesn’t mean that we won’t be keeping the legislation because it’s important. It’s been given the simplified name Plant Passports, which have in fact been around for a while but now the rules have tightened and are a lot more thorough. In principle, it must be possible to trace a plant right the way back to where it first started life whether in the UK or from abroad. Each time it changes hands, so from our specialist grower to us (or anyone who sells plants) and from us to the gardener, it has to have a plant passport number. What does this mean to you and your garden? Well, nothing much will change but what it will mean is that there is much less chance of harmful pest and disease spreading within the UK or through Europe and into the UK or direct to the UK for that matter. We have always had strict quality checking in place and the teams take a great pride in high quality plants and reject any that arrive below par. But there’ll now be a paper trail that backs this up. The importance of the legislation is partly due to the changing climate in that some pests and diseases are now able to survive in the UK as the average temperature is now higher. Experienced gardeners are often pleased about a tough winter because despite potentially damaging their plants it will also nobble some of the softer insect pests. In fact, if the cold comes gradually, plants can often easily cope by going dormant. Warm wet winters aren’t good news for plants often because root systems are still active and flooding or waterlogging is much more damaging as a result. The last tough winter of a couple of years ago meant most plants were happy in the spring because they went into dormant states and survived as a result. Pests and diseases that have arrived in recent years include Ash Dieback, which has badly affected Ash trees throughout the UK, Horse Chestnut canker and leaf miner. The latter have made Horse chestnuts look really sad; Fuchsia Gall mite has luckily just about kept to the south coast and then there’s the harlequin ladybird, which forces out our own ladybird. Others include the Leek moth, a much more prevalent pest in recent times. So it’s clear that the legislation is important and needs to be observed. We have been given a year to get everything in place and we are well on the way with this as is most of the industry. So, no need to hold back on getting on with your gardening and with healthy plants to start with, you will be doing your bit to improve the environment no matter how large or small your garden might be. By Mike Burks, Managing Director of The Gardens Group ALL ABOUT PLANT PASSPORTS CASTLE GARDENS New Road, Sherborne DT9 5NR Tel: 01935 814633 BRIMSMORE GARDENS Tintinhull Road, Yeovil BA21 3NU Tel: 01935 411000 POUNDBURY GARDENS Peverell Avenue, Poundbury DT1 3RT Tel: 01305 257250 www.thegardensgroup.co.uk Gardening THE FENCING & GATE COMPANY

Domestic Fencing Specialist All types of fencing and gates supplied and erected

Sherborne Plant Fair

Over 30 years experience Free Survey and Quotation 10 year guarantee • No VAT 01935 330 095 01460 353 046

March is always an exciting time for gardeners and plantaholics and sees the start of the plant fair season. The annual Sherborne Plant, Potato and Seed Fair on 15 March will be in the Digby Hall, Hound Street. There will be nearly 20 stands selling seeds and vegetable plants plus spring bulbs, perennials, shrubs and, of course, a wide selection of potato varieties.

Make a note of the popular Yarlington and Mapperton plant fairs later in the year. Yarlington House is the 16 May and Mapperton plant fairs are on 19 April and 20 September. Full details and a list of the nurseries attending can be found at www.plantfairs.com.

The plant fair organisers, professional horticulturists, Rob and Becky Cotterill also arrange garden focused coach trips to Europe. This year they are planning trips to explore French Rose gardens in June and Dutch gardens in September. If you are interested in joining them on these light hearted but fun packed holidays visit www.gardenbreaks.co.uk or ring them on 01460 242620

Mapperton House Spring Plant Fair Sunday 15 th

March 10am - 2pm

Mapperton Gardens, nr Beaminster DT8 3NR Sunday 14th April 10am –4pm £3 admission in aid of Dorset Wildlife Trust (house tours and garden entrance extra) Details of other fairs and stall holders at plantfairs.com Digby Hall Sherborne DT9 3AA ———————————— Other 2020 dates 19 th

April Mapperton Gardens ——— 16 th

May Yarlington House ——— 20 th

September Mapperton Gardens Plantfairs.com

APRIL DEADLINES News and Articles: FRIDAY, 13 March

Advertisements: MONDAY, 16 March

FOR ALL YOUR BLIND NEEDS Roller • Vertical • Venetian Roman • Conservatory Outside Awnings and Blind Repairs FREE Measuring and Fitting Call THE BLINDMAKER any time on 01460 281527 / 07779 010939 www.theblindmaker4u.co.uk

Local & Reliable Plumber Gas safe registered, fully insured PlumbinG & Heating ltD Wills of Sherborne

Domestic and contract flooring specialists

New Build Renovations Gas boiler installations Bathroom installations LPG Vented and Unvented Cyclinder Installation Free quotes - competitive prices Email: wills.plumbing@hotmail.co.uk Telephone Malcolm: 07885 420609 34 Princes Street, Yeovil, BA20 1EQ Tel: 01935 478100 walterwallyeovil@hotmail.co.uk GARDENING

NO PAINTING OR REPAIRS FOR 25 YEARS? IT MUST BE A COLOURFENCE!

When Spring comes around, there’s always plenty to do in the garden. However, with ColourFence, one of the most tedious, time-consuming jobs disappears overnight.

Not just for 2019 but for the next 25 years!

That’s because there’s no need to paint or repair ColourFence. It’s guaranteed not to wrap, crack, shrink, rot or peel for the next 25 years, making it the world’s best maintenance-free fence. And, unlike other fences, ColourFence can withstand wind speeds of up to 130mph.

There’s a choice of colours to harmonise and enhance your garden’s design. Choose your preferred height, with or with trellis and also with the choice of a gate to make your garden secure.

Call today for a free no obligation call 01935 481013, or visit www.colourfencesouthsomerset.co.uk

01935 808052

IAN CROSSLAND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE Tel: 01935 411813 Mob: 07811 070 498 • Interior and exterior decorating • Carpentry and small cabinet work • Restoration of timber windows • Making/restoring leaded windows • Hanging doors • Fitting fences and gates • Exterior lime mortaring With over 20 years’ experience for a friendly reliable service please give me a call

WANT TO AVOID CHALLENGES TO YOUR WILL? By Sally Manning, Battens Solicitors

Your Will could be challenged after your death by a disappointed family member, possibly under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975, or because your Will was incorrectly signed, or if you were ‘unduly influenced’ or did not have the requisite ‘testamentary capacity’.

But having your Will drawn up by a professional significantly reduces the risk of a successful challenge being made against your Will after your death. In addition to instructing a solicitor to prepare your Will, I would advise that you also prepare a letter setting out your reasons for making your Will as it is. This could explain why you had chosen to not treat your children equally for example. Such a letter is evidence of your testamentary capacity. It can also calm a situation down if a disappointed family member can see your reasons for acting as you did. Depending on your age and whether you are suffering from particular medical conditions, a solicitor may also advise you to obtain a medical report on your testamentary capacity. It is easier for this to be done at the time, than for your Executors to request this after your death, which could be many years later. No professional can guarantee that no one will challenge your Will, but the above ‘belt and braces’ approach will give you the most water tight Will possible. If you are an Executor or beneficiary of an estate where there is a challenge, then my colleagues in the Dispute Resolution department can advise you. For more information on Wills and Trusts please contact Sally Manning in the Private Client Team on 01963 407060 or sally. manning@battens.co.uk For more information on Inheritance and Probate Disputes please contact Peter Livingstone in the Dispute Resolution Department on 01935 846235 or peter.livingstone@ battens.co.uk

Solicitors

Specialist Legal Advice and Solutions for whatever life brings - at home or at work Celebrating two successful years at our Castle Cary office! Thank you for your continued support

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Walk in on the day for a free chat and we’ll help you find the best way forward.

SOUTH PETHERTON The David Hall, 9am-12pm Wednesday - 26 February & 25 March 2020

YEOVIL Church of St John the Baptist, 10am - 1pm Saturday - 29 February & 28 March 2020

SOMERTON The Parish Rooms, 9am-12pm Tuesday - 3 March 2020

By Matt Dingwall, Head of Training, Samaritans of Yeovil, Sherborne & District I became a Samaritan having, like so many others, used the service in my past. I found it amazing that in my darkest, loneliest moments there was someone at the end of the phone who was prepared to just listen. Once I’d reached a point where I was happy in life and in control of my emotions, I wanted to give back to others who needed it. I’ve been a Samaritan for just over two years now. As all volunteers will tell you endlessly, Samaritans training is the absolute best there is. For me personally, the training made a real impact. I came into it, thinking that my life experience was such that I wouldn’t really learn anything new, but how wrong I was. The training really challenges you to think differently. And that’s made such a difference to every aspect of my life. Not just in my role as a Samaritan. The friendships I forged along the way have also proved invaluable. In every session there’s so much warmth. People are open and welcoming and incredibly supportive. When I first started the training, I was severely overweight. But the support of those around me inspired to get healthy and shed the pounds. The good news is that over the last two years, I have managed to lose six stone! Without my peers, I seriously don’t think I would have achieved it. Having been so impressed with the training, I wanted to volunteer extra hours to the training team, under the tutelage of my amazingly talented predecessor, Simon Land. At Samaritans we only hold branch positions for three years so that others can have a go. When Simon stepped down, I took up the reins from him. I feel immensely privileged to be responsible for providing this lifechanging training to new volunteers. It’s so rewarding to see new recruits growing and embracing the Samaritans’ culture. The core training for Samaritans will always remain the same. We teach people not to judge but how to listen. However, the way we deliver it is changing to adapt to people’s evolving lifestyles. The new course has 50% less face to face sessions with many of the elements moving on-line. Hopefully this will mean that people can train in less time, and more flexibly, and we can get more Samaritans on board to help more people, quicker. Our objective at this branch is to deliver a 24/7 contribution to the Samaritans’ national service. We are fast achieving this, with over 130 volunteers at the Yeovil Branch already. But we will always need more. If you would like to find out more about becoming a Samaritan, why don’t you come along to one of our monthly open evenings? They take place on the first Tuesday of every month month at 7pm at our new centre, Morley House, 26 West Hendford. There’s no need to pre-book, just turn up and you’ll be warmly welcomed with a cup of tea and answers to any questions you may have. Alternatively, you can call our information line on 01935 478746; email: recruitment@ yeovilsamaritans.org.uk or visit our website at: https://www.samaritans.org/branches/ samaritans-yeovil-sherborne-and-district Call 01935 478 746 Email yeovil@samaritans.org We will train, mentor and support you all the way. To find out more and apply, visit samaritans.org/volunteer Volunteer with us Yeovil Sherborne & District Samaritans of Yeovil, Sherborne & District is a registered charity.

Goldies is not a choir but a fun social group where people sing along to backing tracks from popular hits from the 1950’s onwards. There are hundreds of songs to choose from in the Goldies song books from Sir Cliff Richard (Goldies Patron), Tom Jones, Petula Clark, the Three Degrees and many more. Although the groups are aimed at people aged over 60, they are in fact, open to people of all ages. There is a donation of £2 to attend, and carers go free! We will be singing for an hour, then half an hour for a cup of tea and chatting to new friends. FANCY A SING SONG?

We know that being part of a wider group and singing is great for our social life and it makes us happier and healthier. These singing groups are great for people who are feeling a bit isolated and for those having difficulty with their memory – it’s incredible how our brain remembers tunes and lyrics from songs from many years ago!

For more information, please do not hesitate to call 07508054866 or the Golden Oldies office on 01761 470006 or visit their website www. golden-oldies.org.uk

C O M E A N D e t

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t J O I N U S e www.golden-oldies.org.uk Golden-Oldies is a registered Charity No 1121600 C o m e a n d s i n g - a - l o n g t o t h e p o p u l a r h i t s o f t h e 5 0 s o n w a r d s S E S S I O N E V E R Y O N E W E L C O M E O N L Y £ 2 D O N A T I O N T O A T T E N D G o l d i e s r e c o g n i s e s t h e i s s u e s o f p e o p l e e x p e r i e n c i n g l o n e l i n e s s a n d i s o l a t i o n . F u n G o l d i e s S i n g a n d S m i l e s e s s i o n s a r e a g r e a t r e a s o n t o g e t o u t , t o b e w i t h o t h e r s , t o l a u g h a n d s i n g , a n d t o m a k e n e w f r i e n d s . C o n t a c t T h e G o l d i e s O f f i c e t o f i n d o u t m o r e 0 1 7 6 1 4 7 0 0 0 6 o r c o n t a c t y o u r l o c a l S o c i a l P r e s c r i b e r S u e C r i s f i e l d o n 0 7 5 0 8 0 5 4 8 6 6 S i n g & S m i l e T A S T E R S E S S I O N TUESDAY 3 RD MARCH &TUESDAY 7 TH APRIL 1 0.00am-1 1 .30 am at Bruton Community Hall, SilverStreet, Bruton, BA1 0 0EB