Marshwood+ January 2020

The Little Prince in the village of the Giant Page 58

Who loves the National Trust Page 51

Twilight People descend on Dorchester Page 58

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250

FREE COMMUNITY

Magazine

Marshwood + THE

Š Nicola Kathrens Photograph by Robin Mills

The best from West Dorset, South Somerset and East Devon No.

250 January 2020

COVER STORY

Robin Mills met Nicola Kathrens in Lyme Regis

Nicola Kathrens Photograph by Robin Mills

’O

nce upon a time I moved from Bolton in Manchester, with Mum and Dad and my two sisters Mand and Joo Joo, to Weymouth, when I was six. Dad had got a job as a customs officer at the then working ports of Portland and Weymouth. My first memory of that move was waiting on the beach while Dad went to get the keys of our new home on Roman Road, with its green gloss-painted bathroom.

I was sent to St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School along with my two sisters, and it’s fair to say that from the moment I stepped over the threshold of the school the nuns made it their mission to humiliate and intimidate me. Thankfully life at home in so many ways was an idyllic one.

Under the care-free spirited eye of Mum we were allowed to spread our wings and find our own adventures. But there was always a fear lurking in the background for me in those early school days—monster nuns waiting to bite me. Mother finally recognised that something was terribly wrong, and being my champion, walked into the school one day, fought the beasts and slayed them dead (metaphorically speaking). A couple of years later I managed to pass my eleven plus and got a place at the Dorchester Grammar School for Girls. I never really enjoyed it but at least there weren’t any scary nuns hanging around in the corridors. I made loads of friends, was class clown, “ink monitor”, and form captain. Most of our free time

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 3

was spent mucking about on the beach, playing in the park, riding bikes, sitting on walls chatting up the boys and caring about nothing in particular. An idyllic dream.

Around the third year of grammar school a careers officer came to tell us all what career they had in mind for us, given our subject choices and results. In my private delusional reality I had myself down to be a journalist, but I was advised that the only expectation they had of me was a dental nurse or a Wren. I can only liken this news as to being sharply and unexpectedly slapped across the face. Luckily for me however a peripatetic English teacher called Miss Hawkins came to my rescue. She recognised that I had a skill for English but declared I showed no aptitude for discipline or concentration. However she promised me that if I agreed to act in a play things might turn out in my favour. The play was Toad of Toad Hall and she wanted me to play TOAD! Oh honestly! I managed two detentions before I finally cracked and agreed to do it.

I don’t really remember anything about the show as I was catatonic with fear, but at the end of the prize-giving ceremony that year the headmistress announced that there was to be a special one-time award for an outstanding achievement. She held up a little silver cup in front of four hundred girls and announced to the whole school that it was for me. The little cup had my name on it.

And the cheer was a loud one.

I left grammar school in the sixth form to do my A levels at the technical college. No school uniform and boys in the classes— brilliant fun. I studied for A levels in History, English and Sociology, as well as taking drama and public speaking exams. I also joined the merchant navy and got myself a job on the Sealink ferries sailing from Weymouth to the Channel Islands and Cherbourg. The hours were gruelling. 24 hours on board ship, 24 off, with little or no sleep.

But the pay was brilliant. I had never had so much money. I started out pouring teas in the cafe and worked my way up to deck stewardess—not as glamorous as it sounds as most of the time I was unplugging sinks full of sick with a wire coat hanger. From there I went on to be the officers’ stewardess and became very adept at silver service in gale force seas. I wanted to go on to work on the QE2, and very nearly did, but was dissuaded by Pancho, the purser, who

4 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Nicola Kathrens

thought I should to go to drama school to carry on with my education. He told me to go for an audition, and if it didn’t work out I could always go back to sea. I was successful, and studied for three years at the Horniman Theatre School in Manchester. I never went back to sea.

Immediately college was over I went to London where the streets I was told were paved with gold and opportunity. And for the next fifteen years I didn’t stop working as an actress. I performed with companies that took award-winning theatre onto stages, in parks, schools, community centres and theatres nationally and internationally. I didn’t sleep much through those years. I lived on adrenaline, alcohol, and applause.

There was so much to do. If I wasn’t performing, I was rehearsing a new play and learning the lines, or reading through a new script, or auditioning for a new role, or sometimes all of the above at the same time.

On one occasion I was given the lead part (having spent three weeks learning the lines for another role) 48 hours before the show went live. I was told by the director to go home, come back twenty four hours later, and be off the book. I managed to learn the lines, but had no idea which scene followed which. My father died at the beginning of rehearsals for one show, and after the first night curtain came down, I drove from London to Weymouth, stayed up all night with my brother, read at the funeral, then drove back to London and was on stage for 7.30pm the following day playing to a full house. The show must go on as they say.

After fifteen years I was knackered. I didn’t know who I was. I was just a mishmash of all the characters I had ever played on stage.

My sister in the meantime had had her daughter Taylor Rose and had moved from London to the seaside here in Lyme Regis.

She was pregnant with her second child Saul Augustin and that’s when I had my epiphany. I wanted to go and live by the sea too, and be a day to day Aunty. I wanted to be near the children, watch them grow up and be a part of their lives. So seemingly overnight I decided to leave the life I had created for myself. I detonated it under the cover of darkness, having packed everything I could possibly fit alongside my two cats in my Mini, and as I watched my old life burn in the rear view mirror I vowed to myself I would never work for anyone else ever again. It was time to write a new script, play a new role.

Arriving in Lyme Regis I worked part time in a wonderful shop called Lovegrove, which sold work made by local artists. Realistically I wasn’t making ends meet, so I decided to give an old idea a try, to make and then sell a collection of jackets and jumpers using recycled knitwear. Having never sewn or made anything before, the idea was a preposterous one, but it just seemed to make creative sense to me. So screwing up my courage I went to a jumble sale with £20 to spend, bought a few jumpers, cardigans, and sweatshirts, and put a collection together. I took them down to Hannah Lovegrove’s shop and asked her if she would sell them for me. Within a couple of weeks she had sold the whole lot and I had a hundred pounds in my back pocket. That was twenty years ago, and I am so proud to be an independent maker and I love what I do to earn myself a living. The business journey has been a little bumpy at times, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger as the old adage goes. Having nearly lost everything, I had to decide whether to give up or go back to my knitwear business, and I decided it would be churlish of me not to give the knitwear another try. Thanks to Hannah Lovegrove, for the last 9 years I have had a gorgeous studio shop in Mr Pattimores old butchers shop on Coombe Street. Thank you Hannah Lovegrove, you were twice my champion. And I am still making, still designing, and still selling. I even performed as Prospera in the Andrew Rattenbury written community production The Tempest of Lyme at the Marine Theatre in 2016. Based on Shakespeare’s Tempest it was a sell-out success and won a National outstanding achievement award—a little silver cup.

’

UP FRONT This is our 250th issue. Now, who saw that coming? I certainly didn’t—at least not nearly 20 years ago when my wife and I would lay out pages of this magazine on our living room floor, trying to decide what should go where. Recently, we have been producing a second version each month. It’s called Marshwood+ and is the online extended issue where we include items that we couldn’t fit into the print issue. Despite expanding the workload, it has been a fascinating experience and has allowed us to remember and reproduce articles from past issues. Last month we highlighted Chard resident Charlie Holbrow from our cover ten years ago.

Charlie started working as a farm labourer at 13 and followed that by working as a miner at 15—his story left us wondering how on earth he had survived such an extreme life. Less than a year after our feature, the Daily Mail ran a story about how Charlie had died after waiting five hours to be seen at a local hospital. In this month’s Marshwood+ we will take a look back at the cover features of Beresford Pealing and Nonie Dwyer.

We also look back on stories about the Dillington photographers inspired by the late Ron Frampton, and catch up on articles such as one from Persephone Arbour who talked about her enjoyment of humour.

‘Humour derives from the human condition’ she wrote. She pointed out that it is born from ‘our pomposity, our wiles, our unintentional stupidity’ and our behaviour. It was a good description and with continuing uncertainty in every corner of the world, we could do worse than to hold on to humour whenever we have the chance. Looking back on these past issues makes the change on this month’s front cover all the more interesting. We now bring our cover subjects to readers in both colour and black and white. It’s one of many changes over the years as we’ve grown.

But the one thing that hasn’t changed is the focus on being a resource for the wider local community.

We’ve expanded from our original 24 pages. Today in any given issue we help promote hundreds of local clubs, events, charities and businesses; not to mention the dozens of people whose stories have fascinated us and enhanced our understanding of this part of the world. Looking back each month hasn’t left us dwelling in the past, it has helped us to look forward with renewed enthusiasm for our community and celebrate the cohesion that we know can exist.

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

Editorial Director

This magazine is printed using wood from sustainable forestry

Advertising

Fergus Byrne

Deputy Editor Victoria Byrne

Design

Fergus Byrne

Sue Norris sue@marshwoodvale.com

THIS MONTH Visit www.marshwoodvale.com and click on Marshwood +

e ilabl Ava iew v o t st on 1 ry a Janu

Visit our website for more Marshwood

Marshwood + is a new page-turning extended version of the Marshwood Vale Magazine. More events, more news, more people and a lot more Marshwood.

Plus! Each month we also look back on some of the things you may have missed over the nearly 20 years of publishing your community magazine.

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12 16 30 32 34 36 37

Cover Story By Robin Mills Ding Dong Merrily on High By Christopher Roper I Found Ernest Hemingway sitting in my Family Tree

By Margery Hookings The Healing Power of Nature By Fergus Byrne Local Events Courses and Workshops Films Where the Dipping is Ripping By Cecil Amor News & Views Laterally Speaking by Humphrey Walwyn

56 58 60 64

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

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73 73 82 84

Food & Dining Saffron Mash with Garlic Scallops By Lesley Waters Kale Hearts with Ginger Dressing By Mark Hix Spring Pea, Mint and Feta Frittata by Heather Thomas People in Food By Catherine Taylor Succulina - the Psycho Crab Parasite By Nick Fisher

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Health & Beauty Services & Classified

Arts & Entertainment Preview Mapperton Moments By Fergus Byrne Galleries and Performance

‘Status quo. Latin for “the mess we’re in.”’

Like us on Facebook

Instagram marshwoodvalemagazine

Contributors Cecil Amor Helen Fisher Nick Fisher Richard Gahagan Margery Hookings Mark Hix Russell Jordan Robin Mills

Gay Pirrie-Weir Christopher Roper Catherine Taylor Heather Thomas Humphrey Walwyn Lesley Waters Ashley Wheeler

Twitter @marshwoodvale

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.

Ding

Merrily

English Church bells are unique. Bridport is the home of one of only three bell hanging companies in the UK and Christopher Roper has been to visit them.

N

o sound is more evocative of the English Countryside than the pealing of church bells on a Sunday Morning, and it is distinctively English, with some 6,000 rings of bells in English Parish churches, and fewer than a thousand more in the rest of the world, generally in places where English bell ringers have taken their art. Of course, bells can be heard in other countries, all over the world, but English bells are, uniquely, hung on wheels, with ropes that hang down into a chamber in the Church tower, where the band of ringers stand. When ready to ring, the bell is upside down, its mouth facing upwards, and unlike bells that simply swing from side to side, the bell ringer in England can control the speed of the bell’s movement through a full circle, ringing both on the upstroke and the down.

Why this style of bell ringing, with its combinatorial musicality, took root in England during the 150 years following dissolution of the Monasteries and the Reformation is a bit of a mystery, but we know that the art of change ringing began in Norwich at the church of St.Peter Mancroft, and quickly spread to London, and from there across England.

With the precipitous decline in church attendance, is it possible that the music of the bells is also threatened? Are young bell ringers learning the ancient skills? My neighbour, Mark Symonds, who is Tower Captain of Whitchurch Canonicorum, showed me the ringing sequences on his mobile phone, which suggested that it was accessible to the digital

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generation. He started ringing when he was about 14 and one of his uncles said, “You’re coming ringing tonight,” and that was it. Such recruitment methods might not work today, but bell ringing does still run in families.

In order to discover more, I visited Nicholson’s Engineering in Bridport, one of only three bell hanging companies in the U.K. Andrew Nicholson, the Company’s founder and Managing Director, learned his mechanical engineering skills as a school leaver in Bridport’s net and ropemaking industry, but he is also a classical musician, trained at the Royal College of Music, and played in different symphony orchestras as a trombonist, before leaving the full time music business and eventually turning full-time to bell hanging more than 30 years ago. How did that come about?

“By accident, really. I was a lapsed bell ringer and was in Bridport church when the clapper of the tenor bell broke.

I thought, ‘I could mend that’.” And that was the seed of Nicholson Engineering, which operates today from a building which used to house generators to supply Bridport with electricity until the National Grid’s soviet-style pylons marched across the Marshwood Vale in the middle of the last century.

It’s quite striking how Waterworks and Power Stations from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were built to look like pagan temples or cathedrals, so the repurposing of Bridport’s former power station as a multi-skilled servicing centre for church bells seems quite appropriate.

Multiple and vanishing skills are required. A joiner pains-

Dong

on High

takingly builds the wheels that swing the bells from seasoned English oak and ash. Each bell is bolted to the wheel via a kind of metal yoke, called a headstock, which fits across the top of the bell. That requires a blacksmith and a forge, and sure enough Allan Brittan is working away over glowing coals.

Although Nicholson’s do not actually cast bells in Bridport, they do practically everything else, including designing and the tuning of the bells, which is determined by the thickness of the metal around the mouth and at the point the clapper strikes the bell. When the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (at 450 years, Britain’s oldest manufacturing company) tragically closed in 2017, its tuning machines were acquired by Nicholson’s. The tuning used to be calibrated manually, using a set of tuning forks, but is now measured electronically although the human ear is still the final arbiter.

The best material for bell clappers is wrought iron and this allowed Andrew to simply join the heated pieces of the broken clapper. However, no wrought iron has been produced in commercial quantities in this country since 1979, and when people talk about ‘new’ wrought iron gates, for example, they are generally made of mild steel. So, wherever possible, Nicholson’s save scrap wrought iron and recycle it. The virtue of wrought iron is that it is low in carbon and other impurities and therefore malleable. Returning to the question of the health of bell ringing today, I asked Andrew about both the art and the industry. He was quite optimistic on both counts.

Nicholson’s is growing and employs twelve people and

between 25% and 30% of their work is for export. On the day I interviewed him in August, he was getting ready to go to Samoa, where he was designing an installation of bells for a new Roman Catholic Church, not an English-style Ring of Bells, but using second-hand bells that Nicholson’s were shipping from England. Much of their work involves the refurbishment and reinstallation of rings of bells, and villages and towns still manage to raise the considerable sums required to strengthen frames, replace wheels, and rehang the bells, which can weigh several tons. Milestone dates like the Millennium or a Coronation can be relied upon to stimulate interest and bring in new business. The largest bell in England is the Olympic Bell, weighing 23 tons, which is the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world, and was cast for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. It was designed by Whitechapel, but cast in the Netherlands.

Andrew is a member of the Lyme Regis band of bell ringers, and says that they have as strong a band of ringers as they have had over the years he has been ringing, with the youngest still a teenager. “If you can drive a car, you can learn to ring,” he said, adding that it helped to have good concentration and a sense of rhythm. Not all ringers are members of the Church of England, though there is a necessary link to the calendar of church services, and a readiness to be available for weddings and other special occasions. For all our sakes, we must hope young ringers continue to be attracted to this ancient art.

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 9

I found Ernest Hemingway sitting in my family tree Delving into family history has proved a rich seam for Margery Hookings. Her DNA experience confirmed what she already thought, but it was a message out of the blue which proved the most exciting.

I

’ve been indulging myself while home alone by watching Ant and Dec’s DNA Journey on catch-up on ITV. Not very highbrow, I know, but nonetheless very interesting.

Like the BBC’s hugely successful Who Do You Think You Are, this two-part programme’s premise is the stories found by celebrities when delving into their family histories.

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are a broadcasting phenomenon, winning lots of awards and plaudits over the years.

They’ve come a long way since meeting as teenagers in Byker Grove, the children’s television series aired between 1989 and 2006. I rather like them.

Their DNA journey—and I haven’t watched the second episode yet but I have an inkling what might happen—takes them on a fascinating journey which includes Ireland. A notable scene had Ant visiting a pub where he met half a village of his previously unknown ‘cousins’ with whom he shares DNA. The bar bill cost more than 600 euros.

My own DNA research, which I wrote about in the Marshwood Vale Magazine last autumn, failed to yield any exotic blood—I was hoping the Grigg side might throw up some Romany ancestry. My DNA calculated that I’m 87 per cent British (and mostly Westcountry), seven per cent Irish and Scottish, five per cent Norwegian and one per cent Swedish.

What it has done is help flesh out the family tree on the Ancestry website, thanks to previously unknown relatives, who have also had their DNA tested, putting their trees online. Backed up by paperwork, I now know I am a south Somerset girl through and

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through, as far back as 1576 in South Petherton.

And I was thrilled to discover that on my mother’s side, my roots go back to the village where I’ve lived in Dorset for almost the last twenty years. It’s incredible to think my ninth great-grandfather was born here in about 1640 and is probably buried here too. If only I could find his grave.

Through the magic of the internet, I have also found I am linked to one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. The eureka moment came a little while ago by way of a Facebook message out of the blue from a chap in Canada.

We didn’t know each other but I’d written something on my blog about my paternal grandfather, William Percy Withers, a farmer and poet who was born in 1894 at Upper Milton Farm, near Wells. He took up a Somerset County Council farm tenancy in Donyatt, near Ilminster, after the First World War. A prolific poet, writing about his war experiences with the North Somerset Yeomanry, life on the farm and whimsical things that took his fancy, my grandfather died in 1970. I turned his memoirs into a book, Destination Unknown.

The blog post attracted the interest of a man from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who contacted me to find out if it was the same Percy in his own family tree.

He gave me some details and I was able to confirm that, yes, he and I were distant cousins. He responded immediately, giving me more information about the family. His connection to my grandfather was through Percy’s mother, Harriet Mabel Churchill Oxley.

‘Harriet was the daughter of Joseph Clarke Oxley and Harriet

Churchill,’ he told me. ‘Harriet Churchill’s parents were John Stanton Churchill and Harriet Hancock. Harriet Hancock is the sister to my third great-grandfather, Thomas Tyley Hancock.’

And then he mentioned a little aside about one of the greatest American novelists of the 20th century.

Thanks to my mother, I had a pretty good idea of who was sitting up in the branches of my family tree. There had never been anyone famous, although mum discovered we are directly descended from William Crabb, a gentleman of Ashill, who fought against the parliamentary forces in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685.

If I’d lived in Victorian times, what my new cousin said next would have sent me reaching for the smelling salts.

He told me: ‘I have quite a bit of information on the Churchills and Hancocks. I notice that you are a writer. Harriet Hancock’s brother, Alexander, was the great-grandfather to writer Ernest Hemingway. It must be genetic. LOL.....nice to meet you!’

So my third great-grandmother, Harriet Hancock, and Ernest Hemingway’s great-grandfather, Alexander Hancock, were brother and sister, in a family of 14 children from Wedmore, Somerset.

Alexander was the maternal grandfather of Grace Hall, Ernest Hemingway’s mother.

According to an interview in 2018 with Hemingway’s nephew, the late John Sanford, for the online Hemingway Project, Alexander Hancock, was a sea captain and part-owner of

the three-masted barque, Elizabeth of Bristol. Captain Hancock sailed his ship from England in 1853 to Melbourne, Australia with a load of immigrants seeking gold.

‘Also on board were Hancock’s three young children who had lost their mother in a train accident just days before departure.

One of those children was Grace’s mother, Caroline Hancock (Hall), who travelled from Australia to Panama with her father, sister and brother, crossed the isthmus on mule-back and took passage to America.’

From the East Coast, the family took trains to Dyersville, Iowa, where they had a relative and where Captain Hancock became the town’s postmaster. He died on 12 Apr 1864, aged 49.

My research tells me that Hancock had married Caroline Sydes in London on 27 March 1841. She was born in Liverpool in 1817 and died on 9 January 1853 in South Wales.

In 1978, John Sanford took his family on a 10,000-mile trip by sailboat.

He told the Hemingway Project: ‘When I drove East to start the voyage, I stopped in Dyersville, Iowa and found the grave of Captain Alexander Hancock in a lonely, windswept cemetery.

I had an imaginary conversation with him and felt as if his spirit was also with me at many difficult places during the voyage.’

I can’t quite stretch to visiting Iowa but a visit to Wedmore must surely be on my list of places to go in 2020.

For information about researching your family history, contact the Somerset & Dorset Family History Society at sdfhs.org

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 11

Nature

The Healing Power of

One man’s journey through the eye of a lens

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How wildlife photographer Paul Williams found purpose in his life one frame at a time

T

alking on BBC’s Radio 4 recently, wildlife photographer, Paul Williams, who suffered debilitating mental health problems after a career in the army and the police force, talked about his experience looking for help through the NHS. Despite receiving therapy assistance through his employers after a traumatic incident as a police officer, he knew he needed continued treatment to help him deal with what had been diagnosed as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

After an initial assessment and the knowledge that at last his problems were being dealt with, he had to wait a further seven to eight weeks before his follow up appointment.

This gap in the system was long enough for him to make a ‘serious attempt’ on his life. ‘Expectations are raised’ he explained. So that if a follow up appointment is cancelled or even delayed ‘your hopes are dashed and you are left in almost a worse position.’

David Clarke, NHS England’s Clinical Director, talking on the same programme, pointed out that although treatment gaps are far too long; this is an advance from ten years ago. Then the average time it took for an initial appointment was closer to 18 months. He said the NHS hopes to recruit and train another 4,000 psychological therapists by 2024.

Paul Williams’ journey started with a sixteen year career in the military. Much of that time was spent as an army physical training instructor. After leaving the military he embarked on a completely different career direction and gained a First Class honours degree in Clinical Mental Health nursing, working as a senior mental health specialist in the NHS. However when he turned 40 he decided to join the police force and his PTSD developed after he had defended four people against a mentally ill, samurai swordwielding woman at Bournemouth police station. Following this traumatic event he became acutely unwell and attempted suicide three times before experiencing a significant

breakthrough with a new psychotherapy treatment.

Today, thanks to a combination of advances in treatment and his own determination—partly cultivated from strength of will and discipline developed through his military training - he has been able to move beyond his illness and is enjoying a new career as a landscape photographer.

Already an amateur photographer, Paul picked up his camera again to give him an incentive to get out. Recounting his experience in a new book Wildlife Photography - saving my life one frame at a time, Paul explains the background to his illness and the journey he took to build self-esteem and purpose in his life again. He talks of how wandering through often deserted country paths and fields near his home in Dorset became a blueprint that continues to shape his life. He remembers the joy of discovering hares and a den of foxes living nearby and explained how days spend alone watching wildlife became his quality time; extended moments of meditation in the peaceful surrounds of nature. He practised the Mindfulness discipline of ‘being in the moment without intrusion from thoughts about the past or the future.’

Today, although still scarred by the struggle since his illness began in 2010, Paul looks back on what has happened as a chapter in the book of his life. Wildlife Photography saving my life one frame at a time is described by Chris Packham as ‘a brutally honest visual journey … uplifting and beautiful’ and Paul’s photographs have won many awards. He looks to the future from a platform of being glad to have survived— and to be alive. He still needs to take time out from human contact for days at a time but for those of us that enjoy his photographs the results are a benefit that we can all appreciate.

Wildlife Photography - saving my life one frame at a time is published

by Hubble & Hattie, an imprint of Veloce Publishing Ltd, RRP: £29.99.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2019 15

January LOCAL EVENTS

SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER

The Sheldon Singers: Full three-part performance of Handel’s Messiah, with professional soloists and orchestra.

Saturday 21 December, 6.30PM, St Paul’s Church, High Street, Honiton. Tickets £15 contact 01404 43805 or on the door The Stanchester Quire will be performing their Christmas Carol concert, “We singers make bold”, at Limington Parish Church, near Yeovil, BA22, at 7:30pm. Admission £8 payable on the door.

To Drive The Cold Winter Away 6.30pm Harp concert by Elizabeth-Jane Baldry at St Giles Church Kilmington. Tickets £12.00 to include mulled wine and stollen

cake.Contact Anna Crabbe anna.crabbe@ icloud.com / 01297 32777

SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER

on website) Yeovil Railway Centre, Yeovil Junction 01935 410420 www.yeovilrailway. freeservers.com.

Santa Special at Yeovil Railway 10.30am – 4pm (check times and details on website) Yeovil Railway Centre, Yeovil Junction 01935 410420 www.yeovilrailway. freeservers.com.

East Devon Ramblers moderate 10.5 mile circular walk from Axminster. 10.00 start and bring picnic. Dogs on short leads. 01297 22030

TUESDAY 24 DECEMBER

MONDAY 23 DECEMBER

SATURDAY 28 DECEMBER

Santa Special at Yeovil Railway 10.30am – 4pm (check times and details

16 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2019 Tel. 01308 423031

1st Mass of Christmas 6.00 pm, in St.Swithun’s Church, Allington Rd, Bridport. All welcome, Free parking

FRIDAY 27 DECEMBER

East Devon Ramblers leisurely 5 mile circular walk from Escot. 10.00 start. Dogs on short leads. 01392 873881 Furleigh Wine Estate, Join us for a special Christmas Grand Tour of Furleigh

Wine Estate, £25pp, 11am, www. furleighestate.co.uk

SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER

Mince PieSpecials at Yeovil Railway 10.30am – 4pm (check times and details on website) Yeovil Railway Centre, Yeovil Junction 01935 410420 www.yeovilrailway. freeservers.com.

Singing Bowl Soundbath 2pm-4pm post Xmas detox Oborne Village Hall DT9 4LA 01935389655 ahiahel@live.com www. centreforpuresound.org Dorset Countryside Volunteers, 10:00 17:00. Post-Christmas scrub clearance with a bonfire to brew up at break times! New people welcome. Powerstock Common (West Dorset). See www.dcv.org.uk, email DCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text/ voicemail 07923-498760.

East Devon Ramblers moderate 9 mile circular walk from Sidford. 10.00 bring picnic. Dogs on short leads. 01395 512973

TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER

Woodland Wellbeing Walk with Stepping into Nature, 13.30 -14:30, Explore the seasonal changes in a woodland nature reserve on regular 50 minute strolls on all weather terrain. Hardys Birthplace, Thorncombe Woods, Dorchester. Contact

Claire to book your place: 01305 251228 or C.Platten@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. www. stepin2nature.org New Year’s Eve Celebration Ceilidh with Jigs for Gigs. 8.15pm. Bring in 2020 in style with music and dance at The David Hall in South Petherton. Tickets £17, includes a light supper, available from www.thedavidhall.org.uk or 01460 240 340.

Booking essential by Friday 20 December.

No tickets available on the night.

WEDNESDAY 1 JANUARY

The Lyme Regis Rotary Lunge , 1 p.m. , A Fancy dress Dip fundraising for The Dorchester Cancer Charity Appeal, Sandy beach the Cobb Lyme Regis, Contact 01297 443145 East Devon Ramblers 8 mile leisurely walk. 10.00am start. Kilmington Contact 01395 260114

UNTIL 2 JANUARY

Pop-up Vintage 10.00am-4.00pm, closed 25th & 26th December. We spend the year sourcing, cleaning, mending and up-cycling so that you don’t have to. We have toys, books, textiles, homeware and much more for a beautiful and totally-sustainable Christmas. The Courtyard Gallery, Town Mill, Lyme Regis. Tel. 01297-443579

THURSDAY 2 JANUARY

Wellbeing Walk at Radipole Lakes with Stepping into Nature, 11-12, Enjoy a gentle 45 minute to 1 hour walk at Radipole Nature Reserve. A chance to relax, chat, see (And hear!) some fabulous wildlife.

Contact RSPB Radipole Lakes, Weymouth on 01305 778313. www.stepin2nature.org West Dorset Ramblers Walk around Abbotsbury area. Starts 10:00am 6.5 miles/10.5 km. Contact 01300 320084 Chard History Group A Talk “How South Somerset Immigrants Shaped South Australia” by Janet Seaton and Barry Winetrobe at 7.30pm. This illustrated Talk describes the fascinating and surprising story of how some 19th Century immigrants from Somerset had a major influence on the development of South Australia as a British colony and then as an Australian state. Phoenix Hotel upstairs in The Ball Room in Fore Street, Chard. Member£2, Guests £3. Contact information 01460 66165.

Chard Camera Club The club will be meeting at 7.30 pm in the Baptist church hall. Holyrood Street for it’s first meet of the New Year and will hold a Digitally Projected Image competition covering the subjects of ‘Science fiction’ ant two classes of ‘Open’ category. The

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2019 17

judge for the evening will be Susanne Akerstrom. Further details can be obtained from the clubs official website www. chardcameraclub.org.uk or by ringing the club’s members secretary Joyce on 01460 66885.

FRIDAY 3 JANUARY

West Dorset Ramblers Pub Walk in Hardy Country finish for lunch at the Wiseman Pub. Starts at 10:00am - 5 miles/8 km. Contact 01300 320346 Yeovil Archaeological and Local History Society meeting at Holy Trinity Church, Lysander Road, BA20 2BU at 7.30pm, have a Members’ Evening – all welcome. With various talks, a quiz and buffet. (Tell Andy or Brian if you would like to give a talk). Non-members £2 at the door. Contact: 01935 477174. www.yalhs. org.uk Dorset Wildlife Trust - Now and in the Future, 7:30pm – 9pm, Talk by Brian Bleese, director of development at the Trust, Bridport United Church Hall, East Street, Bridport, DT6 3LJ., www. dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk East Devon Ramblers 4.5mile leisurely walk. 10.00am Honition Golf Club.

Contact 01404 549390.

18 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

SATURDAY 4 JANUARY

Celebrate Twelfth Night with entertainment by Tinker’s Cuss Band, and Poetry readings by local authors Bundle & Tony Weston. Bridport Town Hall, 7.30pm. Tickets £7.50 (members £6.50), to include seasonal food and drink.

Tickets/info from Sue Wilkinson, 01308 425037, in aid of Bridport Millennium Green.

Bridport Seed Potato Day, 10.30 a.m. 1.30 p.m., sale of many varieties of seed potato and other plants, refreshments available, Bridport United Church Hall, East Street, contact Mandy Rathbone, manwell52@hotmail.co.uk with any questions.

At the end of the Christmas Season.

St. Gabriel’s Strolling Players invite you look back at “A West Country Christmas” with music, carols, readings, poetry - and Christmassy refreshments in the interval..

At Bridport United Church at 6.00pm.

Tickets £5 from 01297 489658. All proceeds divided between the United Church and the refurbishment of the Fortuneswell Cancer Ward at Dorchester Hospital.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Burton Bradstock 10.30am start. Bring picnic. No dogs. All

welcome. Please call 01308 898484/01308 863340 Bridport Ceilidhs, 7.30-11pm. The New Year starts with our old favourites, Jigs for Gigs, with Ray Goodswen calling.

All welcome, no experience or partner needed; all dances will be walked and talked through and called for as long as necessary. Bring & Share super and your own alcohol (the Woodman Inn is just opposite). St Mary’s Church House Hall, South Street, Bridport DT6 3NW. £10 on the door, £9 if pre-booked with Monty on 01308 423 442 or email monty3dayslate AT yahoo.co.uk. See www.bridportceilidhs. wordpress,com Family Storytime with The Flying Monkeys. 11am. Stories told not showed for 3-8 year olds and their carers. Bridport Literary & Scientific Institute www. lsibridport.co.uk

SUNDAY 5 JANUARY

Sunday Meditation 4-5pm. Mindful awareness, sacred sounds, the power of the spoken work and Stillness. The Chapel in the Garden Bridport DT6 3JJ. Contact 07884 191459 or 07973 529245. Also 19th.

Qi gong 2- 4.30pm drop in session, no experience necessary - energising and healing movement at the Quaker Meeting

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 19

Hall, Bridport - contact dianabarnard1@ googlemail.com or phone 07800717283.

Also 19th.

East Devon Ramblers 8.5 miles moderate walk. 10.00am. Tipton St John Contact 01395 512973

MONDAY 6 JANUARY

Cooking Made Easy – Sidmouth 11am - 1pm A cooking demonstration and 2 course sit down lunch for anyone who wants to learn to cook delicious, nutritious meals on a budget. The Lymbourne Centre, Sidmouth hannah@halff.org.uk kerry@halff.org.uk 01297 631794 Inspired by Archives with Stepping into Nature, 10:30 – 12:00, Explore the nature in the Dorset History Centres archives using photos, art, recordings and maps to unlock the stories past, present and future, Dorset History Centre, Dorchester, DT1 1RP, Maria 01305 221618 or maria. gayton@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk, www. stepin2nature.org Scottish Dancing in Chardstock 7.30 – 10.00 p.m. Evening of social dancing at Chardstock Village Hall, Cost £1.50 tea or coffee included. No partner required. Contact David on 01460 65981; Ann on 01308 42297; or Andrew on 01297 33461 or just come along. www. chardscottishdancing.org Scottish Country Dancing at Ashill.

7.30 to 9.30 pm . Learn steps, formations and dances , led by a fully qualified teacher in a relaxed and fun setting. Ashill village hall , just off the A358 Nr Ilminster. For more information comtact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com Also on 13th, 21st and 27th Jan. Bridport Folk Dance Club. 7.30pm 9.30pm WI Hall North St. Bridport. DT6 3JQ Gentle, sociable keep fit for the new year. Beginner and experienced dancers welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). Contact 01308 458 165

TUESDAY 7 JANUARY

West Dorset Ramblers Walk Shute Hill Beacon, Woodhayne Lane, Trill, Isle of Man. Starts at 10:00am - 8.5 miles/13.7 km. Contact 01308 898484 Art & Archaeology with Chris Tripp.

7.30-8.30 pm. Start of 6 week course.

Bridport Literary & Scientific Institute www.lsibridport.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 8 JANUARY

Cooking Made Easy Axminster 11am - 1pm A cooking demonstration and 2 course sit down lunch for anyone who wants to learn to cook delicious, nutritious meals on a budget. The Masonic Hall, Axminster hannah@halff.org.uk kerry@ halff.org.uk 01297 631791 Folk Café at The Beehive 8pm Come 20 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

along to sing or listen in the Beehive bar with our lovely folkie host, Sue King.

Free entry The Beehive, Honiton. www. beehivehoniton.co.uk Box office 01404 384050 Axminster Historical Society Talk: A History of Shute House Bijan Omrani reveals the romantic and tempestuous history of Shute House and the families who lived there. The secret lives of the Victorian and Edwardian gentry who made Shute national news in the 19th century; an extraordinary story, partly forgotten and partly supressed. 7:30pm All Welcome, Membership £10 Non Members £2 The Bradshaw Meeting Room, Axminster Heritage Centre, Thomas Whitty House, Silver Street, Axminster, EX13 5AH West Dorset Ramblers Walk Coast and cliff trails from Abbotsbury Swannery CP. Starts at 10:00am - 7 miles/11.3 km.

Contact 01305 262681 Axe Valley Centre National Trust, Talk, Life Below Stairs by Dr Patrick Hoyte, Colyford Memorial Hall 2.30pm.

Visitors welcome £2 Contact Membership Secretary 01297631801.

Sharing Stillness. 7.30-9.30pm. Listening to the teachings of Eckhart Tolle and silent meditation. The Chapel in the Garden, Bridport, DT6 3JJ. Contact Nichola Motley 07884 191459. Also 22nd.

AVDCS Work Party 10.00 - 16.00 Trinity Hill LNR Meet at Reserve Car Park SY307959. Further details Donald Campbell 01297 552945 East Devon Ramblers 7.75 miles moderate walk. 10.00am. Bickleigh Mill.

Contact 01884 32039

01297 24049 for further information.

Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn tunes by ear.

Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (pine hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 01297 445078 or email petelinnett@naturalvoice.net

THURSDAY 9 JANUARY

FRIDAY 10 JANUARY

Dorchester History Walk with Stepping into Nature, 10.30 – 12:00, Explore the history of a place using historic photographs to look at the past and find out what has, and has not changed over the past century. Booking essential. Contact Steph on 01305 224788 or stepin2nature@ dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. www.stepin2nature. org Crewkerne Gardening Club invites you to a talk on “Arts and Crafts and Edwardian gardens” by Marion Dale.

This will be held in the Henhayes Centre at 7.30pm. Refreshments and a warm welcome to our 2020 programme! Visitors £2.50. Members subs. are due please, £15.

Contact Rosemary Prince – 01460 74290.

Short Mat Bowls, 7.00pm, Beaminster Public Hall,Geoff 01308538971 Seaton garden club - meeting at 1430 in the masonic hall, queen street, Seaton. illustrated talk by Barry Henwood of butterfly conservation society entitled “Garden Moths”. visitors welcome cost £2 to include refreshments. Tel No

Paul Jones & Dave Kelly at The David Hall Thursday January 9 and Lyme Regis Marine on Friday January 10.

Paul Jones & Dave Kelly. 8pm. Two of the biggest names in British Blues music. A guitar, harmonica, two authentic, thrilling Blues voices and an envious repertoire of songs and reminiscences most musicians can only dream of. At The David Hall, South Petherton, TA13 5AA. Tickets: £24 from www.thedavidhall.org.uk or 01460 240 340.

Chard Royal Naval Association The association will be meeting for their AGM at 7.30 pm at Chard Rugby Football Club Essex Close. Memberships will be renewed and new members wishing to join or make enquiries with a view to joining should make this meeting and will be made most welcome. Further enquiries can be made with the secretary of the group Mr Gary Pennells on 01460 77978 A fund raising music night for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. Doors 7.30pm. Featuring The Producers + Cobalt Blue. The Producers, one of the UKs top blues bands have won both the ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Blues band of the year’ awards and become a driving force on the UKs blues and blues-rock scene with their stunning live shows and instrumental prowess. They have travelled to Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the Bahamas and all over the UK and most of Europe, played at or headlined most of the major blues festivals in the UK, Ireland and Europe plus the Tauranga Jazz and Blues Festival in New Zealand, Freeport Blues Festival, the Bahamas and the Atlanta Blues Festival USA. Cobalt Blue are an acoustic trio with their own unique adaption of popular tunes. With a line up of Guitar, Squeezebox accordion and Upright Suitcase Bass (!!) their individual slant on songs from such diverse artists as Eric Clapton, McGuinness Flint, Paolo Nutini, Bryan Adams, Kylie Minogue, Stray

Cats and Dr Feelgood to name but a few makes these guys really worth seeing in their own right. Perry St Club, Waterlake Rd, South Chard. TA20 2SU Adv tickets £10 c/o the venue or online: www.mojopromo.co.uk. Door £12 John Shillito & his Riviera Ramblers, 8pm, Hot Club de France style jazz, Tickets £16.Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, 01460 54973, www. themeetinghouse.org.uk Fish and Chip Friday – 12.30pm.

Fish, chips, mushy peas and tartar sauce, followed by a fruity dessert. Non-members £8.75 / members £6.50. Booking required.

The Henhayes Centre, South Street Car Park, Crewkerne, TA18 8DA. Tel 01460 74340.

The Living Tree, cancer self-help group.

2.00pm Tripudio Flow gentle exercise.

2.15pm Mecki Testroet (currently webmaster of the Living Tree website) will talk about what the LT website. Please bring tablets/laptops/phones. 2.30 – 4.00pm Karen Forrester-Jones offering M’Technique, touch therapy. Drop in any time between 2pm and 4.30pm at the Friends’ Meeting House, 95 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NZ. Tel 07341 916 976. www.thelivingtree.org.uk

Sidmouth Canasta group, 7.30 p.m.

Tuition given to new or returning players.

Sidford Methodist Church EX10 9RL (free parking behind Spar) 01395 579856. 17, 24, 31st also Food on Friday, 12 noon, at Clapton & Wayford Village Hall - two course lunch, roll & butter + unlimited tea/coffee, £5.

Special diets can usually be catered for if requested in advance. Disabled facilities, ample parking, lovely view. Open to all ages; very friendly atmosphere, newcomers really welcomed, but please book places in advance by phoning June (01460 77057) or Jackie (01460 72324), who will also provide more information if required.

SATURDAY 11 JANUARY

Dorset Countryside Volunteers, 10:00 - 17:00. Scrub clearance with a bonfire to brew up at break times! New people welcome. Coneys Castle (West Dorset).

See www.dcv.org.uk, email DCVpublicity@ gmail.com, or text/voicemail 07923498760.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Seaton Down 10.30am start. Bring picnic. No dogs. All welcome.

Please call 01308 898484/01308 863340 Fun Quiz for C.R.Y. 7.30 pm Individuals are most welcome to make up teams of 4

or come as a team. £2.50 pp Tea, coffee & cake available. Raffle and all proceeds for Cardiac Risk in the Young ECG screening of 14-35 year olds. Book if possible Elaine 0146065909 or Jackie 07799113632 or Hillary & Bill. 0146061996 Village coffee break.10.30 till 12.00.

Monthly coffee break with home made refreshments, log fire. Long Bredy Village Hall DT2 9HP. Contact 01308 482882 Martock Farmers Market, 10 to 1, 16 stalls, goat’s cheeses, cauliflowers, salads, coffee etc. In the co-op precinct, North Street. 01935 822202.

West Dorset Group of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, meeting Loders Village Hall, 2.00. ‘Mayflower 400 Who were the Pilgrim Fathers?

Carrie Southwell and Donna Heys - Our Mayflower Ancestors’. Carrie and Donna live locally and are looking forward to sharing their Mayflower ancestors with the society. The group AGM has moved to the February meeting. Members £1.50 and visitors £3.00, tea and biscuits included, all welcome. For more information contact Jane on 01308 425710 or email: jferentzi@ aol.com

SUNDAY 12 JANUARY

Dorset Countryside Volunteers, 10:00

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 21

- 17:00. Scrub clearance with a bonfire to brew up at break times! New people welcome. Coneys Castle (West Dorset).

See www.dcv.org.uk, email DCVpublicity@ gmail.com, or text/voicemail 07923498760.

Allington Strings Winter Concert at 3pm. Pianist Jonathon Delbridge plays Mozart’s Coronation Concerto plus music

by Beethoven, Webern and Bruch at Colfox Academy Bridport DT6 3DT Seaton Dance Club, 7-9 pm. Ballroom, Latin and Jive with lots of help for beginners. (No formal lessons and no sequence). £4 per person (All profits support The Gateway Theatre). Bar open.

The Gateway Theatre, Seaton Town Hall, Fore Street EX12 2LD. Contact Jackie: 01297 23953 or Gateway box office 01297 625699 Facebook @seatondanceclub South Somerset Ramblers. 11 mile walk via Poyntington & Corton Ridge. Meet Cadbury Castle CP (ST 632254) at 10 a.m.

Details from Sue on 07807 224110. Bring a picnic.

MONDAY 13 JANUARY

Hawkchurch History Society is hosting a talk “The Cropmarks of 2018 - the Aerial Archaeological Survey in Devon” given my Bill Horner. Hawkchurch Village Hall 7pm for 7.30pm start. Refreshments available. £5 non-members.

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock 7.30 – 10.00 p.m. Evening of social dancing at Chardstock Village Hall, Cost £1.50 tea or coffee included. No partner required. Contact David on 01460 65981; Ann on 01308 42297; or Andrew on 01297 33461, or just come along www. chardscottishdancing.org.

Lipreading & Managing Hearing Loss Honiton Methodist Church 10am - 12noon. Learn how to manage your hearing loss using lipreading and coping strategies, while building confidence in a supportive environment. First session free. Small, friendly group. Tea, coffee and biscuits provided. Contact Ruth for further details ruth@bizleyart.com 07855 340517 or just come along on the day. Also on 20th and 27th.

Bridport Folk Dance Club. 7.30pm 9.30pm WI Hall North St. Bridport. DT6 3JQ Gentle, sociable keep fit for the new year. Beginner and experienced dancers welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). Contact 01308 458 165 Dorchester Townswomen’s Guild 2 pm. Kay Townsend with a talk entitled ‘Fairgrounds’ at Dorchester Community Church, Poundbury. Visitors welcome £3.

Enquires 01305 832857.

TUESDAY 14 JANUARY

Arts society Honiton ‘Persephone’s 22 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Isle: The Heritage of Sicily’ - Sue Rollin.

Sicily has long been a crossroads between East and West. Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards have all ruled over the island and contributed to its rich cultural heritage. Sue works as a tour guide and lecturer in India and the Middle East. She was formerly lecturer in Assyriology and Ancient History at the Universities of London and Cambridge and has worked as an archaeologist. The Beehive, Dowell Street, Honiton, EX14 1LZ 2pm.

Chard Heart Hub 11am - 1pm A cooking demonstration for anyone living with, or at risk of, a diet related illness. The Crowshute Centre, Chard hannah@halff. org.uk kerry@halff.org.uk 01297 631791 Time for Tea and a Talk: ‘Eyes along The Coast’ Nick Cole tells us of the work of The Coast Reach Team. 2:00pm £3 Tea & cake served. For info or to book please call 01404 831207 The Bradshaw Meeting Room, Axminster Heritage, Silver Street, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5AH West Dorset Ramblers Walk Environs of Dorchester. Starts at 10:00 - 7.5 miles/12.1 km. Contact 01308 898484 Charity Tea Dance 2.30p.m. Ballroom and Sequence dancing to strict tempo CD’s St Francis Hall Sidmouth EX10 9XH 01395 579856 Lipreading & Managing Hearing Loss Bridport Hospital 2-4pm. Learn how to manage your hearing loss using lipreading and coping strategies, while building confidence in a supportive environment.

First session free. Small, friendly group.

Tea, coffee and biscuits provided. Contact Ruth for further details ruth@bizleyart. com 07855 340517 or just come along on the day. Also on 21st and 28th.

Bridport History Society, United Church Hall, East St. Bridport, 2.30. Local historian Richard Sims will be talking about his new publication ‘Coker Canvas and Bridport’, copies of the book will be on sale. Still time to sign up for the years membership, £10 for singles, £15 for couples. Members £1 and visitors £4, tea and biscuits included, all welcome. For more information contact Jane on 01308 425710 or email: jferentzi@aol.com Chard WI meeting at Chard Baptist Church Rooms, Holyrood Street TA20 2AH. Speaker on Family History Meeting starts 7.30. Guests and new members welcome. Call Madeleine on 01460 68495 or e-mail info.chardwi@gmail.com for more information. Meetings second Tuesday of each month.

WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY

Devonshire Association Meeting, 2.30pm, a talk by John Mather on the Blackdown Hills Geology and the

Whetstone Mines. At the Pavilion, Peace Memorial Playing Fields, Coly Road, Colyton EX24 5PU. Entrance: Donation £1 (DA Members), £3 (Non Members).

For more details visit devonassoc.org.uk/ events/category/branch-events/axevalleybranch-events/ Nordic Walking in the Vineyard, 11:15am, Accessible to all, so whilst this is a full body workout, you can set your own pace as you find your rhythm with the walking poles provided. Cost: £10 per person, Full details and booking at www. furleighestate.co.uk/events Thorncombe Rail Activities Club will host a talk and slide presentation given by David Brabner entitled “Video Highlights of 2017” The meeting is at Thorncombe Village Hall, TA20 4NE and starts at 7.30pm. Non Members are welcome, there are refreshments, a raffle and the parking is free. Contact Richard Holt, Chairman Tel. 01460 30428 or Google TRAC “traclubsite” for information.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk Circular Coastal Walk from Ringstead NT car park. Starts at 10:00am - 8 miles/12.9 km.

Contact 01305 459315 Dorset Wildlife Trust Sherborne Group, 7.30pm, talk by Ian Williamson ‘Adventures in Tasmania’, Digby Memorial Church Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne, DT9 3NL, cost £3.00. Mary Howes 01935 872742 AVDCS Bird Watch, 10.00 - all day, Bird watch including Starling roost on Somerset Levels. With Rob Johnson. Meet RSPB Ham Wall car park ST449396. Contact Fran Sinclair 07804 835905 for car share.

Colyton & District Garden Society – talk ‘What’s Hot? What’s Not’ by Joy Michaud, Sea Spring Seeds. Colyford Memorial Hall 7.30pm. Members free, guests £3. For information, call Sue Price on 01297 552362.

Chardstock Gardening Club 7.30pm.

‘Growing Beer’ - talk by Ben Richards who set himself the challenge of growing and collecting all the ingredients needed to brew a beer - on a previously unloved allotment…... Chardstock Community Hall, Westcombes, EX13 7BJ. Everyone welcome. Visitors £3 on the door; tea/ coffee and biscuits included. Enquiries: 01460 221619.

Honiton U3A meeting at The Beehive, Dowell Street, Honiton - 1.30pm for a 2.00pm start. A talk by Brian Freeland entitled ‘A Trip on the River Charente.

Henry IV described the River Charente as “the most beautiful river in my kingdom”, but it was always much more than that.

Discover the river’s history! Members Free/Visitors - £2.00 donation. More details at https://u3asites.org.uk/honiton

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 23

THURSDAY 16 JANUARY

Wellbeing Walk at Radipole Lakes with Stepping into Nature, 11-12, Enjoy a gentle 45 minute to 1 hour walk at Radipole Nature Reserve. A chance to relax, chat, see (And hear!) some fabulous wildlife.

Contact RSPB Radipole Lakes, Weymouth on 01305 778313. www.stepin2nature.org The Arts Society West Dorset. ‘Gustav Klimt and the Viennese Secession 1900’.

Bridport Town Hall 2.30. Details: 01308 485487.

Short Mat Bowls, 7.00pm, Beaminster Public Hall, Geoff 01308538971 Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn tunes by ear.

Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (pine hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 01297 445078 or email petelinnett@naturalvoice.net Illustrated talk, 7.30pm, at Clapton & Wayford Village Hall – local author Anne Mosscrop will recount memories of an early holiday: ‘A Scandinavian Camping Adventure’’, complete with humorous anecdotes. All welcome; £5 includes cheese & wine. For further information phone Mary (01460 74849).

Poems to Save Your Life - The Role of Poetry in Health; A talk by Ellie Sturrock and Trevor Pearce. 3 pm Literary &

24 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Scientific Institute www.lsibridport.co.uk Chard Camera Club The club will be meeting at 7.30 pm in the Baptist Church hall Holyrood Street for an evening of entertainment when Mr Brian Northmore gives those assembled a talk on ‘Black and white landscape photography’. Further details on the matter of any other aspect of the club can be pulled from the very informative website www.chardcameraclub. org.uk or by giving the membership secretary Joyce Partridge on 01460 66885 or by calling in at any one of their meetings.

FRIDAY 17 JANUARY

Chef ’s Special Lunch – 12.30pm. Fruit juice upon arrival, Roast gammon followed by pineapple upside down cake. Tea / coffee and a chocolate to finish. Nonmembers £9.50 / members £8.00, Booking required. The Henhayes Centre, South Street Car Park, Crewkerne, TA18 8DA. Tel 01460 74340.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk Around the Uplyme area at a slower pace. Starts at 10:30am - 4 miles/6.4 km. Finish at Black Dog Tearooms. Contact 01308 424668 The Living Tree, cancer self-help group.

12.45pm Mindfulness session. 2.00pm Tripudio Flow gentle exercise. 2.15pm Julia

Williams will be suggesting and showing some hand reflexology to assist year-round wellbeing. 2.30 – 4.00pm Therapy session - 3.15pm Rising Voices – Singing with Jane. Drop in any time between 2pm and 4.30pm at the Friends’ Meeting House, 95 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NZ. Tel 07341 916 976. www.thelivingtree.org.uk Spiral Centre Way Forward Meeting at the Spiral Sanctuary at Combe Farm, Axmouth EX12 4AU at 7pm Come and join us for our annual social evening (with refreshments) to find out more about the Spiral Centre and discuss ideas for our upcoming programme of events. Please contact Christina Bows on 01297 23822 for further information.

Murder in the Bunker by Vince Jones and James Cuthill. 7pm. It is the 1956 Annual Dinner of the Dorchester Preservation Society at Shire Hall. The guest speaker is property developer Gerald Chillingdon, set to outline his plans for a new estate built on Dorchester’s beautiful water meadows. An evening of honest conversation, spirited debate, thoughtful discussion – and murder mystery! £20 includes welcome drink, light dinnerand murder! Proceeds from the evening go to Dorchester Arts and Shire Hall.

Tickets can be booked via http://bit.ly/

MurderInTheBunker.

Richard Huish College Music Gig. 5.30pm – 9pm. Richard Huish College students will provide an evening of quality, upbeat entertainment from a range of student performers going solo or teaming up as a band. Tickets include a snack, and more will be available to buy. At The David Hall, South Petherton, TA13 5AA. Tickets: £6 Adults, £3 for Under 12s, Children under 5 free. Available from www. thedavidhall.org.uk or 01460 240 340.

East Devon Ramblers 4.5miles leisurely walk. 10.00am. Colyton. Contact 07710 160903

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY

Swing Dance with The Swing Commanders, 7:30 for 8pm, Great live music for swing dancers in a superb large ballroom, Tickets £16, Westlands Ballroom Yeovil, www.westlandsyeovil.co.uk.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Smallridge 10.30am start.

Bring picnic. No dogs. All welcome. Please call 01308 898484/01308 863340 A Somerset Wassail Evening 7.30 pm 10.00 pm Take part in the ancient Wassail custom and enjoy an evening of music and dancing! Join local ceilidh band Rapscallion and Master of Ceremonies, Les Davies, who will crown the Wassail King or Queen.

The ceremony takes place in the museum’s 14th-century Abbey Barn, and around the oldest apple tree in the orchard. Sponsored

by Hecks Farmhouse Cider of Street.

Tickets £12 adults/£8 children via SRLM. ORG.UK Somerset Rural Life Museum, Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DB The Tuckers Jazz Club Louise Parker & The Martin Jenkins Trio The Tuckers Arms, Dalwood, EX13 7EG. Near Axminster, (just north of the A35 between Axminster & Honiton) Tickets £10 Info. at www. dalwoodvillage.co.uk 01404 831 280 : 07999 553477 AVDCS Work Party 10.00 - 16.00 Trinity Hill LNR. Meet at Reserve Car Park SY307959. Further details Donald Campbell 01297 552945 Snowman Drive with a Pudding, Blackdown Village Hall.(DT8 3LE) 7.00pm for 7.30pm. All welcome. For further details contact Philip 01460 30661/30517.

SUNDAY 19 JANUARY

Divine Union Soundbath 2pm – 4pm crystal and tibetan bowls for deep relaxation/detox, The Scout Hall, Redcotts Lane, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1JX www. centreforpuresound.org ahiahel@live.com 01935 389655 Seaton Dance Club, 7-9 pm. Ballroom, Latin and Jive with lots of help for beginners. (No formal lessons and no Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 25

Looking Ahead SATURDAY 1 FEBRUARY

Connecting with Soul. 10-4.30pm. A one day workshop to explore connection with the Soul. The Chapel in the Garden, Bridport, DT6 3JJ. Contact Linda Heeks 07973 529245

sequence). £4 per person (All profits support The Gateway Theatre). Bar open.

The Gateway Theatre, Seaton Town Hall, Fore Street EX12 2LD. Contact Jackie: 01297 23953 or Gateway box office 01297 625699 Facebook @seatondanceclub ShelterBox Tea Dance 2.30p.m.

Ballroom,Latin and sequence dancing on the best floor in East Devon; Stowford Centre(opp Waitrose) Sidmouth EX10 9YL 01395 579856 Rock The Tots - Gigs for little people..... and their grown-ups! 2pm. Rock The Tots will be presenting a fun and fabulous music event for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, and their adults. Well-known Pop and Rock covers, performed by a live guitarist with puppets, percussion and stories included. At The David Hall, South Petherton, TA13 5AA. Tickets: £6 per person from www.thedavidhall.org.uk or 01460 240 340.

South Somerset Ramblers. 12 mile walk via Buckland Newton and Cerne Abbas.

Meet Minterne Magna CP (ST 659043) at 10 a.m. Details from Peter on 01935 389348. Bring a picnic.

East Devon Ramblers 9.5 miles moderate walk. 10.00am. Bridport. Contact 01308 456463

MONDAY 20 JANUARY

Musbury Garden Club A talk by Pam Simpson on “Dutch flower painters’’.

Pam is an Art and Design Historian, who has worked in London art schools for 30 years, including the Royal College of Art, 20 of those years at Middlesex University. She lives in West Dorset and is currently Associate Lecturer at Bath Spa University and at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.

She teaches short courses and study days in Bridport and in Lyme Regis. Doors to Musbury Village Hall, EX13 8AJ open for refreshments at 7p.m. before the talk at 7.30p.m. Members: £1.50. Non-members very welcome: £2.50.

Inspired by Archives with Stepping into Nature, 10:30 – 12:00, Explore the nature in the Dorset History Centres archives using photos, art, recordings and maps to unlock the stories past, present and future, Dorset History Centre, Dorchester, DT1 1RP, Maria 01305 221618, maria.gayton@ dorsetcouncil.gov.uk, www.stepin2nature. org 26 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

SATURDAY 1 FEBRUARY

MONDAY 3 FEBRUARY

Horticultural Society Drimpton.

Compton Valence Snowdrops Village Annual Potato Day. 10.30am-2pm.

Hall lunches and teas until Friday 14th Massive selection of seed potatoes and February. To Book Telephone Tessa other plants, local food and potato fun. Russell 01308 482227 or Pippa James Drimpton Village Hall DT8 3RF 01305 889338

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock 7.30 – 10.00 p.m. Evening of social dancing at Chardstock Village Hall, Cost £1.50 tea or coffee included. No partner required. Contact David on 01460 65981; Ann on 01308 42297; or Andrew on 01297 33461, or just come along www. chardscottishdancing.org Chard, Ilminster & District U3A will hold an Open meeting in The Guildhall, Chard at 2.00 pm with a talk entitled “On the Fiddle” Jane Norman will play us a range of instruments to illustrate her talk on the development of the fiddle and violin through the ages. Admission free to members and retired visitors. Further information 01460 68629 or our website https://u3asites.org.uk/chardilminster.

Bridport Folk Dance Club. 7.30pm 9.30pm WI Hall North St. Bridport. DT6 3JQ Gentle, sociable keep fit for the new year. Beginner and experienced dancers welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). Contact 01308 458 165

TUESDAY 21 JANUARY

Beaminster Museum Winter Talk, 2.30 pm. John Smith will give a talk Battle of Britain over Dorset. To celebrate 80 year anniversary of the battle of Britain, this specially researched talk discusses the role Dorset played in its victory. Beaminster Museum, Whitcombe Road, DT8 3NB. Info@beaminstermuseum.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY

Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticultural Society talk. 7.30pm Uplyme Village Hall. Cultivating Beauty and Function within the organic kitchen garden by Will Livingstone, formerly head gardener at River Cottage.

Maiden Newton Art Group 1.30 – 4.30pm. As one of our Spring workshops this weekly Wednesday afternoon group are holding an Open Lecture with Pamela Simpson on ‘Winter – an exploration through Art’, looking at Frost Fairs, Dutch 16th-17th c. painting, including Avercamp, and Breughal and Japanese winter paintings, plus the Impressionists view of Winter sunshine, photographs of Paris in the snow by Lee Miller and the sculpture of Andy Goldsworthy and Helen Chadwick. Maiden Newton Village Hall DT2 0AE. Non-members welcome to join

us for £5 to include homemade cake and refreshments at the interval.

Horticultural Society Drimpton.

Quiz and Food. 7pm. Entertaining quiz complemented with local food . Tables of 4. £8. Drimpton Village Hall DT8 3RF. To book tel 01308 867694 South Petherton Local History Group hosts Jane de Gruchy describing the varied lives of “Somerset Women”, from the archives of Somerset Heritage Centre. At 7.30pm, Methodist Church Hall, Palmer Street, TA13 5DB. Visitors welcome, £3 on the door.

THURSDAY 23 JANUARY

Community Coffee Morning, 10:30am – 12:00pm at West Bay Discovery Centre, West Bay. Cup of tea, coffee and biscuits for £1. Further details http://www. westbaydiscoverycentre.org.uk/ West Dorset Ramblers Walk In circles around Golden Cap. Starts at 10:00am 9.4 miles/15.1 km. Contact 01308 424512 Short Mat Bowls, 7.00pm, Beaminster Public Hall, Geoff 01308 538971 Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn tunes by ear.

Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (pine hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 01297 445078 or email petelinnett@naturalvoice.net Sidmouth Ballroom Dancing Club, 8p.m. Couples of all abilities welcome. St Francis Hall, EX10 9XH 01395 579856.

30th also.

Community Coffee Morning, 10am – noon, in Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. There will be a raffle, and a cake stall/’bring & buy’ with home-made items, produce etc. Croissants & bacon rolls will also be served. Do come and join us, for an opportunity to meet friends & neighbours - or get to know new people.

Local or not, you can be sure of a warm welcome in Clapton. More details from Julia (01460 72769).

Chard Ladies’ Evening Guild, 6.30, Talk On Energy Use by Louise Evans, Crowshute Centre Chard, Contact 01460 62722.

SouthDorset RSPB Group will hold a meeting at 7-15 pm in Committee room 1, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester DT1 1XJ. The speakers will be Steve and Julie Trewella “in the company of Seahorses” Admission £3-0 members,

£4-0 visitors to include coffee and biscuits

FRIDAY 24 JANUARY

Castle players presents Macbeth - the pantomime, 730, fantastic fun original pantomime, Lytchett Matravers Village Hall, castleplayers.com Seaton Heart Hub 11am - 1pm A cooking demonstration for anyone living with, or at risk of, a diet related illness. The Marshlands Centre, Seaton hannah@halff.org.uk kerry@ halff.org.uk 01297 631785 Lucy Bell presents Laminated 7.30pm Live on stage. “Lucy Bell’s Laminated explores the impact of having a high-needs child on a marriage in this warm and funny conversational one-woman show.” Age 12+ £10 The Beehive, Honiton. www. beehivehoniton.co.uk Box office 01404 384050 Three of the Very Best, 8pm, awardwinning mainstream jazz from Ben Cummings, Martin Dale and Dominic Ashworth + the Craig Milverton Trio, Tickets £20, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, 01460 54973, www.themeetinghouse.org.uk The Living Tree, cancer self-help group.

2.00pm Tripudio Flow gentle exercise.

2.15pm Talk about the Dorset Cancer Care Foundation. 2.30 – 4.00pm Therapy session Anne Escott offering Foot Massages. Drop in any time between 2pm and 4.30pm at the Friends’ Meeting House, 95 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NZ. Tel 07341 916 976. www.thelivingtree.org.uk Patagonia, a South American wilderness.

7.30pm Local wildlife enthusiasts Lynn & Steve Osborne will take us on a visual journey to Southern Argentina & Chile.

Parish Hall, North St. Ilminster TA19 0DG Enquiries, Valerie 01460 234551

SATURDAY 25 JANUARY

The New Elizabethan Singers perform two popular and joyous works of the 18th Century. Bach’s ‘Magnificat’ was written for a five part choir, five soloists and, for its time, a large orchestra. It was composed originally to form part of the evening service (Vespers) but in no way lulls those listening towards peaceful sleep. Similarly, Mozart’s ‘Solemn Vespers’ is solemn only in the sense that it is accompanied by an orchestra rather than an organ. It’s Mozart’s setting of five Psalms and his version of Magnificat.

The concert takes place in St. Mary’s Church, Bridport, starting at 7pm and the choir is joined by an orchestra and professional soloists. Admission is £12, (under 18s free).

Tickets are available from Goadsby Estate Agents in Bridport.

Dorset Countryside Volunteers, 10:00 17:00. Coppicing with a bonfire to brew up at break times! New people welcome to learn Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 27

this traditional skill. Powerstock Common (West Dorset). See www.dcv.org.uk, email DCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text/ voicemail 07923-498760.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Colyton10.30am start.

Bring picnic. No dogs. All welcome. Please call 01308 898484/01308 863340 Henhayes Big Breakfast – 10am – 12 noon. Egg, bacon, tomato/beans, toast and tea/coffee. Only £4.50! Extras 50p each including black pudding, mushrooms & hash browns. Vegetarian options are also available. The Henhayes Centre, South Street Car Park, Crewkerne, TA18 8DA. Tel 01460 74340.

Steve Knightley: Pass Notes - The stories behind the songs. 8pm. Following the success of last year’s intimate one-man show, Steve’s latest outing is intended for anyone fascinated by the art and craft of song writing. At The David Hall, South Petherton, TA13 5AA. Tickets: £19 from www.thedavidhall.org.uk or 01460 240 340.

Sooouper Saturday 12 noon - 2 p.m. Delicious home-made soup with a sandwich at Holy Trinity Church, Bothenhampton. Ro Windsor 01308 459259

SUNDAY 26 JANUARY

Dorset Countryside Volunteers, 10:00 - 17:00. Coppicing with a bonfire to brew up at break times! New people welcome to learn this traditional skill. Powerstock Common (West Dorset). See www.dcv.org. uk, email DCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text/voicemail 07923-498760.

Allington Strings Winter Concert at 3pm. Pianist Jonathon Delbridge plays Mozart’s Coronation Concerto plus music

by Beethoven, Webern and Bruch at All Saints Church, Church St, Merriott TA16 5PS Divine Union Soundbath 2pm-4pm crystal and tibetan bowls for deep relaxation/detox, Oborne Village Hall, Oborne, nr. Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4LA www.centreforpuresound.org ahaiahel@ live.com 01935 389655 Seaton Dance Club, 7-9 pm. Ballroom, Latin and Jive with lots of help for beginners. (No formal lessons and no sequence). £4 per person (All profits support The Gateway Theatre). Bar open.

The Gateway Theatre, Seaton Town Hall, Fore Street EX12 2LD. Contact Jackie: 01297 23953 or Gateway box office 01297 625699 Facebook @seatondanceclub Acoustic Night. 7.30pm – 11pm. All styles and forms of performance welcome – not just music. If you wish to perform please drop us an email at folk@chriswatts. org to secure a slot. At The David Hall, South Petherton, TA13 5AA. Just £1 for performers and £2 Audience. Please pay 28 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

on the door.

South Somerset Ramblers. 10 mile walk via Over Compton and Sherborne. Meet at Trench Church (ST 590186) at 10 a.m.

Details from Peter on 01935 429477. Bring a picnic.

East Devon Ramblers 11 miles moderate walk. 10.00am Harpford Contact 01395 578699

Parish Boundaries around Yeovil by Jim Hart, 7 for 7.30 pm, at Martock Primary School, TA12 6EF. 01935 822202.

Dorset Industrial Archaeology Society lecture,7.30pm,”Weymouth to the Channel Islands” by Brian Jackson,the Dorset Room, Colliton House,Colliton Park,Dorchester.01308 422054/01935813598.

MONDAY 27 JANUARY

WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock 7.30 – 10.00 p.m. Evening of social dancing at Chardstock Village Hall, Cost £1.50 tea or coffee included. No partner required. Contact David on 01460 65981; Ann on 01308 42297; or Andrew on 01297 33461, or just come along www. chardscottishdancing.org AVDCS Work Party 10.00 - 16.00.

Laurel clearance at Pinhay (Undercliffs) Meet at grassy triangle above Pinhay House SY316913. Further details Donald Campbell 01297 552945.

Bridport Folk Dance Club. 7.30pm 9.30pm WI Hall North St. Bridport. DT6 3JQ Gentle, sociable keep fit for the new year with visiting Band and caller. Beginner and experienced dancers welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). Contact 01308 458 165

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY

U3A Monthly Talk The U3A (University of the Third Age) offers a wide variety of general interest groups for retired, and semi retired people in Bridport and the surrounding areas. 2pm in Bridport United Church Hall in East Street. The cost to non members for each talk is £2.

Further Information can be found at www. u3asites.org.uk/bridport. Dr Keith Hooper presents a talk entitled ‘Faith, Angels and the Poor’ from his biography of Charles Dickens.

Seaton Cooking For One 11am - 1pm A cooking demonstration and taster for anyone who wants to learn to cook delicious, nutritious meals on a budget.

The Marshlands Centre, Seaton hannah@ halff.org.uk kerry@halff.org.uk 01297 631788 West Dorset Ramblers Walk Portland Circular. Starts at 10:00am - 8 miles/12.9 km. Contact 01308 423927 Charity Tea Dance 2.30p.m. Ballroom and sequence dancing to strict tempo CD’s All Saints Hall, Sidmouth EX10 8ES 01395 517122 Merriott Gardening Club Time: 7.30pm : Dr Francis Burroughes -a talk about the Victorian Head Gardener and his life on a Victorian country estate. Location: Tithe Barn, Church Street, Merriott - nonmembers £2 at the door. Contact: Barbara on 01460-72298

Health MOT. Free check up with LiveWell Dorset. 9am -4pm. Literary & Scientific Institute www.lsibridport.co.uk Coffee Morning. 10am-12noon. At The David Hall, South Petherton, TA13 5AA. Free Entry.

THURSDAY 30 JANUARY

West Dorset Ramblers Walk Hardy Country Hike. Starts at 10:00am - 8 miles/12.9 km. Contact 01308 423346 Short Mat Bowls, 7.00pm, Beaminster Public Hall, Geoff 01308 538971 Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn tunes by ear.

Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (pine hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 01297 445078 or email petelinnett@naturalvoice.net Goldilocks, 7.30pm, a panto whodunnit with bears and gnomes, All Saints village hall, nr. Axminster, EX13 7LX, www.aspc. org.uk/pantomime-society. Also 31st and Feb 1st.

FRIDAY 31 JANUARY

Flying Folk, 7.30pm, an evening of folk music hosted by Jemima Farey, Tickets £15, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, 01460 54973, www.themeetinghouse.org.uk The Living Tree, cancer self-help group.

2.00pm Tripudio Flow gentle exercise.

2.15pm Art with Libby. 2.30 – 4.00pm Therapy session to be confirmed. Drop in any time between 2pm and 4.30pm at the Friends’ Meeting House, 95 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NZ. Tel 07341 916 976. www.thelivingtree.org.uk Quiz, 6.30/7.00 pm, teams maximum 6, individuals welcome, hot supper, prizes, raffle, 50/50, £8.00 per person. Fundraiser for defibrillator. Misterton village hall. Information / tickets from Phil 01460-73815.

January Music in Lyme

Ninebarrow come to the Marine in January

TWO all-time greats of the British blues scene, Dorset’s acclaimed folk duo and a Brazilian jazz trio take music-lovers on some exciting journeys at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, starting with Paul Jones and Dave Kelly on Friday 10th January.

With a guitar, harmonica, two authentic voices filled with decades of life and blues, Jones and Kelly draw on an enviable repertoire of songs and memories. The lead singer of Manfred Mann and The Blues Band is joined by the guitarist who played with John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf.

Multi award-winning folk duo Ninebarrow come to the Marine on Saturday 25th.

The Dorset musicians, who have been described as sounding “like two halves of one voice,” combine beautiful vocal harmonies and melodies, with original songs that are rooted in the landscape and history of the British Isles.

There is a double helping of music on Sunday 26th, with the regular Sunday sessions featuring local musicians at 3pm, and Trio Simbora at Jazz in the Bar at 8pm.

The band’s set ranges across the exuberant sounds and rhythms found in Brazil, from the virtuosic instrumental Choro music of Rio de Janeiro to the uplifting songs of the Forró and Afro-Brazilian traditions in the northeast.

Trio Simbora coming to Lyme Regis in January

January COURSES & WORKSHOPS

MONDAY 6 JANUARY

Jurassic Coast Women Writers share their writing at Charmouth Library 7 pm Call Monique 07709022299.

Tower Studio Art Class 10am - 1pm A friendly, drawing, painting, mixed art class Tower Studio, St Michaels Art and Vintage Quarter Booking essential. Call Claire 07767622470 Also on Monday13th, 20th and 27th January

TUESDAY 7 JANUARY

Willow Workshops Hedgerow Basket £55 Studi0ne, Broadwindsor Craft Centre, Dorset jojo.sadler@hotmail. co.uk josadlerforgednwillow.bigcartel.com 07531417209.

Watercolours, Tuesdays 10am-12pm or 1-3pm, Learn the techniques of watercolour in these relaxed classes, £180 for 12 weeks. Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, www.themeetinghouse.org.uk

WEDNESDAY 8 JANUARY

Acrylic Painting, Wednesdays 10.30am12.30pm. Explore and develop your own painting style. All abilities, £75 for 6 workshops, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, www.themeetinghouse.org.uk Dalwood Upholstery Class with tutor John Cooper in Dalwood Village Hall.

9.30am to 3.30pm. £15 per day. As places are limited, please book in advance by phone on 01404 831207.

THURSDAY 9 JANUARY

Bullet Journals, 09.30 to 12.30 £30 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@coastalcraftcollective.co.uk Pastel Pencils, 10am-1pm, Desert animals, £75, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, www.themeetinghouse.org.uk Portraits in Oils. Thursdays, 1.454.15pm, Paint a portrait of your choice and discover a variety of oil painting techniques, £65 for 6 workshops, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, www. themeetinghouse.org.uk 30 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Tower Studio Art Class 10am - 1pm A friendly, drawing, painting, mixed art class Tower Studio, St Michaels Art and Vintage Quarter. Booking essential. Call Claire 07767622470 Also on Thursday 16th, 23rd and 30th of January.

FRIDAY 10 JANUARY

Beginners’ Sewing Machine Workshop,10am-1pm, Learn about threading, stitches and basic maintenance, £15 per session,Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, www.themeetinghouse.org.uk

By The Loom - Axminster Heritage Spinning and Weaving Group. Come along and learn new skills or use old ones with a friendly and supportive group. £3 Everyone welcome; beginners and the more experienced. 10.30 – 3.00 pm at Dalwood Pavilion EX13 7EU. To book and for details please phone: 01404 831207 Tower Studio Art Class 10am - 1pm A friendly, drawing, painting, mixed art class Tower Studio, St Michaels Art and Vintage Quarter Booking essential. Call Claire 07767622470 Also on Friday 17th, 24th and 31st January

SATURDAY 11 JANUARY

Introduction to Weaving with a Loom, 10.00 to 13.00 £35 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@ coastalcraftcollective.co.uk Hand Embroidery For Beginners. 10am - 1pm Learn the best 15 hand embroidery stitches. Produce a sampler and then use the stitches in a creative project. Tutor: Jan Dimond, £16 The Bradshaw Meeting Room, Thomas Whitty House, Silver Street, Axminster EX13 5AH To book please phone Jane on 01404 831207

SUNDAY 12 JANUARY

Time to Write, 2.00 -3.30pm, Creative writing sessions and conversation inspired by the museum collections with poet Sarah Ccton. Lyme Regis museum, tel 01297 443370, email:museum@ lymeregismuseum.co.uk, Lyme Regis museum, Bridge Street, DT7 3QA. Also

19th and 26th.

MONDAY 13 JANUARY

Art Journaling, 10.00 to 13.00 £30 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@coastalcraftcollective.co.uk Calligraphy, 14.00 to 16.00 £20 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@ coastalcraftcollective.co.uk also 20 and 27 January The January Art and Design History course in Bridport is ‘Realism’. Chapel in the Garden, East Street, Bridport. 2pm3.30pm, 6 wks. Fee: £60. Email chris. pamsimpson@btinternet.com or tel 01300 321715. Tutor: Pam Simpson MA, Pam teaches at Bath Spa University and teaches courses in Bridport and Lyme Regis.

Modern Floral Watercolour Workshop for beginners 1 to 3.30pm an introduction to painting winter snowdrops £16 Axminster Heritage Centre Silver st Axminster to book call 01404 831207

TUESDAY 14 JANUARY

Lino Printing, 13.45 to 16.45 £20 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@coastalcraftcollective.co.uk

FRIDAY 17 JANUARY

Make a Felt Hat or Scarf, 10am-3pm, Learn how to use felt to create a stylish new hat or cosy scarf, £25, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, www. themeetinghouse.org.uk Calligraphy workshop for beg/int 1 to 3.30 pm Come and learn the foundation hand at Axminster Heritage Centre Silver st axminster Call 07703246481 or gina.youens@ btinternet.com

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY

Fabric Floral Wreaths, 10.30 to 15.30 £35 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@coastalcraftcollective.co.uk Children’s Art Chest, 10.30am-12.30pm, Viking Art, £5. Age 8+, Ilminster Arts

Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, www. themeetinghouse.org.uk Printing on Fabric: Embellishing by machine or hand embroidery’ An Axminster Heritage Craft Course £16 Tutor: Jan Dimond. 10:00 am – 3 pm The Bradshaw Meeting Room, Silver Street, Axminster EX13 5AH To book and for details please phone Jane on 01404 831207

TUESDAY 21 JANUARY

Paint Pouring, 14.00 to 16.30 £28.50 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@ coastalcraftcollective.co.uk Dillington House, Ilminster. Day course with Bridport based historian Jane Ferentzi-Sheppard Mayflower 400 - West Country Connections to North America. Fee: £56, this includes coffee/tea on arrival, midmorning coffee, 3-course lunch and tea with cake. To book please contact the Bookings Office on 01460 258613.

Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 9DT www.dillington.com dillington@somerset.gov.uk Creative Process and Self Expression Workshops (Level 1) begin today in Bridport - The Chapel in the Garden. 10 Tuesdays 9.30am-12.30. ‘Serious play’ with art materials & group discussions. Max 10 participants. Successful course at London’s Central St. Martins’ College for 20+ years. Suitable for artists & designers as well as beginners wanting to explore + develop creativity and self expression further. Great if you are looking to find or change creative direction, feeling creatively stuck etc. Fun and challenging. Contact M. Caddick (MA DipAT) asap to discuss the course & to book a place

07557 275275. For course flyer email m.caddick@gmx.net “In 10 weeks I learnt more about my own creative processes than in 6 years at art school.” “A deeply enriching experience.”

FRIDAY 24 JANUARY

Slow Stitch, 10am-12.30pm (and 1.304pm). The simple and mindful process of creating designs on fabric with stitch. Bring your own hand sewing kit. £15 (excl materials), Ilminster Arts

By The Loom - Axminster Heritage Spinning and Weaving Group. Come along and learn new skills or use old ones with a friendly and supportive group. £3 Everyone welcome; beginners and the more experienced.

10.30 – 3.00 pm For information tel.

01404 831207. The Bradshaw Meeting Room, Axminster Heritage, Silver Street, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5AH

MONDAY 27 JANUARY

Metal Embossing, 10.00 to 13.00 £30 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@ coastalcraftcollective.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY

Dalwood Upholstery Class 9.30am to 3.30pm with tutor John Cooper in Dalwood Village Hall. 9.30am to 3.30pm. £15 per day. Places are limited, please book in advance on 01404 831207.

THURSDAY 30 JANUARY

Mosaics Workshop, 30 - 09.30 to 13.00 , 31 - 09.00 to 10.30 £40 Coastal Craft Collective, 10 Marine Place, Seaton, Devon EX12 2QL 01297 691362 hello@coastalcraftcollective. co.uk

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 31

January FILMS

MONDAY 30 DECEMBER

Scotch – The Golden Dram tells the story of Uisge beatha - Gaelic for “water of life”.

Tickets £5 More info or to book: 01404 831207 or visit www.axminsterheritage.org Doors open 1:30 for 2pm start Axminster Heritage, The Bradshaw Meeting Room, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5AH

THURSDAY 2 JANUARY

Faces Places (12A). Presented by Clapton & Wayford Film Society. 7:00 pm doors for 7:30 pm start. Director Agnes Varda and French photographer and muralist JR share a lifelong passion for images and how they are created, displayed and shared.

Together they travel around the villages of France in JR’s photo truck meeting locals, learning their stories and producing epic-size portraits of them. Guest tickets £4. Contact: mickpwilson53@btinternet.com, or ring Mick on 01460 74849 or Di on 01460 30508.

FRIDAY 3 JANUARY

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (U) 3pm Adult £6.80, U16 £5.80 Family of four £22 The Beehive, Honiton. www. beehivehoniton.co.uk Box office 01404 384050 The Good Liar (15) 7.30pm Legendary actors, Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen star in this thriller about a conman who sets out to swindle a rich widow. Based on the novel

by Nicholas Searle. Adult £6.80, U16 £5.80 The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton. co.uk Box office 01404 384050

SATURDAY 4 JANUARY

André Rieu: 70 Years Young (12A) 7pm The King of Waltz is celebrating a landmark birthday and is inviting cinema audiences all over the world to his party! Tickets £10.30 The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton. co.uk Box office 01404 384050

MONDAY 6 JANUARY

Judy (cert. 12A), biopic/drama starring Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland. Doors 7pm, film 7.30pm, presented by Hawkchurch Film Nights, Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XW. Tickets £5 in advance from 32 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Hawkchurch Community Shop or £6 on the night.

WEDNESDAY 8 JANUARY

Jailhouse Rock 1.45pm, Elvis Presley stars in this 1958 classic Rock ‘n’ Roll movie. There will also be a special tribute presentation to Elvis for what would have been his 85th birthday. Evergreens Cinema, Age UK Dorchester, 4 Prince of Wales Road DT11PW. Admission £2, including tea and biscuits. Phone Lucy on 01305 269444 or aukdmemories@outlook.com.

FRIDAY 10 JANUARY

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet (screening) (12A) 7.30pm Matthew Bourne’s brand new production is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic story of love and conflict. Adult £16.30, Student £10.30 The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton.co.uk Box office 01404 384050

SATURDAY 11 JANUARY

Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf 3pm. The Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. Online tickets from http://tiny.cc/ ulrhs £6 plus £1.06 booking fee. Tricia Boyd 07767 261444.

Knives Out (12A) 7.30pm Daniel Craig stars as private detective Benoit Blanc, called in to find out who murdered the eminent novellist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) on his 85th birthday. Adult £6.80, U16 £5.80 Family of four £22 The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton.co.uk Box office 01404 384050

MONDAY 13 JANUARY

Downton Abbey, Moviola, 7:30 Beaminster Public Hall,Book with Elaine 01308 861746 The Peanut Butter Falcon (12A). Doors 7:30pm for 8:00pm start. Adventure story set in the world of a modern Mark Twain that begins when Zak (22), a young man with Down syndrome, runs away from the nursing home where he lives to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Screening at Odcombe Village Hall. Tickets £5 in advance on 07934 737104, or £6 on the door.

TUESDAY 14 JANUARY

Tais-Toi Doors open 7pm for 7:45 film.

Bridport Film Society, Bridport Arts Centre (Members and guests only; Text to 07770 261348 guests@bridportfilmsociety.co.uk)

THURSDAY 16 JANUARY

Royal Ballet Live Screening: The Sleeping Beauty (12A) 7.15pm Adult £16.30, Student £10.30 Journey to an enchanted world of princesses, fairy godmothers and magical spells in this landmark production of Petipa’s classic ballet, to Tchaikovsky’s glorious music. The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton. co.uk Box office 01404 384050

FRIDAY 17 JANUARY

Sorry We Missed You (15) 7.30pm Directed by Ken Loach, this drama about delivery driver Ricky is a gritty look at how zero-hour contracts can wreak havoc for some families. Adult £6.80, U16 £5.80 The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton. co.uk Box office 01404 384050 Isle of Dogs. Doors and bar open from 7.00 for 7.30pm start. Cost £3.50, tickets on the door. It’s a film by Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr Fox) and is at The Village Hall, The Causeway, Milborne St Andrew, DT11 0JX.

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY

Knives Out (12A) 7.30pm (Doors 7pm). A thoroughly enjoyable, Agatha-Christie-style who-dunnit with excellent performances from an all-star cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer and many others. Venue: Halstock Village Hall.

Tickets: £6.50 from Halstock Shop or on the door. Contact: 01935 892485

FRIDAY 24 JANUARY

Judy will be shown by T & F Movies at 7.30pm in Tatworth Memorial Hall. The film is based on Judy Garland`s sold out performances at the Talk of the Town, London in the winter of 1968, with Renee Zellweger as Judy. The doors open at 7.00pm and the entry charge is £4.50.

SATURDAY 25 JANUARY

Le Mans ‘66 (12A) 7.30pm Christian Bale and Matt Damon star in the true story of how Ford challenged Ferrari over the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans ‘66. Adult £6.80, U16 £5.80 Family of four £22 The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton. co.uk Box office 01404 384050

MONDAY 27 JANUARY

Downton Abbey Excitement is high when the Crawley family learns that King George V and Queen Mary are coming to visit.

Tickets £5 More info or to book: 01404

831207 Doors open 1:30 for 2pm start Axminster Heritage, The Bradshaw Meeting Room, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5AH

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY

Phoenix Doors open 7pm for 7:45 film.

Bridport Film Society, Bridport Arts Centre (Members and guests only; Text only to 07770 261348 guests@bridportfilmsociety. co.uk)

FRIDAY 31 JANUARY

Nostalgic Cinema: Whisky Galore!

(U) 2pm1949 Ealing Comedy starring

Basil Radford & Joan Greenwood. Scottish islanders try to plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from a stranded ship. A dementiafriendly screening open to all. £3.80 includes tea and biscuits after the film. The Beehive, Honiton. www.beehivehoniton.co.uk Box office 01404 384050.

Royal Opera House Screening: La Boheme (12A) 7.15pm Puccini’s music and Richard Jones’s production capture the joy and heartache of young love in Paris. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. Adult £16.30, Student £10.30 The Beehive, Honiton. www. beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050.

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 33

Where the Dipping is Ripping

By Cecil Amor

A

Carlos Guarita’s book of photographs by Joseph Robert Potts

t the November meeting of Bridport History Society our new committee member, Carlos Guarita, introduced his latest book entitled Where the Dipping is Ripping. We were shown slides of many of the photographs from the book, which features images produced by Joseph Robert Potts taken before and after the First World War. Potts was born in Felton, Northumberland in 1885. He came to Dorset and was living in Weymouth in 1911, working as a photographer. In the same year he married Harriet Mary Wills at St John’s Church, Portland and by 1912 he was working as a photographer for Shepard Photographers in East Street, Bridport. Shepard died in 1912 and Potts joined another of Shepard’s employees, Clarence H. Austin, as “Austin and Potts”. Unfortunately Austin died in 1913 and Potts carried on alone.

When war came in 1914 Potts enlisted in the army and was sent to India as a Private in the Dorchester Regiment. He photographed his colleagues and the local sights. He transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1918 and was discharged in 1919.

He returned to Bridport, working from 45 East Street, from Mrs. Shepard’s Studio.

Carlos, himself a professional photog-

34 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

rapher, has published Potts’ photographs together for the first time and provided an analysis of them. I have seen previously in various books of our locality one or two of the images, but Potts was not acknowledged. The front cover of the book shows a young couple sitting on the front at West Bay, Bridport. The title “Where the dipping…” has been taken from another of Potts pictures, this time of Burton Bradstock. The Chesil Beach at Abbotsbury features with a beaching of the “Dorothea” in 1914 and another of May 1923, a barque, or ketch, the “Alioth”, stranded on the beach at West Bay which was wrecked later in the day. Potts photographs cover Burton Bradstock and Eype with several photographs of each and also of West Bay. The photographs show how the beach and cliffs have changed since the 1920’s.

I was personally intrigued by Potts time in India from 1914, as my father was also sent there in 1918 and the troop, complete with “topees” (sun helmets) look just the same as in our family album. I think both men were stationed at Dagshai too.

Pictures of the funeral of “Lawrence of Arabia” at Moreton, Dorset in 1935 show Winston Churchill as one of the mourners.

Among the early photographs of town and village events an unusual set include flooding at Diment Square, Bridport in 1913. The book has raised several thoughts in my mind. The flooding at Diment Square was not alone in Bridport, which had many floods in earlier years and also the more recent floods in the north of England, last autumn. Some of these were so bad that people may not be able to return to their homes. This also makes one think of global warming and are the floods of the last few years an indication of this, or is it because appropriate steps have not been taken to prevent flooding?

The photographs of the two beached ships, the “Dorothea” and the “Alioth”, also bring to mind the perils of shipwreck.

Some years ago Bridport History Society had a talk by Gordon Le Pard on the subject of shipwrecks in Lyme Bay. Gordon told us that over 1,500 shipwreck sites have been identified for “The Maritime Archaeological Sites in Dorset”. The earliest wreck dated from around 1500 AD, in Studland Bay, and was possibly Spanish.

The “Earl of Abergavenny” was wrecked in 1805 including a reputed chest of £30,000 worth of silver. It was eventually salvaged using a diving bell from Weymouth Harbour by divers who concluded that construction flaws caused its sudden sinking. In 1879 the “US Constitution” was swept into Swanage Bay, but towed off by steam tugs and was returned to Boston, USA where it is on view.

Last autumn we experienced some unusual seas on the south coast, described by one Coast Guard as the waves turning like the water in a washing machine. Unfortunately a young man and his mother were walking on the shore, close to the waters’ edge at Burton Bradstock and they were both swept in by the waves. The mother managed to get out of the water, but her son was drowned.

We are also regularly warned about the danger of cliff falls and that we should keep a safe distance from cliffs, and not to climb for fossils, but wait until they have fallen from the cliff onto the shore.

One of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex Tales is Fellow Townsmen which features Bridport (as Port-Bredy) and harbour, with mentions of a Black-Bull Hotel and St Mary’s

church. The two main male characters are Mr Barnet and Mr Downe, old friends. Barnet was well off, his father having sold his flax merchant’s business, whilst Downe was a struggling solicitor. They were both married, Downe with a loving wife and children, but Barnet had married “above him” and his wife was distant.

Downe suggested that his wife might visit Mrs Barnet and perhaps female company might settle her mood. This was agreed and Mrs Barnet took Mrs Downe for a drive to the harbour the next day. The weather was fine and the ladies decided to take a boat trip round the cliff. Unfortunately there was a sudden change of the wind and the boat threw both ladies into the sea. Mrs Barnet was recovered and Barnet took her home and with his attention she recovered. Mrs Downe was drowned and later Barnet suggested to the grieving Downe that perhaps he should engage a young woman with whom they were both acquainted, as a governess for his three children. Meanwhile Barnet’s wife had left him to go to a relative in London and sometime later she died there.

Downe decided to marry the governess, Lucy Savile, which was a blow to Barnet who had hoped to woo her, now that he was free. Barnet proceeded to sell his houses, etc., and left PortBredy for over 21 years. On his return he was told that Downe had died seven years earlier, his children married and Lucy living alone. Barnet immediately visited Lucy and asked her to marry him, but she declined. Barnet left apparently for good. Lucy changed her mind and after a few days went to the Black-Bull, but found Barnet had left without leaving a forwarding address.

So Hardy ended his story, with no happy ending.

Potts excellent photographs show how apparently benign our sea can be, but we must always take care. Overall it is a most interesting book.

Carlos and I agreed in November it is too cold for “Dipping”.

Bridport History Society will open its New Year on Tuesday 14th January at 2.30 pm in the United Church Main Hall, Bridport East Street when Richard Sims will talk about “Coker Canvas and Bridport”, including Bridport sailcloth industry. All welcome, visitors entrance fee £4.

Happy New Year to all from Cecil Amor, Hon. President, Bridport History Society

Ancient Roman Villa discovered in West Dorset

The Roman villa mosaic at Nunnery Mead © Rob Brunt

AN ancient Roman villa has been re-discovered on a Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) nature reserve in west Dorset near Frampton. The results of the dig were shown on the Digging for Britain series on BBC4 recently.

The dig was carried out by experts from Bournemouth University this summer on DWT’s Nunnery Mead nature reserve in West Dorset, where the Roman Villa was known to exist. Thought to be destroyed in the mid-19th Century, the team were delighted to find a well-preserved site.

Dr Miles Russell, Senior Lecturer in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, said: “The opportunity to survey, record and better understand the Roman villa at Nunnery Mead, Frampton, was one we couldn’t miss, given that the building was thought to have been destroyed in the mid-19th century.

Working with the Dorset Wildlife Trust, Historic England (the site is a Protected Scheduled Ancient Monument) and the team at the BBC’s Digging for Britain was a unique experience and the results, finding wellpreserved walls and areas of surviving mosaic, were truly exceptional. We very much look forward to working in future partnership with the Dorset Wildlife Trust in order to obtain a more complete understanding of this exciting and nationally important site.”

DWT’s Land Manager, Rob Brunt said, “It was really incredible to see the mosaic paving and it was such a relief to discover that so much was still there under our feet. We really enjoyed working with Miles and the team and would welcome them back anytime.”

Alongside Nunnery Mead having some of the richest mosaics in Britain, it is also the site of a medieval settlement and is rich with wildlife. Former water meadows make up the majority of the reserve which sits alongside the banks of the river Frome. With seasonal flooding and historical agricultural improvement, the meadows have become rich in nutrients attracting a wide range of wildlife, such as otters, kingfishers and dippers.

The dig site © Jane Franklin

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 35

News&Views

COLYTON School rises to the top

Colyton Grammar School has risen from 17th to 11th in this year’s Sunday Times Parent Power Guide to Secondary Schools. The Midweek Herald reports that the school has also been named the second ranking state secondary school in the guide’s South West region. Headteacher Tim Harris said it meant Colyton was the best-ranked state secondary school in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. He added: “Our desire at Colyton Grammar School is to prepare our students for their next steps through a combination of scholarship and developing character. I am so proud of the summer’s fantastic GCSE and A-level results and by our students who go on to thrive at university and in their careers.” He said the results were a testament to parents, students and school staff.

LYME REGIS Donation put to good use

Town councillors have been considering eight different proposals of how to use a £15,000 donation from Fossil Films. The company shot Ammonite, a film based on the life of Mary Anning, in Lyme Regis last year. Part of the movie was filmed at the council-owned Bell Cliff and the company gave the authority £15,000 as a thank you. According to the Bridport News, requests were made by Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support, B Sharp, Lyme Regis Gig Club, Lyme Regis Musical Theatre, Mary Anning Rocks, the town Mill trust, Woodroffe School PTFA and Mary Anning Scholarship Legacy Fund. The latter wants to support female students going into education in earth sciences of science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects.

36 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

ILMINSTER New trees to save the planet

The first 40 trees funded by the public have been planted on land owned by town residents.

It’s all part of the Green Ilminster group’s ambition to add 7,000 trees to the town and the surrounding area, according to The Chard and Ilminster News. One of the group’s founding members, Sarah Hunt, said planting trees is one of the best ways to combat climate change. Green Ilminster and the Ilminster Tree Project is encouraging the community to get involved, from planting one tree in a garden to landowners giving permission for them to plant many. She said: “We are happy to provide advice and planting teams on both public and private land.” Attending the tree planting was Pamela Sellers, who planted a community woodland in the town 10 years ago.

BEAMINSTER Air ambulance donation

The Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance is £1,000 better off thanks to a donation from Mapperton House and Gardens’ Autumn Charity Plant Fair. It is a cause close to the hearts of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, whose family home is Mapperton House, near Beaminster. Presenting a cheque to Leanne Colverson, Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Community Fundraising Officer for Dorset, Lady Sandwich revealed that the Air Ambulance had attended serious incidents on the Mapperton estate on no less than three occasions in past years. Lady Sandwich said: “We are delighted to be able to support the Air Ambulance through our Charity Plant Fair – and we are very grateful for the times it has turned out to attend the incidents here. It just shows that anybody, anywhere, at any time could need the service.”

WEYMOUTH Youth worker’s poverty protest

Tom Lane, principal youth worker at Steps youth club, handcuffed himself to a bench in the town centre to highlight what he says is shocking poverty in the area. The Dorset Echo reports that Mr Lane, who has worked at Steps for 25 years, has seen an alarming rise in the number of poverty-stricken youngsters over the past ten years. He said some had suffered indirect issues, such as exclusion from education, involvement with drugs and mental health. But other young people had turned up hungry because their family had no money.

“The cupboards are bare,” he told a reporter.

Government data shows 30% of children in Weymouth and Portland now live in poverty – rising to 39% in Weymouth East and Melcombe Regis, and 43% in Underhill, Portland.

Humph’s Seasonal Crossword Laterally Speaking by Humphrey Walwyn

Welcome to our regular and seasonal Marshwood Vale crossword. A few of the answers are local Dorset, Devon and Somerset place names, so it might be helpful to have a local map or you can always look it up on Google Maps! Good luck!

1

2

8

3

4

11

12

13

16

14

17

19

7

20

24

15

18

21

22

25

26

27

Across 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 17

18 19 21 23 26 27 28

6

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10

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Sonic or baby (4) For the entire duration of (10) Chopping up cedars leaves you frightened (6) Lands for grazing (8) East Devon village one mile north of Axminster (8) Type of elephant, ink or cuisine (6) Non-lethal phaser setting reverses nuts (4) Dorset village 7 miles northeast of Bridport sounds like you could get hung up on it (5) Inns or drinking places (4) Of the Cherokee, the Mohawk, the Iceni or the Durotriges (6) South Devon coastal town about 6 miles west of 27 Across (8) Attractive, like a compass (8) When they’re up, they approve. When they’re down, they don’t. (6) East Devon village overlooking Lyme Bay (10) Listening devices included in rehearsals (4)

28

Down 1 2

3 4 5 6

7 13 15 17

18 20 22 24 25

Dorset town is also a 5-star luxury London hotel (10) Applies to express, airlines, pie and graffiti or even Donald Trump (8) Single-room apartments good for artists (6) Stumble when making journey (4) Morecambe and Wise bring it when they sing it (8) Opening word of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is first word sung at New Year (6) The month in 2016 that the Brexit referendum was held (4) Spanners, wrenches and screwdrivers (5) West Dorset village famous for its swannery (10) Dorset village near the Somerset border about five miles south of Yeovil (8) Studio exec smashing up record (8) Curved fruit is one of a tropical bunch (6) Jobs and taxes (6) Care about a land measurement (4) Order to ‘all ye faithful’ (4) Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 37

FWAG’s Conservation Competition Now Open

The Somerset Otter Trophy

T

he Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group SouthWest (FWAG SW) Farming and Wildlife Awards recognise commercial farms that have successfully combined food production with sustainability, environmental protection and wildlife gains.

The competitions are key in delivering FWAG SW’s charitable aims as they are a major opportunity to build strong relationships between farmers and the wider community, showcasing the wonderful conservation work many farmers carry out. The 2020 competitions will open for nominations from 1st January 2020, welcoming nominations from farmers and landowners from across the South West.

There are four county competitions across the South West; the Cornwall Otter, the Gloucestershire Silver Pintail, the Devon Bronze Otter and the Somerset Otter. The winner from each county competition has the opportunity to host a farm walk, where FWAG SouthWest members, neighbours, family and friends, special guests and journalists are invited to share the many wildlife friendly measures in place on each farm. Additionally, the winners of the county competitions are automatically entered into the region-wide Barn Owl Trophy the following year. Direct entries into the Barn Owl Competition is open to farmers in Dorset and Wiltshire. Each FWAG SW award celebrates those farmers that go the extra mile to produce food sustainably and carefully manage and conserve farmland wildlife.

The winner of the regional Barn Owl Award then goes on to represent the south west region in the FWAG Associations National Silver Lapwing Competition, which sees entries from across the country. The national competition is a brilliant way for the farmers to gain national recognition and press coverage for their hard work as well as celebrating the endeavours of our communities and highlighting the unity and core messages of the FWAG Association.

The FWAG SW county competitions (the Cornwall Otter, the Gloucestershire Silver Pintail, the Devon Bronze Otter and the Somerset Otter) and Regional Barn Owl Award (for Wiltshire and Dorset entries) will open again in January 2020. If you are a farmer that fancies your chances, or you know of a worthy farm that demonstrates good conservation practices alongside farming, use our online application to enter https://www.fwagsw. org.uk/Event/fwag-south-west-county-competition-entry 38 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Manor Gardens to host Festival of Snowdrops

THROUGHOUT February East Lambrook Manor Gardens in Somerset will be celebrating all things snowdrop with its second Festival of Snowdrops.

Margery Fish, the grande dame of cottage gardening, enthusiastically collected snowdrops, or Galanthus, to plant in her now famous garden at East Lambrook Manor, her home from 1938 to 1969. She was one of the first ‘galanthophiles’, the name given to keen collectors of this genus, and amassed a significant collection, a heritage cared for today by the garden’s current owners, Gail and Mike Werkmeister.

The festival will also feature tours of the snowdrops and over 60 varieties will be on sale in the nursery. Sculptor Chris Kampf will be displaying his steel snowdrops and renowned Bristol-based garden photographer Jason Ingram will be exhibiting prints of the snowdrops he photographed at East Lambrook last February for Garden’s Illustrated magazine Visit the website for more information. http://eastlambrook.com/

Help Restore Purbeck’s Heathland

D

orset Council Rangers are forming a new weekly practical volunteer work party to help undertake a heathland restoration project at Turnerspuddle Heath (between Briantspuddle and Bovington).

Turnerspuddle Heath is owned and managed by Dorset Council and work will improve the heathland habitat for endangered species including Dartford Warbler, Nightjar and Smooth Snake. The work will include removing invasive Gorse and Rhododendron to increase areas of Heather and grassland and increase the variety of habitats at this special site.

Paul Kitchen, Countryside Ranger, Purbeck, said: “This work is vital to restore Turnerspuddle Heath back to its former glory, and with the help of volunteers, this work can be done this winter.”

The work parties will meet every Thursday at the cattle grid at Turnerspuddle from 13th December, the day will start at 9am and run until 2pm at Turnerspuddle Heath. Equipment and light refreshments will be provided but please bring suitable clothing, footwear and lunch. All are welcome, as full training and equipment are provided.

If you can help, please contact Paul Kitchen on 0774 1331590 or email Paul.Kitchen@ dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 39

Over £40,000 donated by Charitable Trust

T

he Charitable Trust of Battens Solicitors, one of the South West’s leading law firms, has donated more than £40,000 this year to a variety of different local charities and organisations across Somerset and Dorset, including: Yeovil Hospital Charity, Yeovil Heartbeat, South Somerset, Central Dorset and Bath Citizens Advice Bureaus, Dorchester Arts, Somerset and Dorchester Child Contact Centres, Dorset County Museum, Developing Health and Independence Bath, Able2Achieve Trust, The Hub Community Support Charity, Weldmar Hospice, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and local schools and scout groups to name but a few.

In addition to these, over the festive period the Battens Charitable Trust makes a special Christmas delivery to their local foodbanks by donating £100 worth of food items, along with any other donations kindly provided by

40 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

staff and clients of Battens Solicitors.

Sherborne Food Bank Volunteer, Liz Murray, explains the work of local food banks: “Sherborne Food Bank, a registered charity, is crucial to the town and provides more than 1000 food deliveries each year to individuals and families in need. The support of donors and local businesses such as Battens is invaluable. We provide basic food supplies, baby food, nappies and toiletries but families are often excluded from the seasonal treats the rest of us take for granted. This is why the donation of Christmas treats and essential supplies will mean such a lot to local families, and especially children, who are managing on so little.”

Ray Edwards, Director at Battens Solicitors and a Trustee of the Battens Charitable Trust said: “We are delighted to have been able to donate over £40,000 to such wonderful causes

in our local area this year. Our thanks go out to everyone who has supported our Charitable Trust. It has become greatly respected for its community focus over the years, but without the generosity of the people who donate to it, we would not be able to help.”

Battens Charitable Trust was set up in 1985 to support local initiatives, charities and other worthy causes. Contributions are made

by Battens Solicitors and by legacies left by Battens’ clients who wish to retain flexibility in the money they leave to charity, or who simply want to benefit local causes but are uncertain as to which ones they wish to donate to. The Trust has donated more than £500,000 to good causes in just over 20 years – a phenomenal achievement.

If you would like to make a donation to the Battens Charitable Trust or apply for a grant, please contact the Trust’s team by emailing bct@battens.co.uk or by calling 01935 846000.

A Look Back at JANUARY in the Marshwood Vale Magazine

2005 & 2010 This year is the last of another decade, and looking back through the pages of our magazines from years gone by, it’s not hard to get the impression that it’s now the decades, not the years that pass too swiftly. In Images of Everyday Life, compiled by the late Ron Frampton, Anna Perry from Axminster remembered how when she was born American army officers were billeted across the road at The George Hotel in Axminster. Her parents came to know them and would leave the front door unlocked so they could come in at any time of day or night and have a bath! Who could imagine such openness today?

In the same issue Ron highlighted the extraordinary photograph of Dorset Farmer Dick Harvey taken by Robin Mills. Robin celebrates his 100th contribution to this magazine next month.

Ron also listed some of the other photographers that he worked with: Ian Beech, Janet Carmichael, Dianne Dowling, Rob Dyson, Pat Garth, Nathan Glover, Gordon Hall, Kait Humphrey, Rob Hunt, Peter Livingstone, Anna Milner, Jerry Mitchell, Peter Park, Liz Perry, Christopher Rimmer, Kevin Taylor, Vicky Taylor, Margaret Wall, Sian Willing. Where are they now?

Fifteen years ago I spent an afternoon hawking with chef Gill Mellor who had recently joined the team at River Cottage. Watching his hawk ‘Bomber’ explore the hedgerows and fields near Eggardon was fascinating. Bomber’s focus and swift actions were breathtaking. Five years later we featured another River Cottage employee, this time on our cover. Nonie Dwyer had lived between the UK and Australia and settled for a time in East Devon, working for River Cottage after an inspirational course at Ballymaloe in Ireland.

Her story and those of the hundreds of others featured in this magazine over the years are part of the fascinating legacy of our wider local community.

As we continue to look back we invite readers to update us on any of the items featured in this section of Marshwood+. Please email us at info@marshwoodvale.com.

Fergus Byrne

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 41

FR

MARSHWOOD VALE For West Dorset, South Somerset and East Devon

Arts & Entertainment Food & Dining

MAGAZINE January 2005-Issue 70

Beresford Pealing, photograph by Dianne Dowling

Gardening Interiors Health & Environment

These pages are from January 2005 - advertiser offers are not current 42 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

EE

THE

Cover story

Outposts in the community Where to get your Marshwood Vale Magazine

OUTPOSTS is a regular feature where we highlight some of the many outlets that carry your community magazine. Copies are available along the coast from Sidmouth in East Devon to Portland in West Dorset and in towns and villages from Ottery St. Mary to Yeovil. To stock the Magazine telephone 01308 423031.

Beresford Pealing, photograph by Dianne Dowling

LIFE started at Wandsworth Maternity Hospital 1932.

Because I was born with blue eyes, my mother decided I was to be a sailor and called me Beresford, the then Admiral of the Fleet being one, Sir Something Beresford.

My eyes have subsequently turned mud colour, so I have become a potter.

I was too young to make any notable contribution towards winning the war (1939-45) although I did have the dubious distinction of being the youngest junior ARP (Air Raid Patrol) warden in South London and was issued with a very superior service gas mask and tin hat.

Schooling and College lead to a teaching career. Sadly, my mark on the education profession was even less profound than my war effort.

My Damascus Road Light shone on me in the pottery section of Brighton Museum. I knew that pottery was for me, and so it has been for the rest of my life - so far!

Moving a little bit south and west every ten years or so, I have now arrived in a stable at the Town Mill in Lyme Regis. The horses left in 1925 but the flies have stayed.

I share it with them and my colleague Don Hudson (a recently degreed mature student from Harrow). We make and hopefully sell useful and useless pots - his earthenware, my stoneware. We try (and sometimes succeed) in keeping our workshop and sales area open seven days a week. We like to think that we will never be too busy to stop and talk to anyone who wants to.

The West Bay Hotel, photograph by Belinda Silcox

The West Bay has had accolades piled upon it over the last year or so. It won Dorset Dining Pub of the year for 2004 and 2005, and is in the Michelin guide 2005 and the Which Good Pub guide 2005. Using only the very best of local ingredients the chefs have devised a diverse and original menu, and the huge fish menu is a real treat with delicious concoctions such as Cajun blackened Monkfish tail on sweet potato mash with cucumber and mint raita. The convivial surroundings and welcoming staff make it a superb place to eat or to sample some fine ales. Landlord John Ford and his partner Karen Trimby welcome visitors. Bookings are essential to avoid disappointment. Tel. 01308 422157.

Anti corruption crusader to speak at Dillington

West Coker Garage, photograph by Belinda Silcox

Having reported from 80 countries and covered 11 conflicts, journalist Martin Bell (above) changed careers to fight for the safe Conservative seat at Tatton on an independent, anti-corruption ticket. It made him a symbol of the revolt against the perceived sleaze in the government of the day. Now an ambassador for UNICEF he will visit Dillington House near Ilminster to talk about his experiences as a foreign affairs correspondent on Sunday 16 January 2005.

Brothers Tim, David and Simon Neal have owned West Coker Garage for 31 years. When the village shop closed a few years ago they opened the shop next to the garage to sell provisions. The shop is run by Tim and is fully stocked with all of the items one would hope to find in a thriving village shop including wines, beers and spirits, fresh food and tinned goods. The busy workshop attached offers MOT alongside the usual service and repairs of vehicles. Cars are for sale too on the small forecourt, which also sells petrol and diesel. This small family run business assures a warm welcome and helpful advice. The shop and forecourt is open from 7am - 7pm from Monday to Saturday. Telephone 01935 862735.

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 43

Images of everyday life Compiled by Ron Frampton

Anna Perry, photograph by Ron Frampton

FOR this issue of Images of everyday life, Ron met Anna Perry at Axminster. This is Anna’s story: “During the 1940s, my father, John Perry, was bank manager at the National Provincial in Axminster, Devon.

I was born in the Bankhouse, opposite the George Hotel, at 5.00pm, one August Bank Holiday Monday. At that time, American army officers were billeted at the George. My parents came to know them and would leave the front door unlocked so they could come in at any time of day or night and have a bath!

Years later, Father took my sister Susie and me for Sunday morning walks, through the meadows, along the river Axe to the weir near Cloakham. He taught me to recognise birds and flowers. On Thursdays, I loved going with him to market where he chatted to farmer customers and I to calves and pigs. You could go up a path beside the market, turn left over fields and reach a stile on the Lyme road overhung by horse chestnut trees, near the catholic primary school where I learnt the 3 Rs from Miss Quick.

One morning, we enacted the story of Cinderella. At dinner time, I announced I was going to be an actress! The big boys laughed.

I insisted; said I would tour schools and be paid. Years later I did. I was given a line in the church nativity play, but didn’t convince the vicar’s wife, Mrs Saunders, and lost my first part and watched instead. So, Mother took me to see the pantomime at Kilmington.

The winter of 1947 was bitter; snow fell 44 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

and froze. Susie and I had measles, so we looked through the window as Father built an igloo and snowman on the lawn. Later that year, we moved to Tiverton and lived near three farms – sometimes bullocks broke into the garden. I learnt to milk cows by hand and helped with haymaking.

When a farmer wanted to borrow money from the bank, we’d be invited to Sunday tea.

Mother and Susie sat in the kitchen with the farmer’s wife, whilst the farmer, Father and I walked the farm, before enjoying a cream tea served in the parlour.

Eventually, I went to Tiverton Grammar School and appeared in school plays. I wanted to work in radio, but Devon County Council said I could have a grant to go to the Rose Bruford College for the dual acting/teaching course. From there I joined Leatherhead Repertory Company as acting assistant stage manager – or ‘general dogsbody’!

My next job was as an actress – summer season at Exmouth. Then followed years of working in repertory, summer seasons, touring and West End theatre. One Christmas, at Coventry, I played Fairy Godmother in the London Palladium production of ‘Cinderella’ with David Nixon as Baron, Mike Yarwood, the life-like fox Basil Brush and John Inman played an Ugly Sister. I wore a blonde wig and powder - blue ballgown with yards of train. Cinderella’s coach was drawn by six white ponies. One was nervous. Manoeuvring my train as I swept grandly around stage had its problems!

Back in London, I began a second career, which eventually became full-time, as a radio interviewer and presenter. Programmes for BBC World Service included, Lundy and a series Village Life in North Devon. For Radio 4, I went to China before it was as open as now. In the countryside, I saw strip farming.

In Shanghai an orchestra in dark green uniform played ‘Jingle Bells’.

An interest in health matters led to my becoming a diet and health correspondent, working for British Medical Television and being a TV presenter. I also trained people how to be interviewed by the media and taught voice and speech to adults.

I now work on the three-year degree course at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art).

This year, 2004, is RADA’s centenary. I teach speech – or diction. This isn’t getting rid of a person’s accent, but training them to have clear energised speech whatever the demands of professional work. You have to know the inside and workings of your mouth extremely well. With each new student I don my blue surgical mask, look into their mouths, note dental bite, shape and size of tongue and tongue tip.

Shades of my veterinary grandfather!

Colour has always fascinated me, so I studied colour therapy and now use it in my work.

I’d like to do more in this field.

One unfulfilled ambition – a garden near the sea. Lyme Regis draws me. It was the first seaside I visited and then I wanted to earn my living rowing people around the harbour!”

Next month Ron will be going to Somerset.

Focusing on the community Regular contributors share a passion for the rich heritage of the West Country

Dorset farmer, Dick Harvey, photograph by Robin Mills

FOUNDED by West Country photographer Ron Frampton – himself something of a local institution, having lived and worked in the area all his life – the Dillington photographers have built up a long association with Dillington House, near Ilminster in Somerset. The photographers meet regularly throughout the year, to enjoy, share, support and promote each others’ work and talents.

The group is highly focused on working together, not only with each other, but also with the wider community. Each photographer is skilled in the traditional art of taking and printing high quality black and white photographs. They all share a passion for the rich heritage and culture of this regional community.

Two years ago, embracing this collaborative spirit, the Dillington photographers were very pleased to be invited to contribute to the Marshwood Vale Magazine on a regular basis. Each month some of the photographers within the group contribute images

and articles for publication in the magazine.

Images of everyday life, the arts pages and cover photographs are among the features often contributed to by this particular group.

The association has proved to be mutually beneficial, not only for the magazine and the photographers, but also for members of the community whose life stories and work are brought into the public eye.

Maintaining a core number of about twenty individual photographers at any one time, the Dillington group brings together people from all walks of life.

In the age of digital technology, where photography has become much more accessible to the general public, it may seem surprising to find a group of photographers so dedicated to traditional methods. They use classic cameras and are still happy to lock themselves away in a darkroom for hours in search of the perfect print. When professional quality is the goal, it seems that traditional methods are hard to beat.

Ron Frampton says: “Finding and researching the characters and artists has been a great source of pleasure and motivation for the group. The research we do in seeking out interesting characters allows us to bring untold stories to the community via the Marshwood Vale Magazine. There is also an element of social documentary in photographing and describing what is fast becoming an exciting and diverse, multicultural community. Not only are we documenting past ways of life for posterity, but also celebrating the changes within the community.

At all times we try to make every article in the interests of our subject, and we hope that our images lend not only a visual element to the story but help bring the people to life.”

Contributing Photographers (Year 2004)

Ian Beech, Janet Carmichael, Dianne Dowling, Rob Dyson, Ron Frampton, Pat Garth, Nathan Glover, Gordon Hall, Kait Humphrey, Rob Hunt, Peter Livingstone, Robin Mills, Anna Milner, Jerry Mitchell, Peter Park, Liz Perry, Christopher Rimmer, Kevin Taylor, Vicky Taylor, Margaret Wall, Sian Willing.

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Swapping the kitchen heat for the country air

Out and about with the camera

by Ron Frampton

Burton Bradstock picnic, photograph by Kait Humphrey

River Cottage chef Gill Meller with ‘Bomber’

WHEN he’s not spending time with his growing family or working in Dorset’s River Cottage kitchen, chef Gill Meller can more than likely be found tramping the countryside with his hawk ‘Bomber’.

With the decline of so many countryside pursuits today, due to politics, land issues and the pace of modern living, it seems unusual to find a celebrity chef who spends much of his leisure time in the company of his hawk.

Falconry has, however, been around for longer than many realise. It was originally used by nomadic tribes to help procure the food necessary for survival.

Hawks are superlative hunters over extreme climatic and difficult conditions and Beduin tribes found them ideal hunters in the desert.

The falcon has been a symbol of high birth and luxury and as such the practise of falconry has long been regard-

ed as a noble pastime.

Many great rulers have been great falconers. It is reported that Mary Queen of Scots was allowed to fly a Merlin from her window during her imprisonment and King Richard was said to have taken his birds with him on the Crusades.

Gill Meller’s hawk is six years old and Gill was drawn to falconry after a move from town to country. “I got interested when I was about 9 or 10 years old” says Gill. “I was fascinated by the wildlife and began bird watching, especially birds of prey.

A local enthusiast took me under his wing - so to speak - and taught me how to train and work with hawks.”

Gill has featured in the latest River Cottage TV series and is part of the River Cottage Team that runs cookery and Lifestyle courses at the River Cottage HQ outside Bridport in Dorset.

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Mrs Bates describes her Burton Bradstock picnic: “We have lived in Dorset for 33 years and have enjoyed the beach at Burton Bradstock in all weathers. When we were younger we used to have picnics on the sand in the summer - but now we sit on one of the three benches to admire the very pleasing vista all along the beach. On a fine summer's evening we like to take a picnic basket containing a light supper which we eat whilst enjoying the holiday atmosphere. There are friends, people fishing and children playing.

We always stay until the sun is low and return home before it has descended completely, having much enjoyed our local seaside.”

Ron Frampton is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and author of Beyond the Vale - Images from the West Country, which is available from local bookshops ISBN 0-9543170-7-1. He tutors photography at Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset. The Dillington Prospectus is now available, covering a wide range of courses. Tel: Booking and Enquiries - 01460 258613; Website: www.dillington.co.uk

Builder and delicatessen team up to offer a welcome to Poundbury C G Fry & Son, Dorset Cereal, Dorset family buildLeakers Bread, ers, is doing its bit to Manor Farm support local producMilk, Dorset ers by introducing Blueberry Juice, new homeowners Springwater to food and drink Marmalade and grown, reared or proDorset Classic duced within Dorset.

Coffee.

Working George with Wyndhams Streatfield, Delicatessen of Chairman of Poundbury, C G regional food Fry & Son has put New homeowners Dr & Mrs McDonald receive group Taste of the a hamper of Wyndhams goodies West commented: together a hamper of Dorset produce “I am delightwhich is presented ed to hear of present our new purchasto each new homeowner this initiative which will ers with local food and as they move into their C introduce more people to drink in order to support G Fry & Son built house Dorset produced food and local farmers, growers, on the Poundbury develdrink. The variety and producers and retailers.” opment. quality of produce made in Each hamper (which Ian Trim of C G Fry & the County is exceptional was put together with a Son explained: “Our phiDorset breakfast in mind!) and I hope that many new losophy as Dorset builders contains Wyndhams customers will become is to use traditional local loyal to locally made food Sausages, Denhay Bacon materials wherever posand continue to support and butter, Becklands sible and it seems fitting to Farm Organic Eggs, those who produce it”.

Historic impressions Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle, Dorset photograph by Rob Dyson

GUARDING a gap in the Purbeck ridge set between Wareham and Swanage, the remains of Corfe Castle stand high on a natural chalk mound, overlooking the area known as the Isle of Purbeck. An isle it is not: it is a peninsular, but it cannot shake off its popular name. There has been a castle on this site since William I acquired land from the Abbess of Shaftesbury and built his castle in about 1080, using local Purbeck stone. It is possible that the site was inhabited earlier than this, for pottery ware and bits of Roman tile have been found near the summit of the hill and it was certainly a stronghold prior to its occupation by William, for Edward, the Saxon boy king was murdered here in 978.

Since William’s time the building has been reinforced and had various additions including defensive ditches, a large keep and curtain walls round the outer and inner baileys. King John, who spent much time at the castle, added the ‘gloriette’, as an extension to the royal apartments, a fine hall and a chapel. Edward I added new gatehouses, an outer bridge and a number of towers, including the Horseshoe and Pluckenet towers, still visible to the east.

From thereon, during Edward II’s reign, the castle became somewhat dilapidated and it took concerted effort on the part of Edward III to repair and restore it, using timber, iron and lead brought in through Ower and Wareham.

Henry I selected the castle for the imprisonment of his brother the Duke of Normandy and

by the reign of King Stephen it was considered one of the most secure castles in the land. It was little wonder that it was chosen to incarcerate the most distinguished of unwilling guests, including Royalty, knights, rebel barons, uncooperative landed gentry and brigands. The castle remained in the hands of Royalty until, in 1572, Elizabeth I sold it to her dancing master, Sir Christopher Hatton for a little under £5,000.

The castle was inherited by Hatton’s nephew, William Hatton, and in turn by William’s wife Lady Elizabeth who, after some matrimonial skirmishes, sold it to the Bankes family in 1634. They spent large sums of money making the old castle comfortable, furnishing the rooms with velvet suites of furniture, Turkish and Persian carpets, fine beds, hangings and furniture, inventories of which still survive.

The first assault on the castle by the Roundheads was made in 1643. The redoubtable Royalist, Lady Bankes, quickly took in a small garrison and shut the gates in the absence of her husband Sir John, busy serving Charles I at Oxford. She staunchly refused to hand over to the Poole Republicans and even managed to smuggle goods into the castle. Lady Bankes supported by her daughters, women and five soldiers withstood the assailants for four months until Royalist forces temporarily dispersed them. Following the death of Sir John in 1644, Corfe Castle remained defiant but trapped, surrounded by Parliamentarians.

A second siege was initiated in 1645 led by the

Governor of Poole and the Roundheads finally took possession of the castle in 1646, whereupon the House of Commons voted to destroy it.

Although extensive use was made of gunpowder and mining works, complete destruction of the castle proved impossible. Towers that could not be completely breached either lean out or have fallen into the mineshafts below.

The West tower has subsided and the Martyr’s Gate is split. So, Parliament failed to return the site to the grassy mound that had existed before the castle was built. The castle was still lived in for a while but in 1866 a severe gale managed to send a large part of the Butavant Tower crashing down into the river. Nature had proved more effective than man.

Remarkably perhaps, the Bankes family retained ownership of Corfe Castle until 1982 when they donated it to The National Trust.

Looking at the remains of Corfe Castle today, either from one of the superb vantage points on the East or West hills, or from within its crumbling walls, a strong sense of its colourful history pervades. Seeing its evocative, but sad ruins perched high above the almost unassailable slopes and the village of Corfe below, one can still envisage the power it must have held as the judicial and political hub of the beautiful Purbecks.

Acknowledgement: Purbeck, The Ingrained Island by Paul Hyland, Victor Gollancz 1978

Story by Rob Dyson.

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Photograph by Dianne Dowling 48 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Feeding hearts and minds

by Katherine Locke WALK into Catherine and Laurence Anholt’s Uplyme home and you are immediately struck by the couple’s warmth and generosity. They live in a converted farmhouse, set high above the sea with stunning views and enough space to feel yourself breathe. As one of the UK’s leading writer and illustrator teams, they travel all over the world (with books published in more than twenty three languages), but for Laurence nothing beats home. ‘I recently toured around Bali and Indonesia which was fantastic. When I came home the woods behind the house were full of bluebells. It was just so beautiful - there is nowhere else like it’.

The pair met at the tender age of eighteen and took the unusual step of going to Falmouth Art School together. They both trained as fine artists and Catherine went on to take a Masters at the Royal College of Art, whilst Laurence attended the Royal Academy of Art. However, it was when their own children were born that they decided to try their hand at making children’s books. ‘Our eldest daughter (who is now 20) was ill and we made our first book, literally on the kitchen table, to cheer her up.’ says Laurence. ‘Friends thought it was good enough to be published, so we sent it off to Methuen and it was accepted immediately’.

It sounds like every writers dream come true, but they warn there were many subsequent rejections and years of hard work ahead.

It is obvious they work naturally well together, with Laurence writing the words for Catherine’s pictures. Her quirky illustrations are instantly recognisable and have won her great critical acclaim. There is something very gentle about her work, reminiscent of one of her own favourite children’s illustrators, Edward Ardizonne. Laurence, who has been described as ‘one of the most versatile authors writing for children today’, also writes for other illustrators, such as Tony Ross, as well as writing and illustrating his own best selling series about famous artists. Tired? You haven’t heard anything yet.

Over the past seventeen years the Anholt’s have published over ninety titles (work it out - it’s five or six titles per year, or one every two months!) and they constantly have new books in development. They tell me that when working on a new project, they talk about it for weeks, endlessly refining the original idea, ‘One of the great things about working with your partner is that it is a totally safe space, where nothing is too crazy to contemplate’, says Laurence. When they get to certain point, Catherine sketches out the characters and Laurence makes a start on the words ‘with childrens writing, the skill is all in stripping stuff out,’ he says ‘ with minimal text, it is more about editing than writing’. To illustrate the point he quotes Quentin Blake who said that for every illustration there are one hundred miles of line -’It’s like that with writing’ he says, ‘but for every line there are one hundred miles of text’.

So, on top of the ideas they work on together, Laurence’s work for other authors and constant research for the children’s art books, you wouldn’t think there was much time for anything else, but the couples latest project is very exciting indeed. They are about to open a shop with a big difference in Broad Street, Lyme Regis and it sounds like every child’s fantasy of what a shop should be. Based on the concept of a Victorian children’s theatre, there will be a fully animatronic window display, a giant book for children to climb inside and a full size tree inside the shop, ‘we have taken the ceiling out, to make the shop double height’, they tell me. Upstairs there will be a gallery selling their paintings with a bookshop downstairs. Local model maker (and children’s author in his own right), James Copplestone has been helping with some of the designs and Roger Lawrence is the engineer for the window display (you might remember his Buckingham Palace from a few years ago).

They anticipate the shop will be open by April next year and they are obviously extremely excited about it. ‘We hope it will be a real asset for Lyme Regis and something people will travel to come and see’ says Laurence ‘we want it to be something different’. Their enthusiasm is infectious and as Laurence talks at ninety miles an hour, you get a sense of how much energy and dedication is needed to produce the quantity and quality of work that they have over the past few years. However, they show no sign of slowing down and are constantly thinking of new challenges. Future projects include writing illustrated novels for teenagers, ‘our own children have been so central to our inspiration, that as they get older it has made us think about books for that age range’ they say.

As I leave the house, I am struck by the genuine passion the Anholts have for their work.

There is nothing here that is jaded or cynical and it is clear they consider themselves to be extremely fortunate. ‘We love working from home and are so grateful we have had the opportunity to do so whilst our children are growing up’ they say. Lovely home, devoted couple, worldwide acclaim for their work - to quote French & Saunders ‘they’ve got it all’, but, as I drive away, I can’t help feeling that it couldn’t have happened to more deserving, or nicer, people.

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Marshwood The

Vale Magazine

January 2010 Issue 130

FREE

Nonie Dwyer, photograph by Robin Mills

For West Dorset, South Somerset and East Devon thebestfrominandaroundthevalethebestfrominandaroundthevale

50 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Robin Mills went to meet Nonie Dwyer in West Bay, Dorset. This is Nonie’s story.

“My life started in rural Australia, on a beautiful 100 acre farm where my Mum bred Welsh Mountain ponies and raised cattle. My brothers like to call me the token Aussie, one of them being born in Tokyo, the other in England. My Dad is English, and my Mum is Australian, and we lived in the Southern Highlands, between Sydney and Canberra. It’s about a two hour drive from Sydney so we weren’t completely in the sticks. It was a lovely place to grow up, quite green, not at all like the dry dusty image most people have of Australia. I used to love working with the horses: I rode all the time and broke them in. That was the side of it I liked, the training rather than the competitive aspect, and it was a very competitive world. Any chance I’d get, I’d be riding a horse: it would be nice to keep my own, but life and work prevent it at the moment.

My Mum and Dad met in Australia.

At the time Dad was working in Japan and they met when he was visiting. So they married and Mum went to live in Tokyo with Dad, where my eldest brother was born. They were there a few years, but Dad had had enough of international trade and needed a complete life-change. Abandoning Tokyo and the high pressure world of international business, they moved back to England, to a village in Hampshire, to set up a small hand-made carpet business.

It was a brave decision, and despite its humble setting it got a good press, which eventually led to exhibitions throughout Europe and exports worldwide. Mum was one of a team of top international designers involved in the business, but it also gave expert skills and employment to local people in the village. My second brother was born there, and soon after that they moved back to Australia, where in due course I was born.

From about the age of five, I wasn’t very well, so I wasn’t at school very much. When things got to the point where I couldn’t really go at all, I qualified for home schooling. In some ways I feel very lucky to have had most of my education on a one-to-one basis. Most of my teachers were experts in their field, passionate about their subject, and that rubbed off on me. For instance, my music teacher was an opera singer, and her enthusiasm inspired my love of music, especially singing. So later on after I finished school, (the two years I did manage to attend), I moved to Sydney and found an amazing music teacher, who lived on a beautiful beach. It was through her that singing became quite a big part of my life. I was performing, doing solos rather than choral work, sometimes at weddings and events like that, but mainly I sang for the joy of singing – for

Cover Story

my health, so I felt able to take on new challenges, and began working in a restaurant. I’d gone for a waitress job, but the head chef said he was off on holiday, and did I have any kitchen experience?

Rather rashly I said yes, and found myself covering for him while he was away. I was definitely in at the deep end, but the work was great. A year later I decided to do a 3 month course at Ballymaloe cookery school in Ireland, in a beautiful part of County Cork. It has its own organic farm, and although of course it didn’t really teach me everything about working in a restaurant, I found it fantastic and inspiring. It gave me a sound foundation in cookery and reinforced my appreciation of great food, and I was lucky enough to work for a while back in Hampshire at a restaurant following that. From there, I was offered a job at River Cottage HQ in East Devon, where I’ve worked as a sous-chef for over two years now.

I think a meal in a good restaurant should be a bit like a show, a performance, in which the staff play key roles. For the customer, being welcomed, reassured, made to feel relaxed and comfortable at your table, should all be part of the experience.

Nonie Dwyer, photograph by Robin Mills More importantly, I think a restaurant should have an ethos, an added element of a philosophy behind the me really. The confidence to sing in public food being prepared and eaten, which for probably came from also being into drama me means consideration and respect for and the performing arts, from an early age. the produce used, and how it was grown I began training as a drama teacher when I or raised. In my job, we’re constantly was only 16, something which I could do made aware of the care and expertise, at my own pace because my health wasn’t and huge amount of time, invested by the really up to going to university. I then producers who supply the ingredients, the started teaching drama in Sydney. That vegetables, meat, fish, etc to our kitchen. was a fantastically enjoyable job, in a way In many ways, the important stuff has which showed the best part of any educaalready been done when it arrives at our tion process: the students really wanted to door. So I’m lucky in my work: there’s learn, and enjoyed the experience, so as a theatrical element to it, I’m involved the teacher no matter what you do you’re in cooking great food, and it’s produced on a winning streak. It was immensely satlocally and sustainably which fits with my isfying, for instance seeing the change in environmental concerns. I’m also really a student with learning difficulties, chroniexcited about running a course next year cally shy, taking tiny steps in building on cooking for people with food intolerconfidence and overcoming the problems ance: I’m a bit of an odd chef as I have – and having huge fun in the process. food allergies myself.

Coming to England was for all the usual There are surprising similarities reasons, I wanted to travel and see some of between where I live now in East Devon the world. Of course Dad being English, and where I grew up in Australia, with perthere were obvious connections, but there haps just a slight trade in colours. Much was also some family history in Scotland of the stone construction where I lived, I really wanted to check out, and that led including the bridges for the roads and me to find the hill farm where my Mum’s railways in my neighbourhood, was built family came from. It had been too small by masons from the West Country: my to support the five sons in the family, so next village was called Exeter in memory two of them had emigrated to Australia. of their home. They even brought acorns Amazingly it was still a lovely farm and from their home county which have grown not now a car park as I’d feared. So I went into wonderful mature trees, thriving in to Edinburgh, completely fell in love with the Aussie basalt soil. I feel I’m thriving the city and stayed for a year instead of here in Devon: maybe I’m beginning to the month or so I had planned. This all put down roots myself.” coincided with a massive improvement in

Robin Mills met Nonie Dwyer in West Bay

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Slight of Wheel

Despite ten years of keeping young people out of trouble, a Bridport sports initiative faces closure. Clive Stafford Smith met the man whose extraordinary work could be wiped out.

SNUGGLED between Ocean Bathrooms and ABC Blinds on St Michael’s Trading Estate is Bridport’s hidden crown jewel: Five nights a week, the Trick Factory is packed with swooping skateboards and pirouetting BMX bikes. Twenty-five young people soar up the ramps and down into the bowl, performing backflips in front of an admiring audience eagerly awaiting their turn.

For much of the time, Robert Ridge watches on with a paternal air. These young people are, after all, his protégés. He has taught them the idiosyncrasies of flatland and technical park riding. But there comes a time almost every evening when the 38-year-old Ridge climbs aboard his own titanium-light Standard BMX. The Factory tends to focus as the master takes centre stage.

“The tail-whip-nose-pick is really my signature, I suppose,” Robert explains, with the diffident modesty that describes the man. He rides up to the top of a ramp, balances on the front wheel, stalls with the brake, then flicks the bike in a full circle.

Robert Ridge is Bridport’s BMX legend, but you won’t hear it from him. I was recently watching some of the young stars of the sport – BMX riding will be featured in the 2012 Olympics – recording a video for a clothes designer at the Trick Factory. Mark Vos, a twenty-something from Amsterdam, was taking a break on the sidelines. “I was twelve when I started,” he told me in accented English. “I used to read Ride UK from cover to cover. Robert was a star even back then. And today, there’s no one at his age doing so many tricks, he’s truly an original.”

In real life, Ridge is a gas engineer and plumber. I should reveal an authorial bias: I am one of his thoroughly satisfied customers. He resolutely conquered the genie that knocked on our water tank every time we turned on the tap. But for every local home he has kept in hot water, there is a young person who he has kept off the streets on a rainy night in the Trick Factory.

Dorchester recently spent £180,000 in public money to create an outdoor concrete skate park, but this is England, so it is only useable for six months in the year.

Nevertheless, the local police credit the park with reducing antisocial behaviour in the town. The Trick Factory remains open in the foulest weather that winter can throw up, the wooden floors cause fewer injuries, and it cost the town nothing at all. A genial Bridport police officer told me that he could not remember any police call out to Factory in the ten years of its existence. It would be difficult to find a congregation of the nation’s young people with an equivalent record.

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Two speeds at the Trick Factory

Robert founded the Trick Factory in 1999, and it has always operated as a non-profit. His passion stretches back many years. He was born Bridport in 1971, and came up through Burton Bradstock primary and Colfox secondary school. It was 1982 when Robert first got hooked. There was a scene in the film ET where the police were chasing the kids on BMX bikes. The kids leapt over ledges and cars. They later took to the skies. Robert got his bike for his eleventh birthday. He learned to do his first wheelie on the Burton Bradstock playing fields, and would cyle to school so he could ride in the bike sheds in lunchtime.

Mark and Chris Noble, BMX addicts from Dorchester, helped Robert set up a Bridport bike club, and invited him along when they travelled to contests around Britain. Coming up, Robert focused on “flat land freestyle” – complicated manoeuvres perfected in car parks – because there were few ramps available for practice. Only much later in life did he master the backflips that draw the most gasps at the Trick Factory today.

“I describe myself as a nearly-guy,” Robert says. “I was always passionate about it, I won a few things here and there, but I never dominated the sport.” Perhaps. In 1988 Robert got to national number two. He might have gone further, but he gave up competition for several years. When he started competing again, he was more relaxed, and won some national contests throughout the nineties.

Robert lives in Snickers carpenter’s trousers.

The padded knees that protect him as he crawls under your sink save him when he topples off his bike. He has only broken one finger in 25 years of riding virtually every day.

The internet is full of Robert Ridge. He is rather rueful about the YouTube clip RR Greatest Hits – a succession of wipe-outs recorded over the last 12 years that has logged 36,000 hits. He begs me to direct people to something else.

“BMX and the Trick Factory have shaped and formed my life,” Robert says, seriously. “It has opened so many doors. I became mechanically minded through maintaining my bike. It overlapped into my plumbing work.” He tells a

story of his first job interview, applying for an apprenticeship with British Gas. He dismantled a rear bicycle hub at a job interview to show how he had learned to use his hands.

“It probably got me the job,” he says.

“And riding has allowed me to travel and meet people. Now I have come full circle. I love where I live. What inspires me is watching the young kids improving at a greater rate than we ever did in my day.”

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday – virtually every week – Robert will be at the Trick Factory. It there anyone there who could be a real star? “There’s one lad started riding his bike a year ago and he’s 12 now,” Robert says without hesitation. “The effort he puts in it amazing. He’s already jocking with guys who might be going to the 2012 Olympics.”

Ten years’ of work, but now all Robert’s passion is under threat, as the Trick Factory faces possible eviction as part of the redevelopment of St Michael’s Trading Estate.

Within four days, 1,100 people signed onto a novel online Facebook petition calling for its preservation. Supporters were asked to post a picture of themselves, with the caption “If the Trick Factory closes I’ll … [fill in the blank].” Much youthful imagination has gone into competing for the wittiest version.

(See “Trick Factory Support Group”.)

Robert competed seriously for the last time in 2004, when an international contest came to Trick Factory. Riders came from the United States, continental Europe, and all over Britain.

He worried that he would have an unfair advantage, and wore out his knees changing the park around to make it as new for him as it was for the visitors. He got no practice in for two weeks as he finalized the new arrangement.

“The judging was a very sporting thing,” he said. “The riders all voted among themselves. They kindly voted for me.”

So the king of the Trick Factory still retains his crown.

A brief BMX (Bicycle Moto Cross) glossary

The Tail whip: jump in the air, flick the back of the bike around in a full circle.

The Undertaker: ride up on the back wheel, pull yourself round the bottom of the bike without a foot touching the ground.

The Nose wheelie: riding on the front wheel with the back wheel in the air.

The Corkscrew: spinning very quickly on the front wheel.

The Nose Pick: ride up onto a ramp, land on a front wheel, stalling with the brake and balancing.

Vert riding: go to vertical back and forth in a 180 degree curve.

Park riding: the Trick factory is a variation of park riding ramps.

Flat land: tricks performed on a flat surface.

Trails riding: over soil jumps.

Monkfish Identity

A monthly look at the world of fish by Nick Fisher At this strange time when style included New Romantic ruffled collars, big hair, shoulder pads, and the unforgettable ra-ra skirt, the monkfish that the terminally-trendy were eating was, in fact, not a fish at all WHEN you tuck your napkin into your collar and jab your fork into a nice juicy chunk of monkfish tail, do you have any idea exactly which species of fish you’re actually about to swallow? There is, in fact, no such fish as a ‘monkfish’. It’s not a true species, it’s just a made up name. In the same way that ‘dog fish’ and ‘bull huss’ were creatively renamed in chip shops, to become ‘rock salmon’.

‘Monkfish’ was adopted as the retail name to describe the fish previously known as the ‘angel shark’, which I can only assume sounded a bit too sacred and precious in the 1980s, when monkfish cooking suddenly became ultra trendy.

Chefs and home cooks fell in love with ‘monkfish’, when it first became available for sale, for obvious reasons. The flesh of the tail is white, firm, and bone-free, with a relatively neutral, natural flavour which provides a beautifully blank canvas for combining with an exotic sauce.

Monkfish was the haute cuisine fish icon of the trend-setting ‘80s.

Fashionable London restaurants were serving monkfish in the most outrageous excesses of ‘nouvelle cuisine’; teaming it up with everything from Pernod to pomegranate. At this strange time when style included New Romantic ruffled collars, big hair, shoulder pads, and the unforgettable ra-ra skirt, the monkfish that the terminally-trendy were eating was, in fact, not a fish at all, but a member of the shark family.

The problem with eating any sort of sharks on a regular targetted basis is that they’re simply not physically capable of repopulating their numbers quickly enough to avoid rapid collapse of stock. The primary difference between fish and sharks is their method of reproduction. A fish is oviparous – it lays a ton of eggs and these are fertilised outside the fish’s body. They hatch outside the body, and are already prepared for their first few days of life by providing an egg sac for the hatching fry to eat before they need to find food.

Sharks are ovoviviparous: the eggs are fertilised and hatched within the mother’s body, giving them a more secure start, but in far fewer numbers. A fish like a cod can lay somewhere in the region of 4 million eggs; a shark is only equipped to birth a handful of pups every year.

So the angel shark was not a good choice to be the next biggest fish sensation to sweep the fashionable skillets of the day. Catches plummeted in a few years and stocks were becoming impossible to locate, so the anglerfish was recruited to be the Number One new monkfish recruit.

On fishmongers’ slabs and restaurant menus, the role of monkfish was taken over by the conveniently similar, but much more plentiful, anglerfish. And being a true finfish, the anglerfish is better suited to increased and sustained fishing pressure.

Apart from trendsetting chefs, monkfish was adored by people who normally don’t cook, or even eat, fish, because it is boneless and foolproof. A chunk of monkfish is so firm and muscular, that it can stand a fair amount of culinary abuse too. It’s much harder to overcook monkfish than any other fish, because its firmness and tight skin reduce the chance of cooking it to a flaky mush.

Personally, I steer clear of monkfish, I’ve never caught one (it’s become very rare to catch them on rod and line due to falling numbers) and I don’t like buying them. Monkfish is always sold in ‘tails’ which actually constitute the whole body, with head and fins removed, but I guess calling them monkfish ‘decapitated bodies’ doesn’t sound too good. I don’t really like to buy any meat, fowl or fish in pieces. I like to buy the whole beast, or at the very least, see it being dismantled. Things like chicken portions always throw me. I would always much rather buy a whole bird and take it apart myself.

And, why do we never get to see the anglerfish’s head? Why is it simply reduced to such an odd, cone-

shaped lump of flesh, covered in a tight, pinky-purple mottled skin that fits snugger than a Lycra jumpsuit? You have to admit; it’s weird. A monkfish tail doesn’t even look like fish. To me it looks more like a miniature pink lambs’ leg.

In a straw poll I conducted amongst fish traders at Billingsgate, who admit they never see the heads either, because they’re removed on ship. They unanimously agreed that anglerfish heads were just too ugly to put on display.

That they’d put customers off. And that’s the only reason they’re removed.

(Oddly enough, in a French supermarket I visited last year, whole monkfish with their heads intact were displayed in pride of place with tremendous effect).

The head of a monkfish is massively disproportionate to the scale of the body, and it’s as flat as a pancake; like a cross between a seaweed pizza and some ghastly aquatic road kill. An anglerfish’s head is the most fascinating part of its body. It’s a masterpiece of underwater camouflage, with fronds of skin made to look like seaweed and eyes radiated to look like limpets clinging to a rock. It is a master of camouflage and disguise. In the centre of its head, is the home grown ‘fishing rod’ that gives the species its name. The rod is a rogue finstay with a knob of tattered flesh hanging off the end to look like ‘bait’. The bait is made totally compelling to small unsuspecting fish – who have failed to notice the perfectly camouflaged and perfectly huge fish head attached to the bait – by glowing in the dark and even giving off an irresistible odour, created by chemical attractants emitted from pores in the bait itself.

Mesmerised by the glow, enticed by the smell, little fish come to investigate, only to find themselves swallowed up in a flash by the gin trap-like mouth. An anglerfish’s head is the most intriguing part of its body. It’s ‘tail’ is the most worrying. Don’t you think it just looks far too much like some dead tramp’s amputated ankle, still stuck in a badly stretched golfing sock. Or is that just me?

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Call of the Wild

by Mat Follas

January is a challenging month for wild foods as the prospect of a warm house will often win the battle for motivation to get out and pick, plus the choice, admittedly, is limited.

What is great to eat at this time of year are the fantastic wild meats, venison, pheasant and rabbit to choose three we often use in the restaurant. These are great choices for something that is in season and reasonably priced, and a good alternative to supermarket meats.

I thought for this month I’d write up a simple dish of venison. To enjoy venison I prefer a less hung animal, often no more than a week, so as not to be too gamey and to allow the more subtle flavours to come through and enjoy a few accompaniments too.

I like to accompany a good piece of venison with some seasonal vegetables, and berries. The stand out vegetable at this time of year is a Jerusalem artichoke which, while not growing wild in the UK, was a staple food for North American Indians. In the USA it is also known as the Woodland Sunflower although I have never seen one in flower.

For berries, unless you made some preserve in October/November them it is time to look into the freezer, I’ll give you a simple recipe that can be used for wild berries but also look for frozen British berries, I prefer red berries for flavour and appearance.

To cook Venison Venison steak, about 150-200g per person.

The steak should be about 1” thick.

Have your butcher prepare this for you.

Berry sauce This is too easy and you’ll never buy shop bought again once you try.

Use berries (fresh or frozen), I use a mix of the below to get a sweet, bitter, dry sauce which works brilliantly with venison, but do use what you can find or purchase.

100g Blackberries 80g Redcurrants 20g Rowanberries sugar to taste Place the berries in a wide pan and add a little water to just cover the pan base. Heat gently till the water just simmers. Leave the pan on the heat for about 15-20 minutes till the berries are starting to break down, don’t be afraid to use the back of a wooden spoon to encourage them to mash a little. Take off the heat and strain through a sieve, use the wooden spoon to squash the juices though the sieve. If the sauce is too thin then simmer for a little while till it is reduced to the right consistency. Add a little sugar to taste, err on the side of tartness to get a great flavour with meats.

Jerusalem artichoke purée Jerusalem artichoke can be intimidating to prepare at first appearance, nothing could be further from the truth. Soak the root in a sink for 10-15 minutes to loosen any dirt, then, with the back of a small vegetable knife, scrape the skin off the root, don’t worry about any little lumps or bumps as we’ll deal with them after cooking. Chop into small pieces and boil in salted water for approx 15 minutes. Force the cooked root through a sieve into a small pan, leaving behind skin and any other bits we don’t want to eat. Add a little cream and salt to the sieved mash and beat with a wooden spoon over a moderate heat till the puree is an even, pale colour and smooth, this will take about 5 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

Season your venison steak with a generous pinch of salt per side and a little ground pepper, leave for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a pan to a moderate heat with a decent knob of butter, to coat the pan about 2mm deep in butter when melted.

As soon as the butter stops foaming place the steak in the pan and cook for approx 2 to 3 minutes per side with the heat turned up, a little longer for a thicker piece. This will result in a medium rare steak which is the perfect way to eat venison. If you like your meat cooked well done then venison is probably not for you, as it becomes unpleasantly tough when overcooked.

Rest for two minutes then serve on a bed of hot Jerusalem artichoke purée and pour over a little berry sauce.

54 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Venison becomes unpleasantly tough when overcooked

&

Arts

Entertainment

A Question of Soul West Dorset writer and philosopher Patrick Harpur has spent a lifetime dealing with the ultimate question. He spoke to Fergus Byrne.

Patrick Harpur, photograph by Caroline Forbes

To book a course, or for more information, visit www.mythicimagination. info or email contact@ mythicimagination.info.

The Philosophers’ Secret Fire: a history of the Imagination has been reprinted by The Squeeze Press and may be purchased through www. woodenbooks.com.

A Complete Guide to the Soul is to be published by Rider, an imprint of Ebury Publishing, in June 2010.

READING Patrick Harpur’s book The Philosophers’ Secret Fire: A history of the Imagination, brings back memories. Memories that have been buried for many years; memories of fairies, ghosts, pixies and the Little People; memories of visions, feelings and unexplained travels of the imagination; memories that have been mostly erased through the process of ‘growing up’.

Though most of us don’t readily admit to it, there was a time when people from the ‘otherworld’ were very real to us. As children we heard tales from grown-ups and had stories read to us about creatures that lived on the outside of our world. From tooth fairies to mischievous dwarves and pixies that danced in the woods, the unexplainable was always there. As we grew older, depending on our religion, they were replaced by divine beings and guardian angels, guiding our paths through life before taking the ultimate journey to another world. Our souls would live on long after our human form aged and failed. The soul, in Christian terms at least, became the vessel that carried our moral fibre. We learned not to question religious teachings, they became an easy solution when there were simply too many other things to deal with in life.

However not everyone stops asking questions or pondering the meaning of life. In fact at some point we all wonder why we are here and if there is some hidden meaning to what we do in our lives. We want more meaning.

Which is where Patrick Harpur comes in. There are few people more qualified to facilitate a discussion on reality and soul. A highly respected philosopher, Patrick read English at Cambridge and his non-fiction works include Daimonic Reality: a Field Guide to the Otherworld as well as The Philosophers’ Secret Fire: a history of the Imagination. His latest book, due to be published in June, is entitled The Complete Guide to the Soul. In February, he, along with Somerset writer and lecturer Jules Cashford, will be co-hosting a series of courses exploring the purpose and meaning of life.

The ‘Mythic Imagination’ courses are broadly based on the neglected Western tradition of soul-making – a tradition described by Plato and which resurfaced among the Renaissance Magi and in nineteenth century Romanticism. It continues today among members of what the alchemists called The Golden Chain, and underground in folklore and Forteana.

Introducing The Complete Guide to the Soul Patrick points out that it is notoriously difficult to talk about the soul. “If we believe that we have a soul, we tend to picture it vaguely – as some essence of ourselves, some core of our being which constitutes our ‘real’ selves or our ‘higher selves’.” He goes on to explain, “So

the first attribute of soul is as a symbol of depth and authenticity. Wherever it slips in it stirs in us a sense that there is more to this world than meets the eye, something more than human behind mundane events.

It stirs, in other words, a religious feeling, regardless of any religious denomination.”

The existence of soul is an obvious discussion point for those that are sceptical of materialistic claims that we consist only of our bodies; as Patrick puts it “sceptical of rationalist claims that the only reality is one that is subject to narrow empirical definitions.”

Speaking from his small cottage in West Dorset he says, “People don’t have much support for their intuitions about the world because everything is so rational and materialistic. That’s the official orthodox Western philosophy. There is tradition buried within Western culture that caters for a completely opposite view from stentorian rationalism. And it’s all there, it’s in our culture but it goes underground. But when it does poke its head up – and it does occasionally – you get the most fantastic outpouring of creativity, for instance the Renaissance.

The Renaissance thinkers all said imagination is our most important faculty. It comes from the soul.”

Patrick Harpur writes and lectures on Hermetic philosophy and The Golden Chain, in Britain and the USA. He has also given talks at the Temenos Foundation and taught at Schumacher College. “The tradition that I’m working in is religious” says Patrick. “It’s just that it’s not denominational. It’s not dogmatic but it’s not agnostic either. It definitely believes in a supernatural reality – which Plato called the ‘soul of the world’.”

Although no prior reading is essential for those that may join the Mythic Imagination course, Patrick suggests it might be helpful to have looked at some mythology in advance, and an interest in Plato or C.G. Jung may also be useful. What he is more concerned with is that those attending are able to make an imaginative leap to a world view that is very different to that required by modern Western culture.

Discussing the content of the courses he is also quick to point out that, although they are more likely to be of interest to those whom, like himself have a ‘questioning or questing’ nature, they are not a self-help initiative “as so many courses are”. He does, however, point to the potential emotional value of exploring and questioning the mysteries of life. “I do believe that expanding one’s imaginative capacity, understanding and knowledge is intrinsically self-helping” he says. He is hoping that some people are going to go away feeling there is more meaning to life than they thought.

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House&Garden Competition success for Bridport record shop Clocktower Music

The Clocktower Crew, Jackie Cook, owner Roy Gregory, and Derek Smith

CLOCKTOWER Music, in Bridport, is celebrating achieving an amazing third place in the 2019 independent Record Shop of the Year competition—a nationwide contest, run by influential industry magazine Long Live Vinyl. The competition pitted more than 280 such stores against each other, many in cities with vastly greater populations than Bridport. And with the first and second-placed businesses located in the far north, Clocktower actually came top of the shops in the entire south of the UK. Opened in 2016, Clocktower (tucked away on the St Michael’s Estate) draws vinyl fans from near and far. With friendly, knowledgeable staff and space to browse, the colourful, welcoming, disc-clad store regularly morphs from retailer into venue to host intimate gigs for small and/or local bands to launch new albums. Owner Roy Gregory likes to call it ‘a grown up youth club’.

Its ‘podium position’ in the prestigious competition proves that Clocktower Music isn’t just a shop, it’s a destination.

Discovery Centre up for Tourism Award

THE West Bay Discovery Centre has been chosen as a finalist in the category of ‘New Tourism Business’ in the South West England Tourism Excellence Awards. Located inside the former historic Methodist Church, the centre highlights the stories of West Bay, both past and present.

For more information about the West bay Discovery Centre visit www. westbaydiscoverycentre.org.uk.

56 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 57

Vegetables in January By Ashley Wheeler

Diverse green manure mixes with phacelia, different clovers, rye, tillage radish, sunflowers, buckwheat and oats from Cotswold Seeds can be used to bring diversity to the garden and increase organic matter in the soil.

W

e choose to grow vegetables organically. For us it just makes sense and feels like the right thing to be doing. It is not just a case of not using artificial pesticides and fertilisers. It is more than that. Growing, farming and gardening organically is about balance and working with the cycles of nature. Rather than using soil as a medium to grow crops or grass, we feed the soil and provide favourable conditions for soil life to thrive. In doing this we make use of the biological activity beneath our feet to do some of the work for us— earthworms improve drainage, fungi build relationships with plants which means that the plants can access a much wider resource of nutrients, and other soil life breaks down organic matter making more food available for plants to grow. We also make use of natural predators to help control and balance pest numbers. Leaving nettles to encourage the early nettle aphid will in turn bring ladybirds to the garden which will be there as the aphids move onto crops. Mixed hedgerows will also provide habitat for other predatory insects along with birds which will help to control insect pests. Minimising digging or cultivation will build up a more balanced soil life system and be preferable to ground beetles which will eat slug eggs.

We grow a wide range of vegetables, herbs and salad leaves, all of which provide different habitats and conditions for wildlife. Some have deep roots which help to break through compacted soil, some more spreading roots, whilst some of the legumes fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Some, such as chicory, act as more of a groundcover than others, and so protect the soil from the sun and rain, and some we can under-

58 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

sow with green manures to fix nitrogen and protect the soil—this works well for sweetcorn, squash and courgettes. This diversity in crops that we grow alongside our long rotation means that each part of the garden is treated slightly differently each year. It is not just all ploughed up at the beginning of the year and planted with the same crop which is then harvested at the same time. Sadly this is the case for much of our agricultural landscape, and this lack of diversity—whether that is in crops or pasture, combined with the decades of artificial pesticides and fertilisers has led to the decline in huge numbers of insect and birdlife. Some wildlife such as bumblebees actually thrive more in urban areas than rural areas now, highlighting the issues associated with our farming and growing methods.

At the heart of organic gardening, growing and farming is the soil. It is the source of 99% of all human and animal food calories and it contains 25% of all global biodiversity. Yet, around 3 million tonnes of topsoil are lost every year in the UK. It stores almost twice the amount of carbon as the atmosphere, yet we continue to abuse it and degrade it. Using organic methods puts the soil at the centre of what we do, so this year, think twice before scattering slug pellets around, or spraying blackfly with artificial pesticides. Instead, think about the garden as an ecosystem and think of ways to encourage predators and discourage pests.

WHAT TO SOW THIS MONTH: It is still too early to sow most veg, but we will be sowing a few sugarsnap peas, lettuce, spring onions and agretti on a heated propagating bench for early tunnel production.

WHAT TO PLANT THIS MONTH: Nothing to plant this month (unless you still haven’t planted garlic, in which case it’s not too late!)

OTHER IMPORTANT TASKS THIS MONTH: Keep working through your winter job list of getting everything sorted for the season ahead. Soon enough it will be time to start sowing in earnest, so the more prepared for this the better. Make sure you have gone through all of your seed packets, and throw out any that don’t last more than a year. We find that parsnip seed is no good after a year, and parsley, carrots, spring onions and leek seed doesn’t last particularly long so we tend to buy seed each year for these.

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January in the Garden

By Russell Jordan

A

new decade has begun and the shortest day of the year has passed so the hours of daylight will be on the increase. Plants will notice the lengthening days and subtly begin to react, thanks to complex hormonal processes and little understood tropisms, but as far as active gardening tasks are concerned it’s a quiet time of year.

As ever it pays to get all bare-rooted plants planted whenever soil and weather conditions allow. The autumn was very wet which may have held up a lot of the necessary lifting operations, that the supplying nurseries need to undertake before despatching orders, so there could be a backlog of orders even if the planting conditions are ideal.

As long as the ground is not totally waterlogged, or frozen solid, then it’s always better to plant bare-root plants rather than have them sitting around. Having said that, if an order does arrive at an inconvenient time, and you have no choice but to heel the plants in temporarily, there’s no need to panic as there are still a good three months of winter left in which to complete the task.

The ‘dormant season’ is the best time to undertake any major tree work and reorganising of the garden structure while it is laid bare. Despite having a basic chainsawing certificate, I am not a fan of attempting tree surgery myself—I’ve seen too many gardeners over the years who have fallen victim to self-inflicted chainsaw injuries. Anything that cannot be tackled by hand, it’s amazing how much can be achieved with a sharp pruning saw, is best left to a professional.

A qualified tree surgeon will know precisely how to fell a tree, or perform such operations as crown thinning, without damaging surrounding plants or property. In addition they will be insured for any mishaps which might occur and they should have all the necessary equipment required to tidy everything up afterwards and, if requested, log up all the timber suitable for firewood.

Planning ahead is the order of the day and, given that grass will not be actively growing, while average temperatures are below 7ºC or so, getting the mower, or any other garden machinery, serviced makes good sense. If you can tackle it yourself, while there’s no urgency, it will save a deal of money but I like the peace of mind afforded by relying on a professional garden machinery workshop to do the necessary work.

In total contrast to macho machinery maintenance; how about 60 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

getting ahead by seed sowing (or seed ordering if you fancy a nice sit down, in front of the fire, surrounded by seed catalogues)? Plants which require a long growing season, especially the heat-loving bedding plants, need a helping hand to get them germinated, and therefore growing, at this cold time of year.

Small quantities can be raised in a bright room. Mass sowings will require a lot more space, preferably a heated greenhouse, as the little plants soon take up a lot of room as they get potted on to larger and larger pots.

The over 20ºC required for germination can be provide in a heated propagator but once pricked out they still need heat, not to mention good light, if they are not to be subjected to a shock which could kill them or severely check their growth. It’s worth raising your own if you have the facilities, or want to grow varieties that are not widely available, but with the huge range now available as ‘plug plants’, or ‘garden ready’ after the frosts have passed, you may prefer to let the commercial suppliers carry the risk getting them from seed to small plant.

Less delicate, and therefore suited to almost any gardener, are sweet peas. These are so hardy that it’s possible to sow them in November and overwinter them, with a little protection, as young plants. That will get them off to a really early start but in reality you won’t lose out much by sowing them now. On a windowsill, or in glazed porch, they will make good size plants, ready for planting in their final garden positions, by the spring.

The variety available from seed suppliers is huge, compared to those supplied as young plants in the spring, so it really is worth growing them yourself.

Sweet peas will require a structure, most easily erected using 8-10 foot bamboo canes and garden twine, so it’s worth considering where this can be accommodated before committing to growing them. On the subject of structures, in the same way that the denuded garden in winter exposes required tree and shrub maintenance, it’s also the best time to check on other structural elements like plant supports and ties.

The autumn winds, especially those that occurred before all the leaves were down, may have loosened or broken tree ties and the stakes that they are attached to. In some cases you may find that the supported specimen no longer needs to be attached to a stake, if it’s sufficiently well established, and the stake can be

safely removed. Sometimes only the tie needs to be replaced, possibly with a stronger one, but if the specimen has grown to a size disproportionate to the orginal stake, very small plants may originally have been supplied with a bamboo cane, you may have to drive in a larger stake and attach a similarly ‘beefier’ plant tie.

It is important that the length of stake protruding above the point of attachment, of the tie to the stem of the plant, is kept to a minimum because, in very windy conditions, even a supported tree or shrub will sway around. If more than an inch or two of stake is left, above the attachment point, then there is a danger that the swaying of the stem will cause it to rub against the protruding stake and damage it.

Similarly the plant tie needs to be tight enough to support the plant but not so tight that the stem is constricted.

Rubber tree ties are generally supplied with a block that needs to be placed between the stem, or trunk, of the tree / shrub and the stake that the tie is attached to. Rubbery, or expandable, ties are vital, never use wire or other ‘garotting’ material, so that the growing plant is not constricted in any way. Old tights are often recommended, as emergency ties if nothing else is available. If you have to use heavy gauge wire, such as when an established specimen needs to be pulled upright having been blown over, then thread the wire through a length of old hosepipe, where it is in contact with the trunk, so that it cannot cut into the bark or chafe against it.

That should be enough to ease you into the New Year. I think I’ll leave rose pruning, and the like, until next month at least—no point in freezing to death if you don’t have to!

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Connecting people

with nature

62 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

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Somerset Wildlife Trust has been chosen to benefit from the Co-op Local Community Fund for its work connecting people in Taunton with the health and wellbeing benefits of nature.

S

omerset Wildlife Trust is delighted that it has been selected as one of the Co-op’s chosen charity partners for the next year. The Trust will receive funds from the Co-op Local Community Fund when Co-op members select the Trust as their chosen charity and purchase selected Co-op own brand products and selected services, including those offered at Co-op Funeralcare stores.

Somerset Wildlife Trust will get one percent of the total spent, with the partnership remaining in place until October 2020, so it would like to encourage all Co-op members to go online and select the Trust as their charity of choice. This will allow them to maximise funds to support their local project, Green Spaces, Healthy Places, and make a real difference in connecting local communities in Taunton to the benefits that nature brings to mental health and wellbeing.

Working with partners in the health and social care sector, the Green Spaces, Healthy Places project provides opportunities for active participation in maintaining and improving some local green spaces, enhancing them better for wildlife and at the same time benefiting those that regularly use these areas.

Somerset Wildlife Trust works with a range of people, including people with mental health problems, learning difficulties, and experiences of homelessness.

Katie Arber, Director of Fundraising, says “Studies have shown that those who have the least access to nature also have the worst levels of physical health and mental wellbeing. We believe that everyone deserves to live in a healthy, wildlife-rich world and experience the joy of nature.

If you are a Co-op member, please think about choosing us as your chosen charity this year and help more people in your local community to experience the health and wellbeing benefits of nature and improve local green spaces for the benefit of all. When a community comes together, we’re able to achieve great things. Thank you for your support.”

Co-op members can nominate Somerset Wildlife Trust as their cause by going online here: https:// membership.coop.co.uk/causes/37890 If you’re not a Co-op member and would like to support Somerset Wildlife Trust, you can join the Co-op at your local store or online at www.coop.co.uk for just £1.

Photographs by Olivia Dullaghan

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PROPERTY ROUND-UP

Get Set. Move! Houses with no onward chain

By Helen Fisher

TYTHERLEIGH £568,000

A substantial detached 1930’s family home with 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and lovely views. Reception room with wood burner plus large conservatory plus loft space. Recently double glazed. Half acre, all enclosed garden with raised veg bed and many mature trees. Ample parking and garage.

Gordon and Rumsby Tel: 01297 553768

SEATON £725,000

An impressive detached 1920’s family home with 6 bedrooms and outstanding views over Lyme Bay, the Axe Valley and Haven Cliff.

Period features inc: bay windows, picture rails & panel doors. Formerly used as the Polish Officers’ Mess during the war. Gardens with mature shrubs and fruit trees, patio, store room and garage.

John Wood & Co Tel: 01297 20290

BRIDPORT £197,500

A second floor, south-facing apartment with far reaching views across the town to the countryside beyond. A stylish, neutral interior with 2/3 bedrooms, family bathroom plus an ensuite. A well kept, courtyard style communal garden with allocated off-road parking space.

Stags Tel: 01308 428000 64 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

COAT £895,000

A substantial detached hamstone house with annexe potential built in 1985. With 4 bedrooms plus bedroom/playroom above the triple garage. Set in a very quite location down a no-through lane. Centrally positioned in mature, private gardens with timber outbuilding, machinery shed and greenhouse.

Symonds and Sampson Yeovil Tel: 01935 423526

DORCHESTER £1.25M

A handsome Grade II* listed Georgian town house of architectural importance. Impressive interior inc: a Chinese Chippendale style staircase, flagstone floor, marble fireplace and Rococo style reception room. Mature gardens with shrubs and impressive trees. Approached from a no-through road with ample parking and garaging.

Savills Tel: 01202 856873

LITTON CHENEY £335,000

A handsome Grade II listed 18th Century cottage set in the centre of a popular village. With exposed timbers, fireplace with wood burner and window seats. Plus good ceiling heights. A fully enclosed, easy to maintain garden with decked terrace plus large timber garage with power.

Symonds and Sampson Bridport Tel: 01308 422092

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SAFFRON MASH WITH GARLIC BUTTERED SCALLOPS My recipe, this month is for seared scallops with rich garlic butter and a warming saffron mash.

Prepare the mash ahead and simply sear your scallops just before serving. Perfect comfort food for supper on a chilly evening!

LESLEY WATERS

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

For the scallops • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 12 cleaned scallops • juice ½ lemon • 25g (1oz) butter • 1 clove garlic, crushed • 1 bunch flat leaf parsley • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

1.

For the mash • 1 ½ teaspoons saffron (threads) infused in 2 tablespoons boiling water • 900g / 2 lb floury potatoes e.g.

Maris Piper, King Edwards • pinch salt • approximately 150ml / ¼ pint hot milk • 40g / 1 ½ oz butter • 3 tablespoons double cream • salt and freshly ground black pepper

3.

Serves 4

66 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

2.

4.

For the mash, peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized pieces (5cm / 2 inches). Place in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with cold water and add a pinch of salt.

Bring the potatoes to the boil and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain the potatoes and push through a sieve or potato ricer, return immediately to the saucepan. Mash over the heat for 30 seconds to evaporate any excess water. Add the milk and butter and strain in the saffron tea. Mash until smooth, adding extra milk if required.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the scallops and sear over a high heat for approx. 1-2 minutes each side. Squeeze over the lemon juice and add the butter and garlic to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds and season with black pepper.

Pile the saffron mash onto four plates or bowls, top with the scallops and serve at once with flat leaf parsley and lemon wedges.

Food&Dining

January 2020 Food Markets Please check dates and times with venues or organisers

Sat 3rd

Thu 9th Fri 10th Sat 11th

Thur 16th Fri 17th Sat 18th Thur 23rd Sat 25th

Poundbury, Queen Mother Square - 9am - 1pm Shaftesbury, Town Hall - 9am - 1pm Wareham, Town Hall, East Street - 9am - 1pm Blandford, Blandford Forum - 9am - 1pm Bridport, Arts Centre, South St - 9am - 1pm Martock, Moorlands Shopping - 10am - 1pm Yarcombe, Village Hall - 10am - 12noon Purbeck, Commercial Road, Swanage - 9am - 1pm Honiton, St Paul’s Church, High St - 8.30am - 1pm Sherborne, Cheap St - 9am - 1pm Wimborne, Market Square - 9am - 1pm Crewkerne, The Henhayes Centre - 9am - 1pm Wareham, Town Hall, East Street - 9am - 1pm Dorchester South, High Street - 9am - 4pm Barrington, Village Hall, 10am - 12noon Yeovil, Middle Street - 9am - 2pm Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 67

KALE HEARTS WITH GINGER DRESSING These tender little kale hearts, which have come on the scene in the last few years, are a versatile new breed of vegetable which can be used for all sorts of dishes like crispy-fried, steamed or a part of a starter dish. They are occasionally sold under the guise of Kalettes which I’m not so keen on, it’s just a marketing thing I suppose and I’m quite happy with Kale hearts myself. I remember years ago having a dish in New York, in David Chang’s restaurant, which was simply deep-fried Brussels sprouts, scored a few times so they open up like a flower and had a similar Asian dressing to this. The advantage of these is you don’t need to prepare them at all, apart from a brief wash and spin and they are good to go. If you want you can try just deep-frying them for a couple of minutes until crisp but without colouring, then drain on some kitchen paper and lightly season with sea salt flakes. I did try to grow these in my garden, but the pigeons or rabbits got to them before me, so I will have to wait till next year by the looks of it.

MARK HIX

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• 150-180g kale hearts or kalettes, washed and dried

1.

For the dressing • 1tbs sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) • 1/2 tbs fish sauce • 1/2 tbs rice wine vinegar • 1/2 tbs water • A small 40-50g piece of root ginger, scraped and finely chopped • 1 small chilli, finely chopped, seeds and all • 1 tbs Chinese chives or hedgerow garlic, finely chopped • Salt and freshly ground white pepper

2.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the kale hearts and simmer for 30 seconds then drain and refresh in cold water, drain and dry on some kitchen paper.

Mix the ingredients together for the dressing and season. Arrange the kale hearts on a plate and spoon over the dressing.

Serves 4 - 6

HIX Oyster and Fish House is Mark’s local restaurant that overlooks the harbour in Lyme Regis and boasts the most stunning panoramic views across the Jurassic coast - this is easily one of the most picturesque spots to enjoy British fish seafood.

To book please call 01297 446 910 68 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Who Loves the National Trust

A National Trust tells all – Helen Wood brings her solo show to Dorchester Arts at the Corn Exchange

DO you love the National Trust? Even if you do, it’s probably not as much as Helen Wood, who brings her one-woman, whirlwind tour of the Trust’s properties and outdoor spaces to Dorchester Arts at the Corn Exchange on Wednesday 29th January.

The National Trust Fan Club, by Seabright Productions, is on tour after a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Writer-performer Helen Wood uses a combination of personal stories, historical anecdotes, poetry, sketches, selfies and scones to bring as she follows one-woman quest to visit every National Trust property and become the NT’s biggest super-fan. Expect a lot of Goretex, cream teas and conversations with her loyal canine assistant (when NT rules allow).

Sharpham Cheese Triumphs With Two Awards SHARPHAM Cheese has recently won two outstanding awards in the food industry: UK Supreme Cheese at the Global Cheese Awards and British Product of the Year in the Great British Food Awards.

The Global Cheese Awards, hosted by Frome & District Agricultural Society, awarded Sharpham Cheese’s ‘Washbourne’ the overall prize of UK Supreme Cheese.

Their award at Best Cheese Award and British Product of the Year – Great British Food Awards was judged by acclaimed chef Marcus Wareing who chose Sharpham Cheese’s ‘Cremet’ as the winner. All winning products then go on to be judged by a panel of tasters at Partridges. This year, Partridges selected Cremet as the overall product of the year.

For more about Sharpham visit: www.sharpham.com.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine January 2020 69

Guest Recipe

HEATHER THOMAS The Mindful Kitchen was founded in 2016 by New York State native Heather Thomas, who now lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Mindful Kitchen offers people a path to greater well-being for both people and the planet by building a nature-related practice.

To spread the process of how to connect to nature with every bite, Heather has worked with eco-chef Tom Hunt, Havana Club, Sustain (a UK-based alliance for better food and farming), and with the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK. She has also trained in climate-change communications with Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project he founded.

SPRING PEA, MINT AND FETA FRITTATA Peas, feta and eggs are a delicious combination for a tasty lunch or light supper. Pep this up with some of the mint and coriander chutney and mint leaves to bring a fresh focus to your life.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• • • • • • • • • • •

1.

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 eggs 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ½ teaspoon salt 150 g/5½ oz peas (fresh or frozen) 50 g/1¾ oz feta cheese, crumbled 4 teaspoons mint and coriander chutney (see below) • Fresh mint leaves, to serve

2.

Serves 4 3.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/ gas mark 4. Warm the olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a low heat and add the onion and garlic.

Leave them to soften for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk and mustard together. Stir the smoked paprika, salt and peas into the egg mixture.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes until it settles. Remove and scatter the crumbled feta cheese on top. Return to the oven for 1 minute to allow it to soften.

Remove from the oven, top with four dollops of mint chutney and sprinkle with fresh mint. Serve warm, straight from the pan.

MINT AND CORIANDER CHUTNEY

The Mindful Kitchen: Vegetarian Cooking to Relate to Nature

By Heather Thomas £20.00. Hardback, 192 Pages ISBN: 9781782408758 Publisher: Leaping Hare Press

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Makes 150 g/5½ oz • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger root • 1 teaspoon sugar • ¼ teaspoon salt • 40 g/11/2 oz finely chopped mint leaves • 85 g/3 oz finely chopped coriander leaves and stalks • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar • 1 tablespoon water

1.

Optional • Yogurt • Fresh chilli, chopped

2.

Grind the garlic, ginger, sugar and salt in a food processor until coarsely chopped. If you have time, you can also do this using a pestle and mortar.

Add the mint and coriander, a handful at a time. Drizzle in the vinegar and the water and continue to grind to a coarse but creamy consistency.

If you want to make the chutney creamier, add 3–4 tablespoons of yogurt to the mix. Or, if you want to make it a bit spicy, add a fresh chilli pepper to the mix.

PEOPLE IN FOOD & DRINK

Geraldine Baker - photograph and words by Catherine Taylor

GERALDINE BAKER TWELVE years ago Geraldine and John Baker went to one of their local pubs on a Sunday for a drink.

Whilst supping over their beverages it came to light the pub was for sale. And so, they decided on a complete career change, duly becoming joint Landlords of The Ropemakers in Bridport. John claims, grinning, it’s his job to get people through the door and Geraldine’s to make sure they get served. The couple have made a great success of the pub, winning a plethora of awards over the years, weaving themselves into the very heart of Bridport’s community.

Geraldine grew up in Bridport. She worked in customer support and had a number of jobs waiting tables before taking on the pub, so had a lot of experience dealing with people. Passionate about food, Geraldine enthuses about the suppliers they use. Originally she devised a map of Dorset to show how local all their suppliers were, but happily found she had to make it solely of Bridport, with a couple of exceptions. Offering a monthly cheese club, weekly quiz nights and three nights of live music each week, Geraldine doesn’t have much time to sit down. A classically trained singer herself, punters occasionally get the added benefit of hearing her sing during the open mic night. As the couple live above the pub it is easy enough to pop down whenever they need to help with the evening’s entertainment.

Taking advantage of having an in-house chef, the couple often have Sunday roast in the pub. However, most nights it will be either Geraldine or John cooking upstairs, as they both enjoy dabbling in a variety of culinary influences. On Geraldine’s day off she and John will generally either go for a walk or pop out on the bus somewhere sampling other food haunts. They know the area intimately, as over the years they have walked pretty much every footpath together, armed with a pack lunch, using the time to brainstorm new ideas for the pub.

Still brimming with enthusiasm for what they have achieved, Geraldine admits that she and John couldn’t run the establishment without their loyal team of staff.

Ensuring she takes life just a little easier after recovering from breast cancer, and with John’s Parkinsons a factor in their lives, they both enjoy showing what can be done, no matter what presents itself along the way.

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 71

Sacculina – The Psycho Crab Parasite

By Nick Fisher

P

arasites are fascinating organisms.

From mistletoe to tapeworms, they each have a character of their very own. Mistletoe is an external parasite; sure, it has roots and tendrils sunk deep into the lifeblood of its tree host, but mostly it appears as an external beautification.

The same with the sucker-fish, or pilot fish, the mug-faced parasitic fish that adhere themselves to the outside of a big host fish, like a shark or whale.

They alternate between taking gulps of stolen blood and chewing any edible critters that can be scrounged off the host’s skin.

Then there’s the violent, invasive external parasites, like the screw worm.

This is a sort of super vampire maggot with Hannibal Lecter tendencies. The screw worm fly lays eggs in a cow’s skin, usually in a cut or scratch. Fly lays eggs. Eggs hatch into maggot-like screw worms, which in turn start to feed off the raw flesh of the host cow. They frequently eat their host to death, and then finish up its dead body for dessert.

The tapeworm is one of those quiet invasive sneaky parasites that is always hidden from view. Shows no external manifestation to give it away, and will happily feed on its host’s meals as they pass through their gut. Until the host gets too weak to feed, then like the screw worm, the parasite’s appetite expands beyond eating the host’s dinner, to the host becoming dinner.

I’ve never really considered of parasites as characters. But some of them do definitely have personality. They’re not just mindless evil forces designed to suck life out of living things. And, there’s one parasite of crabs that is a stunningly cunning and clever organism.

It dishes out a brand of mood-altering, mind-bending, brain-washing parasitic behaviour worthy of a hundred Rasputin’s or coach load of Derren Browns.

The sacculina carcini starts life as a microscopic free-swimming larvae. Like with so many species, the female is the brains of the evil organisation. She does all the hard work finding and preparing the innocent host. The female larvae lands on a crab and crawls up its claws until it finds a soft, bendy arm joint, where it can search for bristle hair roots

in the crab’s exoskeleton.

When she finds a bristle hole without a bristle, she then stabs a long hollow dagger-like lance into the crab, and squirts a piece of herself, just a collection of her cells, into the hole. Then, like a crab shedding its shell, or a lizard shedding its tail, she lets the part of her outside the crab wither and die, while the tiny cell-spurt of her inside the crab, taps into its host’s blood supply.

She then starts to live a new life, safely snuggled inside the hard protective crab house.

But, the cunning sacculina isn’t happy to just suck some sustenance out of its crustacean victim. It will only be truly happy when it controls the whole crab.

When she’s taken over its mind and body, making it a slave to her Machiavellian ways. The female sacculina works its way deep into the body of the crab, spreading long finger-like tendrils through the crab’s insides, even winding around its eye stalks. Succulina does this to create a web of roots that can suck even more nutrients out of the crab’s blood system.

She lodges herself deep inside the crab, where it causes a bulge to appear in the crab’s belly. This bulge is gradually worn away by the crab’s natural movement around the rocky sea bed, until the tiniest pin prick of a hole is worn through the shell.

This female parasite engineers the hole to create a secret tunnel through which she can smuggle her boyfriend.

The male sacculina larvae then lands on the crab and, like the female, he injects a part of himself into the hole and leaves the rest of himself outside to wither and die. Then, once inside, he finds the new bloated female larva and injects his tiny self inside her.

Deep inside the female sacculina’s body, she has two wells. These are resting places for the male. And typically, most female sacculina carry two males around inside them at all times.

Once inside, the male sacculina’s days as a free agent and man-about-town are over. He fuses into her body and his only function and future is to continually fertilise her eggs with his sperm.

Two males are trapped inside, like sperm machines, servicing her prodigious output of eggs.

It’s not just the male sacculina that she casts her psycho spell over, but the crab host too becomes just the plaything of the female sacculina. As she takes over its body, she takes over its mind. The crab will continue to eat ravenously, but the sacculina shuts down all its other functions. It renders it impotent and infertile so it won’t waste time and energy trying to breed. And it stops it from growing or shedding its shell. Normally if a crab loses a claw or a leg in a fight, it simply grows another one. But, if it’s been invaded by sacculina, it can’t. All its efforts are reduced to feeding in order to feed its demon within.

One more dastardly manipulative twist the sacculina inflicts on its host is to make the host crab think its going to have babies, even though it can’t.

A healthy female crab carries its fertilised eggs in a brood pouch on her underside. She carefully grooms and cleans this pouch to keep the eggs in prime condition. The knob that the female sacculina forms, sits exactly on the site of the brood pouch. And the female crab starts to treat the knob as if it were her own egg-filled pouch.

When a healthy female crab hatches out her babies, she stands on a high rock underwater and releases her young into the current, wafting them away with her claws to help them to be swept away on the tide.

The sacculina makes the innocent brainwashed crab believe she’s giving birth to her young, but in fact its the sacculina larvae that are spurting out of her bottom and being wafted away by the tender, maternal waving of her claws.

Now, I’m sorry, but is that really mean, or what?

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

On Stage at the start of 2020 For MORE ‘Preview’ have a look at Marshwood+ on www.marshwoodvale.com

Les Gloriables is coming to Buckland Newton and Drimpton in January. Photograph (outdoor show) by Andy Robbins

Revolution revisited TOURING

THE award-winning comedy theatre duo Spitz & Co are back for two more dates with Artsreach, with their own improbable reworking of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece at Buckland Newton village hall on Friday 24th January and Drimpton on Saturday 25th.

Following the success of their previous shows, Gloriator and Glorilla, the duo present the third and final show of the trilogy—Les Gloriables, inspired by Victor Hugo’s classic, Les Miserables.

The legendary French actress Gloria Delaneuf is determined to create a piece of theatre with the power to reunite Europe.

She has dreamed a dream, and her UK tour manager Josephine Cunningham is going to help her make it happen. Vive La Revolution!

He knows he’s funny LYME REGIS

THE first Lyme Regis Comedy Club of the year, on Friday 24th January, features Jonny

Pelham, winner of the coveted So You Think You’re Funny award.

Jonny, heading a quartet of stand-up comedians at the Marine Theatre, also won the judges’ choice prize at the BBC Radio New Comedy awards.

Popular local comedian Tom Glover is resident compere fresh from his solo show.

Jazzing around ARTSREACH VILLAGES

THE brilliant Neil Maya Quartet makes a welcome return to the Artsreach circuit at the end of January with The Brubeck Project, at Evershot village hall on Friday 31st, and Martinstown on Saturday 1st February.

Described as “the golden age of jazz reborn,” the concert will take the audience back to 1959 and the cool sounds of one of the greatest jazz ensembles of all time, the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

The Devon based quartet will play classics such as Blue Rondo Ala Turk, Unsquare Dance and Take Five with Neil Maya on saxophones and three of the most exciting jazz musicians working in the South West today.

The first half features some of the band’s original compositions and other standards with the Brubeck favourites in the second half.

New take on 18th century comedy BRIDPORT

WHAT happens when you take 18th century characters and give them a 21st century makeover? Bridport’s Encore Theatre Club takes a wry new look at one of the great 18th century comedies, at the town’s arts centre from 8th to 11th January.

The School for Scandal, Sheridan’s tale of scandal, gossip and intrigue, is brought into today’s world with a bang.

The fashionable scene of Chelsea sees wealthy millennial heirs and rich businessmen whiling away their time by playing outrageous tricks on each other, all the while fanning their vanities in endless luxuries.

Money, power and a heavy dose of social media makes this School for Scandal an explosion of outlandish fun.

To book call 01308 424 204.

PREVIEW

Alvorado bring sunshine to Dorset

From Brazil to Dorset VILLAGES

ALVORADA, coming to Dorset for a short tour from 23rd to 25th January, are the UK’s leading performers of choro, a rich and uplifting style of instrumental music from Rio de Janeiro.

Exploring influences from all over Brazil, Alvorada play choros with the irresistible swing of samba and maxixe from the South to baião from the north east, with an immediacy and vibrancy that delights audiences.

Their debut album First Light, was released in May 2019, and contains choro classics and original works, revisiting the genre with influences from the UK. The group is touring Dorset through Artsreach and the charity Live Music Now. The tour starts at Wootton Fitzpaine village hall on Thursday 23rd, followed by Portesham on Friday 24th and Chetnole on Saturday 25th, all starting at 7.30pm.

A 32-piece duo VILLAGES

THE People’s String Foundation has packed a 32-piece orchestra into a suitcase and is coming to Dorset for two dates with Artsreach, on Friday 17th January at West Stafford village hall and Saturday 18th at Burton Bradstock.

Hailing from the grass roots of British

Andreas Scholl is coming to St Mary’s in Dorchester,

Two local dates for the People’s String Foundation

music culture, PSF describe themselves as an army of bohemians and vagabonds. The Cornish band mixes world, classical and urban styles, to create Res Publica, a musical journey that will get your heart racing and your toes tapping as it warms your soul.

PSF is led by the virtuoso violinist Ben Sutcliffe (director of music for Rogue Theatre, Kneehigh and the Minack Theatre), with co-founder and composer Zaid AlRikabi at the core. The duo of Ben and Zaid are packing their 32 piece “virtual orchestra” into a box and heading our way!

solo arrangement of the hymn At The River and Beauty Is Life by Joseph Tawadros, which showcases Tamar Halperin’s piano playing as well as Scholl’s sublime voice.

Dorchester Arts’ artistic director Mark Tattersall said: “‘I was thrilled when Andreas agreed to come and perform in Dorchester on this tour. I recently found out that singers like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Kathleen Ferrier had performed in Dorchester in the 1950s and was determined to revive that tradition of bringing world class vocalists to the town. Andreas and Tamar’s concert in January will hopefully be the start of a new series of similarly memorable visits’.

For more information visit www. dorchesterarts.org.uk.

World-famous countertenor ST MARY’S, DORCHESTER

ONE of the world’s leading counter-tenors, Andreas Scholl has chosen St Mary’s Church, Dorchester, as one of the venues of his 2020 tour, The Twilight People. Accompanied by pianist Tamar Halperin, he will give the recital on Wednesday 22nd January.

The Dorchester Arts concert, which begins at 8pm, explores a programme of music from the past 100 years, including familiar songs such as Britten’s arrangements of The Ash Grove and Greensleeves, Arvo Pärt’s extraordinarily beautiful Vater Unser, and several songs by Vaughn Williams, including his setting of In The Spring by Dorset’s own William Barnes.

There are also some wonderful discoveries and lesser-known works such as Copland’s

The legends of Bowjangles FRAMPTON

TAKE four brilliant musicians with great comic timing and dancing feet and you have the uniquely talented quartet, Bowjangles, back with Artsreach for one night, at Frampton village hall, on Friday 10th January.

Excalibow finds the intrepid string quartet with their most magical show so far. It’s a theatrical, musical journey through myths, folklore, legends and a portal in a cello case in the quest to find the most priceless relic of all—the enchanted violin bow known as Excalibow.

Classic Story in Dance THE 2020 Artsreach season starts at Cerne Abbas with Protein Dance’s new version of the classic French story, The Little Prince, in the village hall on Saturday 25th January at 2.30pm.

The story is retold by a pilot stranded in the desert. Hear how he leaves behind his tiny asteroid and beloved rose and journeys through the universe to the baffling world of grown-ups! Discover a king who 74 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

reigns over nothing, a businessman, obsessively counting stars?

When he lands on planet Earth, the Little Prince is welcomed by a mysterious snake and a truly wise fox before encountering the lone pilot.

Together they discover the power of friendship and the complexity of love.

Brought to life using Protein’s award-winning mix of dance, humour and spoken word, the show invites us to reconnect with our inner child.

PREVIEW

Bowjangles are coming to Frampton with Excalibow, a musical journey through myths and legends

Expect tales of monsters, ancient gods, historical figures and characters of pure fantasy in this action packed show.

The four musicians dance while they play.

They sing while they play. They leap, tumble, juggle and joke while they play. May contain traces of ABBA!

Artsreach at 30 TOURING

ARTSREACH, Dorset’s rural touring arts charity, celebrates its 30th birthday in 2020 with an exciting programme, including the first visit to Dorset by Shakespeare’s Globe theatre company, with three performances at Littlebredy.

The anniversary programme begins with a barn dance at Ashton Barn near Martinstown on Friday 20th March, with music, food and drink.

Other highlights will include an Alice in Wonderland family garden party at Springhead, Fontmell Magna, in May, Ratsreach, a “Black Death party”, with best-selling, Dorset-based novelist Minette Walters, in June, and the Globe visit, in early July, with three of the Bard’s best loved comedies—The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It. A new report, commissioned by Artsreach, shows that volunteers, including hall promoters, help to contribute the equivalent of more than £60,000 annually into the Dorset arts scene. The research calculates that every £1 of annual public funding for Artsreach’s work generates a further 93p in benefits for the rural Dorset economy.

This economic windfall is generated by profits from shows being retained by rural communities, helping to support essential facilities such as village halls. Additional income for villages comes from visiting audience spending money in local pubs and shops.

The Artsreach programme of professional theatre, music, dance and family shows, and visual arts projects, is managed by a small team based at Little Keep in Dorchester, working with a network of more than 300 volunteers, to put on around 150 professional events every year, usually in village halls, across rural Dorset. The report shows that the equivalent of two and a half paid staff would be needed to bring the Artsreach programme to life without volunteer help.

Volunteers told the researcher how important Artsreach is to their villages, providing social contact for local people, raising money for the hall and the community and bringing professional shows to their villages. One hall promoter said: ‘We get an internationally award-winning group for £10 a ticket with no transport costs for the audience.”

The full report is available to read on the Artsreach website, where you can also see the Artsreach spring programme—www. artsreach.co.uk

Fund-raising start to the year CONCERTS IN THE WEST

THE 2020 series of Concerts in the West opens with a stellar trio at three fund-raising recitals, on Friday 17th January at Bridport and Ilminster arts centres and Saturday 18th at the Dance House, Crewkerne.

Andrew Marriner (clarinet), Alasdair Beatson (piano) and Michael Petrov (cello) are all established performers individually, but on this occasion they will be playing together for Concerts in the West.

Andrew Marriner was the principal clarinet for the London Symphony Orchestra for more than 30 years and is a patron of Concerts in the West, as was his father, the late Sir Neville Marriner who was a founder patron.

Also a patron, pianist Alasdair Beatson works prolifically as a soloist and chamber musician. He has played for Concerts in the West many times and is renowned as a sincere musician and intrepid programmer.

His wide repertoire includes Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Schumann.

The outstanding cellist Michael Petrov was an ECHO Rising Star in the 2015/16 season.

He has performed at major concert halls including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Cité de la Musique Paris, Musikverein Vienna and Kölner Philharmonie. As a soloist Michael has appeared with the Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony and CBSO Youth Orchestras, as well as the Munich Chamber and English Chamber Orchestras.

Music at the David Hall SOUTH PETHERTON

START the New Year at the David Hall with two of the best bluesmen around—Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, coming to the Somerset venue on Thursday 9th January at 8pm. The two seasoned, erudite entertainers bring a guitar, harmonica, two authentic voices and an envious repertoire of songs and reminiscences.

On Friday 17th from 5.30pm, the David Hall hosts a Richard Huish College gig.

Expect an evening of upbeat entertainment from student performers going solo or teaming up as a band, covering genres from pop to funk and folk.

Song-writer Steve Knightley, half of favourite West Country folk duo Show of Hands, will be giving some Pass Notes at the David Hall on Saturday 25th.

The year has also begun with some good financial news, as the David Hall has been chosen by Tesco in Ilminster and Co-op shops across the region as a recipient of the stores’ community giving schemes. Owned and run by Petherton Arts Trust, which is a charity, the venue is renowned for its folk, blues and acoustic music gigs, plus theatre and film; and, more recently, entertainment for children.

“As a charity, we are grateful for any funds given to the David Hall,” says the administrator Emma Westerman.

GP-W Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 75

Concerts in the West

piano, vocals and moving images

76 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

T

he second mini concert tour in 2020 from classical music concert organiser Concerts in the West is an explosion of talent involving a trio of artistes—John Reid, piano, Nicholas Mulroy, tenor, and mixed media artist William Lindley—who are all well known for their wide-ranging artistic and creative activities. They will be bringing together an exciting multisensory fusion of solo piano, vocals and moving images in one recital.

John Reid is an inventive, charismatic pianist of notable versatility and range, with wide experience as an outstanding chamber musician, song accompanist, soloist and exponent of new music. Increasingly in demand as a teacher, he is a professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Tenor Nicholas Mulroy is in constant demand both in the UK and further afield in a wide range of concert, recital and opera engagements. He has sung at many of the world’s great concert halls: the Sydney Opera House, Boston Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Philharmonie and the Salzburg Festival.

Catherine Maddocks, the founder and director of Concerts in the West, said: “Tenor Nicholas Mulroy, pianist John Reid and artist William Lindley are all well known for their wide-ranging artistic and creative activities. Nicholas and John have worked together in recitals for many years. Last year William and John started a collaboration to explore the potential for creating site-specific audio-visual experiences, through the combination of solo piano music and projected moving images.This tour, for Concerts in the West, brings the three performers together for the first time. However, we welcome back Nicholas Mulroy and John Reid, who have played for us before and who will be joined

by William Lindley, whose projected moving images will give a fascinating backdrop to the music.”

Concert details can be found on the individual tour pages and booking details for the concerts can be found on the booking/venue information page of www.concertsinthewest.org

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 77

PERFORMANCE

James Rowland in Revelations, finale of trilogy at Broadoak on January 16th

THURSDAY 2 JANUARY

EXETER, University Great Hall, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond Marta Gardolinska, New Year Johann Strauss Gala, 7.30.

FRIDAY 3 JANUARY

DORCHESTER, Corn Exchange, The Greatest Showman, film, singalong. 5pm.

SATURDAY 4 JANUARY

EXMOUTH, Pavilion, Roxy Magic, tribute.

HONITON, Beehive, Andre Rieu, 70 Years Young, 7pm.

WEDNESDAY 8 JANUARY

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, Encore Theatre in School for Scandal, to Sat, 7.30.

THURSDAY 9 JANUARY

SOUTH PETHERTON, David Hall, Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, blues and reminiscences, 8pm.

TAUNTON, Brewhouse, BSO, cond

Marta Gardolinska, Soraya Mafi soprano, Johann Strauss Gala, 7.30.

FRIDAY 10 JANUARY

FRAMPTON, Village Hall, Bojangles in Excalibow, comedy string quartet, 7.30.

AR HONITON, Beehive, Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet, film, 7.30.

ILMINSTER, Arts Centre, John Shillito and his Riviera Ramblers, 8.

LYME REGIS, Marine Theatre, Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, blues and reminiscences, 7.30.

TORQUAY, Riviera Centre, BSO, cond Marta Gardolinska, Soraya Mafi soprano, Johann Strauss Gala, 7.30.

YEOVIL, Octagon, Barry Steele in The Roy Orbison Story, 7.30.

SATURDAY 11 JANUARY

EXETER, Northcott, Radio Ga Ga, celebrating the champions of rock, 7.30.

EXMOUTH, Pavilion, Peter Panties Adult Panto.

MARY TAVY, Coronation Hall, Ninebarrow, Dorset folk duo, 7.30. ViA

WEYMOUTH, Pavilion, BSO, cond Marta Gardolinska, Soraya Mafi soprano, Johann Strauss Gala, 7.30.

YEOVIL, Octagon, A Night of Take That, 7.30.

SUNDAY 12 JANUARY

WEYMOUTH, Pavilion, Stephen K Amos, comedy, 7.30.

YEOVIL, Octagon, One Night of Queen, 7.30.

WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY

EXETER, Northcott, University Theatre in The Great Gatsby, to Sat, 7.30, Sat mat 2.30.

YEOVIL, Octagon, Spirit of the Dance, 7.30.

THURSDAY 16 JANUARY

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, Exhibition on Screen, Lucian Freud, 7.30.

BROADOAK, Village Hall, James Rowland in Revelations, finale of trilogy, 7.30. AR HONITON, Beehive, The Sleeping Beauty live by satellite from the Royal

Rural touring organisations AR = Artsreach, TA = Take Art, Via = Villages in Action 78 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

PERFORMANCE

Los Pacaminos with Paul Young come to Exeter on January 17th.

Ballet, 7.15.

YEOVIL, Octagon, Buddy, 30 Terrific Years, The Buddy Holly Story, to Sat, various times.

FRIDAY 17 JANUARY

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, Concerts in the West, Andrew Marriner, clarinet, Michael Petrov, cello, Alasdair Beatson, piano, 11am.

DORCHESTER, Shire Hall, Dorchester Arts, Murder in the Bunker, with dinner, 7pm.

EXMOUTH, Pavilion, Los Pacaminos with Paul Young.

HONITON, Beehive, Sorry We Missed You, film, 7.30.

ILMINSTER, Arts Centre, Concerts in the West, Andrew Marriner, clarinet, Michael Petrov, cello, Alasdair Beatson, piano, 7.30.

MELBURY OSMOND, Village Hall, James Rowland in Revelations, finale of trilogy, 7.30. AR SOUTH PETHERTON, David Hall, Richard Huish College music students, from 5.30pm.

WEST STAFFORD, Village Hall, People’s String Foundation, world music, 7.30. AR WEYMOUTH, Pavilion, Circus of Horrors, 7.30.

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, Fleetwood Bac, 7.30.

BURTON BRADSTOCK, Village Hall, People’s String Foundation, world music, 7.30. AR CREWKERNE, Dance House, Concerts in the West, Andrew Marriner, clarinet, Michael Petrov, cello, Alasdair Beatson, piano, 7.30.

DORCHESTER, Corn Exchange, The Ronnie Scott’s Allstars, The Ronnie Scott’s Story, 8pm.

ILMINSTER, Warehouse Theatre, Cinema at the Warehouse, The Rider, 7.45.

PIDDLETRENTHIDE, Memorial Hall, James Rowland in Revelations, finale of trilogy, 7.30. AR SIDMOUTH, Parish Church, Sidmouth Music Recitals, Tabea Debus, recorder,

Alex McCartney, theorbo, Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Corelli, 3pm.

WEYMOUTH, Pavilion, Waterloo - the best of ABBA, tribute, 7.30.

YEOVIL, Westlands, Jive and Swing dance with the Swing Commanders, 7.30.

SUNDAY 19 JANUARY

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, Wozzeck from the Metropolitan Opera, 4pm.

CHUDLEIGH, Community School Hall, Angel Heart in Mazymeg and the Honey Bees, 3pm. ViA SOUTH PETHERTON, David Hall, Rock the Tots, gig for young children, 2pm.

WIMBORNE, Tivoli, Judy Collins.

MONDAY 20 JANUARY

PLYMOUTH, Theatre Royal, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, with Joe McFadden, to Sat. YEOVIL, Swan Theatre, Nick Payne’s Constellations, dir Pete Fernandez, to Sat.

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PERFORMANCE

Barry Steele in The Roy Orbison Story in Yeovil on January 10th

TUESDAY 21 JANUARY

EXETER, Cygnet Theatre, Cygnet in The Importance of Being Earnest, to 31 Jan. PLYMOUTH, Theatre Royal, Drum Studio, Gonzo Moose in Once Upon a Time, to Sat. WEYMOUTH, Pavilion, McCartney, the Songbook with Joe Kane, 7.30.

WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY

DORCHESTER, St Mary’s Church, Andreas Scholl, counter-tenor, Tamar Halperin, piano, The Twilight People, 8pm.

EXETER, Northcott, University Footlights in Ghost, the Musical, to Sat, 7.30, Sat mat 2.30.

Corn Exchange, Circus of Horrors in The Greatest Shocks the Greatest.

EXMOUTH, Pavilion, Band of the Royal Marines: Ocean Room, Comedy Club.

THURSDAY 23 JANUARY

EXETER, University Great Hall, BSO,

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cond Carlos Miguel Prieto, Ning Feng, violin, R. Strauss, Elgar Violin concerto, Shostokovich 6th symphony, 7.30.

Corn Exchange, Susie Dent in The Secret Lives of Words, 7.30.

WOOTTON FITZPAINE, Village Hall, Alvorada, music from Brazil, 7.30. AR

FRIDAY 24 JANUARY

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, Sam Avery, Toddlergeddon, comedy, 7.30.

BUCKLAND NEWTON, Village Hall, Spitz & Co in Les Gloriables, 7.30. AR ILMINSTER, Arts Centre, Ben Cummings, trumpet, Martin Dale, saxophone, Dominic Ashworth, guitar, Craig Milverton Trio, jazz, 8pm. LYME REGIS, Marine Theatre, LR Comedy Club with Johny Pelham and Tom Glover, 8pm.

PORTESHAM, Village Hall, Alvorada, music from Brazil, 7.30. AR WESTON SUPER MARE, Playhouse, Joe Brown, 60th anniversary tour.

WEYMOUTH, Pavilion, ELO Again, tribute, 7.30.

SATURDAY 25 JANUARY

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, The Schmoozenbergs, Eastern European jazz, 7.30.

CERNE ABBAS, Village Hall, Protein Dance in The Little Prince, 2.30pm. AR CHETNOLE, Village Hall, Alvorada, music from Brazil, 7.30. AR DRIMPTON, Village Hall, Spitz & Co in Les Gloriables, 7.30. AR LYME REGIS, Marine Theatre, Ninebarrow, folk, 8.

SEATON, Gateway, Joey the Lips, 7.30.

SOUTH PETHERTON, David Hall, Steve Knightley, Pass Notes – the Stories Behind the Songs, 8pm.

WEYMOUTH, Pavilion, The Story of Guitar Heroes, 7.30.

SUNDAY 26 JANUARY

EXETER, Northcott, Acapella UK quarter final, 7pm.

EXMOUTH, Pavilion, The Unravelling Wilburys.

LYME REGIS, Marine Theatre, Sunday Sessions, free local live music, 3pm: Trio

PERFORMANCE

Trio Simbora, Brazilian music at the Marine Lyme Regis on January 26th.

Simbora, Brazilian music, 8.

SOUTH PETHERTON, David Hall, Acoustic Night, 7.30.

TORQUAY, Princess Theatre, Joe Brown, 60th anniversary tour.

YEOVIL, Octagon, Islands in the Stream, the music of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, 7.30.

MONDAY 27 JANUARY

EXMOUTH, Pavilion, Think Floyd: Ocean Room, Jonathan Goodwin in Murder by Gaslight, 7.30.

PLYMOUTH, Pavilions, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight, SOLD OUT.

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY

BOURNEMOUTH, BIC, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight.

BRIDPORT, Arts Centre, Bridport Film Society, Phoenix (Norway), 7.45.

EXETER, Northcott, Richard Alston Dance Company in new works, and Wed, 7.30.

PLYMOUTH, Theatre Royal, Drum Studio, Sh!t Theatre in Drink Rum with Expats, to Sat: The Apron, Faulty Towers Dining Experience, to Sat. YEOVIL, Octagon, Jess Gillam, saxophone, with Sinfonia Classica, Marcello, Mozart, Glazunov, Tchaikovsky, Haydn, 7.30.

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Moments MAPPERTON

John Montagu kept a diary when he first realised his father was affected by Dementia. Now, more than 30 years later he has published his observations of the challenges faced trying to secure the future of Mapperton against a backdrop of difficult times. He talked to Fergus Byrne.

J

ohn Montagu is distracted by kittens. When I arrive to talk with him about his new book, Mapperton Moments, the 11th Earl of Sandwich pops his head out of the window to warn me to be careful coming in the door in case some new arrivals make a break for the dangerous outdoors. We do the ‘shut the door quickly before the kittens get out’ dance as two adorable furry balls of energy tumble over each other trying to climb up his dangling scarf.

As an introduction, it’s a pleasant distraction from the subject of the book I’ve come to talk about. It is a diary covering the last eight and a half years of the life of his father Victor Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, the 10th Earl of Sandwich. The book covers the years during which the former MP was slowly gripped

by Alzheimer’s disease.

Mapperton Moments is a touching and funny—though at times painful—memoir. It not only gives a fascinating insight into the realities of the day-to-day running of a crumbling country manor, but it is also a keen observation of the challenges that accompany the slow decline of a powerful presence. John’s father ‘Hinch’ was a long-standing MP for South Dorset, elected in no less than five general elections. President of the Anti-Common Market League from 1962 to 1984, he was also a member of the Conservative Monday Club which was initially founded to correct a perceived Tory swing toward liberalism. A powerful presence in political life, Victor Montagu also wielded his influence at home, sometimes with devastating consequences. It is the last years and the impact on those closest to him during this time that is laid bare on the pages of his eldest son John’s memoir.

For John, the writing was a therapy that he described in the book as ‘the therapy of the computer’—although the process had begun in longhand and moved through a range of technologies before finally being edited on a computer in recent years. He also described it as a ‘fairly accurate thermometer’ of how whatever genuine affection he had for his father in the past had been eroded by the time spent dealing with the disease. There were times in the process where he found himself talking to the page.

‘I could only deal with it by writing’ he said. ‘That was a way out of it. It was so exasperating. I thought I must tell somebody.’

One of the many difficulties included the feeling of alienation.

When you live with someone you see changes every day, whereas those that make occasional visits are often blissfully unaware of the frustration and loneliness of dealing with such painful and slow transformation. John explains: ‘There were four or five years where he was ostensibly an ordinary person living an ordinary life. For everybody else, they only had to say one thing like “Hello Hinch”, or whatever, and it would keep him on his traditional route.’

It’s a recurring theme. ‘How little even close friends and family seem to understand’ John writes after complaints that he took his father home too early from a drinks party when it had been at his father’s insistence. Talking about it later his frustration is still raw. ‘That’s the other fascinating thing about looking after the elderly’ he says. ‘It’s the perceptions of being in the home and the perceptions of being outside. You stare at people as if you can’t believe they haven’t realised what’s going on and they’re encouraging you and helping you—they’re the enemy in a sense.’

Day-to-day life at Mapperton was the constant struggle to keep ahead of the elements and included a perpetual redoubling of efforts to find ever more creative ways to fund the maintenance of the estate. However, the other battle was the need to monitor his father’s activities. John recalls Hinch’s insistence on near-daily visits to the bank in Beaminster, on one occasion proffering a £10 note to the cashier and asking her to give him £30.

These moments were at times amusing but also endlessly frustrating and painful. They were a long step beyond just forgetting close family names.

Whilst winter frosts meant constant visits from local plumbing company Tolmans, Hinch also developed a habit of pushing down the needle on his gramophone to try to increase the volume requiring repeated visits by an electrician to fix it at a cost of £10 for each call out—a not insubstantial sum in 1987. John remembers wavering between wanting to keep his father fully informed about activities in the family and on the estate and the worry about the ‘ghastly sequences and often irrational thought processes’ that would inevitably follow. Hinch developed a habit of raiding the garden’s honesty box and eventual concern for the welfare of others resulted in him being deprived of his car.

Occasional falls and an insistence that he hadn’t been to places

for 30 years—although he may have been there a week previously—left giant holes in conversations that once might have been enlightening and pleasant. Such conversations became ‘not occasional but continuous’ writes John.

As decline became less gradual there were moments where hiding behind doors rather than engaging with his father became the easier choice. Hinch took to drinking vodka in the morning, going to bed after lunch and then waking at dinner time and demanding breakfast. ‘He was rather one to glare at you when you went into the room’ recalls John, although he remembers that the sweetest smile sometimes replaced the glare. ‘They would sometimes cross over and you would get both of them in the same day—fretting over the marmalade or something. There were times when we couldn’t bear to sit in the dining room.

Then you’d start hiding. That is the reality. I was never frightened or anything like that, but I certainly would avoid a lot. I wouldn’t want the confrontation. That’s where Caroline comes in because she was able to stop him.’

The daily grind of trying to get him back to bed after he had risen at 4 or 5 in the morning and then not getting back to sleep was endlessly wearing . In time John confides desperate descriptions to his diary with the observation that they may be a little over the top ‘but you sometimes have to look over the top to see things in perspective.’

Rest eventually came with the first visit to a care home in the New Forest. John writes about how the journey included mile after mile of making up answers to the “where are we going” question, ‘like the witches in fairy tales, coaxing the children deeper into the wilderness.’ Once there Hinch packed his suitcase daily explaining to staff that he had enjoyed a lovely holiday but was ready to go home now.

Anyone who has experienced the mental agony of dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer’s will recognise the conflicting emotions that come with the experience. Residual guilt at the

resentment of the person one loved is sometimes overcome by the conviction that the one suffering from the disease is not the person they once knew.

John Montagu’s reflections show the deep warmth and compassion of the writer and at times affection for the man that played such a significant role in his life. He tells me about skiing holidays as a young boy and exciting trips such as visiting East Germany with his father and the MP Richard Crossman. ‘We visited the parliament and they all clapped the English MPs coming for the first time’ he recalls and mentions the thrill of passing through the infamous ‘Checkpoint Charlie’. These are memories that were perhaps suppressed by the years that followed—the politics that John rarely agreed with and the slow descent into Alzheimer’s. He describes the discipline of recording those final years as a valuable exercise that created a time when he could quietly remember his father.

Mapperton Moments records defining years in a relationship, but as John explains in the introduction, the writing process was also a means of working out what inheritance means ‘and the frustration it can involve.’ The book offers an insight into that quandary on many levels. The exasperation of dealing with the outside perception of chattels or political legacy, versus the reality that the day-to-day difficulties that life throws at everyone are painful and frustrating no matter where you are in society. To say that Mapperton Moments is a touching memoir may be doing it a disservice. It is so much more than that.

Mapperton Moments is available from bookshops or from the Estate Office, Mapperton, Beaminster DT8 3NR, price £10 plus £2 p and p, tel. 01308 862645.

Caroline and John Montagu

January

GALLERIES

2 – 25 JANUARY

Open Prizewinners Exhibition, MonFri 9.30am-4.30pm, Sat 9.30am-2.30pm, Paintings, sculpture, drawings and prints from the winning artists of last year’s Ilminster Open, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, 01460 54973, www.themeetinghouse.org.uk

UNTIL 5 JANUARY

David Smith. Field Work Debut solo show conceived as four chapters of work spanning over three decades (from 1933 to 1964) that aim to demonstrate Smith’s diverse visual language and multifaceted creative process. Curated by the artist’s daughters Rebecca and Candida Smith.

Hauser & Wirth, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0NL Bharti Kher A Wonderful Anarchy. New work following her 2017 three-month residency. Her first solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset and marks a return to the most elemental themes within her practice. Kher, who works across a multitude of forms, will present a body of sculpture, installation, and paintings.

In the process of transforming found objects, and continually experimenting with materials, she layers references: to the mythological and scientific, secular and ritualistic, physical and psychological. At the centre of all works is the abstraction of shape and confluence of time in a

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provocative meeting of materials. Hauser & Wirth, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0NL Winter Art Fair, 10.30-4.30. This festive exhibition will include affordable works of art for everyone: from sculpture and textiles to paintings and photography, not forgetting jewellery, furniture and ceramics. Perfect for gifts for friends, family and even one’s self ! The Gallery, Symondsbury Estate, Bridport DT6 6HG. www.lymebayarts.co.uk

9-29 JANUARY

New Year’s Art Sale, 10.30-4.30, Start 2020 with a visit to this exhibition where you’ll find affordable artwork created by Dorset and Devon artists in a wide and tempting variety of subjects and media. The Gallery, Symondsbury Estate, Bridport DT6 6HG. www.lymebayarts.co.uk

11 JAN – 8 FEBRUARY

South West Academy Exhibition the Academy’s 20th anniversary year begins with an exhibition of exceptional work featuring work across a diverse range of media including paintings, sculpture, prints and photography. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 5pm, Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Elmfield House, Dowell Street, Honiton EX14 1LX, 01404 45006 www.thelmahulbert. com

UNTIL 12 JANUARY

Radiance, Fred Cumming RA, Michael Fairclough, Rachel Fenner, Jeremy Gardiner, David Inshaw, Alfred Stcokham, Petter Southall furniture, Franny Owen Ceramics, Lynn Strover Jewellery.

Sladers Yard, West Bay, DT6 4EL. www. sladersyard.co.uk

UNTIL 18 JANUARY

Reedbeds and Waterways, brings together artworks by the printmaker Jackie Curtis. It will showcase the different printmaking techniques used by the artist.

In the new year (18 January) there will also be a monoprinting workshop for adults.

Somerset Rural Life Museum, Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DB. srlm.org.uk.

18 JANUARY - 1 MARCH

Counterpoint: Martyn Brewster, Daisy Cook, Brian Graham, ceramics by Paul Wearing and furniture by Petter Southall.

Sladers Yard Gallery and Café, West Bay Road, West Bay Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL. sladersyard.wordpress.com

UNTIL 26 JANUARY

Sea Garden takes as its starting point RAMM’s own collection of historic seaweeds, many of them collected by women during the nineteenth century from beaches in Devon. Often overlooked, these

women contributed to our understanding of marine science by sharing their seaweed specimens with male scientists who then used them for their own research. Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) Queen Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3RX. www.rammuseum.org. uk.

Rachel Allain: Epipelagic Drifters Totnes-based artist Rachael Allain’s film Epipelagic Drifters (16:35min) reveals planktonic life in the surface layer of Plymouth Sound through microscopic imaging techniques. Rachael collected data with expert guidance from Senior Technician in Marine Biology, Richard Ticehurst, from Plymouth Sound. She recorded sound from under the water in the surface layer (epipelagic zone) adding audio recordings from world-leading marine scientists. Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) Queen Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3RX. www. rammuseum.org.uk.

27 JAN – 15 FEBRUARY

AROUND

the Galler ies & Studios

Alan Cotton is one of the artists participating in an exhibition of work by members of the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Elmfield House, Dowell Street, Honiton EX14 1LX. www.thelmahulbert.com

Glorious Gallimaufry, Mon-Fri 9.30am4.30pm, Sat9.30am-2.30pm, Eclectic group exhibition, Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN, 01460 54973, www.themeetinghouse. org.uk

UNTIL MARCH

Roots of Religion in West Bay, see website for Winter opening times. 2019 marked the anniversary of the opening of the Methodist Chapel (170 years ago) and St John’s Church (80 years ago). Explore the history of these two churches and the stories of those associated with them at West Bay Discovery Centre. Admission free, donations welcomed.

Further details www.westbaydiscoverycentre. org.uk.

Daisy Cook participates with Martyn Brewster, Brian Graham and Petter Southall in Counterpoint from January 18 to March 1. Sladers Yard Gallery and Café, West Bay Road, West Bay Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL. sladersyard.wordpress.com

Rachel Allain: Epipelagic Drifters. Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) Queen Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3RX. www.rammuseum.org.uk.

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Brian Graham Ash & Ash 86 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Counterpoint at Sladers Yard

Martyn Brewster Daisy Cook Brian Graham Paul Wearing Petter Southall

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Martyn Brewster Shadows and Light 2 88 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

T

hree artists whose paintings inhabit the area between abstract and figurative painting, all looking at landscape, the coast, trees and woodland. Martyn Brewster and Brian Graham are Dorset-based and very concerned with the Dorset landscape and sea. Martyn Brewster’s work focusing on light and water in the moment while Brian Graham always has a feeling for the long-distant past, looking for belief patterns, mood and memory of our earliest ancestors. Daisy Cook is London-based and deeply connected to the natural world and woodlands which she paints in abstracted forms and subtle colour combinations that are both very new and reminiscent of Ben Nicholson and painters of St Ives. Paul Wearing’s ceramics bring barnacled texture and misty marine colours to strong classical forms.

Martyn Brewster’s lyrical abstract paintings combine seductive combinations of colour with vigorous poetic compositions producing paintings, prints and pen and ink drawings that are collected worldwide. Born in Oxford in 1952, he studied Art and Design in Hertfordshire and Fine Art (Painting) in Brighton followed by a Postgraduate diploma in Printmaking. He has been working as a professional artist ever since with regular solo shows in museums and galleries in London and throughout the UK as well as exhibitions in USA, Canada and throughout Europe. He has won numerous awards and his work is in private, public and corporate collections worldwide including the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum. Recently his work has entered the collections of Pallant House, Chichester and the Hepworth Wakefield. In London and New York he is represented by Waterhouse & Dodd. This is his third exhibition at Sladers Yard.

Daisy Cook works in layers, abrading and paring back the surfaces to reveal or partly reveal what is behind, giving a remarkable sense of depth and of time. Subtle in their lines and character, her calm potent paintings dwell in the mind. It was the death of Daisy’s father, the comedian Peter Cook in 1995 which motivated Daisy to become a full-time artist and do what she had always wanted to do. Her first show in London was virtually a sell-out and since then she has painted professionally and shown regularly in London at the Northcote Gallery, in USA and in good galleries around the UK. Her work is in a number of corporate collections including a commission for the Bank of England as well as those of celebrities including Julianna Marguilles, Geraldine James, Rory Bremner and Terence Conran. Her work has been reviewed in numerous journals and newspapers including Art Review.

Brian Graham is fascinated by the original humans to inhabit Britain and his work reaches back to locate their moods and beliefs. Brian Graham’s work has been enthusiastically embraced by archaeologists and art lovers alike. The Natural History Museum, London, possesses and has exhibited one of his portfolio works, The Book of Boxgrove. In January 2009 he shared a Nature Live Event there, entitled Boxgrove Art and Artefacts, with Professor Chris Stringer, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum and co-author with Professor Peter Andrews of another publication about Brian’s work, Starting From Scratch. Brian Graham’s work is in several prestigious private collections and in many public collections including The National Museum of Wales, the art galleries of Dorchester, Southampton, Leicester, Huddersfield and York as well as the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton and London. In 2008, Brian Graham was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Bournemouth University where for some years he has acted as visual arts consultant. Also that year, a richly illustrated hardback monograph, Brian Graham, Flint and Flame, written by critic and broadcaster Charlotte Mullins was published

by Hart Gallery. As well as a number of prestigious touring museum shows, he has had two major solo exhibitions at Sladers Yard.

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Daisy Cook Autumn Woodland II

Paul Wearing Ellipse 2 90 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

Distinctive furniture by Petter Southall

Paul Wearing is a ceramicist based in Cardiff. He is a Selected Member of the Craft Potters Association of Great Britain and has studied ceramics to post graduate level. Since graduating in 2000 Paul has exhibited widely across the UK as well as internationally and has been the recipient of numerous funding awards from the Arts Council of Wales. Paul’s work is inspired by nature and landscapes and embraces contrasts of control and chance within the making process. Textures that manifest naturally on surfaces within diverse urban and rural landscapes, are fundamental to his practice and he expresses his relationship to these through the coil-built sculptural vessel form and glazed surface. It is the correlation between the slower emerging cycles of nature and the making process leading to alchemical developments within the kiln that underpins his work.

Award-winning designer craftsman Petter Southall has been making his distinctive furniture at his studio outside Bridport since 1991, converting Sladers Yard as his showroom and contemporary art gallery in 2006. Originally from Norway, he makes his designs using an innovative combination of boat-building and fine cabinetmaking techniques. Petter’s designs have a distinctive Scandinavian confidence and simplicity. He finds unique beautiful pieces of oak, ash, elm and other Northern European hardwoods. He specialises in steam bending large solid boards into the arches, twists, curves and rings so striking in his designs. His work is built to last and to age beautifully. Commissions include the directors’ dining room at the National Gallery, the boardroom for Barbican Art Gallery, reception and boardroom furniture for many different companies and corporations mainly in London & recently for Bridport Town Hall and LSI. He has designed and made public art seating for Cambridge Science Park, the Wessex Ridgeway Sculpture Trail, Sanctuaries for Newton Abbott and Minehead Hospitals & the Macmillan Garden at Hereford Hospital. In 2019 he was commissioned to make a ground-breaking steam-bent pavilion for the Dubai Majlis Show Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Private commissions have been numerous and varied, sometimes including milling and drying trees from clients’ own land.

Sladers Yard - Contemporary Art & Craft Gallery West Bay Bridport Dorset DT6 4EL Open: Mon to Sat 10–4.30pm, Sundays 12–4.30pm All work can be viewed and bought on www.sladersyard.co.uk t: 01308 459511 e: gallery@sladersyard.co.uk

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92 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

SOUTH WEST

Anniversary Exhibition ACADEMY

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SOUTH WEST ACADEMY

Claire Barnett, Autumn Sea, oil on canvas, 57x47, £525 Previous page: Judith Jones, TheLittleChangingHut, C-type Durospec photograph-78x58cm.

T

he Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton kicks off 2020 by presenting exceptional work from the South West Academy of Fine & Applied Arts (SWAc) and an exciting programme of workshops and events.

The exhibition marks the start of the Academy’s 20th anniversary year and will feature work in a diverse range of media including paintings, sculpture, prints and photography.

To accompany the exhibition THG will introduce inspiring art activities from a new 3 week acrylics course to a comic book workshop for younger artists.

Exhibiting for the first time will be new members including Sue Luxton, Judith Jones and Claire Barnett. The exhibition will also showcase the work of SWAc’s well-established artists such as Ray Balkwill, Alan Cotton, Phil Creek, Jo Dixon, June Arnold and Wendy McBride.

One of the new members, Claire Barnett, is a Dorset-based artist noted for her expressive, abstract paintings and her deeply personal interpretations of land, sea and the natural world. Claire has exhibited widely, most notably at The Royal Academy and The Royal West of England Academy.

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Claire explained about her style, “My brushwork is expressive. The paint is applied liberally and then lashed and scored in gestural marks to evoke a raw beauty.”

Another new member, introduced this year, is photographer Judith Jones. Judith will be exhibiting one of her ‘twilight’ series of photographs titled ‘The Little Changing Hut’.

Judith commented, “My twilight images examine the dialectic between the outside and inside and with the conflicts of private and public spaces. The images explore concepts of exclusion and isolation, fear and uncertainty. The ‘blue hour’ of twilight takes us through the transition between day and night with an uncanny sense of unease.”

South West Academy’s Chair of Trustees, Robert Mountjoy said, “The South West Academy is delighted to return to the Thelma Hulbert Gallery for its Winter Exhibition in this our 20th year. The bright yet intimate gallery is perfect for the presentation of our work and the Academicians will be supporting the exhibition with a series of talks and workshops.”

The South West Academy Exhibition is open from 11 January to 8 February 2020. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

AnniversaryExhibition

Lar Cann -Dolomite with manganese blue

There are also accompanying events and workshops: • 24, 31 Jan, 7 Feb (3 week course) 4.30-6.30pm, Experimental and expressive acrylics with SWAc artist Phil Creek £60 (£55 THG Friends) incl materials.

•

28 Jan, 11am- 3pm, Wet on Wet Watercolour Workshop with SWAc artist Vin Jelly £20 (£18 THG Friends).

•

30 January, 1.30-3.00pm Early years workshop. Drop in for a fun creative session for babies and toddlers. Free.

•

1 Feb 10.30 – 12.30 or 1.30 – 3.30 Comic Book workshops with SWAc artist Jed Falby. £10 (£8 THG Friends) Ages 11+ yrs.

There are limited places, please book via Eventbrite.co.uk. Visit www.thelmahulbert.com for more details.

Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Elmfield House, Dowell Street, Honiton, Devon EX14 1LX. Tel:01404 45006

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 95

Health&Beauty ‘Drawing on Dorset’ exhibition in Dorchester

A new exhibition has recently been set up in one of the main display areas at Dorset County Hospital.

Drawing on Dorset is a recent publication by arts charity Dorset Visual Arts, in association with Evolver Magazine. The new exhibition associated with this book is now on display at Dorset County Hospital—this is the fourth venue the exhibition has toured to since the book’s publication in July.

The exhibition showcases original drawings from a selection made from work submitted following an open call to survey current themes, trends and innovations on drawing practices. It spans the figurative, the abstract and both physical and digital drawings made in Dorset, of Dorset and about Dorset. Works by wellknown Dorset artists including Amanda Wallwork, Anna Morris and Fran Quinlan are included in the pieces on display.

New Interim Arts Advisor at DCH, Suzy Rushbrook, said, “It is fantastic to see the exhibition tour to a fourth Dorset venue and to be received by a very different audience here at DCH. We hope that it brightens the surroundings for staff and patients alike and can give a little insight into the very varied world of Drawing.”

The exhibition is currently on display in the corridor alongside the Fortuneswell Ward and Chemotherapy Outpatient Unit and runs until the 31 January 2020.

Drawing on Dorset is accompanied by a special book of the same name which illustrates 36 selected drawings from the display and highlights the work of a number of influential and immensely talented Dorset artists.

The hardback book, priced at £15, is currently available from the DCH Charity office on charity@dchft.nhs.uk or by phoning 01305 253215.

Museums

Please telephone or check website for directions and opening hours Bridge Street, Lyme Regis.

01297 443370.

ALLHALLOWS MUSEUM

CHIDEOCK MUSEUM

High Street, Honiton.

01404 44966.

Church of Our Lady, North Road, Chideock. 01308 488348.

www.honitonmuseum.co.uk

www.chideockmartyrschurch.org.uk

AXMINSTER HERITAGE

COLYTON HERITAGE CENTRE

Barrack Road, Weymouth.

01305 766626.

Silver Street, Axminster.

01297 639884.

Market Place, Colyton

www.fortressweymouth.co.uk

www.colytonheritagecentre.org

PORTLAND MUSEUM

www.axminsterheritage.org

CREWKERNE & DISTRICT

BEAMINSTER MUSEUM

The Heritage Centre, Market Square, Crewkerne. 01460 77079.

217 Wakeham Portland.

01305 821804.

Whitcombe Road, Beaminster.

01308 863623.

www.crewkernemuseum.co.uk

www.beaminstermuseum.wordpress.com

DORSET COUNTY

BLANDFORD MUSEUM

High West Street, Dorchester.

01305 262735. (Closed)

Bere’s Yard, Blandford Forum.

01258 450388. www.blandfordtownmuseum.org

BRIDPORT MUSEUM

South Street, Bridport.

01308 422116. www.bridportmuseum.co.uk

CASTLETON WATERWHEEL

Oborne Road, Sherborne. www.castletonwaterwheelmuseum.org.uk

CHARD MUSEUM

Godworthy House, High Street, Chard. 01460 65091. www.chardmuseum.co.uk.

96 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

EXMOUTH MUSEUM

Sheppards Row, Exmouth.

07768 184127.

FAIRLYNCH MUSEUM

27 Fore Street, Budleigh Salterton.

01395 442666.

GROVE PRISON MUSEUM

Governors Gardens, The Grove, Portland. 01305 715726.

ILCHESTER COMMUNITY

High Street, Ilchester.

01935 841247.

LYME REGIS MUSEUM

NOTHE FORT

SIDMOUTH MUSEUM

Hope Cottage, Church Street, Sidmouth. 01395 516139.

THELMA HULBERT GALLERY, ELMFIELD HOUSE

Dowell Street, Honiton.

01404 45006.

THE MILITARY MUSEUM OF DEVON AND DORSET

ROYAL ALBERT MEMORIAL MUSEUM Bridport Road, Dorchester.

01305 264066. & ART GALLERY

Queen St, Exeter, EX4 3RX. 01392 665858.

SEATON JURASSIC

The Underfleet, Seaton 01297 300390 https://seatonjurassic.org/

SEATON MUSEUM

Town Hall, Fore Street, Seaton.

01297 21660.

SHERBORNE MUSEUM

Church Lane, Sherborne.

01935 812252. www.sherbornemuseum.co.uk

SHIRE HALL MUSEUM

High West Street, Dorchester.

01305 261849 www.shirehalldorset.org

www.keepmilitarymuseum.org

TOLPUDDLE MARTYRS MUSEUM

Tolpuddle, nr Dorchester.

01305 848237.

TUDOR HOUSE

3 Trinity Street, Weymouth.

01305 779711 or 812341. www.weymouthcivicsociety.org

WEYMOUTH MUSEUM

Brewers Quay Hope Square, Weymouth. 01305 457982 www.weymouthmuseum.org.uk

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 97

Help Beat Diabetes

in West Dorset

A

Diabetes UK West Dorset Group join other campaigners for better access to new diabetes testing technology in Dorset

dynamic local group dedicated to helping people in West Dorset who are affected by diabetes is looking for volunteers to help it carry on its vital work.

Panels of experts, informing the public about diabetes at local agricultural shows and reaching out to members of the community with diabetes—these all feature on the packed annual programme of activities organised by the West Dorset Diabetes UK local group.

But Shona and Tim Freeborn, who have run the group as chair and secretary respectively for the past seven years, are stepping down.

They are now hoping to find replacements for their roles who will help lead the group to further successes in educating people about diabetes.

In the time that the couple, who live in Weymouth, have been steering the Diabetes UK West Dorset Group, there have been some remarkable successes. At this year’s Dorset County Show, they met 900 members of the public over two days. The group also took part in Diabetes UK’s campaign for better access to Flash Glucose Monitoring in Dorset last year. Weeks later the NHS announced an end to the postcode lottery for the device across the country.

There are now around 600 members of the group, with 30 to 40

98 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

regularly attending five meetings a year.

Shona Freeborn said: “I’ll be sad to give up the group meetings in particular, as I have seen people get so much out of them. They have access to experts like diabetologists, podiatrists and dietitians whom they rarely have an opportunity to see otherwise. They learn so much about their diabetes as a result. But now is the time to pass the reins to new hands who will continue to ensure that people in West Dorset have the best possible diabetes education and support.”

Phaedra Perry, Diabetes UK South West Regional Head, said: “We are so sorry to see Shona and Tim Freeborn go. They have been such fantastic supporters of Diabetes UK in West Dorset, even attending clinical commissioning group meetings in order to improve care for local people with diabetes. But we want this local group to go from strength to strength and really hope that new volunteers will come forward. We will give them all the support they need to carry on Shona and Tim’s great work.”

To find out more about the West Dorset group and joining the committee, contact Shona Freeborn on westdorsetgroup@gmail. com or 01305 835870, or the Diabetes UK South West Office on 01823 448260.

Mental health services open 24/7 during Christmas and New Year

D

At the opening of the Dorchester Retreat – Dorset Mental Health Forum Chairman Chris Balfe, Retreat Manager Jacob Beale, Trust Chair Andy Willis and town Mayor Cllr Richard Biggs

Dino Thakker - Community Mental Health Team social worker with Rob – a support worker at The Retreat

orset’s Access Mental Health services will be open as usual during Christmas and New Year to support those struggling to cope, heading towards a breakdown or even feeling suicidal.

Run by Dorset HealthCare, the service offers round-theclock help and advice to those in need both over the phone and face-to-face, including evenings during the festive and New Year period.

Services include: • Connection – a 24/7 telephone helpline (0300 1235440), which can provide direct help or signpost you to a range of other services • The Retreat – a drop-in support service in Bournemouth and Dorchester, open 4.30pm-midnight every day. Run in partnership with the Dorset Mental Health Forum, it provides a safe space where you can talk through your problems with mental health workers or peer specialists • Community Front Rooms – drop-in support services in Bridport, Shaftsbury and Wareham, open 3.15-10.45pm, Thursday-Sunday. They are run by local charities - The Burrough Harmony Centre (Bridport), Hope (Shaftesbury) and Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (Wareham) - and are all fully staffed by mental health professionals and peer support workers.

The Retreat and Community Front Rooms are for people aged 18 and over, and you don’t need an appointment – just drop in when you feel you need support.

And people of any age can call Connection, at any time. If you require urgent clinical help, staff can arrange an assessment within four hours.

Steve Jones, Dorset HealthCare’s Mental Health Community Services Manager, said: “This time of year can be overwhelming - many feel under pressure and unable to cope.

“The Access Mental Health services will continue to run as usual so people can get the support they need, at the exact time they need it. They can talk to mental health staff and peer specialists, people with their own experience of such issues, in a safe, non-judgemental space and find the solutions which can help them.”

More information, including address details of The Retreats and Community Front Rooms, is available at www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/access-mental-health

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 99

Boost for Chemotherapy Appeal

Mark Addison, Chair of DCHFTF, Loric Collins from Fortuneswell Cancer Trust and Patricia Miller, CEO of DCHFT (centre), with representatives of Fortuneswell Cancer Trust and members of staff from the Fortuneswell Chemotherapy Unit.

D

orset County Hospital’s Chemotherapy Appeal has received a major boost following a £100,000 donation from the Fortuneswell Cancer Trust.

The Chemotherapy Appeal will result in the complete redevelopment of Dorset County Hospital’s Chemotherapy Unit. This major donation moves the Appeal significantly closer to its target of £850,000.

Patricia Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said, “The Chemotherapy Appeal will provide this hospital with the best possible environment in which to care for our chemotherapy patients. It will provide space for family and friends to sit with patients while they have treatment and will deliver a much improved experience for their relatives and carers.”

Loric Collins of the Fortuneswell Cancer Trust said, “The Fortuneswell Cancer Trust has been supporting the unit for 20 years including the present Chemotherapy unit, the Fortuneswell Ward and the Robert White Centre. We also fund reflexology and nurse training. All of the committee have been affected in some way and this is our way of thanking the staff, whose tireless efforts make such a difference at critical times in patients’ lives.”

Fortuneswell Cancer Trust were one of the major funders of the hospital’s recent Cancer Appeal, supporting the project with a series of donations totalling £358,000. Dorset County Hospital is now celebrating the first anniversary of the official opening of the Robert White Centre which houses the £1.75million Cancer Outpatient department funded by the Cancer Appeal.

Mark Addison, Chair of Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said, “We are very grateful to everyone involved with Fortuneswell Cancer Trust for their continued support and for their dedicated work on behalf of the hospital. Their contribution enables us to fund projects which are beyond the scope of our current budget, benefitting thousands of patients now and for many years to come.”

Dorset County Hospital Charity continues to work with many supporters, donors and fundraisers raising money for the Chemotherapy Appeal. If you would like to support the Appeal please contact the Charity on 01305 253215, email Charity@dchft.nhs.uk or visit www. justgiving.com/campaign/ChemotherapyAppeal to donate online.

100 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

More fun for Gittisham kids

C

hildren in the East Devon community of Gittisham have been enjoying a fun-filled autumn playing on new equipment in the village park, thanks to a successful bid to the National Lottery Community Fund.

A grant of £10,000 has enabled the parish council to purchase two items which were installed in the village play area over the summer. In addition to the existing play equipment, children now have the opportunity to climb a tower, with a four-metre slide taking them down to the ground. The latest item to be installed is a rolling balance beam.

Cllr Carol Hall, who has spearheaded the redevelopment of Gittisham’s play area since 2010, said: “It’s wonderful to see children of all ages in the village using the new equipment. It fulfills a long-held desire by the parish council to buy items with a broad appeal, which wasn’t possible for many years because of a shortfall in funding. Thanks to National Lottery players, our village play area is looking complete, with something for everyone. We’ve also developed the upper part of the play area, combining the new play items with fruit trees, bird and bug boxes to encourage wildlife and biodiversity.”

Support for the latter, as well as wild flowers and plants, has come from the East Devon AONB’s sustainable development fund. The idea behind this part of Gittisham’s play area was to increase biodiversity in an area that was previously grazing pasture, encourage community engagement, make use of local suppliers and promote a greater understanding of sustainability principles.

The support for the play equipment from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, brings the number of items in Gittisham’s play area to seven. The play area land was leased to the parish council by the Combe Estate in 2011. Over the intervening years the equipment has been upgraded, with funding from Devon County Council, the parish council, parishioners and those with a historic link to Gittisham.

As part of its role to enhance the community, Gittisham parish council has also purchased new picnic benches for the play area and a bench this summer. The parish – which includes Gittisham Vale on the edge of Honiton - is now home to two defibrillators, installed after a successful fundraising campaign and financial support from East Devon District Council’s Parishes Together Scheme.

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 101

Services&Classified SITUATIONS VACANT Kitchen porter/cleaner required. Do you love all things clean, tidy & organised? Then we want you! We are looking for a lovely kitchen assistant to help us get through our days.

Hours 30 plus Days & evenings Thursday to Sunday Excellent rates of pay & tips Interested?

Contact Claire - Claire@ sausageandpear.co.uk

FOR SALE

For even MORE Marshwood, visit Marshwood+ at www.marshwoodvale.com New Issue Published January 1st

Monthly Quiz –

Oak hanging bookcase, h 84cm w 89cm d 20cm, £50ovno. Victorian pine dressing chest with mirror, h 189cm w 107cm d 49cm £150ovno. 5 piece Bistro garden table 4 chairs £125ovno. Little Tikes Turtle sand box, unused with toys and 4 bags of sand £35 Can email pictures. 01460 241143.

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 Tolpuddle. The winner was Angela Torne from Charmouth.

102 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

FOR SALE Parker Knoll fireside chair, needs some attention, £40ovno. Pine corner unit h135cm w 53cm d 27cm. £35. Upholstered foot stool w 32cm h 17cm d 27cm. Edwardian nursing chair with duck egg blue patterned upholstered seat, dark wood h 81cm (back) w 46cm d 43cm. Seat height 37cm £40. Can email pictures.

01460 241143.

Stamp Collection in album £50. 07527 538863.

Sony P54 slim ITB 2 Dualshock controllers, 3 games, £180, 01308 456990.

Compactor 2 stroke (wacker) good working order. £95ono. 01404 851267.

Hen coop new tantalised tongue & grove timber, 2 perches, nest box, suitable 8-12 hens. £160. 01297 552683.

Men’s smart M&S trousers, 4 pairs £10 each worn once, wool blend w34/36 leg 31.

M&S shirts, good quality winter/ summer weight, med/large £6/8 each, new condition. 01460 52975.

07790 574334.

Handy Pro THPCS-65 chipper/shredder 6HP petrol engine. Good condition. £350. 01404 831018.

Spinning Wheel Ashford traditional – plus 3 bobbins and Lazy Kate. £120.

01308 456321.

Nintendo DS Lite, gaming console includes case, charger and seven games. £10. 01305 250936.

Large ski boots with bag size 10£50. Ski helmet, ski bag and accessories £25. Wheelchair and cosy toes £20. Karcher steam cleaner £10. 01308 425667.

Large squared check blue jacket/ coat. Medium size, House of Bruar, brand new in box. £25.

01305 266273.

Nursing chair ex.cond, pink velvet, photo available £60. 01297 553423.

Curtains Laura Ashely,

pussy willow, steel pencil pleat. W223cm, L229cm, in store, £175 accept £55.

Poundbury 01305 250936.

Steel storage cupboard with four shelves, 3ft wide 1 ½ ft deep, 6 ft high. £25. 01297 553782.

Clarke’s Active Air men’s ankle boots worn once, navy suede, size 8 1/2 , £35. 01460 52975.

Single Foldaway bed, mattress and cover, little used. £40ono. 01460 271403.

Compost bin, round, black, lid. Access panel at base. 33 inches tall. As new, £5. Ashcroft ,Chard.

01460 64392.

Golf bags, golf clubs, Mota caddy trolley, two batteries, two chargers, hedgehog wheels £100, will sell separately. 01297 34373.

‘Quest 40’ metal detector, digital wireless headphones instructions, super condition, control box cover, scuff cover, 11” x 7”, Search EAD £300 ono. 07594 687485 evenings.

Single fold up camp bed £20. Print John Concoran painting 99cm x 55cm.

In gilt frame. £20. 01460 220026.

Large heavy brass lampshade, throws lovely patterns agaist walls. £300 ono. 07468 661412.

Brand new Hjorst Knudsen electric 2 seater sofa.

Sadly miss-buy. Bargain half retail price £999.

01297 552561.

Vintage hand cranked Singer sewing machines.

1 s/no F 8020814 believed 1935 in replacement cover. 2 s/no ED 874354 believed 1946 original wood cover £100 for both.

01308 898374.

Single divan bed, two storage drawers included and mattress. Good clean condition, also some bedding. £30. 07746 712766.

Russell Hobbs mini oven with 2 hotplates, good condition, had little use. £45. 07887 598481.

Winsor and Newton wooden tri-pod based studio easel, brand new, un-used £80. Crewkerne 01460 78359.

Romantica Softsatin, size 10 marine/silver prom dress. Unworn, cost £400. Accept £100ono.

Buyer collects Dorchester 07833 438161.

Fishing / Camping bed, 32” width, used four times indoors. Cost £130 accept £90. 01308 420907.

White plantation style window shutters - waterproof I pair, total dimension including frame 1120mm w, 999mm h £100 1 shutter total dimension 610mm w, 714mm h £35 Purchased from The Shutter Store still in original packaging, unused. 01460 53972 Hoover Whirlwind vacuum cleaner 1800 w Corded, Bagless. Good Working Order. £25. Sidmouth 01395 516435 2 pairs skis (190 and 180 cm), c/w bindings and poles, all in ski carry bag and all vgc. £50. 1 pair Salomon ski boots size 340 (about UK size 8) in ski boot bag and vgc. £25. Tel. 07842872838 or 01297 32237.

Men’s Cotton Traders suede slip on shoes. £12.50. Toffee colour, size UK 9, new. Tel 07785284361. Broadoak.

Walking sticks - steam box, steamer, 25 blanks, bits and pieces. £20 Simon on 07908 973542 30 No s/h treble roman clay tiles of varying sizes. £30.00 o.n.o. 01460 66585 Single bed 3ft ivory metal frame, new condition, no mattress £40.

01297 445550.

NoNo Ultra, unwanted gift, only £150. Five advertising mugs £30. Newish modern books £2-3 each. 01297 553651.

Ebac Dehumidifier 6000 series, vgc, £15. Winged back chair vgc, £20.

01460 54104.

MUSIC

LOGS

Piano, violin, theory tuition at your home.

Highly qualified teacher.

20 years experience.

Adults and children welcome. Beginners to advanced. Dr Thomas Gold 07917 835781 Feb 20

Seasoned hardwood logs £115 per truck load 07465 423133 Feb0 20 SURFACE PREPARATION

RGT/LCM Examiner offers Electric and Acoustic Guitar Tuition.

Beginners to Advanced.

All Grades. charliemason3@ btinternet.com Tel:07759603912 01297678691

Alberny Restoration In-house blast cleaning for home and garden furniture, doors and gates. Agricultural/ construction machinery and tooling. Vehicles, parts and trailers etc.

01460 73038, email allan@alberny.co.uk, FB Alberny Sandblasting

CURTAINS

RESTORATION

Little Curtains.

Handmade Curtains, Blinds and Cushions.

Contact 07443 516141 or 01308 485325

Furniture restoration.

Antiques large and small carefully restored. City and Guilds qualified, ten years experience in local family firm. Phil Meadley 01297 560335

Feb 20

Mar 20

jan 20

WANTED Motorcycle projects wanted, any age, make, condition,non runners, incomplete, anything considered, local enthusiast, 07752 075002

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

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

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

Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975

Wanted: Antique and vintage pens and writing materials etc. 07836 388831

Dec 19

Apr 20

Feb 20

Dec 19

FOR SALE Axcess Mustang electric cycle, little used. £500.

01297 489498.

Interior doors 30’ x 78”.

One small glass panel.

Three with four shaped panels. Ten pounds each, collect. 01297 639270.

Men’s Felldale real sheepskin vintage light

brown jacket Lakeland Sheepskin entre, chest 42”. 107cm. £70. 01404 814094.

Ercol rectangular coffee table No/459 with magazine rack, light elm and beech, fully refurbished.

W 41” x dp 18”. £280 ono. 01297 551408.

Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 103

FOR SALE Set of four cast iron wheels, last used on a hen house £60ono. Buyer collects. 077070 66389.

Recliner chair, dark green, real leather, 3 years old, as new, hardly used.

Cost £400. Need space £40. 01460 220635.

Professional metal detector, super condition, working order, headphones, extras full instructions, good Xmas pressie, £285ono Honiton 07594 687485.

White bureau/ bookcase/ cupboard. 6ft high, 2ft 6” wide, 1 ft 4” deep. £30 ono. 01305 263651.

Aluminium Rise and Fall lampshade 1960/1970. £25. Kango baby’s sleeping bag. £10. RailwayWorld magazines 1960/70 £2 each. Awning inner tent/ groundsheet, new boxed. £25. 01305 834554.

Ikea Billy bookcase, £40.

New boxed ground sheet

ELECTRICAL

PERSONAL

STORAGE

104 Marshwood+ January 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

for caravan awning £35.

New breadmaker £25. BT answer M/C/ Fax/ copier £15. Child’s car seat £15.

Child’s bike 6 yrs £10.

01305 834554.

Horney 00 3 rail 2.6.4 Tank £85. 3 coaches £45. A4 silver king 3 rail 4.6.2 £95. 3 coaches £45.

Trucks (boxed) £15 each.

01305 834554. And more.

Sebo automatic 4 extra vacuum cleaner excellent condition with all attachments and extra bags £75.

01305 267857.

Electric armchair full rise and recline, light brown, in good condition, £100ono. 01404 851267.

Welsh dresser 4’ wide x 6’. Pine. Also pine writing bureau, good condition, £150. Will split. 01460 30294.

Yamaha P60 Electronic piano 7 ½ octaves 88 keys portable, including stand and carry bag. £200.

01300 348513.

Vertical Louvre blind cream, max width 31”, max length 79 ½” £15.

01300 348513.

Ladies check knit blue coat, medium, House of Bruar, new in box, £25.

01305 266273.

FREE ADS for items under £1,000

CHIMNEY SWEEP

Classified advertising in The Marshwood Vale Magazine is normally 95 pence+VAT per word in a box. 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 to info@marshwoodvale.com. (Please do not send in all capital letters).

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

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Tel. 01308 423031 Marshwood+ January 2020 105