Marchwood+ December 2022

© David Buckland Photograph by Robin Mills

If anyone asks me, I’m from Dorset. Having moved to Dorchester aged 9 and left at 17, with a life spent in London, New York and beyond—I still maintain I am from Dorset. And now I am back with no intention to ‘up sticks’ again.

I finished my schooling in Canada, it was 1968 and the whole of the world’s youth seemed to be on the move, me too as I hitched across Canada wandering the West Coast with a glorious sense of freedom and adventure. The world was a strange and wonderful place then and compared to my small country town background, a massive culture shock compounded by three intense years at the LCP in London studying photography and film. I love the possibility of photography and still do. Photography has always been my medium of expression, an artform that is so in touch with contemporary human existence. You can show a photograph anywhere in the world and people can ‘read’ it, they can get its nuances, interrogating the underbelly of each of our own human quests and social culture—a truly international language.

After college I was awarded the first Gas Board Arts Fellowship in Newcastle for two years. Luckily that allowed me to photograph what I wanted for a good deal of my time, a wonderful opportunity to vision the North East, exhibit, make films and construct my first studio in a converted chapel set in the wilds of Northumberland. But too young to become an artistic hermit I moved south back to London and joined the creative mainstream—a thrilling time working in London, Paris and New York focusing mostly on making

portraits of the great and

Robin Mills met David Buckland in Sydling St Nicholas, Dorset.

© David Buckland Photograph by Robin Mills

David Buckland

creative humans from the arts and theatre world, holding exhibitions in galleries like the Photographers Gallery, London; Museum of International Photography in Paris and Sander Gallery in New York culminating in a solo show titled Performance at the National Portrait Gallery, London. As a lens-based artist, I used front projection and later worked with the early digital techniques of Photoshop with each of my subjects to create a performance full of visual coding— images that were re-worked into large scale ‘portraits’ for exhibition.

Early on in this adventure I met my partner Sue, whose professional name is Siobhan Davies, a famous ‘modern’ dancer and extraordinary choreographer. On leaving the London Contemporary Dance company in 1980, she formed her own dance company which became housed in the Siobhan Davies Studios—designed by the architect Sarah Wigglesworth. I was much involved with the set and costume design for many of her early productions which toured globally—we were one of the first creative companies to perform in St Petersburg when Russia began to open up—the good days before the regressive horrors that now define Putin’s Russia. Sue was awarded a Fulbright in 1988 and we took our children aged 3 and 1 year on a 7000 mile road trip, a wonderful adventure lasting 5 months, camping in the 5000 year old Canyon de Chelly, joining Apache Indian tribal dance festivals, lording it in the Bond producers house in LA and having extraordinary volumes of time with our children and ourselves.

Late in 1999 in London I worked with Antony Caro to photograph the 25 sculptures that made up his work The Last Judgement. His studio was 200 meters from our Camden house and I would work through the night alone moving, lighting, understanding each sculpture as his team built them during the day. Surrounded by gigantic steel constructions, lumps of moulded clay, railway sleepers and Caro’s artworks as he narrated the twenty vices leading up and through to St Peters Gate. Both he and I on those dark winter Camden nights confronting our own sins and misdeeds and celebrations as he built and I photographed these powerful artworks.

Shown as part of the Venice Biennale in 1999 I was tasked with working through the night again to photograph the final install and rush the photographs back to London for the book publication— The Last Judgement. At the time I hadn’t realised it, but I was entering a turning point in my life. Resting that early morning after a night working, I sat by the grand canal, with coffee and the Guardian, I came across a small journalistic story about scientists who had mathematically mapped the whole of the North Atlantic Ocean. Being a sailor and understanding the mind-blowing complexity of Oceans I was intrigued, shocked and mistrustful that such complexity could be narrated within a mathematical algorithm. Tracking down its author, Dr Richard Wood at the Hadley Institute, he graciously allowed me to visit. The reasons for the dramatic climate changes we are now experiencing were obvious to the climate scientists back then, but sadly not to those with vested interests in keeping the status quo—or our governments of influence.

Following that scientific trail, and as a keen sailor, I was invited to visit the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. They were perplexed as to why so few were listening to these important climate predictions which they had spent years of work accurately predicting. The scientific language can be viewed as complex, abstract, distant. My suggestion was, as an artist, to try and come up with a cultural language, human scale, to narrate the climate crises.

Long story short, I chartered a beautiful 100-year-old schooner based in Tromso, which had been converted to a 20-berth eco exploration vessel with ice capability and in 2003 for three weeks we set sail going north of Norway high into the Arctic heading for the Svalbard archipelago. The interaction between scientists and the artists was a great success and in all I led six expeditions traversing the High Arctic and the seas around Svalbard, across to east Greenland, western Greenland and northern Iceland—much of it through ice, wild seas, polar bears, all the time conducting

ocean experiments and making art. Ian McEwan joined us and wrote his book Solar, sculptors Antony Gormley and Rachel Whiteread, musicians Jarvis Cocker, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Martha Wainwright, KT Tunstall, Feist, composer Jonathan Dove—who has written two ‘climate’ operas. I produced two films, one of the BBC and one for Sundance. A world touring Cape Farewell exhibition was launched at the Natural History Museum.

The High Arctic was the witness of human induced climate disruption not its cause—solutions rested within our human capacity to engage and evolve a sustainable culture not dependent on digging up fossil fuels and burning them.

Still based in London I initiated FarmArt, involving local farmers in Sydling St Nicholas and Cerne Abbas. Cape Farewell’s artists looked at how do they produce the food we need, how to look after soil, how to produce less CO2, how to manage animals well. I look upon these organic farmers as heroes, having to deal with so many varied problems as part of their every-day life, which is a hard one. Land-artist Chris Drury and writer Kay Syrad published their book Exchange, Guy Martin created a wooden bell-tower sculpture ‘Forcey’s Tower’ and the young artist Vanessa Reid constructed a pop up gallery on Bristol docks which she co-habited with two Jersey cows for a week—The Milking Parlour was accompanied with a flood of media.

Being back in Dorset became too big a temptation and I succumbed, buying an old fish farm in Sydling St Nicholas and slowly converting it into an ecological site, building artist studios and the WaterShed became the new HQ for the Cape Farewell charity. Bliss! One of our current projects involves rivers. The scientists at the RiverLab near Wool were looking at salmon in the River Frome, and why their numbers are declining. Pollution from nitrates and phosphates causing algal blooms in Poole Harbour, release of raw sewage and urban encroachment is stressing our rivers and the wildlife dependent on them. In December 2021 we staged a RiverRun mini climate festival at Poole’s Lighthouse and have just finished a week-long Emergency festival at MAST in Southampton. In hope, we are about to embark on a three-year partnership with Wessex Museums staging RiverRun artworks and events. In April Cape Farewell is working with artist Sasha Constable to create a river serpent as part of the Cerne Abbas Giant Festival.

That interchange between art and science combined with the climate challenge is exciting, salient and threatening. The arts have a serious roll to play in tipping local and global cultures towards a sustainable and vibrant future.

All from a tiny village in Dorset. ’

© David Buckland Photograph by Robin Mills

There were some fascinating talks at last month’s Bridport Literary Festival. Not least George Monbiot’s impassioned plea for a more robust effort to reduce our effect on climate change—a talk that spilled out onto the streets as he carried his message on to Bucky Doo square from the Electric Palace. However, memoirs were also a big feature of the festival. Confronting bereavement, Brexit and lockdown, the extraordinary Sheila Hancock talked about Old Rage, her memoir from the frontline of declining years. Clover Stroud’s book The Red of my Blood is about sharing grief and exploring what life feels like when death interrupts it. Manni Coe sat on stage with his Down’s Syndrome brother Reuben and with gentle coaxing by local author Sophy Roberts they discussed Manni’s memoir Brother do you Love Me. It is a heart wrenching story about how the two brothers negotiated a way through the devastation the Covid pandemic had brought to their lives. Hannah Bourne-Taylor, whose story we featured in our September issue, talked of her memoir, Fledgling, about her time in Ghana, where as a ‘trailing spouse’ she learned about her own challenges through caring about lives as tiny as insects. Later in the week, talking about her memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood Kit de Waal said that when she sat down to write the memories of her childhood in Moseley, Birmingham, she had in mind that everyone must have ten anecdotes from their lives which could be expanded to a book. She found it wasn’t quite that easy. Her talk, however, did make me think of all the life stories that we have covered in the years since we first published this magazine. It turns out it was twenty-one years ago last month. We’ve reached the age where a person can legally adopt a child, fly a helicopter or drive a bus. As a magazine we don’t plan to try any of those, but it is a milestone just the same. Hundreds of people have told their life stories and provided a vibrant picture of the extraordinary diversity of this local community. As we pass this landmark I can only wonder what fascinating lives we will hear about in coming years, and speculate on how we will pave the road ahead. Merry Christmas to all.

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

Michael McCarthy

Kept Alive in Secret Places By James Crowden

House & Garden

Vegetables in December By Ashley Wheeler

December in the Garden By Russell Jordan

Property Round Up By Helen Fisher

Food & Dining

Lapsang Tea Smoked Salmon By Lesley Waters

Smoked Herring with a poached egg and Colcannon By Mark Hix

Arts & Entertainment

Panto’s Back By Gay Pirrie Weir

Galleries

Preview By Gay Pirrie Weir

Screen Time By Nic Jeune

Young Lit Fix By Antonia Squire

Journey to the Living Tree By Fergus Byrne

& Classified

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 informa tion 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.

Fergus Byrne

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.

Think Christmas Think Local

Christmas hasn’t quite been Christmas for a few years so this may be the year to push the boat out and make sure that presents and celebrations are of the highest quality. And most importantly, local.

If you are thinking of having that special gathering of family or friends there is nothing to compare to the Alexandra Hotel in Lyme Regis From festive afternoon tea to festive lunches and rooms to completely relax in the Alexandra Hotel with its breathtaking views over Lyme Regis are a treat to remember. Visit www.hotelalexandra.co.uk

And when it’s time to choose special presents there is a range of beautiful work from local artists and makers choose from.

Dennis Chinaworks in Shepton Beauchamp have a very popular Open Day on December 4th where visitors can peruse through a fantastic selection of potential Christmas gifts as well as pick up beautiful items for the home. Founded in 1993 by Sally and Richard Dennis, the Dennis Chinaworks pottery is run from the converted stables of a Victorian Gothic rectory in Somerset and well wotth a visit. For more information look at www.dennischinaworks.com

Two very special events in West Dorset are a must for anyone’s calender. The Wallace Sewell Dorset Christmas sale has been a source of fantastic Christmas gifts for many years and every year there is something different. The sale is open on 9the 10th and 11th of December at Lower Monkwood Farm outside Bridport. For more information visit www. wallacesewell.com.

Over in Powerstock there is a unique opportunity to visit a winter Show at North Eggardon Farm for two days only on December 3rd and 4th. Work from Liz Somerville, Emily Myers, Ali Herbert and Julian Herbert will be available to purchase for thet very special Christmas gift.North Eggardon Farm is near Powerstock at DT6 3ST.

And don’t forget to organise your Christmas meal from local suppliers. Order your home grown, organic vegetables with a special Christmas Gift Box from Bothen Hill in Bothenhampton. Visit www. bothenhill.co.uk. And order your delicious free range bronze turkey from Medway Farm. Visit www. medwayturkeysdorset.co.uk for full details.

EVENTS AND COURSES

26 November - 8 December

Pop-Up Vintage in a different venue this year: The Malthouse Gallery, Town Mill, Lyme Regis. 10.00am to 4.00pm everyday. All the usual lovely things, sourced, renovated, repaired and up-cycled by us so that you don’t have to. Shop at Pop-Up Vintage for a truly sustainable Christmas.

27 November

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 9 mile moderate walk. Kilmington.07748-618089.

Advent Concert given by The Occasional Singers at 3.00pm St Mary’s Church, Edward Road, Dorchester DT1 2HL. There will be a retiring collection in aid of Weldmar Hospice at Home. Everyone is most welcome.

Singing Bowl Soundbath Oborne Village Hall DT9 4LA £15 advance bookings ahiahellive.com 01935 389655.

28 November

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall 7.30-10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug. No partner required. Cost £2.00. Contact David on 01460 65981 www.chardscottishdancingclub.org.

Bridport Folk Dance Club If you like exercise, socialising and maybe learning something new, then come along to our dance sessions in the W.I. Hall on Monday evenings from 7.15pm-9.30pm. All welcome, especially beginners. Occasional live music, and always a caller. Tel: 458165 or 459001 for more information.

UK Islands, Wildlife and Volunteering NT Golden Cap Association illustrated Talk by Colin Butcher. Colin and his wife and a small group of friends have been volunteering on small islands around the UK for over 20 years. Many of the islands are uninhabited and they have been checking on the wildlife and natural history which sustain these islands. United Church Main Hall, East Street, Bridport. 2.30 pm. Information from Mike Nicks 01308 459855.

29 November

Scottish Country Dancing at Ashill Village hall Nr Ilminster TA19 9LX every Tuesday evening from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Beginners, returners and dancers of all abilities are very welcome to come and join us. Biscuits and hot drink at the interval. please wear soft, flat comfy shoes if possible. £3.00 per evening. Further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com.

Beaminster Museum Pauline Thorne, a museum volunteer, shares her research on Medieval Beaminster, 1330-1380: a time of change. Examining how a Pandemic, Climate Change and a war in Europe changed the lives of the people of Beaminster and the surrounding villages! 2.00pm. Entry £5.

30 November

West Dorset Ramblers Moderate 8.6 mile walk through the villages around Beaminster. Contact 07715 760884. East Devon Ramblers 10 mile moderate walk Dartmoor. 07940572330.

Bridport Scottish Dancers will meet for an evening of social dancing at 7.30. Venue: Church House, South Street, Bridport, DT6

3NN. All welcome, no partner required but please wear soft shoes. Cost: £2.00 which includes tea/coffee & squash (please bring your own mug). Contact: Malcolm on 07790 323343. Check out bridportscottishdancers.

Scottish Country Dancing every Wednesday evening at Ash Village Hall Nr Martock TA12 6PB from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Hot drink and biscuits at the interval. Further information from Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com. All welcome.

1 December

An Evening of Entertainment with Bridport Broadsides (local male sea shanty singers) at Bridport Town Hall, 7.30pm. In support of Bridport Millennium Green. £8 (members £7) including complimentary glass of wine. Raffle. Details Sandra Brown, 01308 423078.

Green Book (2018, US, 12, 130 mins, Director: Peter Farrelly) Doors 6:45 pm, 7:30 pm start. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall (TA18 8PS).). Membership £25, guests £5 per film. Contact mickpwilson53@btinternet.com or ring Mick Wilson on 01460 74849 or Di Crawley on 01460 30508.

St. Swithun’s Church Allington Hall, Bridport. Community Coffee Morning - 9.30 – 11.45 am, plus a sale of Christmas Gifts, Knitted Items, Decorations, Raffle.

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (PG) Matinee Screening, doors 1.30pm, screening 2.30pm tickets £7. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm. Taster & new block, Dance Connection Bridport St Mary’s, 7:15 to 8:45pm, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com Tatworth Flower Club has its Christmas demonstrator, Pam Lewis. Pam is an extremely gifted flower arranger and will show us some wonderful arrangements that will be used as raffle prizes. Doors open 1.30pm at Tatworth Memorial Hall. Non members £10. Refreshments served for a donation afterwards. Enquiries Julie Kettle 01934 248536.

2 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 6 mile leisurely walk. Uplyme. 07586-753623.

South Somerset Youth Orchestra & Friends seasonal concert. £5 includes mince pies & mulled wine/soft drink; please book in advance if possible. 7pm, at Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. Further information from Mary (01460 74849) or Barbara (01460 73713).

Voices of Hope Beautiful songs from around the world taught in harmony. Group is accessible to all ages and abilities. £5 suggested donation per session. Very relaxed atmosphere, uplifting and fun. No singing experience necessary. Drop in 11am to 12am Borough Gardens Bridport near Buckydoo Square (benches in gardens for those who need to sit or rest) If it is very wet we sing in The Unitarian Chapel in the Garden on East Street Bridport Jane Silver Corren 07887675161. janesilvercorren@gmail.com

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (PG) Family Picnic Night Screening, doors 6pm, screening 7pm, tickets £7 Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm. Start your Christmas at a Stanchester Quire Christmas Carol

EVENTS AND COURSES

Concert at The Blessed Mary Church, East Chinnock, Nr. Yeovil, BA22 9DP at 7:30pm. Admission £10, to include glass of wine/ juice, payable on the door, details 01935 864408 or 863209.

Ivo Graham: My Future My Clutter Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR

Adults dance Journeying through a variety of dance styles from disco, Latin to creative work. A gentle way to release, for well being and keeping fit. All ages welcome. 10am to 11am Steps studio, Crepe Farm Business Park. 07765971357 nikkinorthover43@gmail.com www.bridportyouthdance.org.uk. Also 9 and 16 December.

3 December

Buffalo Gals at Powerstock Hut at 7.30pm. Tickets: Adult £10; Under 18s £5; Family £25 from Channy 01308 485730 or Baffy 07817 429907 or www.artsreach.co.uk.

The Lost Present – Topsy Turvy Theatre Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR.

Beaminster Museum holds its annual coffee morning between 10.00 and 12.00. Come and enjoy a mince pie or a slice of delicious home-made cake, tea or coffee and the opportunity to browse in our well-stocked shop in addition to a chat. Hark! The Music! Start your Christmas with The Stanchester Quire, and friends, at St. Andrew’s Church, Leigh, Nr.Sherborne, DT9 6HL, at 7:30pm.Tickets £10, to include mulled wine and nibbles, from The Little Leigh Store or Eddie Upton 07813 89002, upton.eddie@gmail.com.

Three Churches Christmas Coffee Morning 10.15 am - 12.15 pm. The Comrades Hall ,Broadwindsor DT8 3QP. Cake Stall , Tombola, Bric-a-Brac, Books, Christmas Stall. Admission £2 to include Coffee/Tea and mince pie. Come along and bring some friends. For details contact Kate 01308 868083.

Cantamus presents ‘Angel Tidings’, beautiful choral music for Advent. St Mary’s Church, South Street, Bridport at 7pm. Tickets £10 on the door. Refreshments available St. Michael’s Christmas Craft Fair. Colyford Memorial Hall. Colyford. Devon. 10am - 2pm. Free entry and parking. Local crafts, bakes, children’s stall. Raffles, tombola, singers. Refreshments including homemade soup and puddings to be served 12 - 2pm. Enjoy a twirl and a stomp with the folk dancers at their Saturday night Ceilidh in the W.I. Hall starting at 7.30pm. A caller and musicians will guide you along. (Local musicians are always welcome to join in too). £5.00 adults: children free. Tea/squash and biscuits provided or BYO. Tel 459001 or 458165 for info.

Christmas Craft Fayre at Musbury Village Hall - 10.00 am to 12.30 pm. A good variety of local craft stalls including hand made willow items, woodwork, cards, jams and chutneys not forgetting the Church cake stall, tombola and raffle. Refreshments including bacon buttys! Proceeds to St Michaels Church Musbury. Enquiries 01297 552440/552711.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Little Bredy. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340.

Get Crafty for Christmas A cheerful, creative day with papercome and make some joyful, decorative Pastepapers for unique

wrapping paper, decorative folded paper Christmas trees and hanging stars and folded paper containers just right for holding special gifts. Suitable for all, £45, includes all materials. 10.30 am4pm James Hargreaves Community Hall, Morcombelake, DT6 6EA. Details and booking: nesta@leafwork.co.uk or call 07984 001830. Singing Workshop with Wessex Women Come and join our fun and friendly group for a morning of songs and simple harmonies. from 10.45am - 12.45pm at Seavington Millenium Hall, TA19 OQH. £5 per person includes refreshments. To book your place please contact Louise 01460 234536. We are open to new members. http://www.wessex-women.uk.

Indoor Bowls Session from 10 am until 12 noon at the Bridport & W D I Bowls Club, St. Andrew’s Trading Est.DT6 3EX. Tel Arthur on 01308 425278 for further details. Also on Sat the 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st.

3 - 4 December

Christmas Films display 10am - 5pm each day in Dalwood Church. Christmas Hamper Raffle.

4 December

Wessex Military Band Winter Concert. 3-5pm The Electric Palace, South Street, Bridport. Dance Connection, Dance Day Workshop 11am-4pm, Early bird by 25th Nov, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com. St. Swithun’s Church Allington, Bridport. Organ recital - 3.00PM - Alex Davies, Musical Director of Lyme Regis Parish Church. Includes music by Bach, Buxtehude and Mendelssohn. Christmas Tree Lights & Carols. 6pm at the Market Cross, Church Street, Winsham, TA20 4HX. Carols around the Christmas Tree with Winsham Primary School Children and St. Stephen’s Church Choir leading our singing. Chard Brass Band playing the tunes for this annual festive village gathering. Mulled wine and mince pies. Hot squash. Santa bringing his sack. All most welcome. Bring a hand held torch or head torch if you have one. Free event but it helps to know numbers of adults and children for catering. Email: winshamstreetfair@gmail.com or 01460 30676.

Hot Turkey Baps and Festive Drinks from 7pm at The Bell Inn, Church Street, Winsham, 01460 30677. Parking behind The Pub: TA20 4DU.

Start your Christmas at a Stanchester Quire Christmas Carol Concert at St Mary’s Church, Chard Street, Thoncombe, Dorset, TA20 4NE, at 3pm. Admission by donations, more details from Olive on 01460 30539.

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 9.5 mile strenuous walk. Branscombe. 01297-625045.

5 December

Bridport Folk Dance Club If you like exercise, socialising and maybe learning something new, then come along to our dance sessions in the W.I. Hall on Monday evenings from 7.15pm-9.30pm. All welcome, especially beginners. Occasional live music, and always a caller. Tel: 458165 or 459001 for more information.

Indoor Bowls Session from 7 30 pm until 9 30 at the Bridport & W D I Bowls Club.St Andrew’s Trading Est. DT6 3EX. Tel Arthur on 01308 425278 for further details. Also on Mon the 12th, 19th,

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Village Hall 7.30-10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www.chardscottishdancingclub.org.

Hawkchurch Film Nights in association with Devon Moviola, proudly presents ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’ (97 mins, Cert. 15). Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.00pm at Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XD. Ticket reservations £6 from csma95@gmail. com or leave a message on 01297 678176 (socially-distanced seating available if booked in advance) or pay at the door. New improved projection - give us a try if you haven’t been for a while - and subtitles for the hard-of-hearing. Wine, home-made cake and other delicious festive refreshments available.

6 December

West Dorset Ramblers Moderate 8 mile walk aound Portland. Contact 01308 459159.

Smuggling and the Dorset Connection Trevor Ware has been actively involved in the redevelopment of the LSI and West Bay Discovery Centre in Bridport. He will be talking about one his other interests - the history of smuggling in the West Country. Smuggling was widespread along the Dorset Coast in the eighteenth and early nineteenth Centuries. This talk is an authoritative review of smuggling, from its reasons to some of its famous Dorset names such as Rattenbury and Gulliver. 2.00pm. Beaminster Museum. Entry £3.

Christmas Garland Workshop Using evergreen foliage, cones and ribbon I’ll show you how to easily create a sumptuous, sustainable 2 metre garland to decorate a table, mantelpiece or stairs. 2 til 4pm or 6 til 8pm. Jubilee Hall, Church Street, Winsham, Somerset. Book online www.flowerfusions.com or phone Angela 07949 510787. Adults dance These classes journey through a number of dance styles from disco, to latin, to freestyle and electro swing. 6.45pm to 7.45pm Venue: Steps studio, Crepe Farm Business Park, Symondsbury. 07765971357 nikkinorthover43@gmail.com www.bridportyouthdance.org.uk

Scottish Country dancing at Ashill Village hall Nr Ilminster TA19 9LX every Tuesday evening from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Beginners , returners and dancers of all abilities are very welcome to come along and join us. Biscuits and hot drink at the interval. Please wear soft, comfy shoes if possible. £3.00 per evening. Further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com 7 December

Scottish Country Dancing at 7.30. Church House, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NN. All welcome, no partner required but please wear soft shoes. First evening free, thereafter £2.00 which includes tea, coffee, squash and cake. Contact: Malcolm on 07790 323343. Check out bridportscottishdancers for more information. West Dorset Ramblers Moderate 8 mile walk in and around Dorchester. Contact 07826 150114.

A Christmas Selection of words and music for Christmas. A light-hearted evening of readings featuring donkeys, a battlewinning pudding, musical field mice, a little-known Polar explorer, unwanted presents, a sheepdog and a rubber ball, plus seasonal music by musicians from Sidmouth Town Band. In aid of St. Petrock’s, Exeter’s charity for the homeless. St. Michael’s Church, Beer, 7.30pm. Admission free, donations to St. Petrock’s. Light refreshments available. Further information from: rscottbeer@ outlook.com

EVENTS IN JANUARY

Live or Online send your event details to info@marshwoodvale.com

EVENTS AND COURSES

East Devon Ramblers 8 mile moderate walk. Budleigh. 07821800814.

Scottish Country dancing every Wednesday evening at Ash Village Hall Nr Martock ( next to the pub ) TA12 6PB from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Hot drink and biscuits at the interval. Further information from Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com. All welcome.

Christmas concert by West Dorset Community Orchestra and Local Vocals in St. John’s Church,West Bay at 7-30p.m. Raffle and refreshments. Free entry. Retiring collection. Contact 01308 456297.

8 December

Chard Royal Naval Association The branch will be holding their annual Christmas Dinner at 7.pm for 7.30 pm at the Hornsbury Mill Chard, this being their last function of 2022. The association will reform again Thursday 12th January 2023 for their first meet of the New Year when they will hold their A.G.M in Chard Rugby football club in Essex Close meeting at 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start. if anyone is interested in joining the group, which is free, to do so, should visit the group where they will be made most welcome. Any further information can be gained by visiting Facebook, Chard Royal Naval Association.

Taster, Dance Connection Bridport St Mary’s, 7:15 to 8:45pm, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com

9 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 5 mile leisurely walk. Musbury. 01297-552313.

Beaminster Museum presents Parnham Voices Christmas Concert “Make we joy” at 7.30pm. Traditional and not quite-so-traditional choral music for Advent and Christmas. A glass of mulled wine on arrival, Christmas music and seasonal readings, singalong carols, plus mince pies and more wine in the interval. What more could you ask for? Please book tickets at £7 via e-mail from info@ beaminstermuseum.co.uk

The Fountaineers British Legion Hall Victoria Grove, Bridport Doors at 7pm, bar £5 admission. Irish folk music band, hailing from East Devon and Dorset, playing a range of traditional folk tunes and songs.

Georgia Van Etten brings an irresistible and unique cocktail of jazzy grooves and bluesy ballads. 8.00pm, Marine Theatre, Church Street, Lyme Regis DT7 3BG. More: www.jazzjurassica.co.uk.

Swing From Paris Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR.

Voices of Hope Beautiful songs from around the world taught in harmony. Group is accessible to all ages and abilities. £5 suggested donation per session. Very relaxed atmosphere, uplifting and fun. No singing experience necessary. Drop in 11am to 12am Borough Gardens Bridport near Buckydoo Square (benches in gardens for those who need to sit or rest) If it is very wet we sing in The Unitarian Chapel in the Garden on East Street Bridport Jane Silver Corren 07887675161. janesilvercorren@gmail.com

Start your Christmas with a Candlelight Christmas Carol Concert with The Stanchester Quire at The Church of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Holnest, Nr. Sherborne, DT9 5PU,

at 7pm. Admission by donations, to include cider and mince pie! Limited seating, please phone Graham on 01963 210632.

The Mary Rose, a Sailor’s View at 11am at Woodmead Hall, Lyme Regis. This presentation for Lyme Regis u3a will be delivered by Peter Lansdown, a retired naval officer and sometime yachtsman who has sailed the waters the crew of the Mary Rose would have known. Peter has a deep interest in our naval history and will present a sailor’s view of the ship and life on board, navigating and sailing her, fighting her, living on board her, everyday utensils, food, fashion, hygiene, entertainment etc. Details available on www. lymeregisu3a.org. Guests welcome for a donation of £2. The Railway Children Return will be at Holyrood Academy (upper site) at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and £2.50 in advance from Eleos, Barron’s and Chard PO or online for a small booking fee at ticketsource/ cinechard. Buy one ticket get another of the same price free.

9 - 10 December

Classical piano with Duncan Honeybourne Duncan will play a pre-Christmas concert including some music by William Baines, a Yorkshire composer who died 100 years ago this autumn aged 23 of TB and was an extraordinarily individual, unique composer. Duncan has recorded a disc of his music for the Divine Art label which is coming out in October to mark the centenary. He will also include some music by Schubert, and some pieces by the German-Swiss composer Hermann Goetz. Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR, doors open 19:30; concert starts 20:00. £15. 01305 848 909 http://www. tincletongallery.com.

9 - 11 December

Christmas Tree Festival St Mary’s Church, Charminster, DT2 9RD Opening times: Friday 9th December 3.00pm/6.00pm, Saturday 10th 11.00 am/4.00pm, Sunday 11th 2.00 pm/5.00 pm. 5.00 pm Sunday “Carols round the trees with mulled wine and mince pies. Light refreshments available throughout plus Christmas Gifts and Fair Trade stalls. Admission £3.00 per person (Children free) https://stmarys-charminster.org.uk“ 10 December

Climate Cafe, Seaton A respectful space where you can express your feelings about climate breakdown. A chance to talk safely and informally about what it means for you, and listen to others’ experiences. 10.30am - 12 noon, at Natural Worx Café, The Square, Seaton, EX12 2JZ. Contact Fiona Anderson fiona.anderson.01@ gmail.com.

Christmas Family Fun & ‘Arthur Christmas’ screening, activities start at 1.30pm, screening at 3pm, tickets £10 child (includes a small gift), Adults £7. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton. co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

United Church Bridport 7.30 p.m. Bridport Choral Society presents Follow the Star, an evening of Christmas songs and carols across centuries of festive music, with opportunity for audience participation. Musical Director: James Crawshaw Accompanist: Peter Parshall. Tickets: £12, available from Bridport Music Centre, Smith & Smith or on the door.

Start your Christmas at a Stanchester Quire Christmas Carol Concert at Martock United Reform Church, Bower Hinton, Nr. Martock, TA12 6JN, at 2pm. Admission £8 payable on the door. Refreshments will be available.

Yarcombe village market 10am -12 noon – Fantastic local produce – Eggs, Cakes, Plants, Jams, Honey, Pickles, Woodwork, Metal Work, Pottery, Chocolate Bombs and Truffles, Candles, also Bric a Brac and Homeware. Coffee and Cake stall -Yarcombe Village Hall EX14 9BN queries 07858625421

Dalwood Jazz Club Louise Parker - Jazz & Soul vocalist - with her Trio 3pm at Dalwood Village Hall EX13 7EG (near Axminster) Bar for beer/wine/soft drinks and tea & coffee etc. Parking at the Village Hall. Ticket £12.50p Pay at the door. info: t.mackenney111@btinternet.com 07999 553477.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 6 mile walk from Beckford. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340.

Cantamus presents ‘Angel Tidings’, beautiful choral music for Advent. St Candida & Holy Cross, Whitchurch Canonicorum at 7pm. Tickets £10 on the door. Refreshments available 11 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 10 mile moderate walk. Weycroft. 07759-324849.

The Royal Ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ (12A) screening, doors 1.30pm, screening 2pm, tickets £13.50 adult, £7 age 15 & under. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Lyme Bay Chorale concert including Haydn’s Nelson Mass and music by Handel and Purcell. Lyme Regis Parish Church at 4pm. Tickets £13 in advance from Fortnam, Smith & Banwell in Lyme Regis or from choir members / £15 on the door. Under-19s free.

12 December

Jurassic Coast Inspirational Choir will perform popular and Christmas music at St Andrew’s Church, Charmouth DT6 6FN. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets £10, to include a drink, can be purchased from Fortnam, Smith and Banwell (Charmouth branch) or by calling 01297 561625.

West Dorset Flower Club will be holding a demonstration by our Home Team entitled “Christmas with Friends”. This will take place at the WI Hall in North Street, Bridport at 2.30 pm. Visitors welcome, entrance £5. Further details 01308 456339.

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Village Hall 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www.chardscottishdancingclub.org Bridport Folk Dance Club If you like exercise, socialising and maybe learning something new, then come along to our dance sessions in the W.I. Hall on Monday evenings from 7.15pm-9.30pm. All welcome, especially beginners. Occasional live music, and always a caller. Tel: 458165 or 459001 for more information.

13 December

Loders WI Christmas Party. Loders Village Hall, Time 7.30pm. Bring a dish and your own drinks. Competition: Make up an original Christmas Cracker joke, and a raffle. Further info see: LodersWI.org. The Arts Society Honiton 2pm The History and Art of the Nativity Crib – Geri Parlby. The Beehive, Dowell Street, Honiton EX14 1LZ at 2pm. Contact: www.theartssocietyhoniton.org.uk. Email: info@theartssocietyhoniton.org.uk. Visitors welcome at £8 each, please see website or email for further details.

Scottish Country dancing at Ashill Village hall Nr Ilminster TA19 9LX every Tuesday evening from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Beginners , returners and dancers of all abilities are very welcome to come along and join us. Biscuits and hot drink at the interval. Please wear soft,

EVENTS AND COURSES

comfy shoes if possible. £3.00 per evening. Further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com

West Dorset Ramblers Moderate 7 mile circular walk around Bridports’ Hills and Rivers. Contact 01308 458198

14 December

Scottish Country Dancing at 7.30 (Christmas Party). Church House, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NN. All welcome, no partner required but please wear soft shoes. First evening free, thereafter £2.00. Please bring a plate of food to share as it is our party night. Contact: Malcolm on 07790 323343. Check out bridportscottishdancers for more information.

Christmas Coffee Morning, including mince pies, scones, and bacon/egg rolls, 10.30am – noon; all welcome. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. More details from Julia (01460 72769)

Scottish Country Dancing every Wednesday evening at Ash Village Hall ( next to the pub ) Nr Martock TA12 6PB from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Hot drink and biscuits at the interval. further information from Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com. All welcome.

14 - 15 December

The Railway Children Return (PG) Kilmington Community Cinema will be screening at the Village Hall (EX13 7RF). Doors open 6.45 film starts 7.15. Matinee on Thursday doors open 1.45pm film starts 2pm, advance booking required for this matinee, limited seating, No cream teas this month but

EVENTS AND COURSES

complimentary mince pies available. Tickets can be pre-booked by email: wattsjohn307@gmail.com or Tel: 01297 639758 see www.kilmingtonvillage.com/other-organisations.html for more information.

15 December

Sea Shanty sessions at The Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. An evening of Sea shanties and other familiar songs of the sea. Join The Chantry Buoys, of Colyton, for a fun filled night of jolly sea faring songs. Free admission, all welcome to join in, The Buoys start at 7.30pm. All donations go to local charities. Contact 07761 469676.

The Art’s Society West Dorset 2pm for 2.30pm Bridport Town Hall, Lucien Freud :The Art of Man. Speaker John Idden Visitors Welcome £7.50.

St. Swithun’s Church Hall Allington, Bridport. Refreshments - 9.30 -11.00am in the Hall, handing out Children’s toys, kindly donated by the people of Bridport. The Surplus Food Stall plus Christmas goodies in the car park.

Taster, Dance Connection Bridport St Mary’s, 7:15 to 8:45pm, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com.

Start your Christmas at a Christmas Carol Concert with The Stanchester Quire at The David Hall, Roundwell Street, South Petherton, TA13 5AA, at 7:30pm.This is a benefit concert in support of the David Hall, which is home to the Quire. Tickets £8 Adults, £5 Under 12’s. Tel: 01460 240340.

16 December

Top Gun: Maverick at 7.30pm Village Hall, The Causeway, Milborne St Andrew DT11 0JX. Doors and bar open 7.00. Tickets cost £6, which includes a drink or an ice-cream.

Black Sheep by Livia Kojo Alour Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR

Voices of Hope Beautiful songs from around the world taught in harmony. Group is accessible to all ages and abilities. £5 suggested donation per session. Very relaxed atmosphere, uplifting and fun. No singing experience necessary. Drop in 11am to 12am

Borough Gardens Bridport near Buckydoo Square (benches in gardens for those who need to sit or rest) If it is very wet we sing in The Unitarian Chapel in the Garden on East Street Bridport Jane Silver Corren 07887675161. janesilvercorren@gmail.com

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 5 mile leisurely walk. Topsham. 01392-759332.

Start your Christmas at a Stanchester Quire Christmas Concert at the Cheap Street Methodist Church, Sherborne, DT9 3BJ, at 2:30pm. Admission by donations.

Downton Abbey: A New Era (PC) with Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith, will be shown by T & F Movies at 7.30pm in Tatwiorth Memorial Hall. The doors open at 7.00pm, the entrance charge is £5 and in addition to the usual raffle and bar there will be mince pies and mulled wine.

17 December

How to Say it with Flowers at Christmas Helen Timbers will give a demonstration using foliage and flowers to make a Christmas

centrepiece and then you can make your own using materials supplied. 2:30pm to 5:00pm, The Speedwell Hall, Abbey Street, Crewkerne. TA18 7HY. Tickets £12 (includes mince pie and mulled wine); fromThe Green Dragon Bookshop, George Precinct, Crewkerne or telephone 01460 271767.

Magnificent Buble at Christmas Gig doors 7pm, show 8pm tickets £22.50 table seats, £20 row seats. Magnificent Buble is the UK’s finest authentic Michael Buble tribute show with an incredible 12 piece big band, fronted by Exeter’s James Billington and proudly presents this fabulous festive show: Magnificent Buble at Christmas. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Moscow Drug Club Is a curious musical place where certain elements of 1930’s Berlin Cabaret, Hot Club de France, Nuevo Tango & Gypsy Campfire meet, have a few to drink and stagger arm in arm into the darkness of some Eastern European cobbled street on a mission to find the bar where Django Reinhardt & Tom Waits are having an after hours jam with the local Tziganes. Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR

The Glory of Christmas with the Sheldon Singers. 7pm, St. Paul’s Church, Honiton, EX14 1PG. Rutter - Gloria, Vivaldi - Gloria, Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on Christmas Carols, plus a selection of traditional carols. Tickets £12 per person on the door or contact 07726 354172.

Dance Connection, Festive Dance Party Bridport St Mary’s, 7:30-10:30pm, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com Christmas Concert in the Minster, Axminster 7.00 pm. by the Axminster and District Choral Society of Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols, seasonal folk songs by other composers and carols for choir and audience. The concert will be conducted by Judy Martin. Tickets are £15.00 central aisle or £12 side aisles. Under 18s are half price. Mince pies and mulled wine will be available at the end of the concert. BYO cushion! Tickets may be purchased from Archway Bookshop, Trinity Square, Axminster (cash only), online via the link on the website, https://www. axminsterchoral.co.uk/ or direct from members. There may still be some available on the door at the event.

18 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 9 mile moderate walk. Axminster. 01297-552313.

St. Swithun’s Church Allington, Bridport. Carol Service - 4.00pm with St. Mary and St. Catherine’s Catholic Church followed by mince pies and tea.

Sidmouth Tea Dance at Stowford Centre EX10 9YL 2.30p.m. Ballroom & Sequence dancing to live music by John Westlake on one of the best floors in East Devon £6 each, proceeds to Childrens HospiceSW. Tea & Coffee available 01395 579856

19 December

Bridport Folk Dance Club If you like exercise, socialising and maybe learning something new, then come along to our dance sessions in the W.I. Hall on Monday evenings from 7.15pm-9.30pm. All welcome, especially beginners. Occasional live music, and always a caller. Tel: 458165 or 459001 for more information.

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Village Hall 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www.chardscottishdancingclub.org.

19 - 21 December

Wonder Pantomimes presents ‘Dick Whittington’ doors 1.30pm, show at 2pm daily plus on Tues 20th 6pm Show, doors 5.30pm, tickets adults £14, under 16s £12, family £45 (2 adults + 2 children). Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

20 December

Scottish Country dancing at Ashill Village hall Nr Ilminster TA19 9LX every Tuesday evening from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Beginners, returners and dancers of all

EVENTS AND COURSES

abilities are very welcome to come along and join us. Biscuits and hot drink at the interval. Please wear soft, comfy shoes if possible. £3.00 per evening. Further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com.

St. Swithun’s Church Hall Allington, Bridport. Festive Family Fun Afternoon - 3.00-5.00pm Craft, Stories, Big Sing, Gifts to wrap. Free entry.

21 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am. 10 mile moderate walk. Sidford. 07870-804711.

West Dorset Ramblers Moderate 8.5 mile circular walk in the area of Cerne Abbas. Contact 01460 62060. Brrr! It’s The Snow Queen Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR

Scottish Country Dancing every Wednesday evening at Ash Village Hall (Next to the pub ) Nr Martock TA12 6PB from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Hot drink and biscuits at the interval. Further information from Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com. All welcome.

22 December

St. Swithun’s Church Hall Allington, Bridport. Refreshments - 9.30 -11.00am in the Hall, handing out Children’s toys, kindly donated by the people of Bridport. The Surplus Food Stall plus Christmas goodies in the car park.

23 December

Carols round the Christmas tree 7 p.m. in Broad Street, Lyme Regis. The Lyme Regis Town band will be playing traditional Christmas carols for us all to sing along to. Our very own Town Crier (and President of the Rotary Club) Alan Vian will be in attendance as well as The Mayor of Lyme Regis , Clr Michaela Ellis. All are Welcome. A street collection will be held on the 22nd and 23rd of December in Lyme Regis and on the 24th in Charmouth on

behalf of local charity Lyme Heartbeat and other Rotary Charities. Voices of Hope Beautiful songs from around the world taught in harmony. Group is accessible to all ages and abilities. £5 suggested donation per session. Very relaxed atmosphere, uplifting and fun. No singing experience necessary. Drop in 11am to 12am Borough Gardens Bridport near Buckydoo Square (benches in gardens for those who need to sit or rest) If it is very wet we sing in The Unitarian Chapel in the Garden on East Street Bridport Jane Silver Corren 07887675161. janesilvercorren@gmail.com

28 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.30am. 8 mile moderate walk. Charmouth. 01404-45944. 30 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am 5 mile leisurely walk. Hemyock. 01404-45944.

Voices of Hope Beautiful songs from around the world taught in harmony. Group is accessible to all ages and abilities. £5 suggested donation per session. Very relaxed atmosphere, uplifting and fun. No singing experience necessary. Drop in 11am to 12am Borough Gardens Bridport near Buckydoo Square (benches in gardens for those who need to sit or rest) If it is very wet we sing in The Unitarian Chapel in the Garden on East Street Bridport Jane Silver Corren 07887675161. janesilvercorren@gmail.com 31 December

New Year @The Gateway Party Headliners The Loose Cannons, doors & finger buffet 7.30pm, DJ from 8pm, live music from 9.30pm to midnight, tickets £25. Join us on New Year’s Eve for a fun party night to see in the new year 2023! Party the night away with our DJ and then live music from the fantastic The Loose Cannons Band, leading up to midnight and Big Ben’s chimes. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person TueThur 10am - 1pm.

BRIDPORT

Speaker takes to the street

It’s not every year that a literary festival pours onto the street. But this year Guardian contributor and author George Monbiot, after a sell out talk at the Electric Palace in Bridport, took his message to Bucky Doo square. It was the 18th Bridport Literary Festival and after his on stage conversation with barrister Samantha Knights where he signposted all the reasons for our planet imploding, he received a welcome reception from climate activists in the middle of town.

LYME REGIS

Racial graffito police appeal

Officers investigating an incident of graffiti in Lyme Regis are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report that the gazebo, nearby steps and pathway in Langmoor Gardens were defaced with graffiti, some of which had a racial or anti-Semitic element. Police Constable Kirsti Frecknall, of West Dorset police, said: ‘Dorset Police takes hate crime extremely seriously and we are committed to identifying those responsible.’Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www. dorset.police.uk/contact, via email 101@ dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101.

YEOVIL

Casting call for choirs

The West End cast of Back to Bacharach who have performed around the world are searching for a local community choir to join them on at stage at The Octagon Theatre Yeovil in January 2023. Back to Bacharach performs the songs of Burt Bacharach who is behind one of the greatest American songbooks of the 20th Century and a legend of popular music. To apply submit up to a 2 minute video of the community choir with up to 10 singers performing “That’s What Friends are For” and “Raindrops keeps falling on my head”. Closing date to submit your video will be Friday 16th December 2022. Forward in the first instance your video link to:- info@backtobacharach.com

SHERBORNE

Volunteers celebrated

While disruption due to industril action on our railways caused inconvenience to many over the last month, volunteers who had worked to make local railway stations bright and comfortable were rewarded in the first regional awards ceremony. Hosted and organised by Blackmore Vale Line Community Rail Partnership and sponsored by The Gardens Group and South West Coaches more than 100 station volunteers from across the South Western Railway and Great Western Railway region gathered. Many stations in the local area were amongst those scooping top awards including Sherborne, Yetminster, Yeovil Pen Mill, Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Railway Centre.

DORSET

Join the new recruits

Dorset Police has recruited an extra 113 student police officers as part of the national Uplift programme. In 2019 the Government announced plans to recruit an extra 20,000 officers over three years and by the end of September 2022 a total of 15,343 additional officers have been recruited by police forces across England and Wales. You can apply to become a police officer for Dorset Police now. To find out more, visit: https:// recruitment-dcp-dp.org/dorset-your-policecareer/police-officers/.

Nature Studies

By Michael McCarthy

One of the many ways in which we differ from our French neighbours is in our instinctive reaction to small animals and birds: I have noticed that where we might say aah, our French friends will sometimes murmur mmm. This difference persists in the case of fungi, which to British enthusiasts are largely objects of biological fascination, whereas to French aficionados the fascination is almost entirely gastronomical. This was obvious in September when my wife and I spent a few days with our children in Provence and in every fruit and vegetable market were spectacular piles of wild mushrooms, in particular the cepes (which we call penny buns or porcini or boletes) with their white stalks and nut-brown caps, and the apricot-yellow girolles (which we tend to call chanterelles)—we bought some to make an omelette. I did not see any of the less common ones, such as morels, or horns of plenty (which the French call trumpets of death), but I did spot a new one to me in the markets: piles of sanguins, which, were they to occur in Britain—they do not—would probably be called bloody milkcaps. But even if they were found here, I doubt they would make it into Tesco.

The contrast between French and English attitudes was further brought home to me a few weeks later when in October I joined a fungal foray, which is what a wild-mushroom-hunting expedition tends to be called, organised by the Dorset Fungus Group in Thorncombe Woods, the lovely piece of woodland surrounding the cottage at Higher Bockhampton which was Thomas Hardy’s birthplace. The DFG, founded more than 25 years ago by Mark Pike whose work on the railways led to an abiding interest in the things that were growing at the side of the tracks, is going from strength to strength. Since the Covid lockdown it has doubled its membership to nearly 140, and more than 50 people turned up at Thorncombe Woods, a good dozen of them children. There were five senior members of the group present as ‘identifiers’, that is, enthusiasts with sufficient expertise to able to tell you reliably which wild mushrooms are edible, and which will upset your tummy, give you hallucinations or even kill you—as a number of them, should you consume them, most assuredly will.

The possibility of being poisoned, however unlikely, undoubtedly

An incomer’s discovery of the natural world in the West Country

adds a certain frisson to a fungal foray, but to me the exciting thing was the sheer range of species we found, many possessed of splendid names, such as the shaggy inkcap, the deer shield, the brown roll-rim, the blusher, the sulphur tuft and the aniseed funnel. There was the yellow stagshorn and the oak milkcap and the birch polypore. There was the porcelain fungus, delicate and high up on a beech tree, and the artist fungus, which you can write your name on using your finger. There was the oyster mushroom and the false oyster mushroom, and the false chanterelle but not alas, the real chanterelle. In terms of edibility, the best we found was probably the bay bolete, regarded by some as equal in flavour to its close relative the cepe, but there was also the cauliflower fungus which some people enjoy and the beefsteak fungus which is said to be edible but tough. And there were fungi with legends attached, such as the tawny grisette, which one of the identifiers, Derek Monk, told me was linked to the old women who watched the aristocrats being guillotined in the French revolution, but I forget exactly how. And many, many more.

In casually strolling through a woodland I have rarely spotted myself more than half a dozen different fungi, but to my amazement, the October foray in Thorncombe Woods produced a total of 71 species—doubtless because there were so many people doing the searching, not least the children—all laid out on the table at the end in their dazzling variety. It opened my eyes to the astonishing richness of this wildlife kingdom quite separate from plants and animals. We have about 200 breeding bird species in Britain, about 70 land mammals and about 1500 native plants, but we have more than 16,000 recorded species of fungi and even popular field guides will describe 2,500 or more.

Every one is a fascinating life-form with an intriguing life history. I’m afraid I can’t remotely tell you how many of them are edible. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a French person somewhere, who can.

Recently relocated to Dorset, Michael McCarthy is the former Environment Editor of The Independent. His books include Say Goodbye To The Cuckoo and The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy

Derek Monk of the Dorset Fungus Group with the tawny grisette.

Photo: Michael McCarthy

Kept Alive

in secret locations

After many years of painstaking research

Liz Copas and Nick Poole have produced a book about the forgotten cider apples of Dorset. James Crowden has sampled the result.

If you love Dorset Cider and are curious about old Dorset orchards or simply want to know what cider apples to plant when you buy your next manor house or small holding, then this is the book we have all been waiting for. Liz Copas, the last pomologist from the renowned Long Ashton ‘Cider’ Research Station has teamed up with Dorset Cider maker Nick Poole of West Milton and over the last 20 years they have beavered away on their painstaking cider research. A labour of love which has taken them to all four corners of the county.

The initial pilot research project was funded by ‘Chalk and Cheese’ and in those early days very few Dorset cider varieties were known. Yet over 200 years ago in 1793 John Claridge reported that there were 10,000 acres of orchard in Dorset. Every parish and every farm had large orchards. Where have they all gone? Where indeed…

Since the 1950s farms slowly became larger and the number of farm workers dwindled. Lager, breweries and best bitter also took their toll. Pub chains could not handle scrumpy. After the 2nd War Dorset cider went down hill and almost disappeared without trace. But Dorset cider was kept alive in several ‘secret’ locations… Captain Thimbleby’s at Wolfeton House outside Dorchester was one, as well as bespoke cider clubs in Chideock, Monkton Wyld, West Milton and Nettlecombe. Interest in cidermaking is now endemic thanks in part to the famous Powerstock Cider festival founded by Nick Poole. Dorset Cider is now not only cherished, but there are over half a dozen cider companies making Dorset Cider commercially. Many enter every year for the Melplash Show Cider competition.

Apple guardian by Clifford Harper

This fine book is an invaluable guide to many half forgotten and unknown cider Dorset apples. Luckily Liz Copas, before she left Long Ashton managed to save some important documents including a list of Dorset cider apples compiled by Mr Pickford when he visited the area in the 1930s. These included Golden Ball, Buttery Door, Tom Legg, King’s Favourite, Reinette Obry and Best Bearer. Other cider apples Liz and Nick found were high tannin Somerset apples and sweeter Devon varieties. Many had no name and that was where the hard work came in. They compared apple juice reports to earlier Long Ashton notes, then made single variety ciders to see what they tasted like, making notes year after year. Often Liz and Nick had to give names to these ‘new’ varieties once their DNA and genome sequence was found to be ‘unique’.

These also included Symes Seedling, Hunters Ground, Lancombe, Marnhull Mill, Dorset Winter Stubbard, Yaffle, Cattistock Pink, Golly Knapp, Ironsides, Matravers, Puddletown, Best Bearer, Frome River, Marlpits, Dewbit, Tangy, Meadow Cottage, Cap of Liberty, Hains Sweet and Hains No.2. All Dorset apples.

Many cuttings were also taken and carefully grafted to produce a whole new generation of Dorset cider apple trees. In 2011 Liz and Nick, helped by Rupert Best and Herefordshire nurseryman John Worle, established a trials orchard at Melplash called ‘Linden Lea.’ Cider enthusiasts could buy their own apple trees and plant their own Dorset cider orchards. Propagation work now carried out by Tom Nancarrow of Adam’s Apple in East Devon.

The final proof of the pudding was in 2020 at Hincknowle Barn when a batch of 20 single variety Dorset ciders were made from this mother orchard and blind tasted. Quite an event. Quite an achievement. A whole new experience and the ciders judged accordingly. Golden Ball got gold medal.

Cleverly woven into the book are many fascinating historical stories and events. Several old cidermakers are mentioned including Harry Warren his son Hubert Warren and William Oliver all of Netherbury, as well as Edward Smith of Stoke Abbot and James Best of Melplash. Maybe it is no coincidence that Alasdair Warren is now following in his grandfather’s footsteps. Dorset Cider is alive and kicking and this book will give many people not only great pleasure but a fine introduction to the Lost Orchards and cider history of Dorset. A renaissance that both Thomas Hardy and William Barnes would be proud of.

The Lost OrchardsRediscovering the forgotten cider apples of Dorset by Liz Copas and Nick Poole published

paperback 204 pages £18

SKU: 9781915068095

by Little Toller Books.

‘Symes Seedling, Hunters Ground, Lancombe, Marnhull Mill, Dorset Winter Stubbard, Yaffle, Cattistock Pink, Golly Knapp, Ironsides, Matravers, Puddletown, Best Bearer, Frome River, Marlpits, Dewbit, Tangy, Meadow Cottage, Cap of Liberty, Hains Sweet and Hains No.2. All Dorset apples.’

Cider appreciation in Nettlecombe (left) and Monkton Wyld (right)

Vegetables in December

By Ashley Wheeler

December is a very natural time to be delving into seed catalogues to see what jewels they are offering for the coming year. It’s a time to reflect on the year gone by and think about what worked well for you as a vegetable grower and what didn’t work out quite so well. Some of the things that didn’t work out might just need an alternative growing approach, some may not have worked due to weather conditions, whilst others may be that certain crops do not suit your growing conditions. Simply changing sowing dates for certain crops may make a huge difference to how successfully they grow for you. For example we tend not to grow rocket and mustard leaves for our salads through the middle of summer as they go to flower so quickly and also flea beetle end up peppering them with lots of holes (and they always sneak in under the mesh no matter hard we try to keep them out). Also, we end up getting a lot of mildew on certain crops through the autumn, and we can choose alternative things to grow that do not suffer so much from mildew. For example a lot of the lettuce varieties that we have tried get mildew from October onwards, whereas this is peak chicory time, and they rarely suffer with mildew, so we choose to grow more chicory through the autumn and winter.

There is no need to make things more difficult for yourself as a grower when so many of the solutions come down to just growing what is suited to grow at specific times of the year. Sometimes sowing dates can be really specific to ensure that a crop performs at its best, and again chicory is the perfect example of this. Most chicory varieties are best when sown on the first week of July (and planted out from trays around 3-4 weeks later)—this allows enough time for the heads to bulk up before winter, but it is not so early that they will end up wanting to flower. Often a crops life cycle is determined by day length, so after summer solstice, as the days begin to get a little shorter, many of the crops that would bolt (go to flower, rather than focus on leaf production) if sown earlier in the year will be less inclined to bolt if sown through July. Examples of this include chicory, fennel, rocket and mustards. So, spend a little time looking through what you hope to grow next year and double check when is best to sow it (often the seed packets are very vague and don’t give enough detail on sowing dates—have a look at Charles Dowding’s website or books for excellent information on sowing dates for lots of different crops).

We will be running more salad growing, seed saving and market gardening courses next year at Trill Farm Garden, so keep an eye out for dates. Also, if you haven’t got space of your own to grow veg you can always try a bag of ours— more details at www.trillfarmgarden.co.uk

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

WHAT TO PLANT THIS MONTH:

OUTSIDE: Garlic (if not planted already)

INSIDE: peashoots, sugarsnap and early pea varieties, spring onions, broad beans, garlic (for extra early garlic). Try and plant all of this early in the month.

OTHER IMPORTANT TASKS THIS MONTH: If the weather dries, continue preparing beds for the winter by mulching with compost (or hopefully you sowed plenty of green manures to keep the ground in good health through the winter, in which case you can leave the beds to look after themselves). Also any polytunnels or glasshouses could have a wash this time of year to get the maximum amount of light in for any winter salad and veg that you have growing in them. Don’t be tempted to tidy things too much—its always good to leave plenty of crop residue for worms and leave nettles for habitat for overwintering insects. Take the opportunity to take it a bit easier!

Treviso precoce chicory - best sown the first week in July, although this particular type can be sown 4-6 weeks earlier too.

December in the Garden

By Russell Jordan

There was practically a false spring this autumn as the unusually warm conditions, well into November, combined with the standard arrival of copious amounts of rain resulted in many plants, which had defoliated during the summer drought, to produce a flush of new growth and even have a second flowering. This kind of behaviour is bound to have repercussions when it comes to how well those plants overwinter, having put their energies into a late burst of growth, so paying extra attention to improving soil conditions, especially aeration, is a good idea.

I’ve mentioned before that I think that soil compaction is often something that is overlooked by many gardeners. It is good practice to always have a border fork handy whenever you have to walk on flower beds, whilst weeding for example, so that you can insert the tines and lift the soil wherever you’ve left a footprint. Similarly, during dry periods in the winter, it’s a good idea to fork over all your beds and borders and then apply an organic mulch to the areas that you have just aerated. In this way the organic matter in the mulch will fall into the cracks and fissures that your forking has created. This will help to keep the soil structure more ‘open’ and fend off compaction in the future.

Although December is generally a pretty quiet month, when it comes to practical gardening tasks, it’s always worth remembering that we are now in the bare-root planting season. As long as the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged, obtaining trees and shrubs in their bare-root state is the most cost-effective means of obtaining them in quantity. Also, due to being soil and pot-less, they are able to be sent by post or courier so an internet search should yield any number of nurseries to provide whatever it is that takes your fancy.

There seems to have been a bit of a resurgence in interest in bare-root plants recently, possibly aided by Covid restrictions preventing physical nursery visits for a while,

which can only be a good thing. Before pot grown plants became the norm, relatively recently in the history of the horticultural industry, practically every sort of winter dormant plant was lifted from stock beds and dispatched bare-root.

One of the major exceptions to being supplied bare-root is evergreen trees and shrubs. The reason for this is that they do not lose their foliage in the winter so are never really dormant. If a plant is not deciduous then it is always going to be losing water by transpiration, the evaporation of water primarily via leaves, and this means that if it is bare-root it will become stressed, possibly to the point of dying, because it will still be losing water but will not be able to replace it via its root system.

This is also the reason why it’s not a good idea to plant bare-rooted plants during frosty conditions as the surface water in the soil will be frozen and therefore not available to any plants that you have just planted. Even plants that are supplied bare-root need to be planted into well prepared soil, with plenty of organic matter added, and then well watered in so that their burgeoning root systems get the best chance possible.

One plant that you may be considering buying at this time of year is a Christmas tree which, being an evergreen, will be supplied as a pot grown plant if you are intending to obtain a living specimen. It’s more likely that you will be buying a cut tree in which case the three most likely contenders, according to the ‘Forestry England’ website, are the ‘Norway Spruce’, ‘Nordmann Fir’ and ‘Lodgepole Pine’.

The ‘Norway Spruce’ is the traditional one which has the familiar Christmas tree scent while the ‘Nordmann Fire’ may be preferred because it is a bit better at holding onto its needles. The ‘Lodgepole Pine’ is the rarest of the three but is recommended for its “lush green needles and a wonderful pine scent”. The same website has a tool for you

to locate British grown Christmas, trees from your nearest ‘nation’s forest’, where each tree bought will help to fund their important work in looking after our UK forests.

I like the idea of having a living Christmas tree in a pot but this will, of necessity, be of a smaller size than a cut specimen. Being indoors is a very challenging environment for a living tree because the light levels will be much lower than it is used to and the atmosphere will be practically desert like and really desiccating. For these reasons it is necessary to ensure that the tree is kept well watered while it is inside. Regularly wetting the foliage with a misting sprayer, as long as you’ve not festooned it with mains powered fairy lights, will reduce the stress as will keeping it out of droughts and well away from any heat source. Keep it indoors for as short a period as you can and place it back outside, in a sheltered spot, as soon as the festivities are over.

Once spring has arrived treat it to a repotting, into a slightly larger pot, with fresh compost. Keep an eye on it all year and make sure that it never goes short of water, especially during the summer months, so that it is in the best condition possible for when it comes back inside next Christmas. After a few years of being potted on each spring it will, of course, reach a size at which it will no longer be practical to bring it indoors any more. At this point you can plant it out in the garden, if you have one big enough to contain a fully grown coniferous tree, and start again with another small specimen the following festive season.

In a way that process kind of sums up the whole of gardening; cyclical, continually growing and requiring human intervention at certain critical points. Have a Happy Christmas!

PROPERTY ROUND-UP

Towns on Santa’s Sat Nav

By Helen Fisher

BRIDPORT £450,000

A substantial Grade II listed Georgian house with 3 bedrooms and decorative original features plus family sized bathroom with roll top bath. With 2 double bedrooms and an impressive main bedroom with duel aspect windows. Low maintenance, west facing courtyard garden. Centrally located.

Goadsby Tel 01308 420000

COLYTON £600,000

A detached Grade II listed 3 bedroom cottage in the heart of the town. Stylish and beautifully maintained throughout. Triple aspect kitchen with vaulted ceiling, flagstone floor and electric Aga. Cosy snug with fireplace, wood burning stove & exposed ceiling beams. Very private garden and no onward chain.

Gordon & Rumsby Tel: 01297 553768

LYME REGIS £425,000

An end of terrace 3 bedroom Edwardian home, extended to include a small south-facing balcony. Featuring bay windows, picture rails, wooden doors and floors and original fireplaces. Good sized gardens on 3 sides including a driveway, parking and an attached garage. All set in a tucked away location overlooking the River Lyn. No onward chain.

Kennedys Tel: 01308 427329

Tel. 01308 423031

BRIDPORT £900,000

A substantial 4 bedroom Grade II listed handsome detached house, built in 1710. Arranged over 3 floors, recently refurbished yet retaining many original features. State of the art wi-fi system, ideal for home working. The gardens and grounds are fully enclosed and feature a contemporary eating area, pizza oven, jacuzzi, parking and double car port. Symonds and Sampson Tel: 01308 422092

DORCHESTER Offers over £650,000

A beautiful Victorian 4 double bedroom family home in the heart of the town overlooking Borough Gardens. Many traditional features inc: Leaded light windows, high ceilings and fireplaces. With 3 bathrooms, one with a roll top bath. Large cellar/basement area used as a family room/home office. Southerly-facing rear garden plus garage and parking. Meyers Tel: 01305 259436

WEYMOUTH £695,000

A unique converted chapel with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms designed by a prestigious architectural firm in 1895. Featuring a 39ft open-plan living room/kitchen with a classic vaulted ceiling and beautiful stained glass leaded light stone mullion windows. Private courtyard garden and allocated parking. A few minutes walk from the Esplanade. Stags Tel: 01308 428000

Strongly relevant Bridport voices in London

The creative potential of Bridport has proved endless. Talking to a friend about the difficulty of finding a photographer in London, she produced her son, Will Tyler, who took photos of the first meeting of the cast at the King’s Head. Recording the Greenham Common songs like After the Bomb and Take the Toys from the Boys was a challenge. But Jane Silver Coren and Rob Lee did a wonderful job when 20 women turned up to sing on one of the rainiest, windiest nights this Autumn.

LIVING in Bridport while directing a play in London might seem too tricky to manage, but it turns out the ingenuity of the town made Bridport perfect. The play, A Common Woman, by Mary Rensten, produced by local director Margie Barbour, was originally at the King’s Head Theatre in London, in 1984. It was perfectly timed. By then Greenham protests had touched the lives of so many families; thousands of women had visited, taking bottles of whiskey and a fruitcake as Margie and her mother had, or sleeping bags and tents, staying to join the protest. And this play explored the issues about why A Common Woman would join them. Lindsey Coulson (Carol in EastEnders) plays Jean, an “ordinary woman”, and her own daughter Grace Coulson Harris plays her daughter in the play. Frankie Golding, who was the lead in the community play, Flea, turned out to be ideal for the part of Richard, the son of the family, and James Barriscale plays the dad Bill.

Tracking down Lesley MacIntyre, to give permission to use her photograph of the women at the gate, was very difficult. Margie explained ‘I am so very grateful to all my friends, especially Joan Crawford, who was the co-director of the King’s Head when I was Assistant Stage Manager in 1971, for using the web network of the telephone tree (now an email trail) to find her! This play commemorates when 350,000 women “Embraced the Base’ in December 1982, and so this is a contemporary example of the reach of the telephone tree. Discussing projecting Lesley’s fantastic image resulted in Tristan Allsopp lending us his projector.’

Margie added ‘Working on a play about the dangers of nuclear war, while Putin is terrifying the Ukrainians and the rest of Europe with the renewed threat of using nuclear weapons, has made the play even more important, even more relevant to us right now.’

There will be a rehearsed reading on Sunday 18 December and Monday 19 December at 7.00pm at the King’s Head Theatre, Upper Street, London N1. Tickets from 0207 226 8561. https:// kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/a-common-woman

The play needs a 1980’s TV set, so if anyone can produce one of those that will be the cherry on the cake.

Jane Silver Coren leading the singers

LAPSANG TEA SMOKED SALMON

DIRECTIONS INGREDIENTS

•

•

LESLEY WATERS

1. You will need 2 roasting tins approximately the same size and a grill/ cooling rack.

2. Fill a roasting tin with the tea and place the rack inside. Sprinkle over a little water (approximately 2tbsp). Cover with the second tin, as a lid, and place on the hob over a medium heat for 10 minutes.

3. Brush the salmon fillets with a little oil and season lightly.

4. Remove the top roasting tin, place the salmon on the rack, cover and return to the heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave, covered for a further 5 minutes or until just cooked.

5. Serve with rocket salad and warmed, soured cream potato salad.

Three Wines

AROUND £10

Gran Cerdo, Tinto, Spain £10.90

Lovely cherry colour in the glass, which carries through to the nose along with other red fruit and cassis. Surprisingly juicy and acidic for the grape, this has excellent acidity and a soft, fruity palate. Organic. From Selected Grapes, Bridport. www.selectedgrapes.co.uk

Pazo de Villarei Albariño, Rías Baixas 2021. Spain £9.95 A lovely fruity introduction to the fresh, aromatic quality of Galicia’s star grape, soulmate of seafood and deliciously refreshing. From The Wine Society. www.thewinesociety.com

2020/21 Carignan Vielle Vignes De Chansac £9.95

The Carignan Vielle Vignes De Chansac from Pays De Herault is a great value, everyday red packed with berry and cherry fruit flavours, a hint of spice. From The Dorset Wine Company, Dorchester. www.dorsetwine.co.uk

SMOKED HERRING WITH A POACHED EGG AND COLCANNON

I

like to work with

so it will come as no surprise that I decided to launch my own range of smoked fish with Chesil Smokery based in Bridport. Chesil Smokery is a great local smokery with their own trout farm. I have known Mark Firth, the owner, for many years and have always enjoyed eating their products, so it seemed a natural fit to start my smoked fish range with him and his team. This is classic comfort food that you can serve for brunch or dinner. Some people get champ and colcannon mixed up but basically champ is just spring onions or scallions as the Irish call them and colcannon is cabbage and spring onions.

INGREDIENTS

• About 400ml milk, for poaching

• 200ml fish stock (a good quality cube will do)

• 1 bay leaf

• 4 smoked herring fillets

• 4 eggs

• Knob of butter

For the colcannon

• A few leaves of spring greens or cabbage, roughly chopped, cooked in boiling salted water and drained

• 6 spring onions green parts too, shredded

• 100ml milk

• 400g floury potatoes, cooked and mashed

• 40g butter, or more if necessary

Serves 4

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the colcannon, bring the milk to the boil, add the spring onions and simmer for 1 minute, then mix with the mashed potato, greens and butter and season. Keep warm in a covered pan or let it cool down and reheat when needed.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 5 place the herring in an oven proof dish or pan with a knob of butter on top and cook for about 10 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile poach the eggs until just set but still soft inside when the herring is almost done.

3. Spoon the colcannon on to warmed plates and carefully place the herring fillets on top. Drain the eggs with a slotted spoon and rest them on the fish and serve.

Hix Smokin’ House range can be ordered online for nationwide delivery. Christmas hampers are also available. chesilsmokery.co.uk

MARK HIX

always

local artisan producers

Picture Dorset this Christmas

DORSET boasts a wide variety of spectacular landscapes, from the cliffs and beaches of its Jurassic Coast, its chalk downs and limestone hills, heathland and vales, to its historic towns and villages and other ancient settlements.

In Dorset in Pictures , photographer Matthew Pinner takes a fresh look at the county, capturing the huge variety of scenery, natural and manmade, that makes Dorset special. For those who live in the county and its many thousands of visitors this book is a must.

Matthew Pinner is one of Southern England’s leading landscape photographers. His work is eclectic, and often captures nature in the early hours when the weather is at its most beautiful.

Dorset in Pictures by Matthew Pinner, ISBN 9781398106932 is available through bookshops or from the publisher’s website: www.amberleybooks.com

Images by Matthew Pinner. Clockwise from top left: Chesil Beach, Colmer’s Hill, Lyme Regis, Portland Bill, Thomas Hardy’s Cottage, Weymouth Beach. Below: Bridport.

Panto’s Back!

It’s time for the fat man to don the frock again, for heros to vanquish baddies and for all to end happily ever after. Unlike the real world, it’s pantomime season.

This seasonal offerings include two productions of the all-time favourite Cinderella as well as an Aladdin, a Dick Whittington, a Sleeping Beauty, a Nutcracker, a Robin Hood and a Pinocchio.

After a stuttering 2021-22 season, with the ghost of Covid always in the wings, this year’s schedule is packed with something for everyone, as unmasked parents take their children out for what is often a first chance to see what live theatre is all about—and it’s SO different from sitting in front of the TV.

The cost of fuel and lack of public transport means that many will head for the nearest show to their homes, but some will travel further to see their favourite stars or visit a town or city full of lights and Christmas atmosphere.

At Yeovil Octagon regulars will be seeing their last pantomime for many months, as the theatre closes for major (and part Arts Council funded) refurbishment.

From 9th December to 1st January Dick Whittington will take to the stage, heading from Somerset to London to find his fortune in a place he thinks has streets paved with gold. Rats! Once again the company includes favourites Gordon Cooper, Jack Glanville and Thom Ford.

There are more local favourites at Bath Theatre Royal, where the show is Aladdin, on stage from 8th December

to 8th January and dame Nick Wilton and funny man Jon Monie is joined by Tom Lister as Abanazar.

The biggest, starriest shows in the region are Cinderella with Craig Revel Horwood at Bristol Hippodrome of 2nd to 31st December, and Sleeping Beauty at Plymouth Theatre Royal, from 16th December to 14th January and starring Shane Richie, Matt Terry and Ceri Dupree. The Plymouth Drum also has Pinocchio, devised and performed by Bridport-based Stuff and Nonsense, from 24th November to 14th January.

Bournemouth pantomime at the Pavilion is Beauty and the Beast from 3rd December to 2nd January, and at Exeter it’s Robin Hood at the Northcott from 9th December to 7th January. Poole Lighthouse brings Tyger Drew-Honey and Chris Jarvis in Cinderella, from 8th to 31st December, and at Weymouth Stevi Ritchie is Sleeping Beauty, from 10th December to 2nd January.

If you prefer an alternative to pantomime Bristol Old Vic brings the story of The Nutcracker, usually performed as a Christmas ballet, to the stage as a play for all the family. Gwyneth Herbert joins Tristan Sturrock to tell the story, from 24th November to 7th January. And at the BOV Western Studio, you can see Belle and Sebastian, from 2nd December to 8th January. All the shows have a number of matinees and early evening performances to suit all ages. Booking is usually open a YEAR in advance, so contact the theatre early to make sure you can find a seat, and be ready to shout, boo, hiss and join in the fun.

Oh yes it is!

The familiar team of comedian Jack Glanville and resident dame Gordon Cooper star in Dick Whittington at Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The cast includes talented young dancers—including the Dick’s acrobatic Cat—and the Octagon welcomes back local star Thom Ford, who will be returning from his home in Florida to play the villainous King Rat. Photograph by Len Copland.

GALLERIES

Until 30 November

Dorset, Dream Country Recent paintings by Nicholas Hely Hutchinson at The Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LN.

1 - 30 December

Kit Glaisyer Christmas Exhibition Small & affordable works, oil sketches, prints, books, Cafe Royals, West Country landscape, and Figurative pieces. Open on Wednesdays & Saturdays from 10am-4pm or by appointment. Bridport Contemporary Gallery, 11 Downes Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3JR 07983 465789 www. bridportcontemporary.com @bridportcontemporary

1 - 31 December

John Hodgson Exhibition John is a self taught artist based in Ilminster, Somerset. His works are often heavily inspired by fantasy, mythology, folklore and also the natural world, often in combination. Using mainly Graphite and Ink also gilding/ watercolour to add the occasional splash of colour to his work. His other creative work is as a traditional and artistic Fletcher , creating arrows for display, historical enactment/collection and art pieces, using mainly historic methods and materials and has been featured in Somerset Magazine and articles. He is also a long term martial artist/writer and teaches/trains in the art of Kenpo and also Self Defence. Open daily 8.30am - 4pm at Unique Framecraft, Unit’s 4 - 5 Millwey Rise Workshops, Second Avenue, Axminster.EX13 5HH Telephone 01297 631614 or 07801 260259. Instagram:- @uniqueframecraft . What three words :- warned. tasteful.elaborate

2 - 17 December

Binny Mathews and sons Rufus and Quentin Martin 5, Lyden Way, Beaminster, DT8 3AX 10am - 5pm or by appointment 07572 880769 or 07547 154917. Closed on Mondays and Tuesday.

2 -21 December

Christmas Exhibition: Fifteen Artists The Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street, Sherborne DT9 3LN. www.jerramgallery.com

3 - 4 December

Spirit of Place An exhibition by Ray Balkwill of recent paintings and mixed media assemblages of the Exe Estuary. By way of a

small tribute he will also be displaying a number of replica model sailing boats made by his boat-builder friend Geoff Holman, who sadly passed away recently. The Studio Gallery, Thistledown, Marley Road, Exmouth EX8 4PP. Open 10.am - 5pm. Open at other times strictly by appointment only. Free admission. www. raybalkwill.co.uk.

Winter Show Work from Liz Somerville, Emily Myers, Ali Herbert and Julian Herbert will be available to purchase for thet very special Christmas gift. North Eggardon Farm is near Powerstock at DT6 3ST.

3 - 11 December

Art in Poundbury’s new exhibition ‘Making Our Mark’ opens at Jubilee Hall, Queen Mother Square, Poundbury, DT1 3BW. Runs 10am - 4pm daily, plus late till 8pm on Weds 7 Dec. 145 artists, amateur & professional, 2D & 3D work, plus ‘Meet The Artist’ sessions. Free entry. More on www.artinpoundbury.co.uk Until 4 December

The Jurassic Coast on Ceramics Bridport-based ceramicist Janine Roper. Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 10am-4pm, www. lymeregismuseum.co.uk

Until 6 December

Mixed Autumn Exhibition of Gallery & Guest Artists Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR. Opening / performance times: Fri/ Sat/Sun/Mon from 10:00 – 16:00. 01305 848 909. www. tincletongallery.com.

7 December - 15 January

Keeping It Small Mini-mosaics by Allan Punton, Alison Hepburn, Manya McMahon and Janet Ventre Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 10am-4pm, www. lymeregismuseum.co.uk

Until 21 December

Future Present An exhibition of designer makers from the South West, showcasing our regional talent with work of a high standard in a range of mixed media. Held in the beautiful Allsop Gallery

in Bridport Arts Centre, in the thriving and lively town of Bridport, this curated exhibition will present a range of contemporary craft and design from South West artists. All work will be for sale and will include glass, wood, paper, textiles, prints, photography, ceramics, furniture and jewellery plus Christmas gifts, decorations and cards. Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR.

Until 24 December

Present Makers 2022 Christmas selling exhibition of contemporary craft. Wednesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell St, Honiton EX14 1LX thelmahulbert.com. 01404 45006.

Until 31 December

Halstock Art Group currently have an exhibition of paintings in the Yarn Barton Gallery, Fleet Street, Beaminster. Monday to Saturday 9.30 to 12.30am.

Until 4 January

Linocuts Helen Murgatroyd Double Elephant Gallery, Exeter Phoenix. Based in Bude, North Cornwall, Helen makes linocuts centred round themes of food, work and rural life. Her practise is rooted in observational drawing. “In my sketchbooks I document the community I live and work in. In the studio, working directly from my drawings, I develop prints that tell visual stories of the places and people I meet.” This selling exhibition showcases prints from an ongoing series based on the farm where Helen lives and works, alongside some prints from an artist residency in Nepal where Helen documented daily rituals in a rural mountain village. The recipient of many printmaking awards, Helen was voted Printmakers’ Printmaker by her peers at Printfest in 2019.

Until 8 January

Unwrapped: A Festive Exhibition Get festive preparation done early with the opening of SSW Shop’s ‘All Wrapped Up’: a special selling exhibition featuring some of the best handmade decorations, tableware, greetings cards and gift inspiration our local artistic community has to offer. Sou’-Sou’-West Arts Gallery, Symondsbury Estate, Bridport DT6 6HG. Open daily 10:30-4:30. Free admission & parking. Contact 01308 301326 www.sousouwest.co.uk.

14 January – 4 March

A Language of Seeds Series of photographs by Devon-based artist Léonie Hampton celebrating her vegetable garden, family and friends while responding to Royal Albert Memorial Museum’s botany collection. Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell St, Honiton EX14 1LX thelmahulbert. com. 01404 45006.

Until 21 January

David Inshaw recent paintings, drawings and prints. Petter Southall furniture. Sladers Yard, West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL. Wed to Sat 10am - 4.30pm. Café Sladers and the ground floor gallery are also open Sundays 10am - 4pm. Admission free. 01308 459511. www.sladersyard.co.uk.

GALLERIES IN JANUARY

The Wandering Hearts

LYME REGIS

AMERICANA stars The Wandering Hearts come to the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis on Saturday 3rd December, bringing the haunting folk-rock-bluegrass sound that has seen them nominated for awards and twice topping the UK’s official Americana Charts.

The Wandering Hearts achieved their second consecutive number one in 2022 with their self-titled second album, building on the success of Wild Silence, their debut in 2018. The album cemented the trio’s reputation as leading lights in British folk-Americana.

The only British act to debut at both the iconic Ryman Theatre and The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in the same week, The Wandering Hearts have shared stages and tours across the UK and US with artists such as the late great Tom Petty, John Prine and Justin Townes Earle, and Margo Price, Lukas Nelson, Robert Plant and Eagles.

Charlatan Dickens—a seasonal story MARTINSTOWN

YOU think you know Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol, don’t you? Well, think again. Performer Peter Macqueen opens The Scrooge Diaries at Martinstown village hall on Friday 16th December at 7.30pm and you may find the results shake up your festive spirits!

It’s 1843 and as Christmas looms Mr Dickens is about to publish his latest instalment. Meanwhile, Mr Scrooge is in his office working desperately to tell his side of the story. This one-man show aims to put the record straight…

“Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.” ...

“Oh no, he wasn’t! Bah! Dead? Humbug, Mr.Dickens! Dead? As sure as the clothes moths in my wardrobe have be-shredded my best nightcap, Marley was not dead but rather sitting on some sun-soaked, off-shore beach squandering all the hard-earned money that he had so fraudulently embezzled from my firm over the years!

Catch one of the country’s leading Americana bands, The Wandering Heart, at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis.

“You know nothing Mr.Dickens! YOU are a fraud, sir—an embezzler of the truth! A fake news-smith! A charlatan… Charlatan Dickens! Bah!”

In this revelatory exclusive, Ebeneezer Scrooge opens his diary to expose the awful truth about Tiny Tim, the Fezziwigs, Jacob Marley and that disgustingly jolly, gluttonous, consumer-driven Ghost of Christmas Present as he reveals the truth behind A Christmas Carol and the vengeful, slanderous, upstart author of that novel…

The Scrooge Diaries can also be enjoyed at Hinton Martell village hall on Saturday 17th December at 7.30pm and on Sunday 18th (at the earlier time of 4pm) at Studland village hall.

Pick a pocket at the Electric Palace

BRIDPORT

THE talented youngsters of Bridport Young Performers take to the stage of the Electric Palace from 19th to 21st December with the perfect Christmas show, Lionel Bart’s classic musical, Oliver!

It’s one of those rare shows (like West Side Story) where every song is a hit in its own right—from Food Glorious Food to Oom Pah Pah, I’d Do Anything to Reviewing The Situation

Adapted from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, it is the story of the orphan Oliver, who longs for a home. Sold from the workhouse by the greedy beedle, Mr Bumble, Oliver escapes to the streets of London where he meets the Artful Dodger, who introduces him to a new kind of family—the pickpockets of Fagin’s thieves kitchen gang.

Bridport Young Performers (BYP) is a youth theatre

group for young performers aged 25 and under which offers opportunities throughout the year in musical theatre, acting, dance and singing, with workshops, community events and the Christmas musical!

Swing into the New Year

CHRISTMAS WITH THE BSO FROM Handel’s masterpiece Messiah to a West End musical star and the ever-popular Viennese gala, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is bringing festive delights to audiences at Poole, Taunton, Exeter and Weymouth.

Actor Ben Forster, West End star of Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera and The Rocky Horror Show, joins the BSO for Last Night of the Christmas Proms at Poole Lighthouse on Saturday 17th December and Exeter University Great Hall on Tuesday 20th.

The ever-popular Viennese New Year gala will be enjoyed at Poole on Sunday 1st January, Taunton Brewhouse on Thursday 5th and Weymouth Pavilion on Friday 6th. The New Year concerts have a real taste of Hungary with all three guest performers being natives of Budapest—violinist Lajos Sárközy Jr, cimbalom player Jenő Lisztes and conductor Gergely Madaras.

Rural spaces in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset host festive fun for all the family with a series of BSO On Your Doorstep chamber concerts including with Artsreach at Lytchett Matravers on Friday 9th December, Devon’s Villages in Action at Thorverton on Sunday 11th and Yeovil’s Octagon on Thursday 15th.

BSO chief executive Dougie Scarfe says: “We’re really proud to be hosting such a broad range of live events this

Peter Macqueen opens Scrooge’s diaries to tell a very different Christmas Carol tale.

festive season, and can’t wait to help people find those few hours of escapism and mark the start of a fresh new year. There’s something for everyone, from cinematic classics to festive favourites… and we’re even bringing a quiz to our rural concerts in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.”

Other festive favourites at the orchestra’s home at Poole Lighthouse include a sing-along Celebration of Christmas Carols on Friday 23rd, and Messiah, conducted by baroque specialist Laurence Cummings with soloists Anna Devin, Jake Arditti, Sam Furness and Ashley Riches—and the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus.

A foot-stomping cracker VILLAGES

ARTSREACH, Dorset’s rural touring charity, brings The Churchfitters, one of the folk scene’s most entertaining groups, for three Christmas Cracker concerts, from 15th to 17th December.

Enjoy a festive night like no other as the trio shake up the season with their unique combination of a double bass made out of scrap metal, powerful vocals, fiddle and musical saw, creating foot-stomping, infectious funk-rock rhythms.

The three virtuoso musicians from England and France strut their stuff on a stage overflowing with instruments— look out for a flute, banjo, dulcimer, tin whistle, guitar, ukulele, stand up dustbin bass and a sackful of percussion.

Packed with a selection of favourites from their regular repertoire, interlaced with traditional and original festive songs and Christmas carols, The Churchfitters invite you to see in Christmas with a bang and a paper hat full of

surprises, novelties and jokes in their Christmas Cracker. Artsreach assistant director Yvonne Gallimore says: “We’ve had a fantastic season packed with a huge variety of music, theatre and dance and these concerts are a fantastically festive and uplifting way to bring the season to a close.”

The Churchfitters’ tour starts at Cranborne’s Cecil Memorial Hall at 8pm on Thursday 15th December, Winfrith Newburgh village hall at 7.30pm on Friday 16th (when tickets also include a festive supper) and Broadwindsor’s Comrades Hall on Saturday 17th.

Christmas with the Ridgeways MARNHULL AND DORCHESTER

THE Ridgeway Singers and Band have two Christmas concerts of West Gallery songs and carols, at Marnhull, on Sunday 4th December, and at Dorchester, on Wednesday 21st.

As always, the concerts will be a blend of Dorset-linked carols, folk songs, music and entertaining tales. These include a joyful version of Hark the Herald Angel Sing, to music discovered in Durweston and Rejoice Ye Tenants of the Earth, transcribed by Thomas Hardy from a Puddletown source.

Another well known carol—if not tune—will be While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night. At one time this was the only carol the church permitted local congregations to sing, and was thus widely sung, to tunes made up locally. The Ridgeways’ version is found in the Hardy Family Manuscripts.

Non-Christmas songs include A Song from Loders, a poem

The Churchfitters bring their Christmas Cracker show to Dorset

by Leonard Clark, with the melody by musician, actor and historian Tim Laycock, the Ridgeways’ co-director with Phil Humphries. This lovely piece evokes some lesser-known parts of Dorset: “From Yondover to Askerswell, the lanterns burn for wand’ring sheep.”

Music played by the band includes a new Dorset piece, The January Waltz, and Enrico, from The Thomas Hardy Manuscripts.

The Marnhull concert is at 4pm at St Gregory’s Church, and is promoted by Artsreach, which was involved in the creation of the Ridgeways Singers and Band. The Christmas week concert at Dorchester is at the Dorford Centre at 7.30pm. Seasonal refreshments will be available at both concerts.

A chilly tale

BRIDPORT

HANS Christian Andersen’s famous dark fairytale, The Snow Queen , gets a chilly new staging from Bumblefly, who bring their version, Brrr! It’s The Snow Queen to Bridport Arts Centre on Wednesday 21st December at 11am.

In conjunction with the Ringwood-based Forest Forge and Mischievous Theatres, Bumblefly has created an exciting, inventive and mysterious saga with just a dash of menace. It also has several talking animals, a witch, a chatty river, the odd robber, a horde of snow-bees, a super-granny, a beautiful dangerous Queen, a frozen boy, a courageous girl and a lot of snow and ice.

With quirky storytelling, a tune or two, the odd puppet, and a huge drift of snowy surprises, it’s a show that will intrigue and delight audiences of all ages, with a timeless tale that shows how goodness, kindness and honesty will save us all in the end.

Twisted tales for Christmas

PORTLAND

CORNWALL-based Owdyado Theatre company is coming to Portland’s Royal Manor Theatre on Saturday 3rd December at 7.30pm with Twisted Christmas, a darkly comic evening of macabre mini plays with a festive flavour!

Expect a deliciously depraved take on the holiday season as the company presents a programme of new stories by writers from Cornwall and across the UK.

Twisted Christmas features seven original microplays including tales of how to buy the perfect gift for your unloved ones, the dark side of Christmas cracker jokes, and one woman’s maniacal plot to murder Santa Claus!

As associate artists of Hall For Cornwall, Owdyado Theatre work with both established and emerging writers to produce original work that tours across the UK. Influenced by cult classics such as Inside No.9, The Twilight Zone and Roald

Screen Time

with Nic Jeune

Top Six at the Flix

Plaza Cinema Dorchester

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) is the follow-up to Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi blockbuster which remains the highestgrossing film of all time. It stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Sigourney Weaver, and is set more than a decade later than Avatar.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

Directed by Kasi Lemmons (“Harriet”) from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, the writer behind biopics such as Darkest Hour and Bohemian Rhapsody, the film has Naomie Ackie playing Houston, the late iconic R&B singer whose hit song inspired the title.

The Electric Palace Bridport The Banshees of Inisherin ( 2022)

‘Like In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin is a dark movie that is often downright hilarious.’

Uproxx. Mike Ryan

The Lost King (2022) ‘Like so many of Stephen Frears’ films, The Lost King works because of the compelling cast on hand.’ Collider Ross Bonaime.

Amazon Prime Easy A (2010)

A breakout film for Emma Stone. ‘It’s a funny, engaging comedy that takes the familiar but underrated Emma Stone and makes her, I believe, a star.’ Chicago SunTimes. Roger Ebert.

Mubi Talking About Trees (2019)

This poignant and witty documentary focuses on four directors whose careers were stalled by a military coup thirty years ago… Talking About Trees follows their mission to reopen a neglected outdoor movie theatre near Khartoum. What unfolds is a rather lovely poetic portrait of male friendship, cinephilic obsession and elegant dignity. The Guardian. Cath Clarke

Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected , it is definitely not an evening for the faint-hearted!

Twisted Christmas is also at Winterborne Stickland’s Pamela Hambro Hall, on Friday 2nd December at 7.30pm. Both performances are promoted by Artsreach.

She’s no angel

LYME REGIS AND SWANAGE

CABARET artist Charlie Bicknell comes to the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis on Friday 2nd December and the Mowlem Theatre at Swanage on Friday 9th with her subversive, anarchic, and darkly hilarious show, Snow Angel.

Forget the usual festive fare, pantomimes, The Snowman and the poor little drummer boy, Snow Angel is a comic cabaret featuring Charlie, a diva, temptress, vocal sensation and acrobat, with singer Louise Innes and pianist David Harrod.

It’s a madcap, joyous and at times preposterous evening of festive frivolity with a sparkle of magic. From Michael Bublé and Tiny Tim to Frozen mashups and a tiny Eskimo—Santa will never seem the same!

Charlie Bicknell became a household name playing Delilah in BBC2’s This Life and subsequently starred as Scout in Ben Elton’s West End hit Popcorn. While continuing to work as an actress at the National Theatre and rep around the UK, she moved into cabaret and circus, performing all over the world.

Louise Innes is a versatile operatic mezzo soprano, who has sung at Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and the Festival Hall.

Snow Angel is also at Sturminster Marshall’s Memorial Hall on Saturday 10th December, also at 7.30pm.

Charlie Bicknnell’s Snow Angel puts some sassy style into festive fun

That old time country music

POWERSTOCK

BILLED as the UK’s favourite old time country string band, Buffalo Gals are coming to Dorset in December, for three gigs, including Powerstock Hut on Saturday 3rd.

The visual and musical delights of a Buffalo Gals’ night out, combined with the humorous and joyful rapport they build with audiences wherever they go, have made this six-piece country and bluegrass band one of the most soughtafter acts on this country’s Americana roots music circuit.

Led by champion US fiddler Kate Lissauer, Buffalo Gals specialise in reviving the string band tradition of ballads, rags, work songs and spiritual numbers of Appalachia, bluegrass and early country music—all delivered with high energy, flair and great humour.

They create an authentic sound driven by fiddle, banjo, double-bass, ukulele, guitar, and soaring harmonies, punctuated by their trademark syncopated traditional Appalachian step-dancing, bringing stomping and ‘body-percussion’ to these toe-tapping tunes in an irresistible and uplifting show.

Artsreach also brings Buffalo Gals to the village halls at Stalbridge on Thursday 1st December and Corfe Castle on Friday 2nd, all at 7.30pm.

Arts Council joy and relief

ARTSREACH AND OCTAGON

THE announcement of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisationn funding for 2023- to 2026 brought joy to South Somerset District Council’s arts and entertainment service, including the Octagon Theatre, and relief and delight to existing NPOs, including Dorset’s Artreach rural touring charity and Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre.

The South Somerset theatre has been awarded almost £760,000 and, for the first time, achieves National Portfolio Organisation status. It comes at a time when the Octagon is preparing for a major refurbishment and reinvention as an arts and creative hub for the district.

Venues manager Adam Burgan says: “Becoming an NPO for the Arts Council is a huge milestone in our ambitions to create a flagship cultural offer for Somerset that will stem from the development of the Octagon Theatre. The most exciting part of this development is the opportunities it will create for our residents to benefit from the creative arts.

“Our plan was particularly focussed on those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those who haven’t enjoyed access to the creative arts and it is fantastic to be attracting more national funding into Somerset.”

News that Artsreach had retained its NPO funding was welcomed by the organisation’s director Kerry Bartlett: “This continued support from Arts Council England is invaluable in enabling us to continue to deliver our programme of cultural activity, enriching and positively impacting the lives of people living in rural Dorset by connecting and empowering communities. Our volunteer promoters work tirelessly to make Artsreach events happen in their communities, and this funding recognises both the work they do, and the quality of the artistic work presented on the Artsreach programme now, and over the last 32 years.”

There was also delight and relief at Poole’s Lighthouse. Chief executive Elspeth McBain said: “This news has come at a crucial moment as, in common with venues across the country, Lighthouse is still in recovery from the pandemic and that recovery remains a priority. Audiences are returning, but not yet at the same levels pre-pandemic, and venues are facing a perfect storm of increased operating costs, a cost-of-living squeeze on audiences, soaring energy prices and deepening economic hardship, so there are enormous challenges ahead.”

Other local venues that will continue to receive Arts Council support include Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset’s Activate and b-side festival, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Exeter’s Northcott Theatre and Phoenix Arts Centre, Wessex Museums (Dorchester, Salisbury and Devizes), Somerset’s Take Arts, and Plymouth’s Theatre Royal and Barbican Theatre.

The Young Lit Fix

Midwinter Burning

by Tanya Landman

Published by Walker Books. RRP £7.99

Recommended by Antonia Squire for ages 9+

ALFIE doesn’t know who his dad is, which is really hard when you’re just a lad in 1939. Harder than it is nowadays anyway. September 1st, 1939. Germany has invaded Poland and Britain and France have declared war on Germany. Alfie Wright is standing on a London station platform with thousands of other children waiting to be evacuated to the countryside. He has his case and his packed lunch, and he’s quite looking forward to making a fresh start down in Devon. Just his luck though, his main bully from school is heading to the same village and how is he supposed to start over with Billy Figgs around?

Alfie’s new home is a haven for him. Auntie Bell brings him to her farm and set’s him about helping with the chores. Nothing too hard, just milking the cow, feeding the pigs and the chickens, leaving him plenty of time to explore the fields, the beaches and the standing stones on the hilltop. The Standing Stones where the village celebrates The Midwinter Burning every year. Legend has it the pagans used to offer a human sacrifice to the gods at the Midwinter Burning, but that’s just superstition according to Auntie Bell. These days it’s just a bit of a party, like Bonfire Night.

Time, though, is slippery around the Standing Stones and when Alfie makes a new friend, a strange boy named Snidge, he starts to questions whether the legend is more fact than fiction as the dangers around The Midwinter Burning come a little too close for comfort.

A moving tale of a young boy who needs to be displaced in time and place to find his true home. Rich in adventure and historical detail, I loved this middle grade novel.

10% off for Marshwood Vale readers at The Bookshop on South Street, Bridport. 01308 422964 www.dorsetbooks.com

Journey to the Living Tree

With an aging population, a shortage of doctors and an under-pressure NHS, technology may be a way forward that we have to live with. Retired GP and chair of cancer charity The Living Tree, Jo Millar talks to Fergus Byrne about the future of medicine and the new life that The Living Tree has given her and so many others.

Achronic shortage of qualified GPs is one of the reasons retired doctor Jo Millar, who practised in Bridport under her maiden name Dr Jo Cotton, cites as an enormous problem facing general practice today. Current chair of local cancer charity The Living Tree, Jo remembers when she first came to Bridport how difficult it was to get a job. ‘When we first came here there were lots of GPs applying for each job, and there was a lot of competition to get a job’ she says. ‘Now it’s the other way around. Now you are lucky if you have any applicants at all.’

Jo explained that part of the problem is that there aren’t enough GPs being trained, especially locally. ‘We do have the Dorchester training scheme’ she says ‘but a lot of the GPs that come to us might not necessarily want to stay in the area.’ But it’s not just general practise, hospital specialties are struggling too. Jo believes there has to be a way of making medical school training more accessible. ‘I don’t know whether the bar has been set too high’ she says. ‘We know of families where there are children who might have applied to do medicine who had done all the right things, all the right sciences, all the extra-curricular things and still weren’t offered places. And I think somehow we’ve got to change how we choose who is suitable. That’s got to be looked at.’

In the meantime, many complain about how difficult it is to see a doctor. Jo is more than aware of how complicated the system is but also stresses that we are not only living in an age of postpandemic catch-up, but we are also beginning to see the effects of an aging population. ‘We’ve somehow got to understand that behind the scenes everyone is working really hard’ says Jo, ‘and the demand has gone up hugely. Dorset, I think, has got twice the national average of over 65-year-olds. We’ve got an aging population—an increasingly frail population.’

This also means an increasingly frustrated group of people struggling with systems such as eConsult, the method whereby patients fill in an online form to contact their local surgery. Whilst the system can be frustrating and appear slow and laborious, especially to people used to explaining their ailment either over the phone or face to face, Jo says eConsult makes over-stretched doctors more effective and efficient. Apparently, between 250-300 eConsult and phone requests for an appointment come in per day to the Ammonite Practice. So a triage system looks at each request and doctors decide on the most effective response. ‘They are trying to make sure that the GPs have the correct requests coming to them to allow them to spend more time on things that they need to focus on’ says Jo. ‘I think there will be a wider use of that system in the coming years.’ She also explains that further digital systems, especially for self-care or self-monitoring at home are also likely to be rolled out in the future.

Inspired to enter the medical profession by a gentle GP that visited her grandmother as she grew up and two step-brothers that became doctors, Jo remembers her first job was in a system that is no longer legal. ‘It was called a 1 in 2 house job in Orthopaedics’ she says. ‘Which basically means you are on call from Monday morning for 48 hours without a break. Then Wednesday would just be a normal day, I would help with clinics, ward rounds, ward work, etc. and then go home and collapse. Thursday was a normal day and

then Friday I would be on call from Friday morning until Monday morning. I did that for about three months and it was so busy I think I lost two stone in weight just rushing from A&E to X-ray, to the wards and to theatre.’

Eventually, she and husband Blair moved to Bridport where they have both practiced since. However, just after her fiftieth birthday, Jo discovered a breast lump. ‘I think I knew what it was’ she says ‘but I couldn’t quite believe that this was happening. When you’re at breast clinic and you’re told that it’s breast cancer, it’s like watching yourself being talked to. It’s like you are not actually in your own body. It’s a very surreal experience. You get that feeling of your life flashing in front of your eyes. But my first reaction was “I can’t have cancer, I’m far too busy”. At the time my mum was ill, the kids were doing A levels, GCSE’s & other school exams and I just thought “I haven’t got time for this.”’

After surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy Jo was looking at all the things she might do to help her recovery but there were no local cancer survivorship groups she could turn to. So, along with Jo O’Farrell she co-founded The Living Tree, a self-help support group for people who have experienced cancer and for their families and carers. ‘We found a few like-minded people and started very slowly’ says Jo. ‘Because we were all having treatment and didn’t know how long any of us were going to be here for, we didn’t want to do anything beyond what we thought we could manage to do ourselves. So we let it evolve slowly and over the years gradually more members have joined. We’ve lost members sadly but we’ve been so lucky with so many people supporting us, businesses, charities, individuals making donations and people helping with fundraising. Jo O’Farrell died in July 2018 which was huge shock.’

As well as arranging weekly meetings the charity also has ambling groups, table tennis groups, a swimming group, a complementary therapists’ partnership & also a very productive allotment. They even have links with South West Fishing for Life who offer trout fishing for people with breast cancer ‘because the act of casting a fly is good for your arm muscles’ says Jo. The charity celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year with a range of events as well as an inspiring art exhibition at Bridport Arts Centre.

Now, after ten years, Jo is ready to hand over the chair position to someone new and the charity is currently looking for someone to take her place. ‘We don’t want to become a national organisation’ says Jo. ‘We want to stay local and we have amazing links with other voluntary sector organisations and charities. We really want someone who would take on more of the admin of running the charity. I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to not be part of The Living Tree, and I would very much want to help with any handover period. We’re always looking for more volunteers anyway but obviously, as a chair, you would be more in contact with all the different strands of work that are going on. We’re really looking for someone to take over my role, but with me holding their hand.’

Having achieved so much under the watchful eyes of both Jo Millar and the late Jo O’Farrell MBE, The Living Tree is a muchloved and respected local charity, determined to continue to support anyone affected by cancer to live well. For more information visit www.thelivingtree.org.uk.

SITUATIONS VACANT

FOR SALE

Cost £580 Still under guarantee. As new £350. Tel: 01395 489945

Samsung Smart TV 32” LED Freeview fully integrated HD most apps etc. ideal office, bedroom £50. Tel. 07555 282458

Beautiful Qashqai Persian Carpet in excellent, clean condition. Size 89” long x 41” wide (226cm x 104cm). £195. Tel: 01395 487554

Fisher Price Vintage 1970’s Family School House Play Set with Clock and Bell, complete with all accessories including lots of play people, desks, chairs, magnetic letters and numbers, chalk board etc,

and playground equipment including working swings, roundabout, slide, etc, and an extra nursery set with push chair, high chair, play pen, rocking horse, etc. Hours of fun. Excellent condition. £50. Tel: 01395 487554

Large Chenille Throw, good quality and in excellent condition, colour deep purple, size 150cm x 212cm + tassels. £10. Tel: 01395 487554

Large fridge / freezer in brushed steel finish. 306ltr fridge with 140ltr freezer.

New Sherborne, model Hampton 3 foot adjustable electric bed, including new Silentnight luxury Miracoil mattress. Chrome plated legs which give a 9.5cm clearance from floor to allow use of various mobility aids. Dual motor control for head and foot. Weight limit 28 stone. Bed length is 6 feet 6 inches. £850. New white fermentation bin, complete with bubbler grommet lid for air-lock, plus carry handle. Capacity 32 Litres. £16. 25 Litre Pressure barrel with on/off dispensing lever tap. Barrel comes fitted with Co2 pressure control cap and carry handle. £25 Denby hand painted

TUITION

Piano, Violin, Theory tuition at your homw. Highly qualified teacher. Adults and children welcome from beginners to advanced. Dr Thomas Gold 07917 835781

oct 22

Glyn Colledge Stoneware pottery graduated pot. Denby stoneware stamped on base of pot. Height 15cm, Diameter 18cm. This beautiful has never been in use. £20. 25 volumes of Kings and Queens of England edited by Antonia Frazer, good cond, free of charge, taker collects.Also runs of geological journals 1960s -1980s. 01297 445447.

Rare Vintage Thomas Kartoffelfeuer Terracotta Potato Baker. Suitable gas/ electric, not ceramic. Delicious campfire taste. £35. 07870 531187. Strimmer Ryobi Petrol Grass trimmer. Little used, now surplus to requirements. Good working order. Photos 01935 863954. £50 ono Two quality stainless steel

SHEDS

pans, one frying the other sauté with wood handles - 25 & 21 cms - alas with copper bottoms so don’t work on my induction hob. £10 01300 341637.

A brace of cranked handled and robust deep fry pans, aluminium/alloy. 21cms and 26cms. Sadly won’t work on my induction hob. £10. 01300 341637

Clarke Strongarm motorcycle lift CML3 air/hydraulic operations,excellent condition photo available £500 07721 530520

Men’s Monsoon overalls in blue poly cotton size 42L in original packaging £15 a pair several pairs available 07721 530520.

Filing cabinet, 4-drawer, metal, with hanging files., £15. Flipchart easel £8.

Nov 22

Buyer to collect from Bridport. Tel. 07976 602787. A brand new, unboxed, factory packaged LG FWV917BTSE Washer/ Dryer (Black) All in One, Save Space & Time Washer Dryer Smart Control: Voice Control - ask your washer what programme and it will tell you! Remote Control giving you more time with the family Quick wash 39 mins Wash & Dry - 160 mins Retailing at over £1050 this item has never been unboxed and is stored awaiting a new owner. “A” rated efficient machine and ideal for any household. Price is £625 Ono

Large Wooden Dolls House. Top storey lifts off. Lots of rooms and contents £90 OVNO.

Mountain bike Specialized Rockhopper Comp 26” dia wheels,suspension forks, M frame,regularly maintained,good condition. £85 ono. Tel 01297 561260. Jay-Be folding single bed hardly used, ideal for overnight visitors. Bargain £30. 07977 504555.

Ex-display sheds, Stables/field shelters, summerhouses, offices, workshops, agricultural 01935 891195

WANTED

Wanted - Old slot machines, shop signs, fairground & military items, Old Interesting items & collections, 07875 677897

oct 22

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

Oct 22

Secondhand tools. All trades and crafts. Old and modern. G & E C Dawson. 01297 23826. www.secondhandtools. co.uk.

Aug 22

Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975

Jan 23

Wanted: Old tractors and vehicles. Running, non running. Good price paid. 01308 482320 07971 866364

Dec 22

Coins wanted. Part or full collections purchased for cash. Please phone John on 01460 62109 Jan 23

To advertise here email: info@marshwoodvale.com

DISTRIBUTION

WANTED

Wanted - Old Enamel signs, slot machines, advertising, Military items, Interesting Items and collections, 07875 677897

Mar 23

Wanted - Old water galvenise tanks, any size, will collect. Good prices paid. 01297 32552

RESTORATION

FURNITURE. Antique Restoration and Bespoke Furniture. Furniture large and small carefully restored and new commissions undertaken. City and Guilds qualified. Experienced local family firm. Phil Meadley 01297 560335

Cecil Amor 1929 - 2022

CECIL Amor was a regular contributor to this magazine since 2007. He was born in Rowde, a small Wiltshire village near Devizes. He attended the local village school then Devizes Grammar school. His hobbies included building small model aircraft with friends. Cecil had a thirst for learning and he and his teachers would have liked him to have continued at school, but the norms of the time meant that he left to go to work at 15.

Cecil chose a career in electrical engineering. He was apprenticed to a firm in another Wiltshire town, cycling long distances.

He did National Service, serving in the RAF. One responsibility involved battery charging of aircraft ground-support equipment. He later recalled he was glad not to have incurred the disciplinary charge imposed if a battery was found not to be ready for service.

Cecil’s ambition was to become a chartered electrical engineer, so he enrolled in night school to obtain the necessary qualifications to join the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE). This took much determination, as it was uncommon to be admitted without a

FOR SALE

Vinyl records 7 inch & LP’s 12inch, various artists from 60’s 70’s please call 01308 538345

Printer, scanner, copier all in one, HP C4580, wireless used, good condition £20. Tel 01308 538345.

Coffee tables several sorts £20 each. Assortment of classics chairs and carved chairs £10 each. Magazine rack solid pine £8 Assortment of cut glasses and wine glasses £1 each glass. Assortment of pictures/frames some originals from local artists = offers. Mount cutter and Board £10. Suit cases £5. Garden shredder £5. barbaraeverett@hotmail. com. 01460 78074.

Elephantipes Yucca tree. 110cm from the ground, has two stems. £12.00 ph01297 678602.

Canon colour printer Pixma MP600 with some spare ink cartridges. As new condition £ 10. Telephone 01297489222.

Copper & Brass bed warmer pan, wooden handle £75. 2 old fashioned pans 1; 4 ½” x 2” 1; 5 ½” x 3”. £45ono. 01308 459940.

Winter duvets 13.5 tog occasional use in spare bedroom, £10 each, double/ single. ‘’Rest Assured’ bed-chair folds out into single bed used for visiting grandson £10. Compost bin £10. 01297 443930.

Titan Ecosafe bonded oil storage tank ES1225B 1225 litres capacity cost £1300 new £750 Warmcell environmentally green (recycled paper) loft insulation only £10 bale. (14 bales available). 01297 443930.

Ercol leather recliner chair Ginosa 3320L Dove grey like new, never used, £875. (rrp £2400). 07816 873161. 3 cushions linked together making seat and converting to bed, navy/white, folded size 64cm h x 64 w x 25cm d, as new £19.50. 07816 873161.

university degree. Cecil later went on to become a Fellow of the IEE.

Cecil met his wife, Gillian, at a dance in Devizes Corn Exchange. They married and had two children, Antonia and Nigel.

In 1967 Cecil was offered a position at Hirst Research in Crawley, so the family moved to Horsham in West Sussex.

His final position was at The Design Council in London, helping firms develop innovations by introducing them to designers and manufacturing specialists. During his career he was involved in the first microwave ovens, 1980 Munich Olympics, mega-Watt energy systems, and James Dyson’s first project, the ball-barrow.

After retirement in 1989 Cecil and Gillian moved to Bradpole. He embraced hobbies including researching Dorset’s stone circles and his family ancestry. He also translated French patent applications into English. Over the years he was actively involved in many local organisations, including Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, Treasurer of Bridport Society of Friends Alms House Trust, Bridport Museum committee and Bridport Heritage Forum.

Cecil was a founder member of Bridport History Society, which formed in 1995, becoming Chairman for 20 years and subsequently Honorary President. He was a regular contributor to the Society’s Journal and was involved in exhibitions, seminars and historical walks.

This year he received a special award for Outstanding Individual Contribution from the British Association for Local History.

He is remembered for his gentle manner, his love of his family and friends, for his active mind and for his readiness to encourage others.

FREE ADS for items under £1,000

This FREE ADS FORM is for articles for sale, where the sale price is under £1000 (Private advertisers only — no trade, motor, animals, firearms etc). Just fill in the form and send it to the Marshwood Vale Magazine, Lower Atrim, Bridport, Dorset DT6 5PX or email the text to info@marshwoodvale.com. Unfortunately due to space constraints there is no guarantee of inclusion of free ads. We reserve the right to withhold advertisements. For guaranteed classified advertising please use ‘Classified Ads’ form Name