Marshwood+ December 2020

Village life with silver linings Page 24

Rural life and mental health Page 12

Offering a Royal thank you Page 16

FREE COMMUNITY

Magazine

Marshwood +

Š Eric Harwood Photograph by Robin Mills

The best from West Dorset, South Somerset and East Devon

No. 261 December 2020

COVER STORY Robin Mills met Eric Harwood in West Dorset

© Eric Harwood Photograph by Robin Mills

’A

s a Scally-lad growing up round the corner from Priscilla White (aka Cilla Black) in the back-to-back terraced houses of Everton in gritty, post-war 1960s Liverpool, I never imagined I would bring my own kids up in the idyllic rolling hills of Dorset on the shores of the Jurassic Coast.

Aged five, in the Siberian Winter of 1963, our mid-Victorian terrace house was probably more like something from the 1930s. That “wicked” Winter, every house in our cobbled street had their lead pipes frozen solid: we all collected water from a stand-pipe in buckets. My mum and dad were like a Cathy Come Home couple when they married at 20 and 21. Virtually homeless, my lovely, smiley mum was an “Irish” Roman Catholic from a family of 12, my dad from a large Protestant family: no-one came to the wedding. They met in Liverpool’s Meccano toy factory in 1957 and their wedding photos only show their work-mates because both parents wouldn’t accept a “mixed-religion marriage”. We left Everton in 1970 when we moved to a council house in Knotty Ash: land of Ken Dodd, the Diddy Men and mythical jam-butty mines. By 11, I was back in Everton at The Liverpool Collegiate Grammar School. Founded by Gladstone, it was fiercely Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 3

full of intellectual aspiration. I never knew how I passed the 11-plus exam, I didn’t even know I’d taken it. That door to learning and knowledge was opened wide…I was welcomed in, changing me, firing up my ambition, pushing me way beyond my humble origins. By 18, like a third-rate Beatle—Pete Best went to our school, as did Holly Johnson—I was off on a magical mystery tour…not before seeing The Clash, The Damned, The Jam and just missing The Sex Pistols in Liverpool’s iconic punk club, Eric’s.

After school, I landed a job as a trainee reporter for the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Group. This was mainly thanks to my thoughtful English teacher, Mr Pritchard who felt the mix of my “chatty, gob-on-astick character” and “accomplished writing skill” made me a natural journo. His faith, plus the warmth and unconditional support of my mum and dad, has fired and fuelled my 43 years in the British media. But that early working-class warmth, humour and open-heartedness remains lodged deep inside me even now.

After working as a reporter and sub-editor, I returned to education when at 22 I started an English degree at University College London. Next I became a journalist on The Daily Mirror, spending two years continually trying to get into the TV industry.

Failing by each and every method, I never even got to the interview stage.

Finally, my launch into telly at London Weekend Television was nothing short of miraculous.

I’m on a train from Liverpool en route to the first proper TV faceto-face interview I’ve ever had desperate to get this researcher job on a £4 million epic series called The Trial Of Lee Harvey Oswald. On that train, I meet a man, whose friends actually travelled and conversed with Oswald on a long bus journey just weeks before the assassination of the President in 1963. Details of the conversation were kept in a diary, and he could give me access to them for

Eric Harwood this new programme. The jaws of my LWT interviewers dropped when I revealed this information—finally the job was mine: I was in!

That was the turning point in my ambivalent journey to becoming a fully-paid-up member of the bourgeoisie. Once at LWT, I suddenly found myself catapulted in front of the cameras as “the-lad-next-door” reporter on an innovative “pirateTV channel” called Network 7 in 1987. It was Channel 4’s new “yoof ” series, my boss was the tough-talking Janet Street-Porter and we won a BAFTA for originality. After two years travelling the Network 7 rollercoaster across the globe, I got serious and made a hard-hitting ITV film about mothers and kids with AIDS in the South Bronx. That story, as I turned 30, made me determined to make powerful, worthwhile TV in future.

I set up my first TV company, Wild & Fresh Productions—an ethos I have fought hard to hold onto! In our first doc series, Summer On The Estate, we spent a year living on a tough Hackney council estate filming dozens of tenants, squatters, gang members and drug-addicts. We won an RTS Award for Best Documentary Series, but when the Minister for the Environment saw the film he came to meet the tenants and pledged he would demolish the estate. Five years later our follow-up film captured the tower blocks exploding in slow motion.

For me, it was profoundly moving to help transform the environment of hundreds of decent council estate tenants thanks to a bit of telly. Rarely would I feel such a sense of purposeful vocation.

Seven years on, I was at the other end of the social spectrum: filming Princess Diana’s dresses and possessions as they returned to her family home, Althorp, just months after her tragic death in 1997. At this point, I had punched way above my social weight when Emma, a bright, beautiful BBC Arts producer from Hampstead Garden Suburb, somehow

4 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

agreed to marry me at Rosslyn Hill Chapel, Hampstead … and there were no objections. We moved into up-andcoming Crouch End, within a year, we had our first daughter Ella and every two years another lovely daughter turned up: Holly, then Rosie.

When Holly arrived at the Royal Free Hospital in April 1998, I raced back from Althorp where we’d been filming the world exclusive first interview with Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer. This was the first production of my new Liverpoolbased TV company—BBC1’s Diana, The Princess, My Sister—the first film to show Diana’s memorial and island resting-place to the world. Shown in 200 territories it raised $2m for Diana’s charities. Oddly, at the same time, I was producing a film with screenwriter Jimmy McGovern about how 500 Liverpool Dockers were suddenly sacked and lost their jobs. Channel 4’s Dockers: Writing The Wrongs and Diana, The Princess, My Sister were two films in 1998 that marked how far I had come from the streets of Everton.

Had I moved from being “the rebel outsider” to becoming dangerously “establishment”?

By the turn of the millennium, my company made what I feel was a pinnacle production: The John Lennon Night for Channel 4. On December 9, 2000, we marked what would have been John’s 60th birthday—and 20 years since his tragic death—with a 90-minute film The Real John Lennon and a live music special presented by Jools Holland from George Martin’s Air Studios in Hampstead with sets from Oasis, Stereophonics, Lou Reed, Paul Weller, Ronnie Wood, Donovan and Lonnie Donnegan. This marked a personal coming-of-age for me as, two decades earlier I had shot my own super-8 film of John’s Liverpool memorial just days after his tragic murder in 1980. A working-class hero is something to be: finally, I was beginning to understand that song.

That same year, my company and its parent Planet 24 Productions

© Eric Harwood Photograph by Robin Mills

was sold to Carlton Television, so I found myself on the board of Central Television PLC, overseeing £12million of TV production from the Midlands as its new Controller of Programmes.

Within four years, I fell on my sword, escaping the claustrophobia of the corporate world for ever. In August 2003, Emma and I uprooted our family from London and settled in Charmouth. We knew no-one: everything slowed, I took 6 months off, spent time with the girls (now 3, 5 and 7) and rediscovered the person trapped within the corporate carapace. Perhaps like many who recently dropped off the working hamster-wheel after lock-down, I pressed my life’s re-set button and felt re-born: walking, seaswimming and living a present-tense life with my kids. We discovered a wonderful close-knit community of families around Charmouth Primary School and created the “Charmouth Fat Dads”—an unofficial men’s group of 40-somethings who playfully

organised fun, outdoor events for families, the kids and each other. Now I realised there was another way to live.

The only work I undertook in that first year in Dorset was to help a young Geordie lad make his first film about an extraordinary character called Jonny Kennedy. The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off was shown on Channel 4 in 2004 to a stunned audience of five million.

It raised almost £500,000 for charity, won 17 awards including a BAFTA, Grierson, RTS and International Emmy and was voted by Channel 4 as “the sixth best documentary ever”.

Proof that returning to powerful, meaningful, human film-making was where I belonged.

Over 16 years, I’ve made many films remotely from my Dorset haven. After producing the BBC feature dramadoc Wainwright: The Man Who Loved The Lakes, it rekindled my childhood memories of The Lake District. With TV presenter Julia Bradbury, this led to eight BBC walking series including

Wainwright Walks and Coast To Coast, as well as two ITV series of Britain’s Best Walks—including the Colmer’s Hill & Golden Cap walk—still repeated now.

With my current company, Heart & Soul Films, we shot the Ming Dynasty Great Wall of China from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert for our BBC4 film—A Slow Odyssey: The Great Wall of China.

I feel privileged to walk this wonderful land, travel the globe and come back to Dorset to edit my adventures. But what I’ve learnt is that my family is my best production ever… it’s them I am most proud of: Ella, 24, working in Paris fashion; Holly, 22, getting a First at LSE in Politics & International Relations and Rosie, 20, studying Politics at King’s College Cambridge and my ever-patient, clever wife Emma, an accomplished therapist, tutor and counsellor for young people in West Dorset. As the song says… “I’m a lucky man”.

’

6 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 7

UP FRONT In his audio interview with Seth Dellow, West Dorset MP, Chris Loder mentions the silver linings around the upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

He points to what he sees as a completely new approach to how communities support each other.

We have all seen or heard about the broad range of acts of kindness and support shown by those around us over the last nine months. That community cooperation—so apparent during the last war—seems completely at odds with the anger and unkindness that sometimes seeps from digital forums onto the streets and national media. So much so that it’s easy to forget just how human and caring most people are. We are often told by authorities that those who wish to cause upheaval, discontent or terrorist carnage within a society—especially one trying to cope with one of the biggest disasters of our time—are in a very small minority. Looking through this issue there are many reminders of that truth. There is much to celebrate about hospitality and decency within the wider local community. George Streatfeild, as the current High Sheriff of Dorset, has been visiting charities and organisations around the county giving awards and highlighting some of those that should be thanked for their work before and during the pandemic. In an interview in this issue he also points to the value of bringing different groups together, something that is often easier to do in the middle of a disaster. Jess Morency, in her article ‘19 Silver Linings’ features residents in her village of Piddlehinton. She talks of flower posies made for key workers; local food delivered to those in need and the opera singer who entertained the village with a half-hour concert each week. One of the younger residents, Imani, highlights the environment—a mantel that has been grasped by her generation from those that have voiced their warnings over decades. Imani echoes the often mentioned observation that lockdown and the pandemic have given many people pause for further thought about how we deal with environmental issues.

Another resident says of the village: ‘people here are so good. Really, they’ve all just been marvellous.’ It’s a sentiment that has been heard in towns and villages all across the country and something that is worth remembering as we enter the darker days of a winter with challenges well beyond anything most of us have experienced. It may seem odd then to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, but surely that has to be the goal.

Fergus Byrne

Published Monthly and distributed by Marshwood Vale Ltd Lower Atrim, Bridport Dorset DT6 5PX For all Enquiries Tel: 01308 423031 info@marshwoodvale. com

THIS MONTH

3 8 12 16 18 22 24 28 30 31

Cover Story By Robin Mills Event News and Courses Chris Loder audio interview By Seth Dellow Shire Reeve By Fergus Byrne Orcombe Point By Philip Strange A Century of Sights & Sounds By Margery Hookings 19 Silver Linings By Jess Morency Hercule Poirot’s Christmas By Cecil Amor News & Views Laterally Speaking By Humphrey Walwyn

32 32 34 36

House & Garden Vegetables in December By Ashley Wheeler December in the Garden By Russell Jordan Property Round Up By Helen Fisher

38 38 40 41

Food & Dining Clove Grilled Mandarins with Stilton

By Lesley Waters Squash Curry By Mark Hix The Salmon Alternative By Nick Fisher

42 42 44 48 49 50 51 52

Arts & Entertainment Philip Sutton RA at St. Michael’s Galleries Rural Voices By Louisa Adjoa Parker The Lit Fix By Sophy Roberts Young Lit Fix By Antonia Squire Screen Time By Nic Jeune Lifting Spirits By Bruce Harris

54 56

Health & Beauty Services & Classified

“Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.”

Like us on Facebook

Instagram marshwoodvalemagazine

Twitter @marshwoodvale

Editorial Director Fergus Byrne

Contributors

Deputy Editor

Cecil Amor Seth Dellow Helen Fisher Nick Fisher Richard Gahagan Bruce Harris Margery Hookings Mark Hix Nic Jeune Russell Jordan

Victoria Byrne

Design

Fergus Byrne

Advertising

Fergus Byrne info@marshwoodvale.com

Robin Mills Jess Morency Louisa Adjoa Parker Sophy Roberts Philip Strange Antonia Squire Humphrey Walwyn Lesley Waters Ashley Wheeler

The views expressed in The Marshwood Vale Magazine and People Magazines are not necessarily those of the editorial team. Unless otherwise stated, Copyright of the entire magazine contents is strictly reserved on behalf of the Marshwood Vale Magazine and the authors.

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of dates, event information and advertisements, events may be cancelled or event dates may be subject to alteration. Neither Marshwood Vale Ltd nor People Magazines Ltd can accept any responsibility for the accuracy of any information or claims made by advertisers included within this publication.

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Trades descriptions act 1968. It is a criminal offence for anyone in the course of a trade or business to falsely describe goods they are offering. The Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. The legislation requires that items offered for sale by private vendors must be ‘as described’. Failure to observe this requirement may allow the purchaser to sue for damages.

Road Traffic Act. It is a criminal offence for anyone to sell a motor vehicle for use on the highway which is unroadworthy.

December

EVENT NEWS AND COURSES December 1 Maiden Newton Art Group Launch Online Exhibition of work The Annual Summer Art & Craft Exhibition was cancelled due to Covid 19 Lockdowns and restrictions, as were preliminary plans for an exhibition in November. The Group has kept going through this strange year, meeting outside during the summer when possible, and zoom meeting when not. Regular challenges were set to keep artistic juices flowing and the group have been a great support for those isolating (or bored) during Lockdowns! Look out for Posters displayed around the Village, and posts on Facebook and Twitter. You can view the exhibition online via ‘Maiden Newton Art Group Izi Travel’ link or the QR code on the adverts. For further details contact Jane on 01300 321405.

December 3 West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Bridport’s Steep Hills.

10.00am. 8 miles. No dogs. Please call 01308 898484.

December 4 Voices of Hope - Singing group for adults, though children are very welcome. Millenium Green or Unitarian Chapel if raining - 11am. Also 11 and 18 December - £5. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com Songbirds - singing group for mums or dads and babies.

Millenium Green or Unitarian Chapel - Also 11 and 18 December 1.30pm. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com Pop up Vintage. All being well, fingers crossed, popping up again in the Courtyard Gallery at The Town Mill, Lyme Regis, DT7 3PU. Open from 4th December to 3rd January. (Closed 25/26 Dec) Recycled, upcycled, repaired and reclaimed: clothes, textiles, toys, accessories, furniture, homeware and much more for a truly creative and sustainable Christmas. Updates on Facebook: pop up vintage Lyme Regis.

Online Bookbinding workshop from Leafwork. 10 -12.30 on Zoom. Pamphlet bindings - single section notebooks with decorative wrappers, particularly suitable for Beginners and refreshing skills, £18. Optional paper pack by post. More details from Nesta@leafwork.co.uk 07984001830/ 01297 489976.

December 5 Bridport & West Dorset Rambler Club 6 mile walk from Pymore. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340.

December 7 The Arts Society Neroche South Somerset. Covid-19 guidelines permitting, it is hoped to hold the AGM and social

10 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

evening, for members only, on Monday, 7th December at Monks Yard, Horton Cross, Ilminster, TA19 9PY. Visitors will be welcome at the Lecture on January 4th. Details from Sue on 01460 57179 or www.theartssocietynerochesouthsomerset.org. uk Mother/father and baby singing groups Pippins Centre Axminster - 11am and 1.30pm - Also 14 and 21 December £5 per session. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com Hawkchurch Film Nights, in association with Devon Moviola, presents ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’, Armando Ianucci’s wonderful comedic take on the Dickens classic, with an all-star cast led by Dev Patel.

Tickets are £5 and are available in advance only from Chris at csma95@gmail.com or leave a message on 01297 678176.

Two performances, allocated seating, social distancing and full Covid-19 counter-measures will be in place - details will be issued to ticket-holders. Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XW. Performances at 4.45pm (doors 4.30pm) and 7.45pm (doors 7.30pm).

December 8 Singing, meditation and sharing group. Unitarian Chapel - 2.30 - 4.30pm £10/£15 per session. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Cerne Abbas, Plush, Piddletrentide. 10.30am. 9 miles. Dogs on leads. Please call 01460 62060.

Bridport History Society, Jane Ferentzi-Sheppard ‘The Digby Girls: Independent Travellers in the 19th and 20th Centuries’.Zoom meeting opens at 2.00, meeting starts at 2.30, all welcome. If you would like to join the zoom session contact Jane email: jferentzi@aol.com for the zoom details.

December 9 West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Wareham Forest 10.00am. 7 miles. Dogs on leads. Please call 01305 262681.

December 11 Online Bookbinding workshop from Leafwork. 10 - 12.30 Multi-section Notebook with decorative paper cover. Suitable for Beginners and refreshing skills, £18. Optional paper pack available by post. More details from Nesta@leafwork.co.uk 07984001830/ 01297 489976.

December 12 Bridport & West Dorset Rambler Club 9 mile walk from Kilmington. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340.

West Dorset Group of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society. ‘Show and Tell Session’ Childhood, Schooldays, memories of your own or a member of the family.

Zoom meeting opens at 1.30. Meeting starts at 2.00, all are welcome. If you would like to join the zoom meeting contact Jane email: jferentzi@aol.com for the zoom details.

December 15 West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Charminster Down 10:00am.

10 miles. No dogs. Please call 01300 320346.

December 17 West Dorset Ramblers Walk around Golden Cap. 10:00am. 9 miles. No dogs. Please call 01308 424512.

December 18 Online workshop from Leafwork. 10 -12.30 on Zoom Simple and effective folded and cut paper structures. All welcome and suitable for Beginners, £18. Optional paper pack available by post. More details from Nesta@leafwork.co.uk 07984001830/ 01297 489976.

Honiton Walking Club - notice Honiton Walking Club have restarted their small group walks for members on existing Club Tuesdays. This is a great time to join a well established local club. Come along on a small group walk led by a walk leader on some of our loveliest footpaths and lanes in and near Honiton and further afield. The group adheres to the government’s social distancing guidelines and group sizes.

Meanwhile check out Honiton Walking Club website for details of local walks and their Facebook page for lots of interesting tips and information! New members warmly welcomed!

Thorncombe Rail Activities Club - notice Thorncombe Rail Activities Club would like to thank it’s Members, Committee and Speakers both past and present over the last 20 years. Also all the Exhibitors, Traders and helpers at it’s annual Railway Exhibition. TRAC is no longer able to continue in this current climate and the Club has now closed.

Christmas Tree Festival Bridport United Church Christmas Tree Festival. There has been a Christmas Tree Festival at Bridport United Church for 21 years which has attracted many thousands of visitors and raised welcome funds for the 60+ charities that decorate their trees.

The first administrative task of organising the Festival involves sending out 90+ Invitation letters during September. Because of the Covid related ongoing restrictions and continuing uncertainty, organisers have taken the disappointing decision that there will be no Festival this year. They will have the usual lights everywhere (which are a delight) and some trees but no charity trees this year. Please continue supporting the charities in other ways.

Martock Guardians Concerts/Charity Raffle

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 11

Martock Guardians. Unfortunately, with the current pandemic restrictions, we are no longer able to proceed with our annual charity raffle or our concerts. We will contact raffle ticket buyers and refund all costs and we hope to restart the concerts and the raffle in 2021.

The Sheldon Singers Celebrate Christmas carols at home. Book a group from the Sheldon Singers to sing outside your house. Evenings of 17, 22 or 23 December. Contact Julie acorns31@hotmail.com Donations to Shelter.”

Colyton & District Garden Society The committee of Colyton & District Garden Society hopes all its members are keeping well and safe. It is frustrating not to be able to predict when we can start our programme again but hopefully not too far into 2021. In the meantime, all best wishes for Christmas and let’s look forward to when we can meet up again.

Beaminster Museum Statement Beaminster Museum are sad that they can’t invite you to join us at our usual pre-Christmas activities during December.

In a statement they say: ‘Neither are we able to announce any Winter Talks at present. However on the positive side, work is proceeding well with building our extension at the rear of the Museum.

‘It’s exciting seeing what have just been plans on paper until now appearing before our eyes. Whilst everyone is uncertain of what 2021 will bring, we are pretty certain it will involve a lot of dusting then moving things for museum volunteers once the builders have finished!’

12 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Film to help bring the magic of Christmas to Dorchester DORCHESTER Town Council and Dorchester Choral Society are working together to bring the magic of Christmas to the town’s residents in a year where we all know that Christmas may just not be the same.

Many events familiar to Dorchester residents won’t be taking place: there will be no Christmas Cracker event, no ice rink in Brewery Square and no large scale carol services or carol singing. So the team are putting together a professionally produced film Dorchester at Christmas 2020 (by Pageant Productions) to conjure up the spirit of Christmas for us. Through a combination of traditional carols, music, readings and images from the town and surrounds the film brings the community together to celebrate Christmas in a different way.

The project has been backed by some big names who have freely contributed their talents: Kate Adie, Martin Clunes, Julian Fellowes, Tim Laycock and Harriet Walter.

The film will be given for free to those that need it most: the hospital, hospice, care homes and to others who may be isolated. But the film will also be sold from mid-December to raise money for the Mayor’s chosen local charities and for school PTAs. The film will be distributed online but also as a DVD with a launch date of the second week of December. More details of the launch will be released nearer the time.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 13

Rural Isolation and Mental Health Part of our series of audio interviews, Seth Dellow talked with West Dorset MP Chris Loder, about local mental health issues, as well as the impact of the pandemic.

I

n a wide-ranging interview, recorded at his Poundbury office, West Dorset MP Chris Loder cites attitudes to social responsibility and the disproportionate distribution of economic resources as causes of some of the problems faced by rural areas. The fascinating interview, part of our series on mental health throughout the wider local community, gives an interesting insight into how the softly-spoken man from Sherborne went from life as a local farmer to Member of Parliament. It also gives an insight into some of the personal challenges he has faced throughout his own life, as well as during his short time as an MP. Speaking about the problems of loneliness and isolation faced by many in rural and farming communities, he stated how ‘shocking’ the suicide rate is and how it is a ‘cause for national embarrassment.’

Although drawn to a more national role in politics during the Brexit debate, Chris Loder had served on West Dorset District Council to represent villages to the south of Sherborne since 2013 and was Association Chairman of West Dorset

Conservative Association for three and a half years until August 2019. Now in a position with much more public scrutiny and with high expectations from constituents, he hints at some of the frustrations of being a new MP and how difficult it can be to create change, especially at a time of such huge uncertainty.

‘The reality of being a member of parliament of course, is that you are here as a representative of this constituency—to hold the government to account, rather than being a government minister—and that is something that is not well understood,’ he says.

‘Regrettably, I don’t have the ability to pull a direct string and make something happen tomorrow, but I can hold others to account in doing so.’

From subjects such as his challenge to Government about what it is doing to help gay farmers, to the lack of housing to help young people stay in the South West, as well as his concerns about what can and can’t be believed about COVID-19 data, Seth Dellow’s interview with the West Dorset MP is illuminating.

‘From my interview with Chris, it was clear that rural locations, such as that of West Dorset and the surrounding areas, have individual and unique problems relating to mental health’ explained Seth.

‘Despite the seemingly challenging situation, it has been an intriguing opportunity to talk to Chris about the work he has been doing in his constituency...

What has struck me most during this interview, and the others in this series, is that no one is immune to mental health issues, and reaching out for support is never a bad thing to do.’

This interview, as with all the others in the mental health series, will be available on the Marshwood Vale website, at www.marshwoodvale.com.

Listen to Part 1 of the Chris Loder interviews at the following link: https://bit.ly/37dFO6D

Chris Loder with his dog Poppy on the family farm in West Dorset

The interview is in three parts which will be released over the weeks coming up to Christmas. To be alerted when new links are available, email a request to be updated to info@marshwoodvale.com.

Seth Dellow is a University of Exeter student reading History & Politics, with a keen interest in political history and public policy. Aside from academia, he is active in the local community, regularly volunteering and has won the Pride of Somerset Youth Awards twice. His experience extends to the media sector and he enjoys interviewing people from a wide range of backgrounds, often to discuss the emerging themes of the day. You can learn more about Seth at www. linkedin.com/in/sethdellow

14 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 15

The Magic of Sound and Light

A Spectacle for all the Family in the run up to Christmas

C

hristmas may be different this year but there are still some spectacular sights and adventures to be enjoyed. Deep in the heart of the Dorset countryside, the gardens of the National Trust Kingston Lacy form the perfect setting for a new, after-dark experience to light up your evening.

As twilight falls the magic begins. Expect the unexpected as you glimpse fairies in the Fernery, fiery fish and woodland wildlife sculpted in willow all within an enchanting landscape filled with wonder.

Lit by lanterns, wander between flickering flames and beside stately majestic trees from one amazing space to another. Within this fiery interpretation of stars and spheres, illuminated flora and fantasy, there are moments of reflection and playful discovery set to a soundscape that will inspire and intrigue.

Owned by the National Trust, Kingston Lacy is an elegant 17th century Italian inspired country mansion set in attractive formal gardens and extensive parkland near Wimborne in Dorset. Kingston Lacy’s 8,500 acre estate was gifted to the National Trust in 1981 and was home to generations of the Bankes family who owned vast swathes of Dorset for over

400 years. The formal gardens were created by Henrietta Bankes. Stroll around the Japanese Garden, complete with an authentic tea house or take a sheltered walk through the woodland.

The hour-long discovery trail has been specially designed for visitors of all ages to enjoy. The Great Outdoors made magical.

Ignite trails are brought to you by leading events promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited, a division of Sony Music and hosted by the National Trust. The trail, created by Culture Creative, will be open on selected days: Friday 11 December – Sunday 13 December: 4.15pm – 8pm (last entry). Friday 18 December – Wednesday 23 December: 4.15pm – 8pm (last entry). Thursday 24 December: 4.15pm – 7pm (last entry). Saturday 26 December – Wednesday 30 December: 4.15pm – 8pm (last entry).

Advance ticket prices including for National Trust members are £15 per adult and £10.00 per child. A family ticket (2 adults & 2 children) is £45. Free entry for carers and children aged 2 & under. There is an addional £7 car parking fee for non-members.

Kingston Lacy, Wimborne, Dorset. BH21 4EA. For more information visit the website ignitetrails.co.uk/ kingstonlacy

Gardens open in the run up to Christmas

FRESH air, gentle exercise and enriching outdoor spaces are things we all need at the moment and Knoll gardens is the perfect place to enjoy all of these. As autumn advances the intricate seed heads and graceful stems of perennials form striking silhouettes, the perfect foil for Knoll Garden’s renowned ornamental grasses. In this quieter season the gardens offer the perfect escape for us all.

A wander around these naturalistic gardens, with the shifting shapes of swaying grasses punctuated with structure from perennial planting, can instil a sense of wellbeing and act as a much-needed tonic during these testing times. And with the festive season fast approaching, the on-site nursery offers a range of carefully selected plants so visitors can give those they love something a little more unusual and meaningful this Christmas.

The gardens and nursery are open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-4pm until 18th December 2020 (reopening 2nd February 2021) and there is no need to book, but visitors are asked to remember to practice social distancing whilst in the gardens and nursery and all payments are to be made by card please.

For further information on the gardens and nursery visit; www.knollgardens.co.uk

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 17

SHIRE REEVE in the modern age

This year’s High Sheriff of Dorset, George Streatfeild, has lifted the role out of the doldrums of a pandemic to keep it relevant. He spoke to Fergus Byrne.

A

t the end of 2001, in an article in this magazine, George Streatfeild described the previous year as an ‘annus horribilis’ for farming. A build-up of various economic pressures; a number of food scares; Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and the devastating outbreak of foot and mouth disease—not to mention growing environmental concerns—had made farming harder than ever.

Nineteen years later, running Denhay Farms in Broadoak, George is now two thirds of the way through his year as High Sheriff of Dorset. One might expect him to describe 2020 in the same terms as he did all those years ago. After all, as the county’s representative of the Monarch, he might simply be echoing a term that the Queen herself has used on more than one occasion.

However, despite COVID-19’s interruption of his expected duties, George is not only philosophical about how the pandemic has impacted on his schedule; he is also determined to keep the role relevant.

Speaking from his home in Broadoak he summarised his role: ‘It’s not a traditional year, and definitely the job is not as advertised, but it is highly rewarding. All the standard invitations have gone by the board. I went to County Hall for the remembrance event and I think that was the fourth official engagement I’ve had this year—as opposed to about the 104th. All those have gone. But on the other hand, I’ve met some amazing people and talked to some fantastic charities and individuals doing wonderful things for their communities. And these are people I would not necessarily have come across had I been doing the traditional High Sheriff bit.’

The traditional role of High Sheriff has changed somewhat since the days when he would have been expected to collect taxes; judge court cases; pursue felons or even raise an army to support the Sovereign of the day. It wasn’t necessarily a popular job and to ensure the person chosen didn’t try to avoid taking the post, their name was highlighted by pricking a hole on vellum so the mark could not be erased. It is an unpaid job and in those days if the High Sheriff didn’t manage to collect sufficient taxes for the crown, he had to make up the shortfall himself. Thankfully, those tasks were gradually allocated to different departments of government throughout the centuries and today the job is mostly ceremonial.

However, George points out three things that he believes keep the job relevant, not only in general but especially in the 18 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

middle of a pandemic.

The first thing he can do is say thank you, explained George. ‘And that’s not a small thing, because I’m not saying it as George Streatfeild, I’m saying it as High Sheriff who is the Monarch’s appointee. So, for example, if I go to the food bank in Bridport and say thank you for what you are doing, that is, if you like, with the Queen sitting on my shoulder.’

The second thing he can do is publicise the person or organisation that he is meeting and help more people to know they exist. ‘It’s very important that the role of High Sheriff is not seen as a personal role but one that allows you to highlight other people.’

The third thing that the role allows George to do is to bring groups together. Often he has talked with organisations and found that there were ways they could work together on similar initiatives and be more effective. ‘One of the things this year that has been stunning is that people have been prepared to communicate. Whether its neighbours or charities, in order to deliver what they need to deliver they have had to work together. It’s been good to try and help that process. I feel that all the High Sheriffs have done that quite well.’

Between lockdowns, George met with a wide range of charities and community organisations around the county helping to highlight the work that they are doing. As High Sheriff, he is entitled to give a special award to someone in the community that he feels deserves recognition. He made a recent surprise appearance on stage during the Bridport Literary Festival at the Electric Palace in Bridport to present an award to Tanya Bruce-Lockhart for all the work she has done in Bridport and Beaminster over the years.

However, George has taken the award aspect of his job a step further. ‘This year I came up with the concept of the High Sheriff ’s Community Award’ he explained. ‘I’ve given out about thirty of these to organisations or charities or groups who I think have done fabulously well during the lockdown in support of their communities.’ He has presented these awards to organisations all around the county. In a whirlwind of visits, food banks in Beaminster, Christchurch, Bournemouth and Bridport; charities in Poundbury, Sherborne and Poole; community stores and restaurants in Haselbury Bryan and Weymouth, along with many other organisations and individuals around the county have been recognised and thanked by the High Sheriff.

He hopes to present members of some of these charities to people that may be able to further highlight their work at

a future event. ‘There is a huge number of us in the county who do not know what’s happening down in the weeds’ he says. ‘And when you talk to people at the coal face of what’s happening, it’s quite instructive.’

One of the other key roles of his job is to take an active interest in the criminal justice system. ‘The role of the High Sheriff is you represent the Queen’s interests in the county, particularly criminal justice’ says George. ‘So I talk to the police and prisons, probations, courts, fire and rescue and all those organisations. And then I deal with charities that are trying to help people rehabilitate back into society. And the other area is charities that are preventing people from getting into the criminal justice system in the first place. And that is a massive group of organisations.’

In many towns and even villages around the county, a national drug distribution network known as County Lines has often made headlines. It is a huge issue for parents of teenagers and has affected even younger children as well. Young people are ‘groomed’ by older youths and adults and lured into becoming drug users and distributors. George believes the local police are very much ‘on it’ but also has concerns about those that may be influencing or unconsciously encouraging the system. He has challenged the police on what they are doing about what he describes as the middleaged, middle-class people who take cocaine as a recreational drug. ‘That is the start of the chain’ he says. ‘If middle-class people stopped using cocaine as a recreational drug it would have a massive impact on the whole thing.’

These are some of the aspects of the role of High Sheriff that allow the job to be more meaningful rather than simply ceremonial. With its own uniform of black or dark blue velvet coat with cut-steel buttons, breeches and shoes with cut-steel buckles, it speaks of an ancient British tradition and George takes great pride in that. But he has hopes beyond the tradition and ceremony. ‘I do hope that it will be a defining year’ he says. ‘I do hope that we will develop the relevance to the modern world alongside those traditional bits. I’m a traditionalist through and through, but I also realise it’s got to be relevant to young people today. If it isn’t we’re on a hiding to nothing.’

To learn more about George’s year as High Sheriff and about the many charities and local initiatives he has met visit his website: http://highsheriffdorset.co.uk

Photographs from the top: Visiting the Red Barn Stores in Hazelbury Bryan; Presenting an award to Tanya Bruce-Lockhart, photo by Adrien Munden and with Debbie Munday, Sian Merriott, Lisa Wills, Alison Lesley-Smith at Relate in Poundbury Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 19

Orcombe Point G A T E W AY T O T H E J U R A S S I C C O A S T

by Philip Strange

T

he East Devon and Dorset coast, popularly known as the Jurassic Coast, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated in 2001 putting it on a par with the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef. The Jurassic Coast is unique in being the only place on the planet where 185 million years of the earth’s history are sequentially exposed in cliffs, coves, and other coastal features.

Since 2001, museums and visitor centres have sprung up along its 95-mile length and a fine stone sculpture, the Geoneedle at Orcombe Point, Exmouth celebrates the beginning of the World Heritage Site in East Devon. On a sunny day in early November, just before the second lockdown, I went to take a look.

The seafront at Exmouth was quiet when I arrived, there were just a few people about taking morning walks or enjoying the beach and the sunshine. I left the car and walked to the end of the promenade where red cliffs strike out across the beach. From here, it is an easy walk up a zig zag path, past the cafĂŠ, to the cliff top and the area known as the High Land of Orcombe.

By now, the early mist had evaporated affording spectacular views from the cliff top across the Exe estuary, Dawlish Warren and the south Devon coast as far Torquay. The mild sunny weather had also brought out late season insects including bumblebees, hoverflies and an ageing red admiral butterfly. A short stroll then took me to an open grassy area above the cliffs where

20 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

the Geoneedle stands and the Jurassic Coast begins.

The Geoneedle is an impressive modernist sculpture about 5 metres in height and one-metre square at the base tapering to a stainless-steel point that takes on the colour of the sky, a clear blue that day but catching the sun at certain angles. It was designed by public artist, Michael Fairfax and is constructed from three kinds of Portland stone with insets of eight different rocks representing the principal building stones found along the Jurassic Coast. The site also includes a compass showing some of the local landmarks and a Jurassic Coast hopscotch, both made from stones set into the ground. The sculpture was inaugurated by Prince Charles in 2002.

Not only is the Geoneedle a beautiful object, it also cleverly encapsulates the story of the Jurassic Coast in its design. The eight stone insets are arranged so that they correspond to the three different geological time periods of the many kinds of rock found along the 95 mile stretch of coast between Orcombe Point and Studland Bay. Starting at the bottom, the first two stone insets come from the oldest time period, the Triassic (about 250 million years ago); the hard, red rocks and softer mudstones below Orcombe Point are from this time period and were formed as sediment accumulated when the earth was an arid desert. The middle four insets are from the Jurassic period (about 170

The Geoneedle with the Exe Estuary and Dawlish Warren. Photograph by Philip Strange.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 21

million years ago) when southern England was under a tropical sea; some of the best-known coastal features in West Dorset, Portland and the Purbecks were laid down at this time. Finally, the two topmost insets are from the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago) when sea levels fell and sediments from lagoons, swamps and rivers were deposited.

The Cretaceous rocks are the youngest along the Jurassic Coast and can be seen at various points notably in the white cliffs at Beer in East Devon and in the chalk stacks of Old Harry Rocks near Studland.

Much of our knowledge of the origins of the different rocks comes from studies of the fossils and minerals found along the coast giving important information on the plants and animals that lived there and the climatic conditions prevailing during the different time periods. The findings of local geologists and palaeontologists were crucial in this and the most important of these was Mary Anning, working in the 19th century, discovering fossils

22 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

dating from the Jurassic period in the mobile cliffs around Lyme Regis. Her discoveries illustrated a hitherto unknown, bygone world dominated by massive marine reptiles swimming in a tropical sea.

When I had finished looking at the Geoneedle, I walked back down the zig-zag path, across the promenade and on to the beach. By now, the tide had receded leaving large swathes of pale, firm sand and the area was very busy with people, many walking dogs, all enjoying the gift of this sunny pre-lockdown day. There were even two horses with riders at the water’s edge making for a very evocative image.

The low tide made it possible for me to walk around Orcombe Point to examine the red cliffs and their rocks. Starting from the beach road, red cliffs extend at right angles up to the jagged outcrop of Rodney Point. The exposed rock here is a hard sandstone of the Triassic period with considerable honeycomb weathering caused by wind and rain.

Beyond Rodney Point, red cliffs continue but there

is also a very striking red rock formation, the Devil’s Ledge, a broad wave-cut platform. Orcombe Point lies a little further to the east with the Geoneedle just visible, high above. These red Triassic rocks owe their colour to iron oxides and they continue with some interruptions along the coast to Ladram Bay, Sidmouth and beyond Seaton before Jurassic rocks take over near Lyme Regis.

To the east of Orcombe Point, the hard, red sandstone is overlaid by softer rocks and the strata exposed in the cliffs exhibit a pronounced downwards tilt to the east. This tilt occurred after the Jurassic period and brought the older Triassic rocks to the surface. Cretaceous material was then deposited and, after many millions of years of weathering, the Jurassic Coast of today was created with its distinctive pattern of exposed rocks from the three time periods.

If therefore, we take a notional walk along the entire length of the Jurassic Coast, starting at Orcombe Point and finishing at Studland Bay, we

will encounter a multitude of different landforms including dramatic cliffs, stone stacks, pebble beaches and rocky coves. These coastal features, and the rocks they contain, represent an almost continuous record of 185 million years of the earth’s history, rather like the pages of a book or the travels of a time machine.

That day, of course, I had only skimmed the pages of the first chapter of the book. As I walked back to the car, though, on that mild late autumn day, I reflected on how my visit had given me a renewed sense of the importance and of the unique nature of the Jurassic Coast.

Philip Strange is Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Reading. He writes about science and about nature with a particular focus on how science fits into society.

His work may be read at http://philipstrange.wordpress. com/

Photographs by Philip Strange.

Opposite page: The red rock cliffs towards Orcombe Point. Below: Late season insects, a hoverfly and a Red Admiral enjoying the sunshine. The Geoneedle showing the eight stone insets

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 23

A Century of Sights and Sounds As Windrose Rural Media Trust’s digitisation project, A Century of Sights and Sounds, continues to add old film and audio to the archive, Margery Hookings speaks to members of the team about their work.

I

n the good old days before Covid-19, when Windrose could put on films from its archive for a live audience, the charity’s director Trevor Bailey always made a plea at the end of the show.

‘If you have any reels of old cine film hidden in your attic, please get in touch with us.’ It was a pay-off line that very often paid off.

‘You have no idea what you’re going to get,’ he says. ‘When a new reel comes along it feels a bit like Christmas.’

One of the gems was a 1945 film of Wimborne Market, which was one of the biggest livestock markets in the South West, ceasing trading in about 1972. Today, it is now one of the largest open and covered stall markets in the South of England, complete with multistorey car park.

‘The reels were in black bin bags,’ Trevor recalls. ‘The chap said, “if you don’t want them, I’m going to chuck them out”.’

Similarly, he remembers a woman approaching him after a show at Eype. She had been keeping a can of films for many years which revealed a fascinating portrait of village life in Symondsbury in the 1930s.

Windrose’s James Harrison is now working on a major project to digitise the archive. Cataloguing is being carried out by staff of Dorset History Centre, where the charity’s archive for all three counties is now stored.

He explains: ‘We had to find a way of taking the material from the tape and preserving it in some format that is future proof. We hit on an idea where we are using a system called Preservica, transferring those files onto computer hard drives and then, from there, those files are ending up in the cloud. That means the footage is more accessible and there is more of a guarantee of us preserving it for the future.’

Windrose is also adding to the archive by making new films and audio capturing how people live their lives in Dorset today. As James points out, I’m part of the archive, chatting with Margaret Grundell at her ice cream kiosk on the Esplanade at West Bay in 2012 as part of the Forever Archive project.

James says: ‘Maybe in fifty, a hundred or two hundred years’ time, people are going to be still fascinated by how we lived our lives in this period that we’re in at the moment.’

He is clearly fascinated by his work and says he could—and does—spend hours looking at them. ‘No one makes a film to gather dust, films are meant to be seen. Looking at these old films too and seeing how these communities have changed is a positive. Nostalgia is lovely but we shouldn’t look at the past through rose-tinted spectacles. You realise it was bloody hard work.’

The charity is something of a hybrid, preserving and creating film and audio and then repurposing it for other projects, such as stimulating the memories of people living with dementia or commissioning a new score to play along with a silent film, as was the case with the late 1930s melodrama, Dope Under Thorncombe, made by the Trevett family in and around West Bay. These films and audio can be found on the Close Encounters page of the website • My thanks to singing teacher Penny Dunscombe for transcribing the Portland Shanties film. If you would like more information about Windrose’s film and audio archive and its varied projects, visit windroseruralmedia.org where some of the longer films can be purchased as DVDs from the website. Local films can also be found on Windrose’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/ windroseRMT/videos

24 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Portland Shanties

The Isle of Portland is full of great quarries which produce Portland Stone, the stone that St Paul’s Cathedral is made of, and many other buildings. The film shows a gang of men working at a great area of stone and starting to split it at one of the natural faults.

They do this by driving in wedges. It’s very important that all of the wedges should go in together; so the shanty man—or gang leader— keeps the men in time; sometimes he just chants to them: Ye-heh!

Thump ‘im boys.

Knock ‘im out.

Grain ‘im out.

Will she come?

Must come.

There she goes.

That’s it.

Hit him now.

Thump ‘im boys.

Smash ‘im.

Ye-heh Thump ‘im boys.

Knock ‘im out.

Hit ‘im out.

Knock ‘im tight.

Ye-heh, boys.

Thump.

Crash.

Bang. ...

Knock it.

Hit it.

You’re here, boys.

Out you go.

There she goes.

Ye-heh!

Bump.

Crash.

Knock. ... Ream.

Hit. Out with.

Thump ‘im boys. etc.

And sometimes, he’ll lead the men in a song: Roll the old chariot along And we’ll roll the old chariot along And we’ll roll the old chariot along And we’ll all hang on behind.

If the devil’s in the road, we roll over him.

If the devil’s in the road, we roll over him.

If the devil’s in the road, we roll over him.

And we’ll all hang on behind.

[When the gang leader is ready for his team to stop, he shouts “Hey!” and all stop simultaneously.]

Now, here’s a great lump of Portland stone, to be shifted by jacks.

All the jacks must push on the stone together, so the shanty man strikes up.

[As the shanty man sings—inaudible, but the word ‘round’ occurs frequently—the men rotate the jack handles as the stone moves slowly forward. When it has moved as far as is needed, the shanty man shouts “Up jack!”]

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 25

19 Silver Linings A Dorset Village in Lockdown

In August of this year, Jess Morency began writing a blog about life in her village during the pandemic, which has since attracted more than 5,000 views. She tells us how the idea for it came about.

26 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

I

t was listening to a message left on our village WhatsApp group one evening that gave me the idea. Piddlehinton had just featured on the BBC news, with a short report on how the village was pulling together as a community. The clip contained things like the flower posies that were being made for key workers; local food being delivered to those who needed it; and the opera singer who, for thirteen weeks, entertained us every Thursday with a half-hour concert. It was, as the BBC journalist Sophie Raworth said, a gentle reminder of the small kindnesses that make such a difference during difficult days.

The filming came about because Vickey Stevens—one of the village’s main community organisers—was childhood friends with Sophie. After it aired, Vickey left an audio message for the village, unexpectedly sharing her story of how she’d moved here seventeen years previously and found love and acceptance; having been rejected by many within her London community when she met her partner, Portia.

‘All of us have a story,’ the message said; and it got me wondering just how many other stories were out there, even in a tiny Dorset village. So, a few weeks later I set out with my tape recorder and a few simple questions in order to see.

What I discovered often surprised me, while confirming that, until you sit down and really listen to people, you have no idea just how fascinating and varied everyone’s lives have been.

For instance, Jim moved here twenty years ago and worked as a dairyman for forty-six years. When I asked him whether he’d travelled much, he proudly told me that he’d once driven all the way to Wales and not got lost for more than ten minutes. Had he ever been abroad, I wondered? Once, to Hong Kong, he said, where he’d been stationed for fifteen months during the war and loved every moment of it. In fact, he’d felt so at home in the aerodrome he’d felt he was having a déjà vu.

I already knew that Abi, the smiley young mum up the road, was an A&E nurse who’d worked on the Covid ward in Dorchester County Hospital. What I didn’t realise is that one of her two children is autistic, meaning, she told me, that, “Casual drop-in visits are difficult, for Alfie has to be prepped beforehand.”

And although Alan, the twinkly-eyed church warden, had played

Photographs from top left: Jim, photographed by Jess Morency, Vickey on VE Day, John in full voice, Alan, Elise on her scooter, and outside the Thimble Inn, Emma Jayne and Michal, all photograhed by Peter Yendell

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 27

the organ at my village wedding, I had no idea that he was once a police chief inspector, (‘Just like Morse!’) working from the Devon and Cornwall HQ in Exeter.

If you were to ask me which interview has made me most proud, it’s probably the one I did with Elise.

Born in East London, she failed to engage at school, but joined Mensa in her twenties and then went on to do a degree at Goldsmiths. She was diagnosed with severe ADHD in her late forties, and it’s one of the reasons why she feels she’s never been fully accepted within the village (although I think we should all be in awe of her Mods and scooters rock ‘n roll style).

Messaging me afterwards, she told me how she’d felt overwhelmed by the support she’d received after her piece was posted; and I love how brilliantly she describes what it’s like to have ADHD. For, of course, the more understanding we have as a society, the happier a place it will be—for everyone.

I chose the title 19 Silver Linings because of Covid19. I thought I’d do nineteen short interviews, and ask my husband, Pete to take a portrait to accompany each piece.

Interviewing people, either in their homes or mine (socially distanced, of course), I record the conversations, which can last up to two hours, then transcribe them. It’s certainly the long-hand approach (I’ve clocked up to 6,000 words with some); but I believe it’s worth it, for it allows each person’s voice to remain distinctive.

I’ve tried to interview as broad a breadth of people as I could find; traversing ages. So the posts include a teenager who’s just starting out as a photographer, and a 22-year-old undergraduate who’s passionate about the environment. At the other end of the spectrum is Jim, who’s 87, and when Alan turned up, he pointed

Above: Sarah’s son. Opposite page: Imani, both photographed by Peter Yendell 28 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

out that at 77 he’s the same age as Joe Biden, but has no shared desire to become President. Coming up, there’s a pig farmer, a scientist, a musician and three women who’ve spent lockdown working from home (one of them on an international scale).

In a rural community, racial diversity was harder to ensure; but the pub thrives on the dedication of its Polish chef/owner, and my mixed-race children were touched by the full turnout for the #BlackLivesMatter village march. An event which has since made its organiser, Sarah, into far more of an activist.

And what have I learnt from this experience? In truth, I’ve always found everyone fascinating, and am unashamedly nosey—which is why I love writing features. For me, the blog has confirmed the innate goodness in everyone, and the fact that life, even in a village, is rich and colourful because of the complex lives which combine to create its mosaic.

The interviews have given me hope, at a time when both the present and future have often seemed bleak.

I won’t forget the image of two policemen wandering through Brixton market talking about God and religion, until one of them ‘caught the other’s faith’. Talking to fellow villagers has also been humbling.

For I now know that what for some might have simply been nice add-ons during lockdown (like our village concerts and ice-creams), for others were the absolute highlights of their week.

It’s also made me even more determined to support the village in any way I can—even if that means, sigh, regularly eating at the pub (which re-opened in July, having calculated that doing so would mean they’d lose £60,000 by the end of the year).

I see our village as a microcosm of the wider community—in Dorset at least—and feel proud to be part of such a vibrant community. What’s been most interesting is that virtually everyone I’ve interviewed loved the three months of lockdown.

Although, of course with that comes the caveat that we were all intensely aware of our privilege: the space surrounding us, the daily walks where we’d not meet another soul unless we wanted to.

There’s recently been a lot of talk in Dorset of the housing market going wild, as city dwellers realise

the benefits of living in the country. Something that we here have always known.

I’ll end with two extracts: the first from Imani, who demonstrated the strongest feelings about how we must use this moment to re-think: ‘For whenever there’s been a disaster, in re-forming the pieces one does have the ability to make the world better. I’ve seen Covid as an opportunity; because I think it’s revealed a lot of the things we need to overcome with climate crisis. For instance, strengthened community and having a sense of place is really important.

Appreciating the plants around you, the space.

Lockdown also showed that we can happily live in a smaller sphere. So I see it as a chance… although I was weirdly aware that I would miss the time when it passed.’

Later, her words of caution were corroborated by Jim: ‘I’ve always loved being outdoors, but now I worry about the environment. I go for my walks and when it’s lovely and sunny I used to hear the birds singing. But you don’t hear or see them now. Until

recently I’d put bits of bread on my front lawn so I could watch them from the window. And sparrows, about twenty, used to come. Now I don’t get one. I don’t know what’s happened to them. And animals like rabbits, foxes, pheasants and deer. Especially deer. Once there were about fifteen, all together.

Now you don’t see any. It’s all this cutting of the rain forest and that, like… you know, the old chap, David Attenborough says. I listen to him regularly and he says that doing away with forests is going to destroy half the animals. But people can’t seem to see it; or they don’t understand, do they. But I love living in Piddlehinton. It’s a lovely spot, and people here are so good. Really, they’ve all just been marvellous.’

To read more, go to www.19silverlinings.com.

There will also be a twentieth guest post, featuring a worldrenowned author. Sign up to follow the blog if you want to find out more.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 29

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

By Cecil Amor

I

am sure he would have joined me in wishing you a very Happy Christmas.

Agatha Christie wrote a novel entitled Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, produced in 1938, but this article is about her first published novel, published 100 years ago this year, in September 1920. It was entitled The Mysterious Affair at Styles and was our first introduction to Hercule Poirot, Captain Arthur Hastings and Detective Inspector James Japp of Scotland Yard. Miss Lemon is not included in this book.

In 1919 Agatha Christie met John Lane of Bodley Head Publishers about her novel. He suggested a certain amount of rewriting, which she carried out and Bodley Head gave her a contract dated 1st January 1920 for six books. The novel was serialised in The Weekly Times in February 1920 and began sale as a book on 21st January 1921.

In the story, Hastings has been invalided home from the Front and given a month’s sick leave. He met John Cavendish, an old friend who invited him to spend his leave at his family home, Styles Court. There Hastings collided with his old Belgian friend Poirot, who was staying with some Belgian refugees. Poirot was described as a little man, no more than five feet four inches, with an egg shaped head and a very stiff and military moustache. Hastings said that Poirot had been one of the most celebrated of the Belgian police and had inspired Hastings to follow his methods.

Soon after this meeting, Mrs Emily Inglethorp was murdered. She was about 70 years old and had recently married Alfred Inglethorp some 20 years younger. Emily had earlier married Mr Cavendish, a widower with two small sons and she brought them up when Mr Cavendish died.

I made a list of the participants to assist my following of the narrative, as follows: John Cavendish, aged 45, a barrister now looking after the Styles estate, adopted son of Mrs Inglethorp, married to Mary, who works on the land. Lawrence Cavendish, younger brother of John, qualified as a doctor, unmarried and unemployed. Evelyn Howard, 2nd cousin of Alfred Inglethorp, aged about 40, a nurse. Cynthia Murdoch, works as a VAD in nearby Hospital Dispensary, a ward of Emily Inglethorp. Dr Bauerstein, a poison expert, lives in the village as does Mrs Raikes, an attractive wife of a local farmer. Several housemaids/cook and two gardeners. Enough for Poirot to consider and Hastings to puzzle over.

I will not spoil any more of the story, but like so many

of Agatha Christie’s stories, it is very convoluted. Enjoy it by obtaining the book or watching it on television.

Since publication of The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie wrote some 37 books featuring Hercule Poirot, plus two plays and a number of compilations of short stories. Later she introduced an elderly spinster, Miss Marple in about 14 books plus short stories, in which she ‘assists’ the police to reach a conclusion. The Murder at the Vicarage was the first Marple. Soon after the introduction of Poirot and Marple they were both performed on stage, film and then television.

Actors performing as Poirot have included, the first on stage, Charles Laughton, films have included Austin Trevor (1931), Peter Ustinov (3 films), Albert Finney, David Suchet, Kenneth Branagh. Miss Marple has been played by Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury, Geraldine McEwan, Joan Hickson and Julia McKenzie, among others. I once advised an elderly lady that Miss Marple was on TV that day and she scathingly replied ‘But not the Proper Miss Marple’. Perhaps she remembered Margaret Rutherford.

But with so many television appearances from 1989 David Suchet, has surely become the Hercule Poirot we all think of, supported by Hugh Fraser as Captain Arthur Hastings and Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector James Japp. And of course, although not in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Pauline Moran as Miss Felicity Lemon, and Zoe Wanamaker and Julia McKenzie as Ariadne Oliver.

Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, Devon on 15th September 1890. She was the last of three children, the eldest being her sister, Margaret and the middle child, her brother, Louis Montant. Her father, Frederick Miller was American and her mother, Clarissa Boehmer, was born in Ireland. Her father had inherited wealth and was nominally a stockbroker. He died in 1901. Agatha had little formal education, apart from her parents and ‘Nannie’. Probably the latter taught her to read. Later she had two days a week with a local teacher and dancing lessons. She was very close to her mother and loved their home. Agatha had two years in Paris and a season in Cairo.

In 1914 she met Archibald Christie, who was training to be a pilot in the RFC while she had become a VAD in the local hospital, where she probably learned about poisons. They were married on Christmas Eve 1914. He was transferred to the Artillery and became a Captain.

They had a daughter, Rosalind in 1919. Archibald was promoted to Colonel and went to work in the City.

Agatha had already written stories and poems, but her

sister challenged her to write a detective story and The Mysterious Affair at Styles was the result.

Archibald read it and liked it, so she tried several publishers until Bodley Head took it up, as mentioned earlier.

In April 1926 Agatha’s mother, Clarissa, died and Archie announced that he wanted a divorce.

These two events probably caused Agatha to run away to Harrogate for a couple of weeks, leaving her daughter and husband behind. They were divorced in 1928.

Agatha then visited Ur, in Mesopotamia (Iraq), staying with the archaeologist Leonard Woolley, having travelled out with his wife and taking an interest in the excavations. Returning again she met a young archaeologist, Max Mallowan, aged 25, who encouraged her interest in their work. They married in Edinburgh on 11th September 1930. Agatha bought her dream house, Greenway, above the River Dart in Devon in 1938. Max Mallowan was knighted in 1968, so Agatha became Lady Agatha. However, Agatha became Dame of British Empire in her own right in 1971.

Dame Agatha died at Winterbrook, Oxfordshire on 12th January 1976. Thus ended the famous writer of detective stories.

The copy of The Mysterious Affair at Styles which I read recently, was a Harper Collins paperback which included the unpublished ending, rewritten at the advice of Bodley’s John Lane. This ending has Poirot in the witness box, addressing the judge as ‘Mr. Le Juge’. The published ending has what we now know as a typical Christie ending with Poirot arranging the participants in chairs in a semicircle around the drawing-room, like a stage set. This volume also contains an introduction by John Curran which I found very useful.

I have also read Agatha Christie—an English Mystery a biography by Laura Thompson which was also useful. Both came by courtesy of Bridport Local Library.

Again, Hercule Poirot and I wish everyone a peaceful and Happy Christmas.

Before Christmas, Bridport History Society will meet on Zoom on Tuesday 8th December, for ‘The Digby Girls’, presented by Jane Ferentzi-Sheppard. Jane has to be congratulated for keeping the Society going, whilst unable to meet normally. Contact Jane for Zoom details on 01308 425710, or emailjferentzi@aol.com.

Cecil Amor, Hon President of Bridport History Society.

News&Views

BRIDPORT Award from the High Sheriff Bridport Literary Festival director Tanya Bruce-Lockhart was given a surprise award

by Dorset High Sheriff George Streatfeild. As photo Adrien Munden she was thanking the first author, Sir Barney White-Spunner, at the end of an illustrated talk about his book, Berlin, Mr Streatfeild walked on to the Electric Palace stage in full regalia to present her with a special certificate. The Award was presented to her in recognition of the determination and the immense work undertaken by her to put on a ‘live’ programme of COVID safe events at this year’s festival.

BRIDPORT Award for ‘Lockdown Legend’

Retired restaurateur, Tony Gibbons, has been recognised by the National Lottery for his efforts to help people photo National Lottery to get good food. He has devoted the past 15 years to The Friendly Food Club, a charity that has helped thousands of struggling families in Dorset learn to cook affordable, nutritious meals and make new friends. Tony’s unflagging efforts to change lives one recipe at a time have seen him named winner of the Education category at the 2020 National Lottery Awards.

This year’s winners recognise the ‘Lockdown Legends’ who have worked tirelessly to help others during this extraordinary year.

SEATOWN Man rescued from cliffs

Lyme Regis Coastguard team, together with colleagues from West Bay, rescued a man that had climbed a cliff west of Seatown to escape the incoming ‘spring’ tide. He had become completely stuck 35 metres up the cliff in the impenetrable undergrowth. Due to the inaccessible location, it was decided to ‘extract’ the casualty using Coastguard Rescue helicopter 175 which was training nearby. The aircrew quickly located the man and winched him to the safety of the cliff top. After a medical assessment, he was escorted back to his car in Seatown.

32 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

YEOVIL Survey on measures launched

South Somerset District Council, in partnership with Somerset County Council, are launching a survey to get the public’s views on temporary road closures installed to enable active travel and social distancing in Yeovil town centre. This was one of a number of schemes initially funded by the Government as part of the Active Travel initiative.

Councillor Val Keitch, Leader of South Somerset District Council, said: ‘We have had to implement schemes in large public areas whereby we can minimise public contact and introduce social distancing measures... We are keen to hear your thoughts on the scheme and ask you to carefully consider and feedback to us.’ The survey is at www.smartsurvey. co.uk/s/0CUUZW/

WEST BAY Coastal path cliff collapse

Dorset Council’s concern that a dangerous crack may result in a cliff fall proved spot on when a large section of coastal path collapsed near Eype recently. A 200-metre section of the South West Coast Path near West Bay had been closed due to the growing crack in the clifftop. Tara Hansford, Dorset Council Countryside Access Development Officer, had warned that movement in the section had ‘rapidly increased’ and said: ‘All the signs indicate that this whole area of cliff is vulnerable and sections are regularly falling.’

The collapse came soon afterwards. An alternative path, directing walkers away from the danger had been provided by landowners Highlands End Holiday Park whilst officials warned people to avoid walking on the beach below the cliff.

Behind the Mask Laterally Speaking by Humphrey Walwyn

W

hen I was eight, my favouin the supermarket and everyone’s got a rite item of clothing was my mask on. A couple bump into you near ‘Zorro’ mask. Simple, black the frozen fish section and they both and elegant, I wouldn’t go anywhere turn their faces to you and say ‘Hello!’. without it. Kids’ parties, walking the Who on earth are these people? They dog, playing in the garden or even obviously know me but they might be going to bed—on went my mask and, that nice couple from number 27 or the in a flash, I was the bravest and finest new Honiton bank manager and her swordsman on the planet and invisible husband. I have no idea… and because to all the baddies! We’ve got masked I don’t immediately respond, they walk heroes like Batman, Spiderman and on and will forever think I’m the rudest the Lone Ranger and tortured masked person in Devon. villains like the Joker, Darth Vader, This problem can be used to your Phantom of the Opera and Hannibal advantage in reverse. You know how Lecter, although the latter’s mask was putting on a mask makes you strangely Girl with a pearl earring… and a forest green silk mask. Is she to stop him from eating other people smiling or not? invisible to others, just like me putting rather than conceal his identity! on my Zorro mask? Well, for the first Masks can hide you or protect you from other people, or time in your life you can be extremely rude to people you don’t they can protect others from you and any germs you might be like when you’re wearing a mask. You can silently mouth all harbouring. In just a few months, we have now got so used to kinds of obscenities at them and pull rude faces but they will masks that it’s become completely normal to carry them whernot know. They will probably think you’re smiling at them and ever you go. I pop them on and off in shops or public places say ‘Good Morning’ to you. This is strangely satisfying and without a second thought. Yes, they’re a bit of a bore and an exciting! Just make absolutely sure your mask fully covers your inconvenience, but they are now a part of day-to-day life and mouth! likely to be with us for many years to come—if not in perpetuYou could even go one stage further if you are brave ity. enough. Try walking into a shop with absolutely no clothes So, rather than grudgingly put up with them, I feel we on except for your mask. Apart from causing considerable should embrace them joyfully and use them to our advantage. offence and an affront to public decency (and possibly getFor a start, face masks are a major new item of fashion and ting arrested), you’ll be OK because nobody will know who the biggest impact to boring old clothes for decades. I’ve seen you are. I’m not really promoting this idea as it is fraught with skeleton masks, smiley face, floral, cat and wild animal masks. danger. And please wear a boringly common light blue mask And they don’t have to be boring old light blue. Be inventive as somebody might recognise you if you wear your individual and go for colourful art or a meaningful message which has pirate disguise or President Trump mask. You could also much more impact than lacklustre phrases on a T-shirt. Text anonymously rob a bank I suppose, but I am not encouraging on a mask is literally “in your face”, or more correctly perhaps this either! “on your face”. My current favourites are “If you can read There are plenty of advantages to wearing a mask. Women this, you’re too close to me”, “Quarantine Queen” and a plain never need to put on lipstick. Men can hide their embarrassblack one with “This is my happy face mask”. ing designer stubble. Acne, spots and zits are never visible.

One potential problem is how wearing a mask makes us all The material will also partially disguise morning ‘bad beer more remote from each other as human beings. It’s impossible breath’ and nobody will ever annoy you again by saying ‘why to be 100% sure of anyone’s facial expression. Is he smiling or aren’t you smiling?’ as they’ll have no idea if you are or you is it a frown? Is she being friendly or disgusted? I know that aren’t. The only other downside is that talking through matethe eyes are supposed to tell us most things about a person, rial smothers your speech like cotton wool, but then since I am but it doesn’t work in practice. Seeing your eyes but not your increasingly deaf, I’m already asking everyone to repeat what nose or mouth conveys only part of the message where a pout they just said. can easily become half a grin. Perhaps we need hand signals But perhaps the best thing about wearing a mask is the as extra clues? Four fingers held up together means ‘I really am wonderful new sensation of liberation. You know… you’ve smiling, please smile back’. A clenched fist might mean ‘please been out shopping with your mask and finally get back halfgo away’—a bit like pictorial emojis added to a mobile text suffocated to your car. You close the door and remove your message. mask. The feeling of utter relief at being able to breathe again Another problem is the failure to recognise people. You’re is fantastic!

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 33

House&Garden

Vegetables in December

By Ashley Wheeler

I

suppose it is time to think about what to put on your Christmas list, or maybe time to think about what to get a close friend or relative for Christmas.

There are some amazing horticulturally related gifts available, but also some pretty awful things wrapped up in lots of packaging to make it look better than it is, so it is good to have a bit of an idea of what to look for.

It can be as small as a pack of seeds, for which I would go no further than looking at the Real Seed Catalogue, who are a small company based in West Wales. They grow much of the seeds themselves, but also work with other small scale organic growers (such as ourselves!) to grow seed for them. They have a wide range of really unusual vegetables and unusual varieties too.

Aztec broccoli (also known as Huauzontle) has been a highlight for us over the last couple of years—it is the same family as the weed fat hen and can be treated much like spinach. Have a look through their catalogue and you will find yourself browsing for quite some time…Our friends at Vital Seeds in Devon are also a great small seed company just doing organic seeds.

Tools are another great gift for keen gardeners and growers, and Implementations are a great little company supplying copper tools which are really great to use. We use the Mira trowels in the garden, they are a narrow trowel great for planting out small modules and the copper stays really sharp. Another option is Terrateck, a French company who specialise in tools for market gardeners, but many of which are great for home gardeners and growers. We have some great wheel hoes from them, but they also do really good quality hand hoes and other hand tools.

The other obvious options for gardening and growing options are books and courses. I have a fairly big stack of veg growing books, many of which are more aimed at professional growers, but there are a few that are great for both home and commercial growers.

One of which is the books by Charles Dowding, who has great amounts of detail on sowing dates, spacing and all of the technical detail that helps with achieving maximum efficiency from a vegetable garden. Joy Larkcom also writes excellent salad growing books.

As for courses we run a great Introduction to Market Gardening Course with Charles Dowding and Ruth Hancock from Fresh and Green in Ottery. We also run Salad Growing and Seed Saving courses through the year (details can be found at www.trillfarmgarden. co.uk).

This year has been strange and awful in different

34 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Trill Farm garden course - check the website trillfarmgarden.co.uk for details

degrees for most people, and lots of local food producers have really suffered with not being able to supply cafes and restaurants (who have also massively suffered this year), so why not buy a veg bag or meat box for someone from one of the many great producers that Devon, Somerset and Dorset have to offer.

Lastly, please think of others this Christmas, there is huge inequality nationally, but also right here on our doorstep. If you can, please give what you can to food banks and other organisations that will help those who have suffered the most this year, and don’t let your generosity stop at Christmas—try to encourage others who have a little more to help those who have less in 2021 and beyond.

WHAT TO SOW THIS MONTH: Best to wait until next year now!

WHAT TO PLANT THIS MONTH: OUTSIDE: Garlic (if not planted already) INSIDE: peashoots, sugarsnap and early pea varieties, spring onions, broad beans, garlic (for extra early garlic). Try and plant all of this early in the month.

OTHER IMPORTANT TASKS THIS MONTH: If the weather dries, continue preparing beds for the winter by mulching with compost. Also any polytunnels or glasshouses could have a wash this time of year to get the maximum amount of light in for any winter salad and veg that you have growing in them.

Otherwise take the opportunity to take it a bit easier.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 35

December in the Garden

By Russell Jordan

I

t’s certainly been a very strange old year. Perhaps now, more than ever, the cyclical and perpetual rhythms of horticulture can provide an anchoring point to those fortunate enough to have access to a garden. One thing, that seems to have been universally acknowledged, is that many folk have found solace in a return to nature, including gardening, during the this year’s lockdown periods.

December sees the ‘official’ beginning of winter which is, for most of us, not the most cheery season.

The old pagan festivals, more latterly assimilated into Christianity, that venerated the permanent life-force contained within evergreens, have a relevance to your own garden. It’s an oft recommended piece of garden design advice that including a ‘backbone’ of evergreen trees and shrubs means that your garden need not ever be barren, even during the coldest months of the year.

To maintain the semblance of a vibrant, living, garden in the dark days of winter you will need to have a fair smattering of evergreen specimens among the herbaceous perennials and deciduous shrubs. Using evergreens as part of a mixed hedge is one way of doing this or, for a more formal boundary, a single evergreen species hedge, like yew, box or holly, really comes to the fore at this leafless time of year. A dark green yew hedge, clipped nice and tight just once a year, is the classic backdrop to a long border, or used instead of a fence as a solid boundary marker.

If you use an evergreen hedge as a foil to a herbaceous or mixed border then there’s one maintenance issue that you will have to keep on top of. The hedge, like any long-lived plant, will grow an extensive root system which will, naturally, invade any bed or border nearby. These feeding roots can out-compete the more delicate, less permanent, root systems that the herbaceous perennials grow on an annual basis. Plants that die down completely in the winter, the definition of a herbaceous perennial, do not need a large, permanently active, root system.

This autumn I’ve been renovating an established pair of herbaceous borders which run between parallel

36 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

yew hedges. Some normally vigorous perennials have been failing to thrive, even the usually rampant Macleaya cordata, and, upon digging up and dividing, I discovered that they were competing with a solid mat of yew roots. The fibrous feeding roots of trees and shrubs can certainly deprive more transient plants of the food and water that they require in the growing season.

The solution is to run a spade up and down the back of the border, as deep as you can, on a regular basis, so that the feeding roots from the background hedges are severed before they can invade the borders. Their deeper, anchoring, roots are unaffected and established trees and shrubs will not suffer from having their surface roots kept in check. An extreme example, of this root pruning, is ‘bonsai’ and specimens of trees that have been subjected to the ‘Art of Bonsai’ can live for centuries.

You will never totally prevent the growth of trees and shrub roots, into ornamental plantings, but regular lifting and dividing of herbaceous perennials allows you to keep invading roots in check and also to add fertiliser, humus and aerate of the soil in which your more precious plants are growing. It evens up the playing field, as it were, to keep everything growing nicely.

Other gardening activities that you can be getting on with, whenever your mood and our fickle weather align, include warming work like digging, clearing and maintenance. Bare-rooted trees, shrubs and hedging plants can be planted when conditions allow but are best kept ‘heeled in’ if they arrive at a time when you can’t plant them immediately.

An evening spent perusing all the fabulous rose varieties, offered by online rose suppliers, is a complete tonic even if you don’t actually have room in your garden to plant any more. If you do have space, to add another rose or two, then buying now, as bare-rooted specimens, is the most cost-effective way of getting them.

Many online rose suppliers have also diversified into

offering other plants, which are suitable for bare-root production, so it’s a good way of adding further layers of interest to your planting schemes which you might not otherwise have thought of. The good thing about herbaceous plants, those which are vigorous enough to cope with being lifted and transported in a bare-root state, is that they also tend to be the sort of perennial which establishes quickly and is largely trouble-free.

Hardy geraniums are a good example of this kind of easy-going plant Elsewhere, check that any remote heating in greenhouses or coldframes is working properly and is ‘kicking-in’ to keep the space frost-free when overnight temperatures plummet. Conversely, whenever we have one of those bright, sunny, spells, it’s really advantageous to open the doors / lid / vents to keep the humidity down and to reduce the yo-yo effect of soaring temperatures, under glass, when the sun shines which is, inevitably, followed by sub-zero temperatures overnight.

As I write this, during the second lockdown, the one saving grace is that garden centres are still open so, if you or a loved one have rediscovered a passion for gardening, thanks to Covid-19, it’s still possible to treat yourself or someone else to a horticultural pressie or two. Merry Christmas indeed!

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 37

PROPERTY ROUND-UP

Homes with a muddy boot room

By Helen Fisher

DALWOOD £1.5M

A thatched 4/5 bedroom farmhouse set in a former thoroughbred stud farm. Many character features inc: exposed beams, wooden flooring, inglenook fireplace with wood burner and window seats. Plus separate self-contained 1 bedroom annex. Pretty formal gardens plus 13 purpose built stables and barn stabling. All set in over 20 acres.

Savills Tel: 01392 455700

MUSBURY £595,000

An extremely spacious, detached 4 bedroom home in the centre of the village. Recently refurbished. Large L shaped sitting room with multifuel stove and doors to the garden. Newly fitted kitchen with utility and cloakroom. Fully double glazed. Gardens surround the house with garage and ample parking Gordon & Rumsby Tel: 01297 553768

BETTISCOMBE £850,000

A substantial 4 bedroomed rural house. Previously 2 cottages, combined to create a family home. Retaining many characterful features inc: open fireplaces, casement windows and high ceilings. Attached glasshouse with mature plants and seating area. Stunning, private gardens adjoining open countryside. Double garage and ample parking Symonds and Sampson Tel: 01308 422092 38 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

CHETNOLE £1.4M

A beautifully presented family home dating from 1850 with Edwardian and later additions. With 5 bedrooms plus converted coach house. Generous family kitchen and many period features inc: fireplaces, coving and sash windows. Conservatory, gym and double garage. Mature gardens with paddock and outbuildings. All set in 2.25 acres Knight Frank Tel: 01935 810064

NETHERBURY £470,000

A detached, 1920s edge of village house with many attractive features inc: wooden floorboards, wood panelling and Rayburn stove in a brick fireplace. Front and rear organic gardens with specimen trees, veg and fruit areas, wood store, greenhouse and natural water well. Garage and ample parking Kennedys Tel: 01308 427329

CHIDEOCK £695,000

Spacious and individual family home with 4 bedrooms. Stunning countryside & sea views. Well proportioned reception room with French doors overlooking the garden, wood burner and Hamstone fireplace. Large, established south-east facing gardens with sun terrace. Detached garage and car port, ample parking Stags Tel: 01308 428000

Local House and Gardens to feature in two TV specials in coming weeks MAPPERTON House and Gardens are set to hit the small screen in two television specials during the run-up to Christmas.

The West Dorset home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich is being featured in the hit series An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates, to be broadcast in both the UK and the US. In the two special episodes Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, introduces life at Mapperton including Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations at the historic house, located just outside Beaminster.

The first episode Welcome to Mapperton will air in the UK on the Smithsonian Channel at 8pm on Tuesday 1 December. The second episode Christmas at Mapperton will broadcast at 8pm on Tuesday 8 December. Viewers will enjoy a Victorian Christmas feast prepared in the Mapperton kitchens with celebrity chef Darina Allen as well as a tour of the stunning Christmas market at Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey) with the Countess of Carnarvon.

The Gardens at Mapperton were recently voted the Historic Houses’ Garden of the Year 2020 after winning a public vote. The Gardens are now open Sunday to Thursday, 11am to 5pm.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 39

Food&Dining

CLOVE GRILLED MANDARINS WITH STILTON A fabulous and unusual seasonal salad.

Great served with cold meats as part of a bigger spread.

LESLEY WATERS

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• 4 mandarin oranges • ½ teaspoon cloves, dry roasted & coarsely ground • 2 tablespoons sugar • good pinch salt • 55g (2oz) blue vinney or stilton, crumbled • 85g (3oz) watercress • 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat the grill to its highest setting.

2. Place the mandarins in a bowl, cover with boiling water and set to one side for 2-3 minutes.

Remove the mandarins with a slotted spoon and peel, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Cut each mandarin horizontally into 3.

3. Mix together the cloves, sugar and salt. Place the mandarin slices on a grill pan and scatter over the clove mixture. Place under the grill for 2-3 minutes until warmed and the sugar has melted.

4. To serve, divide the watercress between four serving dishes.

Arrange 3 mandarin slices on top of each dish and scatter over the Stilton. Drizzle each dish with a little olive oil and serve at once.

Serves 4

40 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Cooperating for local food future BRIDPORT has a reputation as a foodie centre, but how solid is our local food security? Several local organisations believe we need to grow and buy more of our produce locally and they plan to promote that ethos at a stall on Barrack Street in the December 12 Farmers Market.

The stall is jointly organised by Bridport Local Food Group, Transition Town Bridport, and Seeding Our Future—a local group helping communities respond to climate change.

The initiatives underway include Allotment Ambassadors to help home growers; a Bridport Food Hub to offer resources;

affordable cooking classes; launching a Dorset Diet to encourage us to buy 80% of our food within 25 miles of home and lots more. The stall will also demonstrate the Community Cooking Kit. In Barrack Street on Saturday December 12,

you can find out more about what’s planned, add your suggestions, and see how you could get involved. For more information, see https://futurescanning. org/local-communities/ or contact Alan Heeks: 07976 602787, data@ workingvision.com.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 41

SQUASH CURRY I grew a few different varieties of squash early in the year from seed and gave half to my lovely neighbour Ron. I unfortunately got rather busy being unemployed and restaurant-less and didn’t tend the garden and harvested only two smallish squashes to Ron’s dozen or so. Luckily I exchanged some for my home-smoked salmon for his crown prince squash and cooked this.

You can use a selection of squashes for this, or just a single variety. Check how tough the skins are before preparing them as some squashes taste delicious cooked with the skin on. If your specimens have tough skins, then buy a bit extra to compensate for losing some of the flesh.

MARK HIX

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• 1 kg squash, peeled if necessary, seeds removed and cut into 2-3cm chunks • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 60g ghee or vegetable oil • 3 medium onions, peeled, halved and roughly chopped • 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed • 1 tbsp chopped root ginger • 3 small, medium-strength chillies, sliced • 1 tsp cumin seeds • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds • 1 tsp onion or Nigella seeds • 1 tsp cumin powder • 1 tsp freshly grated turmeric or 1tsp turmeric powder • 1 pinch saffron strands • A good pinch of curry leaves • 1 tsp paprika • 1 tsp fennel seeds • 1 tsp mustard seeds • 2 tsp tomato purée • Half a lemon • 1.3 litre vegetable stock (a good cube will do) • 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1. Season the pieces of squash.

Heat half of the ghee in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and fry the squash on a high heat until lightly coloured. Remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side.

2. Add the rest of the ghee to the pan and fry the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add all of the rest of the spices and continue cooking for a couple of minutes with a lid on to release the flavours, stirring every so often.

3. Add the tomato purée, lemon and stock, bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Take a cupful of the sauce from the pan and blend in a liquidiser until smooth and pour it back into the sauce. Add the pieces of squash and simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender, then add the coriander and simmer for a further 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

4. Scatter over the chopped coriander, and serve.

Serves 4-6 42 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

The Salmon Alternative

By Nick Fisher THE river Wye is world famous for its salmon. But its chub are a well-kept secret. Good salmon rivers are often great chub rivers.

Chub are happy to dip in and out of the fast riffles, then glide moodily through huge swirling back-eddies to hunt for food.

And chub aren’t fussy. They’ll slurp insects and flies off the surface. They’ll hoover nymphs and aquatic larvae from mid-water.

And if times are tough and nose-bags hard to come by, the chub is not above sinking his snout down to the bed of the river to grobble around with the best of the bottom-feeders.

Chub are survivors. Even on mighty rivers like the Wye which can swell to several times its height and width, in a powerful flood, chub can somehow still find a toe-hold and cling to a station, until the worst of the big waters are past.

Floods that sweep away trees and fences, flushing silver fish like dace way down into the estuary and out to sea, still don’t seem to be tough enough to spell the end for the tenacious chub. Some of the biggest recorded chub around the country have come from salmon rivers. The record chub used to be held by the River Annan in Scotland. Itself a keen sea trout and salmon river experiencing big scouring floods in winter and sometimes low, treacherous water in summer. Traditionally salmon anglers haven’t liked chub. Traditionally, salmon anglers haven’t liked any fish apart from salmon. So, any chub which was stupid enough to get caught by most salmon anglers was likely to meet a sticky end.

‘A few years ago I regularly saw chub of six or seven pounds just lying on the bank, or chucked in a hedge’ hotelier Peter Smith, a keen Wye watcher once told me. ‘One time I found five chub between five and eight pounds neatly laid out in a line on the grass bank of a salmon pool. They were arranged perfectly in size order.

Dead. Left to rot in the sun. That’s how little regard the salmon angler had for this fine fish.’

Chub came a cropper regularly at the hands of the salmon angler because of their puppy dog enthusiasm. A chub is game for anything. Throw it a stick and it’ll come bounding back all saliva and scales, then drop it happily at your feet, begging for another big toss. Well, OK... I’m over stating their playfulness, but a chub will give you a tug on your string for practically any small reward.

Because they are so omnivorous, it makes them great survivors in times of hardship. It also makes them fairly easy to catch. Except of course when you really want to catch one. In theory though, a chub will take a spinner, a plug, a fly, a worm, bread flake, bread paste, cheese, slugs, snails, dead baits, live baits, maggots, casters, sweet corn, dog biscuits or chick peas. Show a chub lunch, and he’ll show it a good time.

In a way, chub and salmon make perfect bedfellows. The salmon, all moody sulky and anorexic. Refusing to eat anything. While the chub’s all spunky and greedy, slobbering great chunks of lunch down his front and then trotting up for seconds. Like Jack and Mrs Spratt. Together they lick the platter clean.

Thing is, there ain’t no salmon. Well not to write home about.

The Wye has been knocked all out of shape in recent years. The salmon are struggling like they never have before. On the once prolific stretch of the Wye I visited recently, the bailiff told me that so

far this year he’d only seen two salmon. And neither of them were caught. This is a river which once heaved with huge silver-sided Atlantic beauties.

The Wye is in trouble. Big trouble. But, there are serious steps afoot to try and redress the situation. The Wye Foundation are battling to put things right for this great river. Meanwhile, what about the chub?

Coarse fish, and indeed coarse fishermen have gone through quite an image-change in recent years. They are no longer regarded with quite the snobby contempt that old style salmon anglers held for them. Their bait methods are no longer seen as quite so unsporting. And in many ways, the first noises of change came from the river Wye, when it first got barbel.

Barbel were introduced to the Wye illegally. No one really knows by whom or why they were released. First, the presence of barbel gave the salmon anglers something to complain about. It must be the barbel that were to blame for the drop in salmon numbers. All the barbel must be eating the salmon eggs and fry. They were killing the newborns before they were able to grow and grow, and migrate and spawn.

Soon, the writing was on the wall, and salmon folk could see that barbel or no barbel, the Wye’s problems were bigger than these bottom feeding buggers. And, ironically, the arrival of keen barbel anglers to the Wye beats, men willing to pay good money just to catch and release these pest fish, was the saving of many of the local businesses.

Hotels and pubs and shops and restaurants which were seeing a dramatic decline in trade because of the poor salmon fishing, could now ply their custom to the new breed of fishermen, barbel men.

‘Ask a lot of the publicans and hoteliers and they’ll tell you they actually prefer the barbel boys’ explained Peter Smith. ‘They spend more money, are less demanding, easier to get on with. And don’t moan half as much, because they’re happy... they can actually catch the fish they set out to catch.’

So, the barbel saved the bacon of some of the businesses on the upper Wye. At a time when foot and mouth threatened to wipe out many small tourism-dependent outfits, it gave a ray of hope. Maybe the chub can do the same to some of the lower Wye beats too.

So many salmon beats are simply unused now because the chances of actually hooking up to something silver have become too slim even for the outrageous optimism of salmon anglers. Yet these beats still have bailiffs and ghillies employed to look after the river. Wouldn’t it make more sense to open them up for a few dedicated chub anglers?

If it’s a question of money, I don’t think there’s too much of a problem. Chub men aren’t the mean-spirited, flat-cap wearing, roll-up smoking misery-guts, some game anglers assume them to be. Quite the opposite. Anyone who is serious about the quality of their fishing who is prepared to drive hundreds of miles to stay for days in the hope of catching a fish of their dreams, isn’t going to baulk at even the meaty price of a day-ticket.

Maybe it’s time more game angler-only rivers relaxed their restrictions and breathed a bit of life back into their banks.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 43

Arts&Entertainment

21ST CENTURY COLOURS

Philip Sutton RA AT ST. MICHAEL’S

A

fter another four weeks of lockdown, what a joy to have an exhibition of work from the artist Philip Sutton RA to look forward to. A past judge of the Marshwood Arts Awards, Philip has in recent years exhibited locally at Sladers Yard in West Bay as well as Bridport Arts Centre. Now, with his own gallery at St Michael’s Trading Estate in Bridport, he is offering an inaugural exhibition, ‘Philip Sutton RA His 21st Century Colours’. It brings together paintings from 2000 up to the present day and will open on 3rd December and continue until 28 January.

At 92 Philip continues to paint and draw every day and remains upbeat despite the difficult situation he is in, having been unable to leave his cottage at Harbour House in West Bay for many months.

Before lockdown Philip would go for a walk twice a day on the seafront, chatting to family and friends along the way and enjoying the views of the sea and sky, observing passing seabirds and remarking on them. Now, instead of his strolls along the sea, he walks around his garden looking at the flowers. He continues to work a full week painting and drawing and is enthused with his work although the solitude of not being able to meet up with his family and friends, or show them his latest work for a long time, is particularly difficult. When Philip was allowed to have visitors, while observing social distancing, he found a way forward. He brought paintings onto the lawn which could be looked at from a distance by those close to him, his canvases of brightly painted birds livening up the garden.

The exhibition at St Michael’s Trading Estate features recent paintings from this year, ever vibrant, as well as earlier works in his bright hues.

The exhibition at 6a St. Michael’s Trading Estate, Foundry Lane, Bridport DT6 3RR opens December 3rd and continues to January, 28th.

Opening times and tickets for the exhibition can be found on: philipsuttonra.eventbrite.co.uk.

For more information and to view a catalogue visit www.philipsuttonra.com.

Paintings on opposite page: A Moment 2020 and The Light Clouds Blown Away by Philip Sutton RA 44 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 45

December GALLERIES

1-19 December Anne Bullen. Part Three and the final collection of recently discovered drawings and oil paintings by Anne Bullen, who lived outside Charmouth, known for the numerous books she illustrated, of which many have become collectors items, as well as her vast knowledge and understanding of the horse. The Osborne Studio Gallery, 2 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8JU. gallery@osg.uk.com. Tel. 020 7235 9667 2-24 December Exile - a mind in Winter. Cedoux Kadima, Ricky Romain and Robert Golden have created a multi-genre exhibition of painting, photography, film and an accompanying sound scape. It concerns the social and personal impact of alienation, torture and physical exile. The exhibition consists of 12 montages by Cedoux. They reveal the journey he took from being a working artist in London for 6 years to receiving a Home Office letter threatening deportation back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cedoux had fled the Congo after becoming a government target for teaching street children drawing and painting. From Robert Golden there are 12 composites of photographs and texts about different aspects of alienation. Included in the exhibition is also a 30 minute poetic documentary film by Robert Golden about alienation, exclusion, exile and evil. This will also be available on the web site. These lead to the painting by Ricky Romain, divided into 72 frames.

They relate the story of 36 good people and their 36 substitutes who exist in the world to balance evil. Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport Dorset DT6 3NR Until December 5 Telling Tales!, 10.00-16.00 Wednesdays-Saturdays, Pictures, words and whimsy by author and illustrator Carolyn King, The Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, 01297 443370 or 01308 301326.

46 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

5-19 December Christmas Exhibition. 15 artists work for sale. The Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LN. www. jerramgallery.com.

Until 13 December Norman at 90, 10.30-16.30 Thursdays-Mondays, A retrospective of the artwork of Norman Saunders-White. www. lymebayarts.co.uk, The Gallery Symondsbury, 01308 301326 Until 19 December Luminous The Winter Collection. Artwave West, Morcombelake, Dorset DT6 6DY. www.artwavewest.com Until 24 December Present Makers 2020, Open Thursday – Saturday, 10-5. A curated showcase of work celebrating the talent of South West based contemporary crafts people and designer makers, who create unique hand-made and locally-designed gifts. All work is for sale. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Elmfield House, Dowell Street, Honiton EX14 1LX, 01404 45006 www.thelmahulbert. com Until 8 January Winter Exhibition 2020. Gallery on the Square, Queen Mother Square, Dorchester DT1 3BL Until 10 January Autumn Mixed Show Work by gallery artists & Chloe Fremantle. The exquisite Tincleton Gallery will be holding a four-month mixed show of their gallery artists, plus Londonbased artist Chloe Fremantle. Periodically some of the works will be taken down and replaced by others so that the show can remain fresh for the 4-month run irrespective of how the Covid-19 pandemic evolves. Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR. Opening times: Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon from 10:00 - 17:00, no admission fee.

Telephone 01305 848 909. Website: www.tincletongallery.com

Hen Cliff by Dick Hewitson from Bridport has been selected for The Bath Society of Artists 115th Annual Open Exhibition 2020 online only.

The exhibition closes on January 3, 2021. Visit www.victoriagal.org.uk/events/bath-society-artists-virtual-open-exhibition-2020.

Until 17 January Colour & Light: recent paintings by Julian Bailey, Alex Lowery, Michael Fairclough and Alfred Stockham with furniture by Petter Southall. Four painters who reflect glorious light effects in their paintings to celebrate both the natural and the built world, Petter Southall’s beautiful bentwood furniture, plus ceramics with Mike Dodd, Peter Hayes, Gabriele Koch, Franny Owen, Sue Ure and Paul Wearing. Also craft, gifts, and accessories by leading artists and designers. 10 am - 4.30pm Wednesday to Saturday (CafÊ also open Sundays 10 - 4.30pm). Free admission. Sladers Yard, Contemporary Art, Furniture & Craft Gallery, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL. 01308 459511. sladersyard.co.uk Until 18 January Unwrapped, 10.30-16.30 Thursdays-Mondays, Arts and crafts showcase for the holiday season, The Space Symondsbury, 01308 301326 Until 21 February A Picture of Health. A group exhibition of contemporary women photographers. The Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA Until 7 March Annual Open Exhibition. Royal West of England Academy, Queens Road Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 47

Present Makers 2020

ONLINE NOW

Going Forward

Bridport Arts Centre gets on with the show COMING out of Lockdown 2 offers a huge sense of relief to many, but it is tinged with apprehension of what will and won’t be allowed over the coming months. So it’s good news that Bridport Arts Centre is offering some small sense of relief with an extraordinary line-up of events in the run up to Christmas.

THE next Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) exhibition: Present Makers 2020 launched online in November and the gallery hopes its doors will reopen again on 2 December.

Present Makers 2020 demonstrates the skill and diversity of contemporary crafts people and designer-makers living in the South West and all of the work is for sale. The exhibition showcases creative innovation across craft and design including glass, wood, textiles, prints, ceramics, lighting and jewellery.

To highlight the exhibition, THG will showcase the makers’ practice in a new series of ‘Makers Shorts’.

Following on from THG’s popular ‘Nature Shorts’ series, these short, fly-on-the-wall films will give an intriguing insight into the maker’s space, revealing their fascinating methods and skills. The first Maker Short Taming the wildwood features the woodworking practice of Rosie Brewer. The Maker Shorts will be released every Wednesday throughout the exhibition.

Gemma Girvan from Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) explained, ‘Although the gallery doors are closed until December, we want to make sure our visitors can still buy from Present Makers. We will be sharing featured makers on our website and via social media.

‘THG prides itself on working with and supporting the local artist community, which is even more important now. I am particularly excited about the breadth and quality of this year’s collection, celebrating high quality, local craftsmanship. We are proud to support local makers and encourage you to buy local this Christmas. All the work will be available for purchase online at thelmahulbert.com.’

For more information visit thelmahulbert.com.

48 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Tuesday 2. 6.30 – 7.15pm Neil Oliver in Conversation with Ricky Romain, Robert Golden, Cedoux Kadima - (moved to Theatre from Gallery).

Friday 4. 7.30pm Martyn Joseph.

Tuesday 8. 6-7pm Ricky Romain an Udit Pankhania in Concert - (moved to Theatre from Gallery).

Thursday 10. 7.30 – 9.30pm World Music Concert.

Friday 11. 8pm Jazz.

Saturday 12. 7.30pm Charlie Bicknell’s Snow Angel.

Tuesday 15. 7pm EOS Concerto: Beethoven’s 250th Anniversary (film).

Wednesday 16. 7.30pm Green & Matthews Midwinter Revels (music).

Friday 18. 7pm A Christmas Carol (2020) (film).

Saturday 19. 2pm and 7pm A Christmas Carol (2020) (film).

OOOOHHH! and they also have Father Christmas in the Theatre. Sunday 13 December 10am – 2pm as part of Bridport Town Council’s ‘Bridport Christmas Cheer Up’.

Pre-booked slots only, through Bridport Tourist Information Centre www.bridportandwestbay.co.uk.

For more about Bridport Arts Centre visit www.bridport-arts.com.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 49

Yukiko (Yuki) from Japan and Devon

By Louisa Adjoa Parker YUKI was born in Tokyo, Japan. Her father is from Fukushima, Japan and her mother is from Kyoto, Japan.

Although she is Japanese, Yuki feels as though she is half Japanese and half British, as she has lived half of her life in each country. She has lived in Devon for 25 years, previously Torquay and now Exeter where she’s lived since 2006.

‘I came to the UK in 1993 to marry and live with a British man. The first few years were tough, stressful and I felt lonely as there were no other Japanese people (or even Asian people) in my community. I couldn’t get Japanese food locally so needed to go to London once a year to shop, or I’d ask my family to send goods from Japan. There was no internet back then so there was no way of checking on Japanese news, or keeping in touch with my family and friends easily.’

People she met kept asking ‘Why do you live here?’ and ‘Why you don’t want to live back in Japan?’ Sometimes Yuki felt rejected, as though she had made the wrong choice to live in rural Devon, and it would have been better to live in a bigger city where there are more ethnicities. ‘People on the street kept asking me which Chinese takeaway I was working at, and I’ve been asked “How much?” on the street in the middle of the day! But this happened long time ago when not many Asians were living in the area.’

Examples of more subtle discrimination include people assuming she was an au pair when with her child. ‘I was pushing a pushchair with my baby in it, and people were asking me “Are you working as a babysitter/au pair?” I think it’s because my children are mixed (British and Japanese) and they are paler than me. I didn’t know what to think about this.’ People have also stared at her, in a way that Yuki felt was questioning what a non-white person was doing here. As well as this, people have assumed she doesn’t understand or speak English well and is just visiting Devon.

At first when Yuki lived in Devon she felt isolated and outcasted. ‘I thought I shouldn’t be here, I doubted myself— maybe there was something I had done to offend them? I tried to involve myself in the local community (going to coffee mornings, attending courses and toddler groups) where I was mostly welcomed. But when I’m on the street I sometimes get anxious feelings from these previous bad experiences.’

In contrast to urban areas, Yuki says that rural areas tend to have mainly one ethnicity (white) and are more conservative— they often have a more narrow-minded attitude which isn’t very inviting for ‘outsiders’.

Nowadays, she says, things are much better since she has been living in Exeter. It is easy to get food or other Asian goods and because of the internet, it is easy to keep in touch with world. Also there are more internationals living in Exeter than the rest of Devon, which gives Yuki the opportunity to learn about other cultures. ‘I feel more accepted now and I can enjoy living here without worrying about being a minority.’

‘I have lived in Devon for over 25 years. I see it has been improving when it comes to accepting minorities but still there is a big gap in local people’s knowledge of ethnic minority cultures and heritage. Maybe the best way to change this is to make sure children also adults are getting good international culture not just religious culture, world history and geography education about the countries in the world where us minorities come from as well as actual interaction between locals and minorities and learn how the local minorities live.

Lee Ann’s story is one of the many stories that Louisa has been gathering for The Inclusion Agency (TIA).

To read more visit www.whereareyoureallyfrom.co.uk.

Ninebarrow ‘Live’ in your Living Room

F

olk duo, Ninebarrow, have risen to the challenge of bringing music to their fans during lockdown by launching a highly innovative online concert to be streamed at 7pm on Saturday 12 December.

Having played to a packed Corn Exchange on many occasions, the duo were due to return earlier this year, only this time joined by cellist and long-term collaborator, Lee MacKenzie, as well as the extraordinary talent of John Parker on double bass and Evan Carson on percussion. The pandemic sadly meant the cancellation of the entire tour.

Now, they’ve decided to bring audiences the ‘band show’ that never was with this highly innovative online concert.

Filmed live at the Lighthouse in Poole, with full theatrical lighting, there will be brand new songs from their upcoming album and stunningly realised arrangements of some old favourites.

Complete with a live introduction broadcast from their HQ 50 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

in Dorset and a live Q&A from Jon and Jay after the show, this promises to be a night to remember.

The BBC Folk Award nominated duo released their latest album, The Waters and the Wild in April 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. It was awarded 5-stars in both The Morning Star and the English Folk Dance & Song Society’s EDS Magazine, and has received airplay on BBC Radios 2, 3, 6 Music, Wales and Scotland.

Ninebarrow will be kindly donating 25% of any tickets sales made using this link directly to Dorchester Arts. An e-Ticket will allow you and anyone in your household to watch the concert live on their phone, tablet, laptop or compatible Smart TV, or to catch-up at any point seven days after the original broadcast so that if you’re not able to join Ninebarrow on the night or heaven forbid, your internet goes down, you’ll still be able to enjoy the full show. To purchase an e-ticket for this show, visit https://www.ninebarrow.co.uk/dorchesterarts.

The Lit Fix

Marshwood Vale based author, Sophy Roberts, gives us her slim pickings for December prophetic cave paintings and desert jinn, Gold Dust is filled with allusion and parable.

A

s a writer who travels, I usually spend a good part of every year abroad. Africa has always been one of my favourite places to work, with my last assignment before lockdown taking me into the desert landscapes of Chad.

As the weather gets colder and we creep towards the end of a year grounded in West Dorset’s valleys, I’m dreaming of those Saharan skies again, of warmth and a golden landscape.

This month’s slim pickings are all evocative depictions of the desert, bringing with them the dry, scorched aroma of a place elsewhere.

A Friend of the Desert by the contemporary Spanish author, Pablo d’Ors—translated by the American poet, David Shook— follows one man’s repeated trips into the Sahara. As the narrator, Pavel, explores the windswept sands, he drifts ever further into an existential infinity of unknowns and a silent world. This captivating tale draws you into the freedom of the desert, a place where you can ‘walk for days, weeks and even months without seeing anything but sand’. Pavel considers what the desert teaches: the monotony of following the same pattern day after day, until the moment comes when you realise ‘not only do you love the oasis but the walk itself.’ If ever there was a book for curing Covid-fatigue, this is it.

Gold Dust by Ibrahim al-Koni (translated by Elliott Colla) follows the story of Ukhayyad, as he flees across the Libyan Sahara with his thoroughbred camel. The fable-like tale recounts the struggle to survive in a world of limitless wasteland, the companionship between man and camel, and the ultimate tragedy of human nature. The scenes are both cruel and elegant, from the harrowing depiction of a female camel being forced to succumb to the thoroughbred’s desires, to another where Ukhayyad’s prize is struck down by illness, ‘chasing angels whose flight shimmered in the mirages on the horizon’. Haunted by

The Immeasurable World by William Atkins is rather longer than my usual slim pickings. Travelling to five continents over three years, Atkins weaves travel writing with cultural history, writing about the human appeal of desert landscapes, from Australia’s Great Victoria Desert to Kazakhstan’s Aralkum, and of course the Sahara, with a sojourn in Egypt’s Eastern Desert.

Atkins masterfully depicts the ‘complex of arenas’ that make up a desert, with ravishing descriptions of valleys ‘ablaze with shifting, rocking yellow light’. While you can choose to simply read the Sahara section, Atkin’s other chapters can be read episodically too, for a full dose of desert dreams (and tough realities) strung in evocative, intelligent prose.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Wind, Sand and Stars is—I think—the masterpiece of desert literature. A French aviator who flew mail routes across the Sahara between the wars, SaintExupéry writes compellingly about the ‘vast sandy void’ and the late sun casting a ‘veneer of gold’. He also captures an inspiring sense of optimism. In a plane crash over the desert, his fellow survivor discovers a single orange in the wreckage: ‘I lie on my back and suck the fruit, counting the shooting stars,’ says SaintExupéry; ‘For a moment, my happiness is infinite.’ It’s hard not to fall for Saint-Exupéry’s heroic prose; after all, in his own words—‘Suppose I feel like plunging into a mirage? Suppose I want to feel hope?’

It’s a sign of how much I admire Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that he appears twice in this month’s slim pickings. The Little Prince is unlike any other book I know. A pilot, fixing his broken plane in the desert, strikes up conversation with a little boy who has left his planet to explore the universe. The original French is said to have been translated into over 300 languages and dialects, making it one of the most widely distributed books of all time.

A children’s novella with scope for adult interpretation, it is full of gentle philosophical musing—‘what makes the desert beautiful… is that somewhere it hides a well’—as well as charming illustrations. This is the perfect Christmas present to set a-light curiosity in a young child.

Buy any of the books above at Archway Bookshop in Axminster in December and receive a 10% discount when you mention Marshwood Vale Magazine. archwaybookshop.co.uk.

Sophy Roberts is a freelance journalist who writes about travel and culture. She writes regularly for FT Weekend, among others. Her first book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia—one of The Sunday Times top five non-fiction books for summer 2020—was published in February by Doubleday.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 51

DECEMBER YOUNG LIT FIX PICTURE BOOK REVIEW Where Snow Angel’s Go

by Maggie O’Farrell, Illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini Walker Books, RRP £14.99 Ages 5+ Reviewed by Antonia Squire “Have you ever woken suddenly, in the middle of the night, without knowing why?

Once, and not too long ago, this happened to a girl.”

Sylvie awakens in the middle of the night to see a strange, icy but beautiful figure in her room muttering to himself.

He’s as surprised as she is by this turn of events, she’s not supposed to be able to see him, he’s supposed to be invisible.

He is her Snow Angel, there to protect her from harm, only present when he is truly needed. Sylvie is quite unwell for quite some time, and she certainly isn’t supposed to remember his visit, but she doesn’t forget. When she recovers, she tries everything she can to get him to return.

A gloriously illustrated, magical tale of love and kindness perfect for Christmas and other winter festivals. A perfect addition to any family library, and a new holiday tradition.

MIDDLE GRADE REVIEW A Girl Called Owl

by Amy Wilson Pan Macmillan, RRP £6.99 Ages 9+ Reviewed by Nicky Mathewson Being given the name Owl can be problematic for a child who wishes to blend in, but her mother saw magic in her and knew she was unique. Soon Owl would discover that she could never fit in, not completely. How could she, when she was the daughter of Jack Frost.

Desperate to know who her father is, Owl pesters her mother until she finally admits the truth. But how can such a thing be true? The stories her mother told her as a small child were fantasy, bedtime stories: Fairies, The Green Man, Mother Earth, Jack Frost, they’re not real...are they?

52 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

As Autumn is coming to an end, Owl starts to change, frost starts to creep over her skin. She needs to understand what is happening to her, and soon, before others notice and it gets out of control. She needs to find her father, and really know who she is, but Jack Frost is an element of nature that cannot be tamed. He is dangerous, powerful and cruel.

This is the most magical winter’s tale of self-discovery, friendship, family bonds and a fight for power. I adored Amy Wilson’s world building which shifts between the human world and the land of The Fay. Owl, who is a wonderful strong female lead, comes to depend on her friends in matters of life and death and admit that she needs help.

This gorgeous middle grade book is full of danger, with twists and turns aplenty. Taking us with an icy grip through a wintery landscape, whilst warming our hearts completely.

I loved it.

TEEN REVIEW One of Us is Lying

by Karen M. McManus Penguin Books, RRP £7.99 Ages 14+ Reviewed by Antonia Squire When I was a teenager (and I’m showing my age here) The Breakfast Club was one of my favourite films, so when this book landed on my desk, saying “Five Students walk into detention. Only four leave.” I was all – Dude, it’s The Breakfast Club with Murder!

One of Us is Lying is an awesome murder mystery set around the brutal gossip culture of an American high school.

Replete with anonymous social media postings, suspicion, intense local television coverage and a police force convinced that one of the four remaining kids is guilty and will stop at nothing to prove it. Four very different students, from four very different groups find themselves in a very grown up situation and only together can they figure out what actually happened. Because it becomes very clear that if they don’t, no one else will.

A taut, smart, compelling thriller where nothing is clear, no one is telling the truth, and secrets abound. It’s fantastic!

10% off RRP exclusively for Marshwood Vale Magazine Readers at The Bookshop, Bridport

Screen Time with Nic Jeune

Special agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks

This month I have decided to journey back in time to some of the golden oldies of UK and US television

entertaining melodramatic French farce set in Paris.

Emily in Paris This is Paris through the eyes of a young Amazon Prime American on her first ever visit. The series creator Twin Peaks is Darren Star who created Sex and The City.

During Lockdown 1 we decided, as a Emily’s main adversary Sylvie Grateau is played by family, to watch all 48 episodes of David Sophia Loren and Ibrahima Gueye in The Life Phillipine Leroy-Beaulieu who is also a key player Ahead (La vita davanti a sé) in Call My Agent. However opinions are divided on Lynch’s classic. It was a revelation not only for how entertaining it was, but I realised, I this series: had forgotten so much of the plot and the strange obsessions “None of the same praise can be levelled toward Star’s newest of the director and his co-writer Mark Frost. F.B.I. Special effort, “Emily in Paris.” All of the criticisms that have previously Agent Dale Cooper is one of the most enjoyable and inspiring been levelled at Star are actually valid when it comes to the characters in television history. His simple passions and quirky Netflix series, which is so devoid of narrative tension that it behaviour was a welcomed sight in our living rooms every week barely qualifies as entertainment.” Roxana Hadadi Roger Ebert. during the shows very short run in the late 80’s and early 90’s. com “Twin Peaks” started out on fire, gaining exposure during the “Yes, Emily In Paris is unrealistic. But when it comes to escapist pilot’s multiple airings. The mystery of Laura Palmer’s murderer TV, reality is overrated” practically invented conversations at the water cooler.

Hadley Freeman. The Guardian.

Jewel in The Crown “There’s nothing we can do,” says one character at the end.

“After 300 years of India, we’ve made this whole damned, bloody, senseless mess.”

The actors are all excellent, but Tim Piggott Smith as Ronald Merrick is quite extraordinary, a character who is both disturbing and strangely pitiable.

“Saturated in gin fizz and repressed emotion, The Jewel in the Crown sits alongside Brideshead Revisited as the high-water mark of 1980s British TV. Understated and hugely poignant, its 14 episodes trace the decline of the British Raj” Alexandra Coghlan, The Guardian .

All 4 The West Wing If like me, you were glued to the US election there are 155 episodes about the presidency of Josiah “Jed” Bartlett, a Democrat. Created by Aaron Sorkin one of the great storytellers of US television, The West Wing won 26 Emmy’s including Outstanding Drama Series which it won four consecutive times from 2000-2003. “at heart The West Wing was a civic romance in love with democracy, and it didn’t care who knew it.” Time Magazine rated it one of the best series of all time.

Netflix The Thick of It 24 episodes worth of satire on the lack of competence of British politicians! Peter Capaldi’s character Malcolm Tucker has all the best lines peppered with many expletives.

And Finally.

Netflix premieres a film starring Sophia Loren. One of the great stars of Cinema. Winner of an Oscar in 1962 (“La ciociara”), nominated for another Oscar in 1965 (“Matrimonio all’italiana”) and now 56 years later is tipped to be nominated for The Life Ahead (La vita davanti a sé)

More recent series that have caught my eye on Netflix Call My Agent A French series where in every episode a famous French star plays themselves as a client of the agency. Endlessly

“Sophia Loren, 86, returns to the screen after a decade to play a Holocaust survivor who raises the children of prostitutes.

There is not a single false note in Loren’s magnificent performance. Just sit back and behold.” Peter Travers ABC. Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 53

LIFTING SPIRITS With the potential for a less sociable Christmas than last year, East Devon author Bruce Harris has a few suggestions to lift your mood.

M

any people are likely to be finding this Christmas quieter than most, with less hospitality both offered and taken.

One of the few upsides will be an increase in ‘me time’; and those who dedicate some of their me time to reading will perhaps be unusually well off during this festive season.

Some people, of course, tend to read within the same genre, venturing only rarely out of their comfort zone. Fortunately, this country produces vast quantities of books in all genres to cater for those staying where they’re happy as well as anyone daring enough to take a Yuletide walk on the wild side.

None of the books mentioned is new; it usually takes a book at least weeks, and sometimes years, to make an impact. But they are all books I have read and enjoyed recently and they are all widely available, so any of them could conceivably unlock treasure troves of new reading to open-minded readers.

THE FUNNY ONE The Road to Little Dribbling

by Bill Bryson Published Transworld Publishers 2016 Paperback RRP £9.99 TWENTY years after Bill Bryson’s resounding success with Notes from a Small Island, he has British as well as American citizenship and a British wife and family. Curious to know ‘what’s the furthest you can travel in a straight line without crossing salt water’, his ruler indicates a line from Bognor Regis in the south to a Scottish promontory called Cape Wrath.

His journey along this line forms the structure for this book, but of course, the real subject of the book, like most other Brysons, is Bryson himself. His reactions to the places he visits and the experiences he has are sometimes caustic

54 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

and incredulous, but more often than not, very funny.

Observations on the area where the reader lives are perhaps going to be most carefully read, and Bryson travels extensively in the West Country, through Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. He passes through Lyme Regis with a pleasant nod to the history of Mary Anning and her dedication to fossils: ‘the house where she lived is now the site of the local museum, and it is, let me say at once, a perfect little institution’.

A word of warning, however, in case you’re thinking of presenting a copy to your favourite aunt. Bryson’s humour and language can be muscular. Any strong language is entirely in context and contributes to the humour, but there are quite frequent instances of it.

However, readers who can live with the muscular and are interested in a subjective, honest and sometimes very funny comparison between Britain in the nineteen-nineties and Britain in the twenty-teens will get an absorbing festive read from this book.

THE TRUE ONE The Spy and the Traitor

by Ben Macintyre Published Viking 2018 Paperback RRP £8.99 BEN Macintyre, who is extremely good at books like this, has chartered in detail the extraordinary achievement of MI6 in getting their top agent at the time, Colonel Oleg Gordievsky, away from KGB interrogation and out of Russia altogether in 1985. With his typically meticulous research, Macintyre tracks the process by which Gordievsky, a remarkably intelligent and cultured man, becomes a double agent. Colonel Gordievsky has managed to place himself in charge of Russian secret service activities in Britain. When the Kremlin finally smells a rat and summons him back for lengthy interrogation intended to wear him down, an MI6 team gets him out of Russia and into Finland in a car boot, and thereafter, more comfortably, back to Britain.

Gordievsky’s immense contribution, which is in some ways directly responsible for the détente between Reagan and Gorbachev, is also made clear, as is the price he paid for it in his matrimonial and family life. It is the kind of book which, once picked up, is very difficult to put down.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ONE Unreliable Memoirs

by Clive James First Published Picador 1981 Re-published as Picador Classic 2015 RRP Paperback £9.99 CLIVE James, who died almost exactly a year ago, became something of a national institution via his writing and broadcasting and wrote several autobiographical books along the way. The difference with this one is that it deals with his Australian years, from his date of birth to his early twenties, when he emigrated to the U.K. As one might expect, it is often screamingly funny, but also predictably, analytic both of himself and the world around him. The childhood and youth stages of autobiographies are sometimes people’s least favourite bits of them and sometimes rather skirted over, but James,

unlike some, is not out to acquit himself or talk up the genius he became. He is self-effacing, but hilariously so, and so eloquently descriptive of Australia in the 1920s and 1930s as to make this very foreign environment come alive in his readers’ minds. At 184 pages, it is not a forbidding tome and it handsomely rewards those who take the trouble to read it.

THE INTELLECTUAL ONE Machines Like Me

by Ian McEwan Published Vintage 2019 Paperback RRP £8.99 IAN McEwan is one of the leading novelists of his time, and many of his books have been turned into films or TV series, including First Love, Last Rites, The Cement Garden, The Innocent, Enduring Love, Atonement, On Chesil Beach, Solar and The Children Act. Machines Like Me might well follow them. Set in an alternative nineteen-eighties, Mrs. Thatcher loses the Falklands War and the subsequent election sweeps Tony Benn to power in a landslide. Sir Alan Turing of Bletchley Park fame lives with a long term gay partner and has made been the major instigator in the development of a first batch of synthetic humans, all the males called Adams and all the females called Eves.

Charlie, a drifter and amateur stock market trader, blows a substantial inheritance on buying one of the Adams, the females being out of his price range.

For a lesser writer, this could have turned into ‘McEwan does Frankenstein’ or ‘Labour Party Historical Wishlist’.

But, of course, McEwan does much better than that; he makes this bizarre world credible, even commonplace, and the relationship between Charlie and Adam as they eat into each other’s lives and those of others around them brings up questions and comparisons concerning the human condition which cannot fail to provoke thought in the reader, while carefully not providing easy answers or conclusions.

It is absorbing, and at times funny—McEwan is never humourless—and rather than go in for any sci-fi stock in trade ‘parallel universes’, it creates an entirely believable, if challenging and problematic, world to inhabit and ask questions about.

Happy reading and happy Christmas!

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 55

Health&Beauty

‘Unmasked’ goes online at Dorset County Hospital

A

new exhibition has just gone heroic roles played by ordinary people on display at Dorset County in extraordinary times.

Hospital.

Unfortunately members of the ‘Unmasked’ is a project by photographer public are not available to visit the Andy Scaysbrook and journalist Emma hospital to view the exhibition due to Pittard, to reveal and celebrate the faces of coronavirus restrictions. However the health workers fighting the battle against work will be available online and via COVID-19 in Dorset. the hospitals Arts in Hospital Twitter The project was inspired by the fact that account. A book containing more to fight this invisible enemy, our healthcare photographs and the full stories of heroes have made themselves invisible, all the participants is in production too, in a way. We clapped for them every which will raise funds for Dorset NHS Anna Morris, a Consultant Haematologist at Dorset County Thursday but we didn’t see their faces. In Charities and serve as a permanent Hospital standing next to her photo in the Unmasked Exhibition (her hospital, their identities have been hidden photo is on the left). record of these times. behind masks, gowns and gloves.

Suzy Rushbrook, Arts in Hospital Through a series of portraits photographed by Andy and Advisor at Dorset County Hospital said: ‘Arts in Hospital is supported by Emma and graphic designer John Nesbitt, proud to have worked with Andy, Emma and John on this the project shines a light on the ‘humans’ behind the masks, project and we were delighted when they contacted us in the capturing them in their lives both inside and outside the middle of lockdown. hospital.

Art has an enormous impact on health and wellbeing and Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was keen this is something people are becoming increasingly aware of to support this artistic project that will serve as a historical making collaborative projects like this invaluable. document of the pandemic in Dorset.

‘The hope is that this project will serve as an exercise in The exhibition is a sample of the work the team achieved wellbeing and a morale booster for staff working all over the during the first national lockdown, abiding to social distancing Dorset health sector; to show that their stories are being told and government guidelines. From simply talking to friends and that people are listening, that they are truly appreciated who are key workers, to being featured in The Times and The and that this extraordinary time is being recorded.’

Sunday Times, this project keeps on gaining!

Visit www.Facebook.com/unmasked-104460184760269/ to As well as raising funds for local NHS charities, the project find out more about the project and where it is heading next. will hopefully serve as an exercise in wellbeing and a morale Follow @ArtsinHospital to view the exhibition. booster for all healthcare staff, a first-hand record of the

Age UK sets up online chats to keep people connected WITH winter on the way and a second national lockdown in effect, loneliness is a growing problem for older people. So to keep local older people connected, Age UK North, South & West Dorset (NSWD) has launched a new online ‘café’.

The new virtual café will be held via Zoom twice a week, every Wednesday and Friday at 11am, and will last approximately one hour.

Age UK NSWD is currently working to ensure that the coffee mornings are always lively, with varied activities and topics of conversation. The events will be hosted by a member of the local Age UK team.

It’s free to join the virtual café, and participants can also make a voluntary donation via PayPal, Just Giving or by cheque. This will help the organisation to continue their vital work in the local community during COVID lockdown tiers.

Shockingly, over 1 million older people in the UK are chronically lonely. National research shows that loneliness is particularly acute in areas of West Dorset, and very high in areas of North Dorset and Purbeck.

56 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Operations Manager, Sarah Frigot said: ‘We are determined to tackle the scourge of loneliness during lockdown. There are isolated older people everywhere, who, perhaps because of bereavement or family living far away, are utterly alone.

Sarah says that the online café is a chance for older residents to brighten their day with a natter and a cuppa.

‘Think about who you have spoken to today’ she says ‘Maybe you had a chat with your partner over breakfast, or said hello to a neighbour. Perhaps you phoned a friend. Think of all the people you have spoken to today, even during lockdown, or over the past week or the past month. Then think about how silent life would be if you removed all of those conversations.

That’s what life is like for more than a million older people who are chronically lonely and who don’t have someone to share daily life with.’

To join the coffee morning please call 01305 269444 or email wellbeingservice@ageuknswd.org.uk—they will then provide log on details. Help can also be available to assist with getting online and accessing Zoom.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 57

Services&Classified FOR SALE Birdwatching Magazines complete set from first edition 1986 to date and complete set of RSPB ‘Birds’ Magazines. Open to offers. Tel: 01297 34958.

1960`s Arabia Finland RUSKA Stoneware Coffee Set designed by Ulla Procope. 6 Cups (7cms diameter) and Saucers with matching Coffee Pot and Lid. In excellent condition.

Photograph available on request. £40 01297 551105 Godin 5th Avenue Reinhardt style Jazz Guitar cello built, made in Canada.

Excellent condition complete with lined hard case.£550. Photos available on request. Tel: 07961 960483 Yamaha FX310 Electro Acoustic Guitar. Excellent condition, complete with lined hard case. £200 Photos available on request. Tel: 07961 960483 A collection of books on Railways, 95 in total, both hardback and paperback. £70 ono 01460 61475 Television Panasonic colour 66cm. Good condition. Ilminster area.

01460 52415 £30 Robert Welch Dryad design Wrought iron items. 12 bottle wine rack £80, 6 bottle £55, Double Candleabra Pair £70 or £40 each. Lovely designer pieces. See the Robert Welch website for details. Would make fabulous Christmas presents Photos 01460 55105 A very large industrial storage bin, very well made and strong with wooden top

rails and riveted corners.

Many uses as clean inside and has grab handles for easy moving. A piece of industrial chic. 20” wide 41 long and 34 high. Does not come with a lid. Enquire about local delivery Photo available £48 0146055105 Telescope for sale With winter evenings now here, and with Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus bright in the night sky this Visionary 1400/150 Mira Ceti 6inch reflecting telescope is just the thing for whiling away the lockdown nights. Battery powered equatorial mount which follows the object you’re observing. Heavy duty tripod; finderscope; two eyepieces 10mm and 20mm.

Excellent condition, hardly used, full instructions. Eye condition forces sale. Cost £300 new - sale price £150.

01308423109 Dottery.

Antique armchair: Medium oak, carved back, open arms, Arts & Crafts style armchair.

Very comfortable (and very heavy) upholstery and structure sound, but needs re-covering. Can email photos. £45 01308 423109 Ideal Standard stylish contemporary pedestal basin, monobloc tap with pop up waste, bottle trap and ss flexible tap connectors. New condition.

Can email photo. £20. Tel: 01935 872217.

Sunroom Leanto wooden Perspex windows 8ft x 5ft new 2019. 75% enclosed £50. Electric cooker ceramic hob £50. VGC. 07940 279684.

58 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

IKEA Z bed 2 ft 6 ins wide with removable washable mattress cover. Excellent condition hardly used. £12.

Tel: 01935 872217.

Brand new in box Daewoo single electric blanket. 3 heat settings. Detachable controller. Washable. Cost £19.99 Bargain £10. Tel: 01935872217.

Guardsman dog guard for back of Landrover Freelander 2 v.g. condition.

New £112 will accept £50 ono 01297 489532 The Field magazines. 10 copies for sale in excellent condition. June-December 2019 and January - March 2020. £12 Good winter reading 01460 5510 Brass and Iron Single Headboard, hand made, from the Original Bedstead Company, Par, Cornwall.

This is unused. Cream and Brass reason for sale..room now office. Offers around £75 01395 516211 East Devon Nixplay Seed Wave WiFi Cloud Frame 13inch screen.

Model W13B. This is approx 12months old but only used once to test after given as a present. £75.00. 01297 551105 Laura Ashley blazer, size 14, rust / pink , excellent condition £10. Portable pop-up Kennel /wood store. £5. 01308 898611.

Blonde Oak veneered chest of drawers (3) 33”h x 29”w x 20”d. £25. M&S men’s XL shirts tagged £19.50 in package, brand new, only £10. 01297 443930.

Hostess Trolley, excellent condition, hardly used,

FOR RENT two shelves and hot plate. £15. Many other bargains due to house clearance.

01297 489133. Email; ZEDDLEST42@gmail. com.

Ekco ‘Royal’ heated hostess trolley with 4 Pyrex lidded containers, instruction booklet dated 1978, hardly used, full working order. £50. 01297 443930.

Sarah Kay Holly Hobby ragdoll pattern girl’s bedlinen, 2 duvet covers, 4 pillow cases, matching curtains 66” w x 54” d, 1 cushion cover. Only £30.

01297 443930.

Kettler (German) table tennis table. £50. 01395 233098.

Yamaha FG75 vintage 1960s Acoustic guitar, Nippon Gakki Red Label, with hard case. £130.

Dorchester. 07719 535094.

Panasonic Bread maker SD-206 complete with instruction and recipe books. Good condition, £15. 01308 424668.

Drawing Board A1 size 94 x 65cms with parallel motion bar on adjustable stand. Photo available. £20.

01308 424668.

Chain saw, McCulloch petrol 15” £80. Cordless grass trimmer plus charger £15. Hedge trimmer, Echo 2 stroke £20. 01460 30371.

Osborne Upholstery tool, good condition, bronze magnetic tack hammer, webbing stretcher, tack claw tool, staple lifter, 2 needles. £58. 01460 220266.

Multi fuel stove, small, £75. Metal gate 6ft £10.

Plastic bamboo screening,

Lodgings with garden, shared house. Axminster £450 pm. Helen 07531 306528.

LOGS Logs split seasoned hardwood £115 truckload 07465 423133 Dec 20

CURTAINS Little Curtains.

Handmade Curtains, Blinds and Cushions.

Contact 07443 516141 or 01308 485325

Apr 21

FOR SALE grey £5 roll. Wooden planks £10. 07940 279684.

Metal fence panels. 3 8ftx4ft. £20. Water butts large £10. Small £5. Freezer cabinet £25. Fridge med pale blue £35. 07940 279684.

Modern Pine table with detachable legs, 65cm x 142cm. Seats 6, good condition, hardly used £55.

Antique darkwood desk with 2 draws and glass display/ bookcase above. 3ft x 6ft 8”. £45. 07943 217640.

Large beautiful Brass Lampshade, throws lovely lights on to ceiling and walls.

Asking price £225, bargain as it is brass. Buyer collects.

077383 94565.

Ikea Duvet single 10 tog, £6. Single cotton duvet cover, pillowcase grey stripes £4. All cleaned. 01308 422994.

ELECTRICAL

WANTED

CHIMNEY SWEEP

Vintage & antique textiles, linens, costume buttons etc. always sought by Caroline Bushell. Tel. 01404 45901.

Apr 21

Postage stamps. Private collector requires 19th and early 20th century British. Payment to you or donation to your nominated charity. 01460 240630.

Secondhand tools wanted. All trades. Users & Antiques. G & E C Dawson. 01297 23826. www.secondhandtools. co.uk.

Oct 20

RESTORATION FURNITURE. Antique Restoration and Bespoke Furniture. Furniture large and small carefully restored and new commissions undertaken.

City and Guilds qualified.

Experienced local family firm. Phil Meadley 01297 560335

Sense of Place Competition CONGRATULATIONS to the ten winners of a copy of the catalogue for the Sense of Place exhibition, as featured in the November issue.

They are: Ian Simpson, Paul Brown, Mrs S Gower, Sue Wilkinson, Maggie Walsh, Phil Spong, Jen Dixon, Helen Toft, Eva FahleClouts and Helen Barrow. Merry Christmas to all.

FOR SALE

Pair Ikea folding breakfast bar chairs. Vgc. £30ono.

01308 425878.

Pair of single rattan headboards, painted cream, SURFACE PREPARATION vgc, £20. Modern Lindner upright piano free to collector, Beer Road, Seaton.

Alberny Restoration 07891 288581.

In-house blast cleaning Cane Ottoman h.40cm, for home and garden w.90cm, d.38cm, £12 cover furniture, doors and needs upholstering. Cane gates. Agricultural/ coffee table h .45 w.80 construction machinery d.49cms. £10. 01297 552683. and tooling. Vehicles, 10ft artificial Christmas parts and trailers etc.

Tree, complete with stand, 01460 73038, email allan@alberny.co.uk, FB £40. 01460 221837.

Dark Grey 4 seat stretch Alberny Sandblasting sofa cover. £40. Unused Scarifier/ raker, boxed. Boys bike 6/7yrs McAllister 1400W. Almost £12. Girls bike 7/8 years, 5 new + manual. £60. Leaf gears 16” wheel. £12. 01305 sweeper with large bag, 834554.

Almost new + manual.

Mexican Mariachi £15. 01297 560782.

Sombrero £45. Metal model Norwegian wooden Concudines coach kit £130. fireside bellows with Violin £60. Aluminium Rise carved troll decoration & Fall modern light fitting £20. 01308 897121.

1970s £40. 01305 834554.

Dec 20

Morrocan Wall hanging, black/gold £45. BT answer fax machine £20. Underawning groundsheet 2.7mx 2.5m. £25. Large model yacht 1950s Fibreglass £25. (needs TLC). 01305 834554.

Horby 2 rail loco’s £35 each 4F 44071 0.6.0, standard 2-6.2 tank LMS 0-6-0 tank SR E2 0-6.0 tank A3- 60085 Mana 4-6-2 04-2.8-0 Wills metal kit BR 63727. And lots more including Railway magazines. 01305 834554.

Large wooden cream distressed multi-aperture photo frame (25”x53”) accommodates 18 - 7”x5” photos. Would make a lovely wall feature. £25. Garden/ Conservatory patio set.

Granite top table 30”x30” 4 black metal pretty scroll design chairs (not fussy). £80 (See design on Images website Neptune Provence Granite table & chairs).

01460 76380

DISTRIBUTION

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 59

FREE ADS for items under £1,000 This FREE ADS FORM is for articles for sale, where the sale price is under £1000 (Private advertisers only — no trade, motor, animals, firearms etc). Just fill in the form and send it to the Marshwood Vale Magazine, Lower Atrim, Bridport, Dorset DT6 5PX or email the text to info@marshwoodvale.com.

Unfortunately due to space constraints there is no guarantee of insertion of free advertising. We reserve the right to withhold advertisements. For guaranteed classified advertising please use ‘Classified Ads’ form

Name ............................................................. Telephone number .................................

Address ................................................................................................................................

Town .......................................... County....................... Postcode ..................................

Monthly Quiz –

Win a book from Little Toller Books

Send in your answer on a postcard, along with your name and address to: Hargreaves Quiz, Marshwood Vale Magazine, Lower Atrim, Bridport, Dorset DT6 5PX. Study the clues contained in the rhyme and look carefully at the signposts to work out which town or village in South Somerset, West Dorset or East Devon is indicated. The first correct answer drawn out of a hat will win a book from local publisher Little Toller Books.

There is no cash equivalent and no correspondence will be entered into.

Last month’s answer was Duntish. The winner was Sarah Benham from Uploders.

60 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

BUSINESS NEWS

Local food online initiative EVER since the start of the first lockdown there has been a shift of consumers looking to source their foods from new outlets. Supermarkets were overwhelmed with requests for home delivery and some businesses, normally only selling to commercial clients, changed their offer to supply to households. Click and collect has become part of life for many people.

Even local restaurants came up with new ways to supply their meals to local people. The pandemic has been a catalyst for some fascinating new entrepreneurial ideas from individuals and businesses.

One such initiative, Harvest Bundle, an online service offering a digital farmers market, is responding to changes in the food industry.

Ben White-Hamilton is the founder of Harvest Bundle and is fanatical about supporting British farmers and gaining them access to consumers.

With more people living in cities there are fewer opportunities for them to connect with farmers and producers. Harvest Bundle is re-establishing that link, something that existed for hundreds of years but which has been lost in the last fifty. They promote Britain’s unsung farmers, their stories, their passion and produce whilst providing them with the platform to sell direct.

Ben genuinely believes this is his calling—to reconnect the farmer with the consumer. Born on a farm in West Dorset and raised on fresh produce it’s not hard to see why he does what he does.

Harvest Bundle wants to be seen as different: focused on produce, quality, taste, sustainability and provenance. Fortunately, there has been a generational move towards eating better quality, more sustainable and more ethical produce, and a willingness to pay the right price for it. Harvest Bundle hopes to fill the gap by providing a convenient, reliable, professional marketplace for both the farmer and the customer.

For more information and to order fresh produce direct from the farmers to your door visit www.harvestbundle.co.uk.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2020 61