Marshwood+ July 2024

© Ingrid Betzler Photograph by Julia Mear

Julia Mear met Ingrid Betzler in Axminster

I’m often asked if, after several years living in the middle East and working in some of the countries most challenged with humanitarian catastrophe, corruption, and war, whether life seems mundane now. Despite our own country’s challenges, living with a national health service, and bathing my children in drinking water is wonderful. I grew up on the edge of the Blackdown hills in rural Somerset surrounded by family, fields, and animals. I was incredibly fortunate. After schooling I earned a place at Leeds University to do Classical Civilization. At 17 I had no idea what I wanted to do professionally, but I liked the sound of it. I did know that I wanted to get out and see the world, so I deferred my place and took a year to travel. I worked multiple jobs and scraped together enough money to buy an around the world plane ticket. After my 8-month trip I came to realise I didn’t want to study the past and managed to talk my way into the Asia-Pacific Studies and International Relations degree programme instead. Following university and an opportunistic summer internship in Mongolia, I found myself back at my parents’ house

© Ingrid Betzler Photograph by Julia Mear

Ingrid Betzler

job hunting in the 2008 recession. After university we expected to stroll into a career but that wasn’t the case. I moved to Bristol and found work at a call centre between constant job applications. While on calls, reeling off the same script, I would stare at a map dreaming up adventures and eventually the idea got into my head that I could bike from home in Somerset across the continent to Istanbul. The idea stuck. I continued to unsuccessfully apply for jobs, so I said to myself “If I don’t get this next job I’m giving up and biking to Istanbul”. I didn’t get the job. So I biked. I had a shoestring budget, a £100 bike from eBay, an old tent, a gas stove and £200 spending money. I unwisely decided to leave in March when the weather was cold and wet. I loaded up ready to go, but I’d never actually ridden my bike with the loaded panniers, so when I tried to set off, I tipped over. The bike and all the bags weighed the same as me and I had not trained! I didn’t have a smart phone, so I navigated by paper map. To start with I could cycle a maximum of 40 miles a day and I was absolutely done.

My parents were worried, to say the least, but I had warm places to stay in England through connections with the charity I was raising money for. Starting in France I wild camped in my tiny tent. I set up camp just before dark, but not too early so I would be spotted. I’d make a little dinner and then get into my tent, but I couldn’t sleep because every noise was someone breaking into my tent. In the end I bought some earplugs.

I got stronger. I cycled across France to Germany, to Austria and to Serbia and by the end I was cycling 100 miles a day and singing as I climbed hills. If I was near a town I cycled around and looked for a garden with toys. I’d go in and write a sign in the local language, explaining what I was doing and hold it up or read it out. Lots of people let me sleep in their gardens or would invite me in for dinner with their family. I was blown away by the kindness of strangers. 2000 miles later I was in Turkey.

The charity I raised money for was ShelterBox – a humanitarian organization based in Cornwall. At the time, they deployed volunteers to disasters to distribute aid. I applied to join the response team prior to my bike ride and

was accepted while I was biking. I flew back and started as a Shelter Box response team member. The response team volunteering turned into an internship that eventually turned into a job in Falmouth, Cornwall for a few years. From ShelterBox I was able to leapfrog onto a fast track humanitarian training program with Save the Children. The programme had us working and training in London, Kenya, and France. A final deployment of the programme took me to Afar, in rural Ethiopia, for six months of intensive learning on a drought response while grappling every stomach issue you can imagine – I still can’t eat goat! In Ethiopia I started to specialise in an area of humanitarian work known as cash and voucher assistance. The focus is giving people humanitarian assistance in the form of cash, vouchers, or electronic transfers rather that physical items like food or clothes with the intention that people know what they need most while also supporting the local market.

After all the learning, volunteering and adventuring I accepted my first “real” job in the humanitarian world, in Turkey, working on the Syria crisis in 2013. I was based in Antakya – a stunning historic near-border town in Southern Turkey and I was absolutely out of my depth. At 27yrs, no prior management experience, and suddenly responsible for an incredible team who were going back and forth into Syria to provide the needed assistance. I’d work all day, every day, until 10 or 11 at night. The work was incredibly demanding but I loved it and was learning fast – an old colleague of mine would say, ‘like drinking from a fire hose’.

That’s when I met Bjorn. A co-worker was having a birthday party in our office in the old town Antakya. We were doing similar work. He would entice me out of my office in the evenings by putting a glass of wine on my desk. We got to know each other through work and hiking the beautiful hills surrounding Antakya. Slowly we became inseparable.

We eventually got a house together and enjoyed our limited free time. After three years of long hours and high stress we left to take some time off before getting married. Bjorn learned to surf and we went to Minnesota in America to spend time with Bjorn’s family and friends.

Next we moved to Lebanon, where Bjorn got a job in the Beqaa Valley and I got a job as a Global Technical Advisor for cash-based humanitarian work. As an Adviser I supported humanitarian cash programs across multiple countries around the world. Moving frequently between contexts and continents was fascinating. One month I’d be travelling in Afghanistan in an armoured vehicle, wearing a headscarf and a bulletproof vest, the next I was in remote Nigeria where the camel spiders felt like a bigger threat than Boko Haram, and next meeting with families recently escaped from ISIS rule in Mosul, Iraq.

All the travelling meant I hardly saw Bjorn so we ended up moving to Beirut to better enjoy the time we had. We used to go surfing a lot – at the end of the Mediterranean there’s surprisingly great surfing and stunning vineyards. That’s Bjorn’s influence on me in life, wherever we are he finds the best things to do (or eat).

During our time in Beirut we got pregnant with our son, and we decided it would be a good idea to be near the NHS. We moved to Somerset just before COVID and felt lucky to be home isolating near my parents. Looking for houses in the pandemic was not fun, prices were skyrocketing. We had nearly lost hope until we found this wonderful, secluded valley on the edge of Axminster with an old silage clamp that somehow had planning permission. We saw it on a Friday afternoon and put in an offer before the close of business.

At this point we were pregnant again with our second. When our daughter was just a month old we moved into a mobile home on site and managed the build as much as possible on our own. We wintered in the caravan, working, building, and taking care of two children in nappies. We worked as hard as we ever had and moved into our new home the following spring.

With the house (mostly) built I took a job to support the Ukraine response remotely as a Technical Advisor. Despite working remotely I was sucked into the long hours and pressure of the humanitarian sector so after 2 years I switched to consulting. My work now involves research and evaluation, working to use data to improve humanitarian responses.

We are happy to be in Devon, hopefully staying safe with a third child on the way later this year. Together we’re enjoying our time gardening, surfing, and taking care of the animals on our smallholding and feeling closer to the right work/ life balance. While I’m passionate about humanitarian field work, for us it is incompatible with raising a healthy family. I think back to my childhood and would like my children to feel the security I did growing up. Sadly, our two last houses before moving back were destroyed, our first house in the old town of Antakya was completely flattened in the 2023 Turkey/Syrian earthquake, and our home in Beirut was irreparably damaged in the blast in 2020.

We are both so grateful to live in a safe country and still do work that is interesting and useful. ’

©

Ingrid Betzler

Photograph by Julia Mear

On the rare occasions that I visit London and the even rarer times that I visit cities overseas, I still find myself stopping to consider the enormity of what the human race has achieved. Apart from the extraordinary work of architects and engineers who have designed and built vast structures for us to live and work in, the fact that we have created an infrastructure that (mostly) keeps a world of roughly 18 billion people ticking over, is hard to digest. The thought that we have survived this long and become so sophisticated can still stop me in my tracks. Contrast that with my recent journey in the X53 bus from Bridport to Abbotsbury to see PJ Harvey’s home town concert, and the value of progress gets more misty. The stunning views of the Jurassic Coast as we wind our way up and down Abbotsbury Hill are so beautiful that it brings thoughts of how easy it has been to destroy what we take for granted. Not only by decimating towns, villages and the lives of thousands of people through needless, horrific wars, but also through the short term race for profit at the loss of habitat and valuable wildlife. In this month’s issue, the contrast is striking. On page 10 we hear from Ed Lawrence, a local man from Symondsbury in Dorset who is now reporting on China, a country with a population of 1.4bn, where rapid economic development is placing massive demands on the environment. On the same pages, but nearly 6,000 miles away, Michael McCarthy has been enjoying the sound of a nightingale combined with the beautiful piano playing of Florence Astley from Maiden Newton. It makes for a rather special moment. So, if you feel the need to escape the pressures of the world economy for a few minutes, you could do worse than having a listen via the link on page 27.

Fergus Byrne

Click Here for an Easy Read version of this article

Symondsbury to Shanghai

Reporting from one of the largest and potentially most powerful countries in the world brings its own challenges, but Ed Lawrence relishes the opportunity. He spoke to Fergus Byrne about his time in China.

Despite a video of his detention while covering an anti-lockdown protest in Shanghai going viral, former Sir John Colfox School pupil Ed Lawrence tells me he’s got the ‘China bug’. A senior journalist with the BBC, now based in Shanghai and reporting on stories from a country with a population of over 1.4 billion, Ed is in no doubt about what a powerhouse China is. ‘When you’re in the middle of these big stories’ he says, ‘you realize how important China is in the world, and how insignificant Britain is sometimes. You have that new perspective.’

Although he is involved in the ‘big’ stories on a day-to-day basis, he is also finding time to do background reports looking into life in China and how young people see their future. He has reported on the use of autonomous cars in Shanghai, as well as ‘the latest trends that young people are into’ including ‘a big surfing boom in Hainan Island during COVID when the borders were closed and people couldn’t travel.’ He sees these stories as a way of learning a lot more about China, its people and their culture, and believes that the young people of China will play a huge part in the world’s future.

He plays down the drama of his detention and says he feels very much at home in Shanghai, despite the protests, and despite ‘getting nicked’. His detention came about when he went to report on an anti-lockdown protest that had started the previous evening. He recalls how there had been a ‘really brutal lockdown in Shanghai in 2022’ when he was locked down for over 70 days. ‘Food supplies dwindled’ he explained, and the government was giving out supplies, but it wasn’t enough. Delivery networks ‘were rammed’ and authorities had tried to crackdown on private deliveries. He describes the situation as ‘an absolute mess’ that was ‘handled incredibly badly’. To be fair, that is a comment that might have applied to many countries. However, in China, residents had to endure zero-Covid measures long after lockdowns had been lifted, and after many months of extended measures some decided to protest.

Ed Lawrence reporting on the Hong Kong protests

When Ed went to report on the protest he found himself targeted for detention as a foreigner. Talking about the attitude to protests he says, ‘The narrative that state media had been pushing was that these [protests] are not being organized by Chinese people. These are foreign spies’. He was hauled away and detained but released when authorities learned he was there legitimately in his capacity as a BBC journalist. Throughout the experience he witnessed confusion, aggression and fear, but also quirky moments such as when one of the officers turned out to have spent time in the UK and wanted to discuss life in Manchester.

Another narrative that was promoted during the outbreak was that Covid had been brought by foreigners from overseas. Ed remembers how ‘a lot of people were really hostile’ and ‘wouldn’t let me into restaurants, they wouldn’t let me stay in hotels.’ But his comments are not judging or blaming the Chinese people, and he is quick to point out that these attitudes are because of the information they are receiving. ‘They’re not getting the full picture.’

Although his detention was alarming, he found it more frightening in the aftermath. The publicity is not what he wanted. ‘And it was also incredibly frustrating because I’d rather they’d be talking about the actual story and the younger people that were protesting, and the significance of this’ he says. ‘And instead, it’s me leading the news story on CNN and I find it incredibly problematic as a journalist. You don’t really want to be the story.’ The situation was further frustrated because he wasn’t the only journalist arrested. ‘I’m sure they probably picked up a load of innocent foreigners who they realized had nothing to do with anything. It’s just a thing in the moment that blew up and let’s all move on. I don’t have any resentment towards China.’

Ed’s journey to his position with the BBC in China is a unique story in itself. It began when he decided to learn more about his father who had abandoned him and his mother when he was only three months old. When Ed was 16 and studying for his GCSEs in Bridport, he saw stories on the news about his father ‘claiming to be an archaeologist who had found some ancient lead books that were going to change the history of Christianity.’ Ed set to work to find out more and says he ‘started to uncover things about him which were not particularly nice. Where he’d taken money from people and claimed various titles and various schemes.’ Publishing the information in a blog, Ed soon caught the attention of the police who asked him to stop publishing it. He didn’t, and the story was picked up by a BBC producer who eventually broadcast a piece in the programme Inside Out, questioning the validity of Ed’s father’s claims. In the piece that aired, Ed describes his father as ‘a fantasist’ who tells ‘very exaggerated but believable stories.’

When the programme was being made, Ed says it ‘completely changed my interest in what I wanted to do.’ Prior to this experience he had looked at a range of career possibilities from advertising and PR to joining

the police or military. However, the process of making the programme segment, which he says took up the best part of a year, was what really fascinated him. The job of trying to investigate something and trying to check facts and trying to dig beneath the surface of a story gripped him, and it soon became his career choice.

He says he had never been the ‘traumatized kid’ that he might have been if his father had left at a later age. He remembers a wonderful upbringing with his mother. But as he had no memories of his father ever being part of his life, it was more the knowledge that this man had been ‘up to some questionable things’ and taken money from ‘vulnerable people’ that bothered him and drove him. Therefore, the

‘Publishing the information in a blog, Ed soon caught the attention of the police who asked him to stop publishing it.’

process of doing something about that, and other things like it, became his focus. He went on to do a TV degree at Bournemouth and a story that he and colleagues put together covering an election was so successful that the college commissioned him to do further pieces.

After leaving with his degree, it wasn’t a straightforward trajectory to his full-time position with the BBC. After a long spell washing up in The Half Moon at Melplash in Dorset while trying to find work in the industry, Ed gradually made new contacts and picked up bits of work. In time, navigating the world of freelance TV gave him an enormous amount of experience that, over many years, included working for ITV, Al Jazeera, Australian TV and even filming the then Prince of Wales and his brother

And a lot of people had learned the hard way from SARS that you want to stay inside, and you want to wear a mask.’ He was working with veteran reporter Stephen McDonnell and remembers there was a ‘really strange atmosphere’ and suddenly they found the road blocked by ‘a line of SWAT team cops stood across the road’. The police told them that they were locking down the whole of Hubei province with an estimated 58 million people inside. They were told it was OK to enter but they would not be allowed out again.

‘So we drove in’ says Ed ‘and a few miles down the road were met by people in hazmat suits.’ He remembers they were spraying things and taking temperatures while he filmed out the window. He described it as ‘kind of crazy, it was like Star Trek.’ It was at that point he says, ‘we realized

‘The police told them that they were locking down the whole of Hubei province with an estimated 58 million people inside.’

Harry for the Press Association. He also helped produce a 1-hour documentary about Laura Kuenssberg on Brexit. It was during the Laura Kuenssberg job that he was asked by a BBC producer to apply for a position with them in Shanghai. He was offered the job and after a year waiting for a visa he packed ‘seven suitcases’ and flew to China. He remembers it as ‘incredibly daunting’ but also as ‘an opportunity I wasn’t going to say no to.’

The first story he did was about the rise in secondhand car ownership in China. ‘A lot of people don’t have secondhand cars’ he says. ‘It’s frowned upon. You have a brand-new car in China. It’s a status symbol.’ That was followed by a piece about swine fever which he recalls was ‘ravaging across China at the time’. Although it had been a difficult story to get to, Ed managed to venture out to interview and film some of the people affected. He now recalls it as ‘one of my standout pieces from China, nearly five years later.’ He says his colleague and local assistant were ‘very lucky’ to get out and film the whole piece themselves.

While on a Christmas break in the UK he got a call from the bureau chief saying they wanted him to go to Wuhan to report on some ‘strange virus thing’. He laughed with his family and friends in the UK about how it would be something that would go away in a short time. On returning, he went to Beijing before travelling to Wuhan and describes his first interaction with Covid in China: ‘We’re in this village in the middle of nowhere, there’s no one around, it’s all deserted. Partly because it was Chinese New Year, but also partly because it’s the start of Covid.

something quite serious was going on here. It was very, very weird. We were trying to get to Wuhan.’

As they spoke to someone who had been put in a hospital but didn’t know if he had Covid, they were stopped by more police and a communist party official. After much discussion, although they were not supposed to be allowed out, their presence was deemed more undesirable than concerns about virus transmission. They were escorted by police and communist party official cars for three hours before reaching the border out of Hubei. As Ed observed, they basically said ‘we’re going to break our own rules, get rid of the BBC, we’re gonna get you out of here.’ To top it off when they reached the border out of Hubei Province, Ed, having not changed out of his thermal clothing and having been lugging a heavy camera and equipment around for hours registered red when a temperature gun was pointed at him on the way out. He didn’t have Covid and they waved him on but due to China’s ‘zero Covid’ policy they sealed the borders and he was effectively stuck in China for nearly two years afterwards.

Ed Lawrence’s experience in China has been a huge learning curve but with such a massive country becoming his sole focus, it’s not surprising that he is aware of its importance on the world stage. ‘I think everyone’s been very focused on Russia for the last 30 years’ he says, ‘and you may argue rightly so, now with what’s going on in Ukraine, but I think it’s been at a detriment to resources and focus and understanding on other parts of the world.’ Ed says there’s been a sudden wake up to China and agrees

that the administration is projecting itself globally in ways that concern many countries. ‘But I also feel when I talk to people in various governments, foreign governments and government here, there’s a real lack of China expertise and understanding. There’s a real void.’ He says many countries ‘haven’t been doing the legwork because they’ve been looking at the former Soviet Union.’ So he sees this sudden wake up as fundamentally a good thing. ‘Because I think more people should try and understand China. I think China is a fantastic place. People are fantastic, and as with any country, the government is not necessarily representative of the people. And you can say that in any nation.’

He has many friends in China now and says they are ‘frankly, the future.’ However, that ‘future’ may be leaving China itself. Ed tells me a lot of his Chinese friends are leaving the country. ‘A lot of them have been seeking opportunities overseas’ he says. ‘Some of my friends are going off and doing master’s degrees, even if they’ve already got one. Often in the UK. Some other friends have gone to the US to do master’s degrees with the hope of getting jobs there and staying there. Some of it’s economic, some of it’s political.’

The exodus is not just a brain drain. ‘Global brands, global chains are moving their production out of China. Not completely out of China, but they’re diversifying. They’re also opening up factories in Vietnam and India,

because China can be quite volatile now, as a market. You don’t know what sanction is going to come next from the US government. And you don’t know, geopolitically, if China suddenly has a beef with your country whether you’re gonna face the flak for it as a company from that country. And so they’re trying to diversify their chains a bit more.’

Ed believes more people should try and understand China. ‘Even if they don’t like what they’re understanding, they should try and understand how China thinks, how China works.’ He sees China as ‘the big global story’ but points out that ‘it’s immensely difficult to work and operate there. But we’re there. And I think it’s really important to be there. Even if we can only do a small amount, compared to colleagues in other countries, we’re still doing something.’

His final comment may point to the importance of any effort being made to understand what such a global giant is thinking. ‘The thing that I love about China is every province is almost like a different country’ he says. ‘It’s all China, but they’ve got different dialects, they’ve got different food, different history, different ethnicities. Every province is like a different country. You can fly from minus 40 to plus 40—it’s still in China.’

In the past there was a saying that if the US sneezes the world catches a cold. That saying has lately been applied to China, and with good reason.

Filming with the outgoing Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen

EVENTS July

Thursday, 27 June

Swift Pint Surveys with ecologist and Bridport birder Tom Brereton. A convivial introduction to Citizen Science and the craft of swift surveying. You’ll hear about the Swift Pint priject and how to observe and record swifts and become a Bridport Swift Guardian. 6.30pm Tiger Inn, Barrack Street Bridport DT6 3LY. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk.

Saturday, 29 June

Draw like a Swift with Jo Burlington from Oops Wow Messy Art Learn about these amazing birds & explore how we can move our bodies to get some of their energy into our drawings. Free & open to all, from age 3 & up! 2pm−3.30pm Youth & Community Centre, Gundry Ln, Bridport DT6 3RL. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@ commonground.org.uk.

Sunday, 30 June

Swift Town Poets with writer and performer Sarah Acton. A gentle walk around town, immersed in the sounds of a summer, pausing for readings and writing, sharing in the joy of swifts and making new poetry for Bridport Swift Town. Adults & young people aged 12+, free & open to all 7.30pm−9pm St Mary’s Hall, South St, Bridport DT6 3NN. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk.

Wednesday, 3 July

Garden Open. Horn Park, Tunnel Rd, Beaminster DT8 3HB. Contact: Mr & Mrs David Ashcroft. Large plantsman’s garden with magnificent views over Dorset countryside towards the sea. Many rare and mature plants and shrubs in terrraced, herbaceous, rock and water gardens. Woodland garden and walks in bluebell woods. Good amount of spring interest with magnolia, rhododendron and bulbs which are followed by roses and herbaceous planting, wildflower meadow with 164 varieties inc orchids. Open: 2.304.30. Adm £5, chd free. Home-made teas. Location: 1½m N of Beaminster. On A3066 from Beaminster, L before tunnel (see signs).

West Dorset Community Orchestra concert in St.Swithun’s Church,North Allington Bridport at 7-30p.m. Free admission .Retiring collection. Interval refreshments and a raffle. Contact 01308 456297. West Dorset Ramblers– Walk, 8 miles. Colmer’s Hill

& Thorncombe – circular hilly walk with beautiful views. Beacon. Start 10am from Symondsbury. To book and for further details contact Carol 07902 988549.

10.00am East Devon Ramblers. Moderate 10 mile walk. Hemyock. Phone 07791-416052

Meeting Voices Community Choir, Chard. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome. Chard Guildhall. Fore St, Chard TA20 1PP. Phone 07534 116502 or email mvsecretary@outlook.com.

Thursday, 4 July

Belinda Evans in Concert. Belinda Evans, a coloratura soprano, was born and raised in Ash near Yeovil. Brenda Dor-Groot from the Netherlands, is a multifaceted harpist with classical roots and a passion for the blues. Belinda Evans-Soprano/Brenda Dor Groot-Harpist. All Saints Church, Martock TA12 6JN. 7:30 pm. Tickets: £10.00 at Guardianstickets@ gmail.com /07547 213992/Martock Gallery/ Martock Newsagent (Cash only); £12.00 at door. Website:www.martockonline.co.uk/events; https:// www.belindaevans.co.uk/

Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (Pine Hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 07534 116502 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com.

Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour. Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Friday, 5 July

Evening of Mediumship with Psychic Medium Nikki Kitt’ - Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 7.30pm, doors, 7pm, tickets £12. Psychic Medium Nikki Kitt is a Spiritualist Medium who is currently touring the UK with her successful Psychic/Mediumship Evenings. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton. co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

The Beast (15)- 19:30 An audacious, ambitious and dreamy sci-fi of epic scope, loosely inspired by Henry James’s novella, The Beast of the Jungle, and playing off contemporary concerns about a world ruled by technology gone rogue. Bridport Electric Palace , DT6 3NY. Tickets £8. Book online -electricpalace.org. uk

Saturday, 6 July

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Litton Cheney. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/visitors welcome.

Seaton Beer and District Branch RNLI. Annual Street Collection from 10am to 6pm. Table Top Sale at the Mariners Hall. EX12 3JB Open to sellers 8am. Open to buyers 9am to 12.30pm. There will be a variety of stalls including crafts, raffle, card tombola, RNLI 200 years gifts and souvenirs. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cake and bacon baps (subject to availability) For table hire enquires message to 07790861531 or email wac500@hotmail.co.uk.

Flocks and Flicker Books with illustrator & educator Rowan Beecham. Fly, dream, imagine. . . Ink swifts into flicker books and migrate with them through the pages; craft flying flocks from recycled fabrics & watch them breathe in the wind. Free and open to all. 11am−1pm, WI Hall, North Street, Bridport DT6 3JQ. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground. org.uk.

Stand up for Swifts! with artist, writer and activist Kim Squirrell Get the Swift Town message out there! A fun, family design and make workshop creating posters & placards to inform, inspire and declare our Swift Town message. Free & open to all. 2pm−4pm WI Hall, North Street, Bridport DT6 3JQ. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk.

Swift Walking with RSPB’s Luke Phillips. Why have swifts returned to Bridport for 100s of years? What is it about the town’s architecture and nearby green spaces that makes it a good place for swifts to be? Let’s swiftwalk together and find out! Free and open to all. Also 9th & 23rd July 6pm−8pm From Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South St, Bridport DT6 3NR. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk.

Greensleeves Records Reggae Night 8:00pm. Clocktower Records Bridport proudly support Greensleeves Records in their showcase event. Picture yourself swaying to the rhythmic beats of reggae classics. This is more than just a concert; it’s a celebration of a genre that has transcended borders and united people from all walks of life through its messages of love, peace, and unity. Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR.

01308 424204. www.bridport-arts.com.

The Friends of Weymouth Library (F.O.W.L.) talk from 10-30a.m. to 12noon will be by Kevin Patience, unravelling the mystery of the model for the RollsRoyce car mascot, the Silver Lady. It is an unusual, tragic and intriguing story. Tickets for the talk are available from the Library (phone no. 01305762410) at £2 for members and £3 for non-members. Any enquiries about the talk to 01305832613. Refreshments available; everyone welcome. Walking into Dance a workshop with Inge Dyson, Alexander Technique teacher, and Wendy Hermelin, Laban trained dance teacher, exploring the connections between these two fields of body awareness, movement and imagination. 10am - 1pm, Salway Ash Village Hall, Salway Ash, Bridport DT6 5QS. Contact mail@wendyhermelin.co.uk or ingedyson@tiscali.co.uk. £30 on the door.

The Garfield Movie (U)- 11am. Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! Bridport Electric Palace , DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 Adult / £6 U16. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

IF’ (U) – Family Picnic Night ScreeningGateway Theatre, Seaton, 7pm doors 6pm, tickets Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50. From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person

Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Sunday, 7 July

All About Fuchias Michael Follett, a member of the British Fuchsia Society and former chairman, and member, of the Exeter Fuchsia Society, will be giving a talk-demonstration in Winsham’s Jubilee Hall entitled “all about fuchsias” starting at 7.30pm. Michael has been growing fuchsias since the 80’s as a result of visiting the annual Exeter Fuchsia show where he ‘got hooked’ since then he has shown at many local and National Fuchsia shows as well as giving talks and demonstrations to all who are interested. His talk-demonstration includes how he grows the plants and his journey into showing. You’ll learn how to take cuttings, how to feed your plants and how to protect them from pests. He’ll discuss

what varieties are the most hardy and which are the best trailing varieties and, time permitting, will demonstrate how to plant up pots and baskets as well as grow Fans, Standards and Towers. Entry is £4 for members (£5.50 non-members) but do bring alone some extra cash as Michael will also have a selection of plants for sale plus there will be the usual raffle and refreshments. For more details contact Debbie Murray-Snook on 07808 505357.

Chard Museum Blue Plaque Walk, from the Guildhall at 10.30am. Walk takes approximately 60 minutes, booking required £8, refreshments and museum entry discount included. Details and descriptions at www.chardmuseum.co.uk/walks. 07870697956 (10am-4pm)

Seaton Beer and District Branch RNLI. 17th Annual Duck Race Day. From 11am at Jubilee Gardens, Duck Tombola, Bric-a-Brac and various stalls. RNLI Sea Safety Team and F2F Volunteers

Inflatable Shannon 2.30pm. Display by Lyme Regis and Exmouth Lifeboats (subject to weather and operational requirements) 3pm. Duck Races start at 3pm from opposite the Dolphin Hote.

Monday, 8 July

Dance Connection, for fun, health & wellbeing, 10:30am-12, Unitarian Chapel, Bridport, DT6 3JX, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com.

Dorchester Townswomen’s Guild 2p.m. After a short business meeting Steve Belasco, an offshore marine photographer will be treating the members to a cruise along the Jurassic Coast in Dorchester Community Church, Liscombe Street, Poundbury DT1 3DF. Tea and coffee will be available. Visitors will be made most welcome (£3) Enquiries 01305 832857.

Tuesday, 9 July

Divine Union Soundbath 9 PM Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Rd, Sherborne DT9 3LN The cleansing Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath give a sonic deep-tissue massage, while taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’. Please book in advance via 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com £16.

Swift Walking with RSPB’s Luke Phillips. Why have swifts returned to Bridport for 100s of years? What is it about the town’s architecture and nearby green spaces that makes it a good place for swifts to be? Let’s swiftwalk together and find out! Free and open to all. Also 6th & 23rd July 6pm−8pm From Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South St, Bridport DT6 3NR. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk.

Greensleeves Records Reggae Night 8:00pm. Wednesday, 10 July

West Dorset Ramblers – Walk 9 miles approx. Parnham to North Poorton on the Jubilee Trail.

Circular walk with varied terrain . Start 10am Yarn Barton, Beaminster,. To book and for further details contact Bridget 07952 517764.

Film “Where The Crawdads Sing (15)” “Whether you have read the book or not, the mystery and romance is beautifully woven together” (Quote; Looper). Doors and bar open 6.45 film start 7.15 at Kilmington Village Hall EX13 7RF. Tickets @ £5, or £5.50 on the door, can be ordered by contacting: John at wattsjohn307@gmail.com or Tel: 01297 521681.

Meeting Voices Community Choir, Chard. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome. Chard Guildhall. Fore St, Chard TA20 1PP. Phone 07534 116502 or email mvsecretary@outlook.com.

Swift Pint Surveys with ecologist and Bridport birder Tom Brereton. A convivial introduction to Citizen Science and the craft of swift surveying. You’ll hear about the Swift Pint priject and how to observe and record swifts and become a Bridport Swift Guardian. 6.30pm Tiger Inn, Barrack Street Bridport DT6 3LY.

10.10am. East Devon Ramblers. Moderate 8.5 miles walk. Colyton. Bring your bus pass. Phone 01297552313

Thursday, 11 July

Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour. Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (Pine Hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 07534 116502 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com.

Big Banana Feet (12a) - 19:30. The long lost film of Billy Connolly’s 1975 tour of Ireland, newly restored. Bridport Electric Palace , DT6 3NY. Tickets £8. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Chard History Group. History of the London to Exeter Trunk Road By Jan Humphreys. Door open 7pm for 7.30. Chard Guildhall upstairs. Members £2.50 Visitors welcome £3.50. For further details contact Tessa 07984481634.

Film “Where The Crawdads Sing (15)” Matinee, doors open 1.45pm film starts 2pm, advance booking required for this matinee, cream-teas served during the interval but must be pre-booked with your seats @ £3.50. Can be ordered by contacting: John at wattsjohn307@gmail.com or Tel: 01297 521681 and www.kilmingtonvillage.com/other-organisations.html for more information.

The Sea Shanty Sessions. Come and see The Chantry Buoys,the local shanty group, sing Sea

shanties and other well known songs of the sea. All are welcome to join in the fun and frolics. Entry is free, and all proceeds go to local charities. Licensed bar and The Buoys start at 7.30pm. Doors open 7pm. Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. 7.30pm.

Friday, 12 July

‘Wilding’ (PG) Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 7.30pm doors 7pm, tickets £5. Based on Isabella Tree’s best-selling book by the same title, Wilding tells the story of a young couple that bets on nature for the future of their failing, four-hundred-year-old estate. The young couple battles entrenched tradition, and dares to place the fate of their farm in the hands of nature. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Mike Denham and The Sunset Café Band - “1924: When Jazz Got HOT!” In the roaring twenties, the music was as hot as the nightlife! The Sunset Café Band will be interpreting legendary jazz icons including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Bix Beiderbecke. Hear entertaining tales of the time and be transported back to the sizzling, syncopated rhythms and electrifying energy of the Jazz Age. 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £20 Earlybird: £18 Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www.

ilminsterartscentre.com

Local Olympian Eric Smiley presents a fascinating ‘behind the scenes’ look at what goes on at the Olympic Games. Eric lives in Ryall and is a renowned equestrian coach, having competed in Eventing at international level. Whitchurch Canonicorum Village Hall at 7pm. Admission free with a collection in aid of the Friends of St Candida. Cash bar available. 10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. Leisurely 5 miles walk. Tipton St John. Phone 01392-833109

Saturday, 13 July

Chard Horticultural and Craft Show has classes in fruit and vegetables, flowers, handicrafts, art and literature, homecraft and photos. Entries via our schedules available at the Guildhall or Barrons Outdoor Clothing store, 2, Holyrood Street, Chard. The Show takes place in the Guildhall from 10.301.30. Refreshments available.

‘The Beach Boyz’ - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, Live Gig, 7.30pm, doors 7pm, Tickets £22.50 After a near-decade of touring the UK with the music of The Beach Boys® - Beach Boyz Tribute Band will be performing their show called “The Beach Boys Tribute Show”, before hanging up their surfboards for the final time. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

A summer Concert with Musical director – james Crawshaw Accompanist – alistair Dean. In St Mary’s church, Charminster dt2 9rd At 7.30 pm Free admission with Retiring collection Interval refreshments available Proceeds towards church funds Sunday, 14 July Garden Open, Hogchester Farm, Axminster Road, Charmouth, Bridport DT6 6BY. Contact: Mr Rob Powell Hogchester Farm is a collaboration between those seeking connection with nature and themselves through conservation therapy and the arts. The 75-acre old dairy farm has been largely gifted to nature which has helped to preserve the overflowing abundance of natural life. Having worked closely with the Dorset Wildlife Trust, Hogchester Farm has been able to preserve wild meadows and wilding areas which are filled with local flora and fauna inc wild orchids, foxgloves and primroses. The farm offers something for everyone, making a great family day out. For children there is a giant trampoline in the meadow and a treasure hunt in a stream! You might bump into some of our many free ranging animals, inc rare breed soay sheep and pygmy goats. There will be a talk on the history of Hogchester wildflower meadows and meadows conservation at 2pm. Open For NGS: (9-6). Adm £4, chd £1. Coffee shack serving drinks, cream teas & light refreshments. For other opening times and information, please phone or email. Location: A35 Charmouth Rd, follow dual carriageway and take turning at signs for Hogchester Farm. Open air theatre in aid of the RNLI Did you know the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is 200 years old this year? Come and join the celebrations at Meerhay Manor, Beaminster when Festival Players International will be performing Shakespeare’s The Tempest – an appropriate connection at this special time. Kindly sponsored by Mr and Mrs Michael Ryan, the performance starts at 3.00 pm. Audience members are very welcome to bring their picnics and the lovely gardens will be open from 1.30 pm. Please bring low back chairs or rugs. Tickets are £18 for adults and £10 for under 18s. Online booking is available at www.tickettailor.com/events/ thefestivalplayers or Yarn Barton Centre, Fleet Street, Beaminster on 01308 862715. For further information about the venue, please call 01308 862305. Guide dogs only. All the money raised from this event will be donated to the RNLI, an amazing charity which not only rescues ‘those in peril from the sea’ but watches over our families on the beaches each summer.

Chard Museum Lace Riot Walk from the Guildhall at 10.30am. Walk takes approximately 60 minutes, booking required £8, museum entry discount included. Details and descriptions at www. chardmuseum.co.uk/walks. 07870697956 (10am-4pm) Garden open for the N.G.S. at Broomhill,

Rampisham. DT2 0PT. 2-5pm £5 entry Ph: 07775 806 875. Glorious 2 acre garden, with extensive borders and island beds, planted with a succession of bee friendly perennials, annuals and shrubs. Lawns and paths lead to a less formal area with a large wildlife pond and a small meadow, the garden also has a productive vegetable garden, cutting garden and orchard. Well behaved dogs on leads welcome, wheel chair access. Ample parking. Delicious homemade teas and quality plants for sale.

Dance Connection, Dance Day, 11am-4pm, Bridport St Mary’s CHH, DT6 3NN, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com

Le Voyage à Paris, French Chansons Celebrate Parisian chic on Bastille Day as vocalist Magdalena Atkinson sings a varied programme of well loved songs from the greats, including Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet and Charles Aznavour. Most familiar will be the classic music of Piaf, France’s most beloved entertainer, national icon and musical legend Magdalena’s singing is not an impersonation but an interpretation, always heartfelt, sometimes humorous, and musical highlights are plentiful, from ‘Milord’ to ‘La Vie en Rose’, ‘Mon Dieu’ to the inevitable ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’. Philip Clouts is the perfect accompanist for this project, being a composer and pianist both in his own quartet and also in Zubop, described in the Observer as “that spirited, hugely enjoyable jazz outfit, which takes the whole world of music as its home territory” Edith Piaf was one of the most popular performers in France during World War II. Her nervous energy and small stature inspired the nickname that stayed with her all her life: La Môme Piaf (“The Little Sparrow”). She commissioned songs that romanticised her life on the streets, emphasising her passion and inner strength. Her music was often autobiographical with her singing reflecting her life, particularly in songs of love, loss and sorrow. Piaf died in 1963; her last words were “Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for.” Of Piaf’s many ballads, “La Vie en Rose” is remembered as her signature song. “What an evening! Magdalena’s sultry singing transformed us back to the smoky cafes of Paris in the 60’s – she has the vocal richness of Piaf, with her own imaginative embellishments, richly supported by Philip.” Pat Sale, Dorset Twinning Association. Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. 8pm. £14 advance £16 on the door Tickets available at www.marinetheatre.com. You can also purchase tickets from the Lyme Regis Bookshop and Bridport TIC (01308 424901).

Monday, 15 July

Swift Dance and Movement with dancer Anna Golding of Fingerprint Dance. An inclusive and creative dance and movement session inspired by the flight of Bridport’s swifts, accompanied with live music by Andrew Dickson. Free and open to all. 11am−12.30pm Millennium Green, Bridport DT6

3JL. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk.

Tuesday, 16 July

West Dorset Ramblers – Walk 7 miles. A Wander in West Dorset – circular walk taking in Mangerton, Powerstock and Loders. Start 10am Higher St, Bradpole. To book and for further details contact Heather 07798732252. ‘Wimbledon’ (12A) Nostalgic Cinema – Matinee screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 1.30pm, doors 1pm, tickets £3.50. Anyone who loves

BUDDING AUTHORS

Writing an interesting story, the past achievements of an organisation or a family history for self-publishing and need some advice with style, layout and editing? Contact freelance author and editor John Davis on johndavis77@btinternet.com.

nostalgic films is very welcome to join us for an afternoon of fond memories and friendship. This month we are screening this romantic comedy film set in the tennis world as it is Wimbledon season! Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Wednesday, 17 July

Coffee Morning, including cakes, scones & savouries, and bacon/egg rolls (made to order), 10.30am – noon; all welcome. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. More details from Julia (01460 72769).

Colyton & District Garden Society ‘DaffodilsRoyal Ladies and Country Parsons’ by Caroline Stone. Venue : Colyford Memorial Hall, EX24 6QJ, start 7.30 pm. Members free, guests £3.00. Information : Sue Price 01297 552362.

Thursday, 18 July

Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour. Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Screening: Riverdance 25th Anniversary - Matinee 14:00. This screened 25th Anniversary production is a powerful and stirring reinvention of the show, celebrated the world over for its Grammy Awardwinning music and the thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance. Bridport Electric Palace , DT6 3NY. Tickets £12. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

NTL Screening : Present (PG) - 19:00. This multi award-winning production of Noël Coward’s provocative comedy featuring Andrew Scott (Vanya, Fleabag) returns to the big screen. Bridport Electric Palace , DT6 3NY. Tickets £16 ADV/ £17 DOOR. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Friday, 19 July

Freud’s Last Session (12a) - 19:30. Set on the eve of WWII and towards the end of his life, Freud’s Last Session sees Freud (Hopkins) inviteS iconic author C.S. Lewis for a debate over the existence of God. Exploring Freud’s unique relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna and Lewis’ unconventional romance with his best friend’s mother, the film interweaves past, present and fantasy, bursting from the confines of Freud’s study on a dynamic journey. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk.

Bob Marley: One Love Celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. The film is snap shot into Bob Marleys short life with back to back music which really makes the film - Marley was reggae’s greatest tunesmith and lyricist, laying down spectacularly

produced tracks that are yet to be equaled. At 7.30pm Village Hall, The Causeway, Milborne St Andrew DT11 0JX. Doors and bar open 7.00pm. Tickets cost £6, which includes a drink or an ice-cream.

Concerts in the West: Lumas Winds 11:30am. Winners of the 71st Royal Over-Seas League Mixed Ensemble Prize in 2023, Lumas Winds is a dynamic, young chamber ensemble based in London who are committed ambassadors for wind chamber music and the rich variety of repertoire that it offers. Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR. 01308 424204. www.bridport-arts.com.

Concerts in the West: Lumas Winds 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £18

Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com.

10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. Moderate 5.5 miles walk. Dalwood. Phone 01297-552860

Saturday, 20 July

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7.5 mile walk from Athelhampton House. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/visitors welcome.

Cream Tea, Band, Dancing, Raffle, Tombola, Produce Stall 2.30 - 4.30pm. Patronal Festival in the Church Garden. St. Swithun’s Church, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU 07741457505.

Exploring the Historic Atlantic Triangle. For many years Lyme Regis has been twinned with St. George’s Bermuda and since 2015 ‘tripled’ with historic Jamestown Virginia. But why? Lyme Regis and Whitchurch’s famous and native resident Admiral Sir George Somers (1554 - 1610). Somers was born in Lyme, lived in Berne Manor, Whitchurch Canonicorum, worshipped and was interred in the church of St Candida and the Holy Cross. With other key local individuals he played a key role in the expansion of this nation in Elizabethan and Jacobean times and our development and influence at that time in the New World. John Dover will explain more about the legacy handed down by these pioneers and why we continue to recognise them today. Talk to be held at 2pm at Whitchurch Village Hall, Whitchurch Canonicorum, DT6 6RF. Light refreshments. Entrance fee £3. Free parking. For information please contact John on 07769 655362.

Winsham School Summer Fete Primary School and Pre School PTFA Summer Fete 11am - 2pm. Fun for the whole family. Refreshments and cakes, bouncy castle, ‘drench a teacher’, bottle stall, traditiobnal games, raffle. School Field, Pooles Lane. Free entry, all welcome.

‘An Evening with Dan Hadfield as Gary Barlow’ Live gig- Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 8pm, doors 7.30pm tickets £20, £22.50 on door. Dan Hadfield, the World’s Number One Tribute Artiste to Gary Barlow, continues his 2024/25 tour with a new production featuring the classic hits of Take That and

Gary in a live concert. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Colyford Memorial Hall. 7.30pm. The Chantry Buoys. Shanty singing group. Supporting the Seaton & District Hospital League of Friends and The Seaton Hospice at Home Service. Free entry. Licensed bar. Sunday, 21 July

Stoke Abbott Street Fair, 2-5pm One of the region’s most popular events, the traditional Stoke Abbott Street Fair will take place from 2pm to 5pm on Sunday 21st July. There’s fun for all the family with enticing stalls, live entertainment, The Big Foolini magician, ferret-racing, a novelty dog show, cream teas and more. New for 2024, the Discover Farming team will have hands-on rural activities for all ages too. This year, proceeds will go to support Beaminster’s Prout Bridge Project as well as St Mary’s church and the village hall. Free parking from the Beaminster end. Entry £2 per adult, children under 16 free.

Dalwood Jazz Club at 3pm presents Alan Barnes (saxophone & clarinet) & Dave Newton (piano) Dalwood Village Hall, EX13 7EG (near Axminster) Bar for beer/wine/soft drinks and teas/coffees/cake etc. Parking at the Village Hall £12.50p If possible, please book in advance and pay (cash or card) at the door. t.mackenney111@btinternet.com

Divine Union Soundbath 2pm Oborne Village Hall, Oborne, nr. Sherborne, Dorset DT9

4LA The cleansing Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath give a sonic deep-tissue massage, while taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’. Please book in advance via 01935 389655 ahiahel@live. com £16.

Monday, 22 July

Dance Connection, for fun, health & wellbeing, 10:30am-12, Unitarian Chapel, Bridport, DT6 3JX, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com.

Tuesday, 23 July

Swift Walking with RSPB’s Luke Phillips. Why have swifts returned to Bridport for 100s of years? What is it about the town’s architecture and nearby green spaces that makes it a good place for swifts to be? Let’s swiftwalk together and find out!

Free and open to all. Also 6th & 9th July 6pm−8pm From Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South St, Bridport DT6 3NR Limited

EVENTS IN AUGUST

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

Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@commonground.org.uk.

Wednesday, 24 July

West Dorset Ramblers – Walk 10 miles. Golden Cap & Stonebarrow – circular walk in a figure of eight with lovely views. Start 10am Langdon Wood To book and for further details contact Heather 07587 098079.

Circus Raj 3:00pm. Elite street circus performers combine their amazing skills in performing breathtaking acts of courage and bravery. The cast of aerialists, acrobats, musicians, slack-rope walkers, giant puppet characters and the eye-watering displays by their fakir, present a colourful, vibrant, fast-moving extravaganza of intrigue, drama, feats of daring, music, laughter and surprise. Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR. 01308 424204. www.bridport-arts.com.

10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. Moderate 7.6 miles walk. Beaminster. Phone 01308-898432

Thursday, 25 July

Garden Open. Farrs, 3, Whitcombe Rd, Beaminster DT8 3NB. Contact: Mr & Mrs John Makepeace. Enjoy several distinctive walled gardens, rolling lawns, sculpture and giant topiary around one of Beaminster’s historic town houses. John’s inspirational grass garden and Jennie’s very contrasting garden with an oak fruit cage; a riot of colour.

Glasshouse, straw bale studio, geese in orchard.

Remarkable trees planked and seasoning in open sided barn for future furniture commissions. A limited number of tickets have been made available for these two special afternoon openings, hosted by John and Jennie Makepeace. There will be a warm welcome from John at 2.30pm in the main rooms of the house, with a talk on his furniture design and recent commissions. Jennie will then give a guided walk around the gardens followed by a cream tea. Some gravel paths, alternative wheelchair route through orchard. Open: (2.30-5). Adm £40. Pre-booking essential, please visit ngs.org.uk for information &booking. Cream teas in the house or garden, weather dependent. Donation to Victoria & Albert Foundation. Location: Southern edge of Beaminster. On B3163. Car parking in the Square or Yarn Barton Car Park, or side streets of Beaminster. Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour. Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Freud’s Last Session (12a) - 14:00 Matinee screening. Set on the eve of WWII and towards the end of his life, Freud’s Last Session sees Freud (Hopkins) inviteS iconic author C.S. Lewis for a debate over the existence of God. Exploring Freud’s unique relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna and Lewis’ unconventional romance with his best friend’s mother, the film interweaves past, present and fantasy, bursting from the confines of Freud’s study on a dynamic journey. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £7. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk.

Friday, 26 July

Greg Abate with Craig Milverton Ilminster Arts Centre welcomes Greg Abate, the talented and versatile saxophone star. Greg has played Jazz Festivals, Jazz Societies and Jazz Clubs throughout the U.S., Canada and abroad, as a soloist. Greg is supported by Craig Milverton, one of Britain’s finest Jazz Pianists. In 2010 Craig was winner of Best Jazz Pianist in the Best Small Group Category at the British Jazz Awards with Digby Fairweather and his Half Dozen.7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £20 Earlybird: £18 Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www. ilminsterartscentre.com

10.10am. East Devon Ramblers. Leisurely 3 mile Colyton history walk. Phone 01297-552313

Friday, 26 - 28 July

Flower Festival, “Musicals”, in St Michael’s, Colyford (EX24 6QJ) with “Pop-up” entertainments in the garden if fine. Free entry. Cash only event. 10.30 am - 4.30 pm. Tickets for Anne Swithinbank’s (BBC Radio GQT panelist) opening talk and Q & A at 11 am on Friday 26 £5.00 each on the door or

from Colyford PO/Stores. Home-made refreshments throughout whole festival. Enquiries: 01297 552499. Saturday, 27 July Wambrook Flower Show at 2.30pm, The Tithe Barn, Cotley, TA20 3EP, near Chard. Doors open at 2.30pm. Entry by donation to our chosen charities, Chard and District Riding for the Disabled and Wambrook Church. Music by Blackdown Hills Steel Band in the courtyard, Grand raffle, tombola, stalls, teas and cakes and one of the best flower shows in the local area. Fun and games for children. Flower Show schedules are available from : The Cotley Inn, Combe Dingle Nursery and Barleymow’s Farm Shop or download a copy at www.wambrookparishchurch. com.

Lyme Bay Chorale’s Lifeboat Week concert. An hour of joyous summer music conducted by Richard Tanner, director of music at Rugby School. Lyme Regis Parish Church at 6pm. Free admission with a collection in aid of the RNLI.

Inside Out 2 (PG) - 11:00. Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 ADULT / £6 U16. Book online -electricpalace. org.uk

Yeovil Railway Centre, Yeovil Junction, Stoford BA22 9UU: First day of Train & Tractor Weekend. Steam train rides to see Tractors, Land Rovers, Stationary Engines. Interested in exhibiting? Call John on 01297 32935, or visit website www.yeovilrailway. freeservers.com.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 8 mile walk from Martinstown. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/visitors welcome.

Wambrook Flower Show, The Tithe Barn, Cotley, TA20 3EP, near Chard.Doors open at 2.30pm. Entry by donation to our chosen charities. Music by Steel the Show, Blackdown Hills Steel Band. Grand raffle, tombola, stalls, teas and cakes and one of the best flower shows in the local area. Flower Show schedules are available from: The Cotley Inn, Combe Dingle Nursery and Barleymow’s Farm Shop or download a copy at www.wambrookparishchurch.com

Cattistock Classical Concerts present an event in St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Cattistock as part of the South West Tour of The Past & I: 100 Years of Thomas Hardy. Music and arrangements by Arthur Keegan. In this exciting, unique collaboration, critically acclaimed singer Lotte Betts-Dean (winnner of the 2024 Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist

Award) and outstanding Norway/UK guitarist James Girling invite you on a journey with Thomas Hardy through songs of the 20th century inspired by his words and the local Dorset landscape. The project is the brainchild of composer Arthur Keegan in close collaboration with the performers, and it includes new arrangements of beloved songs by Britten and Finzi, alongside beautiful songs – long forgotten and only recently unearthed – composed by quiet luminaries Imogen Holst, Ivor Gurney, Robin Milford and Muriel Herbert. There is also stunning new music by Kerry Andrew and an elegiac song cycle by Arthur Keegan. This tour supports the forthcoming release of an album of this music, on 19th July 2024, recorded with Delphian Records. www.arthurkeegan.co.uk

Powerstock Country Fete. 2-5pm. A traditional fun afternoon for all the family. Band, refreshments, Punch & Judy, dog show, vintage motorcycles, games, lots of stalls, Tug o War and a Bucking Bronco. Entry is £2.50 per adult, pay on the door, free parking. At the Sports Field, Nettlecombe, DT6 3SY.

Sunday, 28 July

Garden Open Black Shed, Blackmarsh Farm, Dodds Cross, Sherborne DT9 4JX. Contact: Paul & Helen Stickland. Over 200 colourful and productive flower beds growing a sophisticated selection of cut flowers and foliage to supply florists and the public for weddings, events and occasions throughout the seasons. Traditional garden favourites, delphiniums, larkspur, foxgloves, scabious and dahlias alongside more unusual perennials, foliage plants and grasses, creating a stunning and unique display. A warm welcome and generous advice on creating your own cut flower garden is offered. Easy access from gravel car park. Wide grass pathways enabling access for wheelchairs. Gently sloping site. Open: (1-5). Adm £5, chd free. Location: From Sherborne, follow A30 towards Shaftesbury. Black Shed approx 1m E at Blackmarsh Farm, on L, next to The Toy Barn. Large

car park shared with The Toy Barn. 10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. Moderate 8 mile walk. Bickleigh. Phone 01395-579607

The Friends of St Candida present this year’s Alice Dilke Memorial Concert with professional pianist Alexander Soares. Programme includes music by Liszt, Chopin and Beethoven. St Candida & Holy Cross Church, Whitchurch Canonicorum at 3pm. Tickets £12 on the door (cash or card) to include light refreshments. Free for young people aged 16 and under.

Wednesday, 31 July

Scottish Country Dancing. Bridport Scottish Dancers invite you to an evening of dancing led by a visiting RSCDS qualified teacher on Wednesday 31st July 2024 at Church House, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NN. Time: 7.15 for a 7.30 start. Cost: £3.00 which includes tea/coffee/soft drinks + biscuits. All welcome, no partner required but please wear soft shoes. Contact: Call Tony on 01297 560335. Check out bridportscottishdancers for more information. Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society talk and display in aid of Lyme Regis RNLI week given by Sharandys Birds of Prey. Take a close up look at amazing raptors. Uplyme Village Hall 7.30pm. Tickets £4 from Lyme Regis Lifeboat Gift Shop and Uplyme Stores, or ring Brian 07831 533580. Refreshments from 7pm.

10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. Moderate 7 mile walk. Chudleigh. 07578-413003.

Swift Town Tales with folklorist and storyteller Martin Maudsley. Who is King of the Birds? How did Swallow get her Tail? Why do Swifts fly so high? Hear a flock of folktales to highlight the diversity of birds in Bridport, and help us create a new bird story for Bridport Swift Town. Free and open to all. 2pm Bridport Community Orchard. Limited Numbers! Register your free place by emailing swiftmail@ commonground.org.uk.

BRIDPORT

Care home beyond its lifespan Dorset Care has announced that Sydney Gale House in Bridport is beyond it’s lifespan and the site has been earmarked as Dorset Council’s reablement and residential care hub for West Dorset. It is to used to support residents who are discharged from hospital or are recovering after a fall or illness in their own home. In order to redevelop the site the current 12 residents are to be moved to another location which is appropriate to their needs.

SEATON

Folk Festival gets Aced Art & Culture East Devon (ACED) has announced the winner of their inaugural ACED Volunteer of the Year award which recognises a volunteer’s outstanding contribution to an arts / heritage organisation or festival. It also recognises the impact they have made to the East Devon cultural landscape. This year’s winner is Colin Trussell from Sidmouth Folk Festival. To find out more ACED visit aced.org.uk.

BEAMINSTER

Retired GP breaks record

Tim Robinson, a 64 year old retired GP and grandfather from Beaminster has become the oldest contestant to complete the eight-day Cape Wrath Ultra run in Scotland. Running with his son Will, Tim was one of only 57 athletes out of 175 starters to complete the 259 mile run from Fort William to Cape Wrath. Tim has been recognised as the oldest person to complete the 400km race through the Highlands of Scotland.

BRIDPORT

Animal sanctuary complaints Local Food Links (LFL) in Bridport has been awarded the catering contract for the Wessex Multi Academy Trust Schools, following a thorough tendering exercise run by the Wessex MAT and the Department for Education. The new contract will commence in September 2024. LFL is excited to be working closely with 10 First, Primary and Middle Schools in the MAT and providing delicious meals for pupils in Dorset.

DORCHESTER

Lord Fellowes at DNHAS Dorset Museum &Art Gallery has announced that Lord Fellowes of West Stafford, D.L., the multi awardwinning screenwriter, actor, novelist and director, will be presenting himself for election as President of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (DNHAS) this autumn. The organisation’s purpose is to collect, preserve, research and exhibit objects relating to the culture of Dorset.

West Bay—That Was The Year That Was

Anew publication highlighting harbour life, events, people and the history of West Bay in Dorset, as recorded in a journal of 2012, has been published by local writer Sylvia Stafford. Daily events and meetings with local residents, workers and visitors to the area were recorded against the background of what was happening, both within Dorset and nationally for West Bay—That Was The Year That Was.

In retrospect, the author found 2012 turned out to be an excellent year to have chosen, with major national events, such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a royal jubilee, the filming of the first of the acclaimed TV series, Broadchurch, as well as the usual calendar of local events including the Melplash Show, West Bay Day, and the Torchlight Procession. Less welcome events saw some of the heaviest rainfall and worst flooding in the area since 1974, a near disastrous incident during the annual dredging of the harbour, and serious rockfalls and accidents. Many entries highlight the fascinating history and heritage of the historic harbour and local area, and the author has attempted to include all of the major listed and historically significant buildings, as well as

more recent developments.

West Bay remains a busy working harbour, and fish and fishing in the area feature prominently in the journal, together with the tourist industry and local businesses, which support the fragile coastal economy. Local developments during 2012 were recorded, particularly the work on the sea defences and coastal monitoring, as well as the completion of the West Bay Regeneration Scheme, with what turned out to be, a very controversial development of the local road system.

Other local life was not forgotten, whether flora or fauna, and in particular the many birds and butterflies, and so many breeds of dogs met on walks around the harbour in this snapshot of a year in the life of the West Bay community.

Twelve years on, the author hopes that this record might contribute in a small way to the recent social history of the area.

West Bay—That Was The Year That Was, at £15.00, is available from: The Book Shop Bridport; Bridport Tourist Information Centre; Waterstones Bridport and West Bay Discovery Centre.

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TNature Studies

By Michael McCarthy

his month Marshwood, being in its online format, is able to present in Nature Studies something extraordinary—the blending of two of the most beautiful sounds in the world, which you can hear by accessing the link below.

One will be recognised instantly by birders—it is the song of the nightingale, the most famous of all bird vocalisations, celebrated across Europe as the quintessence of birdsong for at least 3,000 years.

The other will be similarly recognised by lovers of classical music and especially of Johann Sebastian Bach—it is his lovely Prelude No. 17 in A flat major And you may have your own view on hearing them together, but personally I find it magical. Each sets off remarkably the beauty of the other.

The blend is a Dorset creation. Both bird and Bach were recorded (though not simultaneously) by the Dorset-based poet and songwriter Virginia Astley, whose own love for music is matched by her enthusiasm for wildlife. The nightingale was singing at Alner’s Gorse, the Butterfly Conservation reserve near Hazelbury Bryan, one of the shrinking number of sites in the county where the birds can still be heard; the piano was being played by Virginia’s musician daughter Florence in their house at Maiden Newton. And the mix was brought to my attention by Nigel Spring, the well-known conservationist who is the Alner’s Gorse reserve warden.

The stunning combination is typical of Virginia’s imaginative creativity: she has published a book of poems and matching photographs of The Thames, and another book of poems on West Dorset church porches, accompanied by sketches of the porches by

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

her sister Alison Bunning—because it was a covid lockdown project, when the porches were usually the only parts of the churches that were open.

But even Virginia would not claim that the inspiration to pair a nightingale with classical music is her own. That takes its origin in a remarkable event whose centenary we have just witnessed—the BBC outside broadcast of May 19, 1924, when the famous cellist Beatrice Harrison played her instrument while a nightingale sang along with her in her garden in Oxted in Surrey. That broadcast was a national sensation, so much so that the BBC repeated the event every year until the Second World War.

Nightingales, alas, have crashed in numbers in England since then—they have dropped by more than ninety per cent in the last fifty years, so Alner’s Gorse is a beloved site for enthusiasts. Although it might be hard to get a live recording of a nightingale and a piano, Florence Astley is a harpist as well as a pianist, and she and her mother took her harp to the reserve this spring to try and record a live duet with one of the birds, as it were. They were frustrated by the rain—as was I when I went with Nigel Spring to hear them myself—although lots of other people were successful.

But you can hear one of them here—one of the world’s greatest songbirds, paired with the work of one of the world’s greatest composers. Click on the link below and listen to the magic.

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. Click image to listen

JS Bach and the nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

Self Guided Safari at Mapperton

Families can go “on safari” in the Wildlands of Mapperton Estate in Dorset—a unique opportunity to explore the county’s most spectacular rewilding project at their own pace.

Mapperton, near Beaminster, is handing more than 1,000 acres of marginal farmland and woodland back to nature and promoting regenerative agriculture across the rest of the Estate.

In addition to the popular ranger-led safaris, the self-guided Wildlands Safari option allows visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of Mapperton Wildlands at a time and pace that suits them best.

Equipped with the comprehensive Safari Trail Guide, participants can interpret their natural surroundings and gain insights into how rewilding efforts support wildlife regeneration. The immersive experience encourages a deeper connection with nature, offering a refreshing escape to clear the mind, stretch the body, and breathe in the fresh air while listening to the land’s stories. There’s also a specially designed children’s trail for younger adventurers. Proceeds from ticket sales will be dedicated to maintaining the safari trail and supporting the ongoing Rewilding Project at Mapperton.

The self-guided safari trail spans approximately four miles and typically takes two to three hours to complete. Rated as moderate difficulty, the trail features uneven, occasionally boggy, ground and some inclines, necessitating sturdy walking boots.

Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, says: ‘Mapperton Wildlands stands as Dorset’s premier rewilding initiative, encompassing 1,000 acres of marginal farmland and woodland returned to nature.

‘This project is a cornerstone of our commitment to promoting regenerative agriculture and delivering significant benefits for biodiversity, the environment, food production, and overall wellbeing through our Social Wilding & Volunteering programmes.

‘We are delighted to introduce our self-guided safaris through the Wildlands, a great addition to our walks guided by experts. It’s a wonderful family outing, with clearly marked Safari Spots where visitors can learn more about what they can see, including deer, ancient breeds of pigs, cattle and ponies, wonderful bird life, insects and butterflies.

‘Wear some sturdy boots, dress for the weather and enjoy the magic that is Mapperton Wildlands this summer!”

A skylark perched on a post in Mapperton Wildlands

For more information on guided walks, or to learn how to support the rewilding project, visit www.mappertonwildlands.com

The Self-Guided Safari tickets are £12.95 adults, £6.95 children. A family ticket for two adults and up to four children is £39.95. Tickets can also be added to Mapperton House & Gardens entry and are half-price for season ticket holders. The trail is not suitable for buggies or wheelchairs, and no dogs are allowed.

On safari in Mapperton Wildlands

July in the Garden

By Russell Jordan

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Hopefully the warmer and sunnier weather in June has put summer back on course. A very wet winter, extending into the start of the growing season, with correspondingly lower than average light levels, may have delayed and reduced flowering a little but the biggest effect that I noticed was huge amounts of vegetative growth. Now that the early summer blooms have peaked, often on floppier stems than usual, the high and later summer bloomers begin to take over. My heleniums that I mentioned last month, as a late summer perennial that actually begins flowering in June, are actually somewhat behind this year and will only be peaking in July.

Some other mainstays, of this post longest day period, include rudbeckias, asters, persicaria and echinacea. These are all recognisable as being part of the plant palette popularised by the ‘new perennial’ planting movement, which also relies greatly on using grasses alongside the later flowering herbaceous perennials. Grasses are beginning to reach their peak this month but the most stately species, such as Miscanthus, really come into their own in another month or so. The smaller, supremely frothy, grass Stipa tenuissima is earlier flowering but is turning buttery yellow by now and its seed heads are no less fine and feathery than the preceding flowers (being a grass the ‘flowers’ are barely distinguishable from its grassy foliage). It’s a brilliant plant to weave through herbaceous plantings to hold the scheme together and provide pools of contrasting ‘froth’ against the larger leaved perennials.

Sporobolus heterolepis (‘Prairie Dropseed’) is slightly taller than Stipa tenuissima but often recommended as a prairie grass which performs a similar role, as an airy

foil to more ‘solid’ leaved perennials. I must admit that this is not a plant that I’ve ever grown but seeing it in reference books makes me want to try it out. Being a slightly less common garden plant, I’m not sure quite how easy it will be to get hold of it—I’ll use the ‘RHS Plant Finder’ website to find which nurseries stock it. ‘Knoll Gardens’, near Wimborne, are listed as selling it and this is a garden which is pre-eminent in growing grasses, in an ornamental setting, so is well worth a visit not only to buy grasses but also to see how to incorporate them into your own garden.

In my own garden one of the things that is proving difficult in recent times is that I always have a lot of plants in pots as well as those that are ‘in the ground’. Up until this point of the year I can keep on top of watering them because there’s been a fair amount of rain and also because it’s not until a plant has filled the pot with roots that they dry out more quickly than I can water them. The problem has been exacerbated by the formulation of most potting composts now either completely deleting peat from the mix or reducing it to just a token amount. I understand why peat is being phased out, on environmental grounds, but I do find that no current multi-purpose compost, that is formulated to be ‘peat-free’, performs as well as the previous peat-based mixes. Drying out more quickly, holding less water even when thoroughly wetted, these formulations are certainly causing greater plant losses and poorer growth than before.

It’s not a good time of year to be planting out these plants that are suffering in pots, this operation is now best performed in the autumn, but potting them onto the next size up pot, so that the plant has new compost to expand into, will give some immediate

relief and help in the fight to keep the pots adequately watered. It’s not an ideal situation and I must admit that I am experimenting with mixing the proprietary multi-purpose composts with some of the products which are sold as ‘mulches’ rather than ‘composts’. The mulches which are based on purely organic matter, derived from rotted down plant matter, with added humus from sources such as rotted manure, rather than those based on bark or wood chippings, tend to hold onto water in much the same way as peat does i.e. they are actually really ‘soggy’ when wet. These will not have the nutrient content of a well balanced seed or potting compost so I add the recommended dose of slow release, granular, fertiliser to the mix when I formulate it. This month there is mostly just ‘ticking over’ maintenance to get on with plus the odd special task such as pruning wisteria. The reason for pruning wisteria now is to remove the flowered spikes and also all the unruly extension growth back to six or so buds from the main stem. This keeps this twining climber close to the structure on which it is trained and less likely to peel itself off its support due to excessive vegetative growth. It also concentrates its flowering efforts into fewer buds so that the future

flower spikes (more correctly ‘racemes’) are larger and more impressive. Removing a lot of the long, outer, leaves also allows the sun to ‘ripen’ the buds that are left and initiate next year’s flowers. This shortening operation in July is followed up by a further shortening, to just a couple of buds per flowering stem, towards the end of winter. Generally trimming back any sort of plant which is threatening to collapse all over the place, or break free of its moorings, seldom does any harm at this time of year.

Elsewhere in the garden dead-heading of a different sort should still be going on. Plants such as dahlias will keep on flowering, right up until the first frosts, if they are kept dead-headed, fed and watered for the rest of the summer. This is the general rule for anything of the ‘live fast, die young’ persuasion; bedding plants, tender perennials and container displays. Keeping on top of pests and diseases is also important although, by this time of the year, a lot of the control work should be taken care of by natural checks and balances rather than by human intervention; lily beetles and their revolting grubs being an obvious exception to the ‘live and let live’ strategy.

West Milton, Nr Bridport, Dorset: GUIDE PRICE £1,625,000

Set in about 8 acres of land in an idyllic position just outside the village of West Milton, Bridport. Offering an enviable location with far reaching and uninterrupted views towards Eggardon Hill, Old Granary Cottage offers a rare opportunity to live in one of the most unspoiled areas of West Dorset. Beautifully restored and extended, the house offers light ,spacious and charming accommodation with just the right balance of informal elegance and comfort in a truly rural setting.

For information contact Simon Neville-Jones on 01308 862606 simon.neville-jones@mayfairproperties.net

An artistAT HOME

Mayfair Town and Country in Beaminster have been instructed to sell Old Granary Cottage Nr West Milton for the artist Hugo Grenville for a guide price of £1.625,000 mill. This is a fantastic house with splendid accommodation set in 8 acres of grounds. There is also a superb studio and incredible views over the surrounding West Dorset countryside.

Hugo Grenville is a renowned British Contemporary Painter whose work stands as a symbol of promise in a world where satire and cynicism predominate. Like the paintings made by Bonnard and Matisse during the Second World War, none of which allude to the grim reality of daily life, his work is grounded in the need to celebrate life, and to express our sense of existence through the recognition of the transforming power of colour and light.

Since then Hugo has had over 20 one-man exhibitions at major galleries in New York, London and Palm Beach. Hugo has forged an enviable reputation as one of the country’s leading colourist painters. His work was recently included in a

retrospective of Impressionist painting at the Nassau Museum of Art, and exhibited alongside work by Cezanne, Renoir and Degas.

Several years ago, Grenville moved from London to the West Country. He paints almost ceaselessly at his vast studio inside a chapel schoolhouse built in 1794. In the Summer months Hugo holds several Masterclasses with his many students who travel from around the world to Dorset to attend.

When asked about his home Hugo said. “When I rebuilt the house and made the garden from scratch out of the adjacent field, I was thinking principally about colour and space, and how I might use these spaces as inspiration for my painting. And so it became, with the pinks and deep yellows of the highsummer borders glowing against the blueish-greens of a perfect Dorset valley, and the huge window in the drawing room framing the silhouetted cattle grazing on top of Pitcher’s Hill, inspiring countless compositional possibilities: a good case of life imitating art!”

For details contact Simon Neville-Jones on 01308 862606.

This Month in

the not so distant past

Taking a look back at historical moments that happened in July, John Davis highlights Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

When Albert, the Prince Consort and husband of Queen Victoria, boarded a Great Western Railway locomotive at Paddington Station, London on July 27th, 1843 he was experiencing the first stage of what Isambard Kingdom Brunel hoped would open up everexpanding travel opportunities.

It was Brunel’s dream that passengers bound for a new life in the United States of America would make the three-hour rail journey from Paddington to Temple Meads, Bristol before embarking on his new vessel, the SS Great Britain, for the Atlantic crossing.

The launching of the new steamship that would make all this possible proved to be a festive occasion with huge crowds, bunting, brass bands and immaculately turned-out displays of the military.

And the event certainly warranted all the hullaballoo. Britain’s top designer and engineer had masterminded the building of what was at that time the largest passenger ship in the world.

The first iron-hulled ship powered by a screw propeller, the vessel measured almost 100m in length, weighed some 3,500 tonnes and could travel at an average speed of about 11 knots. It had taken over four years to build at an estimated cost of £120,000. Originally rigged out with six masts so wind power could also be used to save money, it was capable eventually of carrying over 700 passengers with a crew of 130.

The maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York about 14 days but amendments to the design soon had to be made after early teething troubles and in 1846 the original owners, the Great Western Steamship Company, went bankrupt after paying the £35,000 needed to re-float the vessel when it ran aground off the coast of Ireland. Inaccurate charts were blamed.

New proprietors took over and it successfully continued on the transatlantic run until 1852 when its route was switched to Melbourne in Australia. Six hundred and thirty emigrants made the first trip ‘down under’, the voyage taking about two months. Soon afterwards she was used as a troop carrier during the Crimean War (1853-1856) and the Indian Mutiny (1857).

By 1876 though ship building had changed radically and the vessel was sold again after failing to get insurance as a passenger carrier. Her new owners removed the engines and adapted her to a threemasted windjammer for carrying bulk cargoes like coal and grain.

In 1886 carrying coal to America, there was a fire on board and she also ran into heavy storms rounding Cape Horn. She sought shelter in the Falkland Islands and, after being beached, was eventually bought by the Falkland Islands Company. It used the ship as a hulk for storing goods until 1937 when she was finally abandoned in Sparrow Cove and left to rot.

There were unsuccessful attempts by marine enthusiasts to bring her home during the 1930s and 1960s but it was not until 1970 that she did return home thanks to several hefty donations from wealthy benefactors.

The remains of the ship were loaded onto a pontoon and towed the 13,000km back to Bristol to enter again the dock at Wapping Wharf where she was launched 127 years before. In 2005 the restored vessel was opened to the public and since then a heritage centre and dockyard museum has been built alongside.

The SS Great Britain was not the first or the last of Brunel’s forays into shipbuilding. In April 1838 the SS Great Western had been launched, also in Bristol, and twenty years later the engineer’s largest maritime project the SS Great Eastern rolled down the slipway.

The Great Western was a wooden-hulled paddlewheel steamship made largely from oak with four masts. At 76m in length and with a top speed of eight knots, it was purpose built for the Atlantic run and could carry about 160 passengers and 60 crew.

Briefly the world’s largest passenger ship, it worked the passage to America for eight years until its owners went out of business and it was bought by the Royal Mail Steamship Packet Company. It became a troopship during the Crimean War before being sold for scrap and broken up in 1856.

The SS Great Eastern, nicknamed ‘The Leviathan’, was Brunel’s biggest marine undertaking to date when it was launched in 1858. Over 200m long and 25m

wide, it had a double skinned hull and, with a top speed of 14 knots, could be powered by sail, paddle and propeller. There were five funnels and six masts.

Great Eastern could carry up to 4,000 passengers and was intended to open up new trade routes between Britain and the Far East without having to stop for refuelling. It was later to be used for extensive cable laying operations in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

By 1869 it had outlived its usefulness and for the last 11 years of its life was docked at Milford Haven where it served, amongst other things, as a gym, a floating concert hall and a giant advertising hoarding. It was scrapped on Merseyside in 1890.

And what of Brunel himself, the engineering genius who in addition to his state-of-the-art maritime achievements had mined tunnels, built stations and bridges and laid thousands of miles of railway track.

By 1859 this workaholic who took few holidays, slept in his office or specially adapted carriage, smoked and drank heavily and went for long spells without eating was in poor health.

Years of organising complex tasks, having to deal

with management squabbles and raising the necessary funding from private investors had taken their toll.

While attending sea trials of the Great Eastern in September of that year he suffered a stroke and ten days later died at his home in London at the age of only 53.

Name check: The name Isambard was the second Christian name of Brunel’s father, Marc. It’s thought to be Norman/ Germanic in origin meaning appropriately iron-bright. Kingdom comes from his mother’s family. She was Sophia Kingdom before she married.

Semi-retired and living in Lyme Regis, John Davis started working life as a newspaper journalist before moving on to teach in schools, colleges and as a private tutor. He is a history graduate with Bachelors and Masters degrees from Bristol University with a particular interest in the History of Education and Twentieth Century European History

SS Great Britain Photograph by Matt Buck

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Food&Dining

WHIPPED BROAD BEANS with grilled courgettes and tomato salsa

When broad beans are plentiful and you are wondering what the next dish you can serve with them is, well try this. It’s dead simple and it works equally well with frozen ones and is less expensive and labour intensive. It’s a bit of a take on hummus and we do it seasonally with squash and beets, so almost an all the year round no fuss, easy dinner party dish. You can serve it as a stand alone starter or part of a mezze or an easy vegetarian or vegan option if you’re caught by surprise. As and when other vegetables come into season like aubergine and peppers you can add them to the dish and I’ve added a little monk’s beard here from Trill farm

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large courgettes, sliced on the angle about 1cm thick

• A few small salad leaves and herbs to serve

For the broad bean puree

• 250g prodded weight of broad beans

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

• vegetable stock to cover

• 50-75ml rapeseed oil

• the juice of ½ a lemon

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the relish

• 1 large shallot, peeled, halved and finely chopped

• 20 ml rapeseed oil

• 50g prodded weight of broad beans which the outer shells removed if large

• 2 medium tomatoes, quartered, seeded and finely chopped

• 1tbs chopped coriander

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the broad beans in a pan with the garlic, cover with vegetable stock and season. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, remove from the heat and drain in a colander reserving the stock. Blend the beans in a liquidiser or nutri bullet with enough stock to form a stiff puree then gradually add the rapeseed oil and the lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

2. To make the relish, gently cook the shallots in the rapeseed oil for a couple minutes and remove from the heat. Add the broad beans, tomatoes and coriander and season to taste.

3. Either grill the courgettes on a ribbed griddle pan for a couple minutes each side or use a frying pan.

4. To serve spoon the puree onto a plate and spread with the back of a spoon, place the courgettes on top with a few leaves and spoon over the relish.

MARK HIX

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Changing perceptions of Cider

RETHINK Cider—that is what Jane Peyton, the UK’s first accredited pommelier (cider sommelier) is asking of drinkers who consider cider to be low value rocket fuel in a new book The Philosophy of Cider. Jane says, ‘Minimal intervention cider from freshly pressed juice (as opposed to highly processed mass-market sugary cider made from a minimum of apple juice concentrate) is sunlight in a glass, the liquid expression of the orchard’s soul.

Of all alcoholic drinks, cider is the most misunderstood so with this book, The Philosophy of Cider, I aim to change that and encourage people to rethink cider.’

The Philosophy of Cider also covers history and takes readers on an apple journey from its origin in central Asia to today into millions of bottles of cider around the world. The book is packed with numerous facts such as that Captain William Bligh, of the Mutiny on the Bounty infamy, planted Australia’s first apple tree (the mutiny happened later on the same voyage), and that mariners, including the crew on Captain Cook’s ships, consumed cider to prevent Scurvy (before citrus was recognised as an effective prophylactic).

The Philosophy of Cider by Jane Peyton is published by British Library Publishing ISBN: 9 78-0712355056 RRP: £10 Available from book retailers.

Sound of the sirens

Getting ready for their Camp Bestival show, the Exeter duo speak to Fergus Byrne

unless you’re very, very savvy, and you’re very up there with the knowledge, you’re better off to just listen ‘ ’

Despite already releasing five albums and a basketful of EPs and singles, Exeter dou ‘Sound of the Sirens’ still juggle the day-today grind of teaching jobs and parenting alongside song-writing, album production and touring.

Currently writing and rehearsing material for a new album due out later this year, Hannah Wood and Abbe Martin will be playing at Camp Bestival at the end of July and have just announced dates for an Autumn tour.

I caught up with them on their ‘writing day’ as they are both relatively recent parents and have managed to get their children into the same nursery allowing them to spend most of the day together working on new songs. On the day I chat with them they take a break and are snuggled into Abbe’s ‘little teaching space’ where she works with students helping them to sing and write songs.

The duo are known for a slew of great lyrics delivered with at times heart-wrenching and often poignant performance, usually interspersed with a few powerful foot-stomping anthemic folk/rock songs that make for very memorable live shows.

They are very ‘open’ says Hannah. Whilst some musicians and writers may hide their own experiences and feelings inside lyrics or stories, Abbe and Hannah ‘love the drama’ of talking about the challenges of life, whether that’s about struggling with relationships, mental health, tragedy or just irritation at the behaviour of those around them. Somewhat refreshingly they don’t see themselves as ‘activists’. When it comes to writing about political or protest subjects Abbe jokes: ‘Go and speak to Billy Bragg!’ Their songs are about life and the feelings that invade our day-to-day existence—from loneliness to love.

Hannah insists that, although occasionally a globally political theme such as environment might find its way into a tune, she believes that unless you are an expert on whatever political subject you’re writing about, it’s best to avoid it. ‘I think I am political deep down in my core’ she says, ‘but I don’t know the information well enough to be outspoken about it.’ Abbe agrees that there are occasionally lyrics that might be a bit ‘ambiguous’, where a song could be interpreted in more than one way and indeed, she

says, in some cases conversations in both subjects might have contributed to those lyrics. ‘But I don’t think we would ever publicly put ourselves out there as writing strong political music saying “these are our beliefs”, purely because I think it does divide people,’ she explains.

Abbe points out that ‘our views change all the time—as they should’ and that most people are ‘in flux and changing their beliefs a lot’. She says that ‘because we’re learning and developing all the time’ if you say something on a big stage somewhere, and it upsets people, it will never be forgotten. She agrees that ‘unless you’re very, very savvy, and you’re very up there with the knowledge’ you’re better off to just listen. Hannah sees the benefit of music to cleanse the soul. ‘I like to think of us as a place where people go to escape that and feel good’ she says.

I ask if their teaching experiences ever inspire their own writing. ‘All the time’ they chime together in an obviously unrehearsed yet endearing example of their natural harmony. Abbe shows me a notelet with a line that one of her students said to her recently, it is a line that was born to be in a song and may some day end up in one of theirs. Frustratingly, not every lyric or melody idea gets used. Hannah remembers how she was doing back-to-back teaching sessions the previous day and was so busy that she lost the paper she used to jot down the many ideas that arose from those sessions.

In the meantime, other inspirations are closer to home. On the current album, Seasons, the track Winter’s Song is about Abbe’s daughter and Song for Sulli is about Hannah’s son. Both songs are a poignant reminder of the power of parenthood in bringing change.

Both Hannah and Abbe had musical interests when growing up but came to where they are now from quite different directions. Hannah’s father had always been in a band and encouraged her to be a musician. After spending time gigging with various different bands, she remembers after a particular relationship break up, she decided she really needed to build her confidence and signed up to go to college to study acting. ‘I absolutely hated it’ she remembers. ‘I had to run around pretending to be a monkey and I had

so many inhibitions.’ She loved to dance but says she was always at the back of the class ‘out of time, legs everywhere. I really struggled with the whole performing thing, but I loved to sing’. Singing was her saviour and after college she met Abbe while working at a nightclub in Exeter called Timepiece.

Although Abbe didn’t have any musicians in her family, she cites her father’s voice and the family’s enjoyment of singing as an influence. ‘Music was just a big thing in our house’ she recalls. ‘On any kind of big road trip, we’d all be singing songs together, and everyone assumed their parts.’ As she got older, she found she enjoyed performing. ‘Any kind of performance—I loved it.’

A song on the album Seasons is a beautiful tribute to

Abbe’s father who died with Alzheimer’s a couple of years ago. Entitled Let us Walk it is a message to her father telling him how much she would love him to see how his granddaughter is doing. “I’d love to tell you how she’s grown, how her laugh tears me apart” she sings. “Let us walk, it’s all that I would wish for, her little hand in yours, then I wouldn’t have to miss you anymore”. The song succinctly describes those fleeting moments when we wish our parents were around to see where we are today.

Seasons is the duo’s 5th album and along with other albums and singles can be purchased from their website www.soundofthesirens.uk. They are playing at Camp Bestival in Dorset on Friday 26th July, 2024.

July

GALLERIES

1 - 11 July

Five go back to Lyme: the eponymous five artists are delighted to return to their favourite gallery to exhibit their latest work. Alison Summerfield, Liz Vonberg, Lynsey Pickwell, Lesley Hook & Susan Paradise display a diverse collection of talents making for a stunning and colourful exhibition in oils, acrylic, mixed media, silk & printing. Malthouse Gallery, Town Mill, Lyme Regis DT7 3PU Open daily 10am to 4.30pm. 01297 444042 www.townmill.org.uk.

2 - 7 July

Loose Threads Kate Dowty An exhibition of contemporary wallhangings and related items, some new, others made over the last 25 years by this Bridport based textile artist. The combination of fabrics (many of which are hand painted or dyed) with dense stitching results in a wonderfully tactile surface. Many of the artworks on show are inspired by the local environment; all are a riot of colour and texture. Eype Centre for the Arts, St Peter’s Church, Mount Lane, Eype, Bridport, DT6 6AR (for sat nav use DT6 6AP). 11am - 5pm daily (4.30pm Sunday) Free entry. Free parking. www.katedowty.com www. eypechurcharts.co.uk.

Until 3 July

Mark Coreth, The Jerram Gallery, Half Moon St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LN. +44 (0)1935 815261. info@jerramgallery.com. Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm.

Until 5 July

2024 Annual Open Art Competition. A display of selected work from the Arts Centre’s annual judged art competition. Celebrating the work of established

and emerging artists living and working in the South West. All pieces chosen by an invited judging panel with work from many different art genres and media. Announcement of winners: Wednesday June 12 from 5pm. All welcome to attend. Free entry. Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Open Tuesday – Saturday. 9.30am - 3pm. 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com

Until 6 July

THG Open Winners’ exhibitions Sharon James #artistmother / Kyle Baker. Exhibition of new work by THG OPEN 2023 winner Sharon James featuring strongly figurative paintings presenting domestic family life. Lower Gallery – exhibition by photographer Kyle Baker, winner of Best Emerging Artist. Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell St, Honiton EX14 1LX thelmahulbert.com. 01404 45006.

Until 7 July

Spring 2024 mixed exhibition; by gallery artists & guest artists. This mixed exhibition features over a dozen of gallery artists, plus four guest artists, including a range of sculptures, oils, and prints. Devon-based Mary Gillett will be exhibiting a series of her collagraphs along with the corresponding plate for each work. Alongside these will be other prints from Dorset-based Colin Moore and Bristol based Ruth Ander. Many other artists will also be exhibiting their various sculptures, ceramics, and oils including Johannes von Stumm, Alison Wear, and Phillippa Headley. A new guest artist will be pieces by renowned sculptor Almuth Tebbenhoff. Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR. Opening / performance times: 10am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday or

weekdays by appointment. 01305 848 909. www. tincletongallery.com.

Until 12 July

Andrew Coates The Joy of Realism. For ‘The Joy of Realism’ Andrew has produced a set of paintings centred around the Otter Valley and surrounding woodland in East Devon, a favourite location of his. As a contrast to this he has also revisited his popular small urban landscapes as viewed from the air, which we have titled his “Metropolis” series. Marine House at Beer 01297 625257. info@marinehouseatbeer.co.uk.

Sea Cliffs Vanessa Gardner recent paintings and drawings. Yo Thom studio pottery and Petter Southall furniture. Clean lines, dynamic surfaces and thrilling coastal subject matter are defining features of all three of the artists in this exhibition. Contemporary Art & Craft Gallery West Bay Bridport Dorset DT6 4EL Open: Mon to Sat 10–4.30pm. All work can be viewed and bought on www.sladersyard.co.uk t: 01308 459511 e: gallery@sladersyard.co.uk.

Until 19 July

2024 Annual Open Art Competition. A display of selected work from the Arts Centre’s annual judged art competition. Celebrating the work of established and emerging artists living and working in the South West. All pieces chosen by an invited judging panel with work from many different art genres and media. Free entry. Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Open Tuesday – Saturday. 9.30am - 3pm. 01460 54973 www. ilminsterartscentre.com

Until 20 July

Abstracting Lyme’s Past In this exhibition the artists in the Lyme Regis Abstract Art Group take inspiration from the collections in the Lyme Regis Museum in order to produce an intriguing display of original work. Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm, www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk.

‘Into the Unknown’ Local Somerset watercolour artist Moish Sokal will be back at East Lambrook Manor Gardens celebrating 30 years of showing his work in the gardens’ Malthouse Gallery. Following the sudden death of his wife last year Sokal travelled to his native Israel and then on to Australia, where he also lived for many years, to reflect on the past and find solace in painting familiar scenes. New work includes paintings of his favourite Somerset countryside and a new subject - flowers. “I never saw myself as a flower painter but

GALLERIES IN AUGUST Live or Online send your gallery details to info@marshwoodvale.com BY JULY 19th

GALLERIES July

I thought, it’s time.” The Malthouse Gallery, East Lambrook Manor Gardens, East Lambrook, Somerset TA13 5HH Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm, www. eastlambrook.com Entry free.

20 July – 31 August

seam collective: A Visible Thread. Through a diverse range of textile disciplines and perspectives, this exhibition brings together the work from 15 seam artists to stimulate thought, connection and conversation. Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell St, Honiton EX14 1LX thelmahulbert.com. 01404 45006.

22 July - 2 August

Landmarks: the Colours and Patterns of Dorset – an exhibition of vibrant paintings by Hilary Buckley. After a very successful first solo exhibition last summer, this will be the second exhibition of vibrant paintings by Hilary Buckley, a Lyme-Regisbased artist, who specialises in depicting the local Dorset landscape in her own colourful style. For more information visit dorset-artist.uk. The Malthouse Gallery, Town Mill, Lyme Regis DT7 3PU. Daily 10.00am to 5.00pm. Free admission. Contact: 01297 444111. Website: Dorset-artist.uk

22 July - 24 August

‘By Invitation’ An exhibition featuring invited artists centring around a nature theme. Free entry. Ilminster

Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Open Tuesday – Saturday. 9.30am - 3pm. 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre. com

23 July - 13 September

Mapping the Undercliffs Nature Reserve. A refreshing new way for us to look at the Dorset and Devon coastal paths is offered in this fascinating collection of images and strip maps hand-drawn by nature journaling artist Alex Boon, who spent a year documenting the pathways, wildlife and landmarks of the Undercliffs Nature Reserve. Be inspired to replicate Alex’s journeys with your own coastal adventure. Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA, Tues-Sat 10am5pm, Sun 10am-4pm, www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk

26 July - 5 August

Time by the Sea An exhibition of paintings by Richard Corbett. A collection of paintings inspired by the artist’s walks by the sea and through the coastal landscape of West Dorset and South Goa. He tries to capture the sense of space, atmosphere and emotion that the coast evokes - a place to be immersed in Nature. This exhibition is in support of The Living Tree charity, helping people live well with and beyond cancer. Eype Centre for the Arts, St. Peter’s Church Mount Lane. Eype. Bridport, Dorset DT6 6AR 10:304:30. https://richard-corbett-artist.sumupstore.com/

seam collective: A Visible Thread in Honiton from July 20

Spectacular Summer Prints at West Bay

AQUATINT, carborundum, deep etching, screenprint, linocut and woodcut prints by: Laura Boswell ARE, Martyn Brewster ARE, Merlyn Chesterman RE, Anita Klein RE, Nick Jones, Sally McLaren RE are part of a new show at Sladers Yard in West bay opening in July. The show will also include ceramics by leading studio potters and sculptors as well as wooden sculpture by Roger Hardy and furniture by Petter Southall. It is an exhibition of affordable works of art that celebrate and explore the people, the natural world, the sea and the things that make life worth living made by some of the most brilliant printmakers working today with Roger Hardy’s resonant wooden sculpture and Petter Southall’s eloquent furniture.

The Summer Print Show runs from 20 July to 15 September 2024 at Sladers Yard, Contemporary Art Gallery and Cafe, 6 W Bay Rd, West Bay, Bridport DT6 4EL. Tel: 01308 459511.

Clockwise from top: Anita Klein The Beautiful Water - linocut. Laura Boswell Highland Pine, Early Winter. Merlyn Chesterman sea slight. Roger Hardy Listening. Martyn Brewster Heartsong

Click Here for an Easy Read version of this article

First ‘Whodunnit’ from local author Bruce Harris

IN The Judas Gene leading industrialist and donor to the Conservative Party, Ralph Manningham, forced his father into early retirement so that he could take over the family business. Many years later, he is discovered dead at his home, the spilled bottle of pills on his desk a clear suggestion of suicide.

The news of Ralph’s death causes a stir within his political circles; influential figures are worried that a potential scandal will engulf them. Inspector Max Bellamy’s task is to pick up the pieces, but as events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that Ralph’s apparent suicide is not as it seems. Who has the motive to want Ralph dead?

In Bruce Harris’s perplexing and challenging ‘whodunnit’, will Inspector Bellamy succeed in solving the case, or will the shadows of deception prevail?

Author of The Judas Gene Bruce Harris lives in Devon and began writing after retiring early from a career in teaching and educational research. His educational research articles have been published in the Independent, the Times Educational Supplement and the Guardian, as well as in educational magazines. His publications include three poetry collections, three novels, and five short fiction collections. The Judas Gene is his latest novel.

Bruce explains: “This book was written during the time when my civil partner was in the final throes of a long term illness, Huntington’s Disease. Some of the themes in the novel connect with my feelings about my partner, and I do believe that the discipline of writing is a considerable help when life is threatening to take you beyond what you can cope with. In the last few weeks of my partner’s illness, I got a lot of help from Hospiscare nurses and care workers, but before then I was pretty much on my own. Writing was both an intellectual challenge and a steadying influence for me.

The Judas Gene is my fourteenth book and my previous novels have struggled to fit easily into a genre. My partner was a great fan of ‘whodunnits’, particularly Christie ones, which no doubt influenced me to write in this genre, however I also wanted to try and give the traditional ‘whodunnit’ some kind of twist, which I think I do in The Judas Gene.”

The Judas Gene published on the 28th June 2024 is available from bookshops, ISBN: 9781916668935.

Teen angst and family drama forged in nature

A NEW BOOK, The Whispering Trees, by Devon based author Alice Allan has been published by Blue Poppy Publishing.

“They call me a witch, Liv, and maybe I am, in a manner of speaking.”

Olivia doesn’t believe in magic. No sensible

person does. So why, after her dad’s accident, when she moves from London to Devon, does the hill speak to her? The hill’s guardian, Annie Tilke can’t, or won’t, explain.

At school, sparky Sadie takes her under her wing, but what about the smouldering Robert Enticott and the devoted but hopeless Wadsy? Are they friend or foe? Olivia’s dad isn’t getting better and her mum wants to move back to the city. Telling her parents she wants to stay in Devon to become a vet is the least of Olivia’s worries. Old Annie’s tormentors are becoming more menacing, the natural world is in trouble, and the mysterious voice on the hill has an urgent message that only she can interpret.

Testimonies for The Whispering Trees include: Robert MacFarlane (The Old Ways, Underland, The Lost Words etc) who said: “The Whispering Trees is a terrific book; at once haunting, witty and witchy, with the tang of the real to it as well as the shiver of the uncanny. Here are shades of Susan Cooper, echoes of Michael Morpurgo, all in a living landscape set just askew from what might be expected.”

‘Claire Reviews’ described it as: “A compelling, emotive, and beautifully written tale of friendship between protagonist Liv and shunned recluse Annie, this book is forged in nature. Sights and smells of the Devon hedgerows and countryside come alive from the pages. Perfectly portrayed teen angst offsets an evocative riddle which sees Liv playing Nancy Drew, and there’s family drama too! This is one of the most original books I have read in a long while, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.”

Published in July The Whispering Trees will be available at Waterstones and other UK bookshops. ISBN: 9781837780334.

Historical Novels reviewed by John Davis

Dominion

by C.J.Sansom

A number of authors of historical novels including Robert Harris (Fatherland), Len Deighton (SS GB) and Philip K. Dick (The Man in the High Castle) have considered an alternative view of the Second World War and posed the question: What if Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan had come out victorious instead of the Allies? In his interpretation of the theme, C.J. Sansom, who sadly died recently just as his Tudor sleuth Shardlake reached new audiences through television, starts from the premise that the appeasers succeeded after Dunkirk in 1939 and brokered a peace deal with Hitler.

Update to 1952 and we have a scenario where Lord Beaverbrook is running a puppet government of the Nazis in London with Oswald Mosely as Home Secretary while a renegade Churchill tries to mastermind a resistance movement based mainly in Scotland.

With no ‘actual’ history to root his story in, Sansom is left with a completely blank page so we also learn that over in America, Eisenhower, without a highly successful war record to bolster his campaign, has been defeated in the Presidential election by Adelai Stevenson. Into the boiling pot Sansom throws his own characters. David Fitzgerald, a civil servant turned resistance spy, his wife Sarah, top scientist Frank Muncaster, confined to a mental hospital, and the inevitable ‘baddie’ Sturmbannfuhrer Gunther Hoth, renowned man-hunter.

There are many twists and turns before the build up to an enthralling ending which, like all good stories, poses as many questions as answers. How might we have reacted faced with the same situations as the characters? The simple answer, I suppose, is that we never really know until we ourselves are confronted with the same circumstances.

Published by Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris

In Britain we were to have the Profumo Scandal, in the USA it was Watergate but in France towards the end of the nineteenth century the event that rocked the establishment to its core was The Dreyfus Affair.

Alfred Dreyfus, an army captain with Jewish ancestry, was found guilty in 1895 of passing secrets to the Germans in what, according to the evidence, looked to be an open and shut case of treason.

Disgraced and stripped of his rank and insignia in a public humiliation, Dreyfus was shipped away to serve life imprisonment on Devil’s Island, a French penal colony off the South American coast.

Into the fallout, marches Lt. Col. Georges Picquart, another real- life character, who has recently been appointed as the head of Military Intelligence. He has always had his doubts about the Dreyfus conviction but, as he begins to get closer to unmasking a more likely suspect, his fellow officers in intelligence and the Army’s top brass close ranks quicker than a well drilled parade ground display. Picquart is even posted to a spell in Tunisia to throw him off the scent but, when the eminent French novelist Emile Zola also lends his support to Dreyfus’ cause, the possibility of a miscarriage of justice gains credence.

France’s Third Republic, riddled as it was with political infighting, corruption, privilege and antisemitism, is fertile ground for intrigue and there is none better than Picquart, with Harris’ help of course, to tease out all its little subtleties.

Published by Arrow Books

Sneak Peek

A peek at what’s coming up on stage and screen near you

Just click on an image to view a trailer

Benny Page - Live

Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Friday, 19 July, 8pm. Book at: https://www.marinetheatre.com/whats-on/

Big Bananna Feet - Film

The Electric Palalce, Bridport, Thursday, 11 July, 7.30pm. Book at: https://www.electricpalace.org.uk/whats-on/

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - Film

Bridport Arts Centre, Tuesday, 16 July, 7.30pm. Book at: https://www.bridport-arts.com/whats-on/

Jim Causley and Miranda Sykes - Live

The David Hall, South Petherton, Saturday, 20 July 8.00pm. https://www.thedavidhall.com/whats-on/

96 Miles: for the 75% - Film

Bridport Arts Centre, Bridport Tuesday, 30 July 7:30pm Book at: https://www.bridport-arts.com/whats-on/

Cabaret with Balls - Live

The Lighthouse, Poole, Saturday, 20 July, 8.00pm. Book at: https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/

Michael Rosen - Live

Bridport Electric Palace, Thursday, 1 August, 11.30am. Book at: https://www.electricpalace.org.uk/whats-on/

A Small Quiet English Town - Film

The Beehive, Honiton, Friday, 26 July, 2 & 7 pm. Book at https://beehivehoniton.co.uk/

July PREVIEW

Circus from Rajasthan BRIDPORT

THE colour and drama of one of India’s most dramatic and culturally exciting regions, Rajasthan, comes to Bridport on Wednesday 24th July, when Circus Raj performs on the Millennium Green, from 3pm.

Rajasthan, famous for its beautiful “pink” capital, Jaipur, and its stunning forts and palaces, is home to elite street circus performers who come from this fascinating region’s entertainment communities. The cast of aerialists, acrobats, musicians, slack-rope walkers, giant puppet characters and the eye-watering displays by their fakir, present a colourful, vibrant, fast-moving extravaganza of intrigue, drama, feats of daring, music, laughter and surprise.

They last visited Bridport Arts Centre in 2022. Now, Circus Raj returns with an exciting and thrilling new show designed to capture the hearts and minds of audiences of all ages in Dorset and across the country, at festivals, melas, community events and carnivals.

Telephone 01308 424204 for tickets.

DYT bound for Edinburgh Fringe DORCHESTER

A TALENTED group of young people, members of DYT Performance Company, part of Dorchester Arts’ youth theatre, will be heading north of the border in August to perform a new play, Triggerfish, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Triggerfish, devised by the company with local playwright Ed Viney, describes a journey to the darkest, deepest corners of the seabed, where shipwrecks lie inland and tales of watery graves abound, exploring themes of resilience, identity, and the human spirit. Edinburgh Fringe is renowned for its celebration of new talent and this is an amazing opportunity for these young people to experience professional performance where so many received their first break.

“We are incredibly excited to bring Triggerfish to the Edinburgh Fringe, but we can’t do it alone,” says Jo Simons, artistic director of DYT Performance Company. “We need the support of our community to help us make this journey possible. Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference in bringing our vision to life.”

If you can help, please donate through the dedicated ‘DYT in Edinburgh’ web page on dorchesterarts.org.uk The play will be at The Space @ Niddry St, in Edinburgh from Monday 5th to Friday 9th August.

New direction for festival CERNE ABBAS

THE long-established and critically-acclaimed Cerne Abbas Music Festival takes a new direction this year,

Dorset Youth Theatre are taking their play, Triggerfish, to the Edinburgh Festival – some of the company are pictured on part of Dorset’s dramatic coast

with a new venue, in addition to the beautiful St Mary’s Church, and an autumn programme to look forward to, as well as the July weekend, this year from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th.

Since 1991, the Cerne Abbas festival has welcomed the Gaudier Ensemble to the village every year for a weekend of chamber music of the highest standard in a relaxed atmosphere. The Gaudier Ensemble is an international group of outstanding musicians who have brought a wonderful range of music from the 18th century to the present day with intimate solo performances alongside larger mixed ensemble works. There has always been a special atmosphere around the festival as these international musicians, directed by clarinettist Richard Hosford, have enjoyed a relaxing break from their busy touring schedules, immersing themselves in the peaceful life of this beautiful village.

The musicians this year are violinists Marieke Blankestijn, Ulrika Jansson and Gabriella Lester, violists Jane Atkins and Claire Hoffman, cellists Sally Pendlebury and Ursula Smith, Steven Williams, double bass, Maggie Cole, harpsichord and Michael Cox, flute.

The programme of concerts at the church across the weekend includes works by Corelli, Barriere, Bach, Telemann, Hummel, Dohnanyi, Rossini and Mozart. As it enters a new era, the festival will continue to present varied programmes from the established repertoire as well as lesser known works performed by musicians with a particular commitment to chamber music. The aim is to extend the scope of the festival by presenting concerts in other local venues, this year including Ashton Barn at Martinstown, where a concert at 5pm on Sunday 14th will feature Scandinavian and Scottish folk tunes, South American

nuevo tango and Austrian foxtrots.

In future festivals, the musicians will include Gaudier Ensemble members and international colleagues, outstanding young professionals at the start of their careers and students who comprise the next generation of professional musicians. Richard Hosford will continue as the festival artistic director.

Another new feature is an autumn series—details of Around Mozart, at Cerne Abbas church from 25th to 27th October will be confirmed later in the year.

Chasing Crockern DARTMOOR

DARTMOOR—like Exmoor, and Bodmin in Cornwall—is a place steeped not only in history but in myths. One significant area is Crockern Tor, once home to the Stannary Parliament, and now the inspiration for a series of story walks, organised by Devon’s Villages in Action, in July and August.

Over the centuries all three moors have inspired stories, songs and folk tales—Lorna Doone, Jamaica Inn and The Hound of the Baskervilles, among others. For thousands of years, man has left his mark on the moors and the moors have carried these memories and personal connections to new generations.

But, asks Villages in Action, what does Dartmoor mean to you? Through a series of community events, the Chasing Crockern project is hunting for stories of the moor from those who live, work or visit there today.

Crockern Tor itself has a significance in the history of the moor. Its location more or less in the middle of the moor made it an ideal venue for the Stannary Parliament, where administrative decisions were made about the management of the collection of tin. There were stannary towns in Devon and Cornwall. The word stannary comes from the Latin word for tin, stannum. The Devon towns were Plympton, Tavistock, Ashburton and Chagford. In legend, the

Richard Hosford, artistic director of Cerne Abbas Music Festival

Discover Dartmoor’s stories and legends with the Chasing Crockern story-walks

tor was said to be the home of the ancient pagan God of Dartmoor—Old Crockern.

The Crockern story walks will be an opportunity to experience live storytelling of traditional Dartmoor folk tales in the part of the moor from where they came. They will be led by Gillian Healey from Dartmoor Walking Tours alongside Dartmoor-based professional storytellers Lisa Schneidau and Sara Hurley. The tales will feature naughty pixies and shapeshifting creatures and the world premiere of The White Rock and The Black Dog, a new story created by children from Princetown Community Primary School.

Chasing Crockern explores the area’s roots, celebrating the enduring legacy of Dartmoor’s folk tales and re-imagining them in ways that resonate with modern life. Villages in Action has an ongoing programme of events, walks, talks, radio features and exhibitions over the next 18 months. The project will culminate in a new storytelling performance in 2025, toured from Crockern Tor to all four quarters of the moor.

The walks are on Sunday 14th July, from 2-5pm, starting at the Two Bridges Hotel, and taking in Crockern Tor and the edge of Wistman’s Wood; Thursday 1st August, from 10am- to 1pm around Burrator; Sunday 11th August, from 10am to 2pm, a five or six mile walk around Okehampton, meeting at the town station; and Tuesday 13th August, from 10am to 1pm, from Hound Tor, to the medieval village and Becka Brook.

Summer rep season SIDMOUTH

THE summer rep season has returned to Sidmouth Manor Pavilion—the three-month series of plays is now the only surviving traditional summer rep, and this year audiences are treated not only to the familiar mix of crime and comedy, but also to some newer and more adventurous plays and a brand-new comedy-thriller by the creator of the brilliant fourperson adaptation of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps.

After opening with a traditional Francis Durbridge thriller, the season continues with Noel Coward’s timeless comedy of an artistic and dysfunctional family, Hay Fever, from 1st to 6th July. The third play is back to crime, with the off-Broadway hit, Warren

Manzi’s Perfect Crime, from 8th to 13th July.

There is then a run of four comedies—the endlessly beloved Yes, Prime Minister, for the week starting 15th July, Richard Harris’ Party Piece, set in the back gardens of feuding neighbours, for the week from 22nd July, Yazmina Reza’s zeitgeist comedy God of Carnage, in which two couples expose all their prejudices and insecurities after one couple’s son hits the other’s, from 29th July, and another comedy that is utterly of its time, Abigail’s Party, Mike Leigh’s satire of 1970s suburban social-climbers, from 12th August.

Later in the season, there is Peter James’ police thriller Looking Good Dead, Alan Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singular, Terence Rattigan’s wartime drawing room comedy, While the Sun Shines, and Ira Levin’s Deathtrap

The season ends with an absolute epic as Sidmouth stages one of the greatest stories ever to grace the wide screen—Ben Hur. Famously staged in late 19th century theatres, particularly in the American south west, often with real chariot races (with horses!), this version by Patrick Barlow, features just four actors, but we are promised the chariot race—and a sea battle (with actual water)! It runs from 16th to 21st September.

A musical flower HONITON

BRISTOL-based musician and contemporary folk songwriter Hannah Pawson, who performs as Fritillaries, comes to Honiton’s Beehive centre for a solo concert on Thursday 11th July.

Taking her name from the Snake’s Head Fritillary, a flower of rebirth and hope, Hannah weaves worlds into her songs accompanying herself with guitar, banjo and harmonium.

While she has been honing her songwriting and live performances since 2017, the arrival of her 2022 debut album resulted in her gaining well-deserved attention and acclaim. Performing as a solo artist, after some years in a duo with Gabriel Wynne, her new music explores her relationship to grief, uncertainty and dealing with chronic illness. Living, loving and songwriting can all feel like gardening; bringing something beautiful into the world from the depths of the earth and through complicated root systems.

Folk singer Fritillariescomes to the Beehive Centre in Honiton

PREVIEW

Hardy novel opera premiere BRYANSTON

DORSET Opera celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, with performances of one of the world’s bestloved operas and the premiere of an opera adapted from a favourite Thomas Hardy novel, with its roots firmly in Dorset. There will be seven performances of the two works at Bryanston School’s Coade Hall, Blandford Forum, from 22nd to 27th July.

The title role in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly will be sung by the Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura, who has recently sung the role at Covent Garden, with rising star tenor Jose Simerillo Romero as the callous Pinkerton. There will be four performances of Butterfly on the evenings of 22nd, 24th and 27th July, plus a 2pm matinee on Thursday 25th.

Paul Carr’s new opera, Under the Greenwood Tree, is based on Thomas Hardy’s much-loved early novel, which has the subtitle The Mellstock Quire. It is set in the village where Hardy was born. Unlike some of his famous later novels with their dark themes—Tess of the D’Urbervilles, The Return of the Native, The Master Builder, Jude the Obscure—this is a bright and optimistic tale of likeable country folk and of the growing love between schoolmistress Fancy Day and farmer Dick Dewy. There are three performances of the new opera, on Tuesday 23rd and Thursday 25th July at 7pm and Saturday 27th at 2pm.

The story is set against the fate of the village’s traditional West Gallery choir, which is threatened by the march of modernism, in the shape of a church organ. This was a world that Hardy knew well, and

Jamie Groote will sing the role of Fancy Day and Felix Kemp will be Dick Dewy in the world premiere of Gavin Carr’s opera, Under the Greenwood Tree, based on Thomas Hardy’s early novel, at this year’s 50th anniversary Dorset Opera Festival

he tells the story with real affection. It is an endearing tale and has been filmed and adapted for television and stage—now Dorset audiences can experience it in musical glory as an opera, with soprano Jamie Groote as Fancy Day and baritone Felix Kemp as Dick Dewy. If you have read the novel, you’ll know how wonderfully it lends itself to an opera. Composer Paul Carr’s melodies are tuneful and lyrical and the opera captures the essence of Hardy’s pastoral world while bringing a fresh perspective to his timeless tale of love and tradition in the face of change. This will be a treat for opera enthusiasts and fans of Hardy’s literature alike.

Founded in 1974 in Sherborne, Dorset Opera moved to Bryanston and became a fully-fledged festival in 2011, with a remit to present at least two major opera productions each summer. At the end of July each year, the Dorset Opera Festival gives three or four performances each of two fully-staged operas, usually in the original language, with full orchestra and internationally acclaimed soloists alongside emerging British artists and the summer school chorus.

Wind quintet on tour CONCERTS IN THE WEST

AN award-winning quintet of young woodwind players, Lumas Winds, comes to Dorset and Somerset from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st July for a Concerts in the West series. The wide-ranging programme includes works by Valerie Coleman, Shostakovich and Gyorgy Ligeti.

Lumas Winds will be at Bridport Arts Centre on Friday 19th July for the regular coffee concert, at 11.30am, and Ilminster Arts Centre that evening at 7.30pm, Crewkerne Dance House on Saturday 20th at 7.30pm and St Peter’s Church, Shaftesbury on Sunday 21st at 3pm.

Based in London, this dynamic young chamber ensemble won the 71st Royal Over-Seas League Mixed Ensemble Prize in 2023,. They are committed ambassadors for wind chamber music and the rich variety of repertoire that it offers. The ensemble are Making Music’s Phillip and Dorothy Green Young Artists and earlier this year had a residency at Aldeburgh as Britten Pears Young Artists.

Beth Stone, flute, Chris Vettraino, oboe, Benjamin Hartnell-Booth, French horn, Rennie Sutherland, clarinet, and Florence Plane, bassoon, will play Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles, Valerie Coleman’s Afro-Cuban Concerto, a quartet by Dvořák, Shostakovich’s Suite for Wind Quintet, John Blackwood McEwen’s Under Northern Skies and a wind quintet by Carl Nielsen.

Alongside classics of the repertoire Lumas enjoy exploring works not currently in the canon but which

Lumas Winds bring a varied programme to Bridport, Ilminster, Crewkerne and Shaftesbury for the July series of Concerts in the West

they believe deserve to be. This is highlighted in the six hidden gems featured on their 2023 debut album, which brings together repertoire from every decade from 1960 to 2010, including three world premiere recordings of music by Sally Beamish, Gavin Higgins and Elizabeth Maconchy.

Parisian jazz by the sea

LYME REGIS

CELEBRATE the music and style of Paris on Bastille Day, Sunday 14th July, when singer Magdalena Atkinson performs classic French chansons at Jazz by the Sea—Le Voyage à Paris, at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, at 8pm.

Accompanied by Marine Theatre favourite, pianist Philip Clouts, she will sing a varied programme of well-loved songs from the greats of French 20th century cabaret song, including Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet and Charles Aznavour.

Magdalena’s singing is not an impersonation but an interpretation, always heartfelt, sometimes humorous. Musical highlights include Milord, La Vie en Rose, Mon Dieu and, of course, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

Edith Piaf was one of the most popular performers

Screen Time

with Nic Jeune

Top Six at the Flix

Bridport Arts Centre

The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of The Desert.

Also playing at Bristol Pride on 6th July. “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert presents a defiant culture clash in generous, warmly entertaining ways.” The New York Times. Janet Maslin

Bridport Electric Palace

The Beast (2024)

“Across each twist in time and place that can rush together without warning, the grounding force to it all is Seydoux.” Collider. Chase Hutchinson.

BBC iPlayer

Everything went fine (2021)

Francois Ozon adapted the memoir of his collaborator and screenwriter Emmanuele Bernheim “André Dussollier and Sophie Marceau are outstanding as a father and daughter whose tricky relationship is upended when he asks for her help to die” The Guardian. Peter Bradshaw.

Netflix

The Spy Game (2001)

Fascinating to watch Robert Redford’s old Sundance charm against Brad Pitt “The film is brimming with plots, counterplots, dossiers, and sinister corrupt priorities, all held together by the telephoto obsidian gloss of Scott’s lookma-no-pauses style.” Entertainment Weekly. Owen Gleiberman

Disney Plus

Jim Henson: Idea Man

“Henson and Howard are a fine match, and the sort of film you’d expect Ron Howard to make—straightforward, skillful, honest and sympathetic—is pretty much the kind of movie you’d want about Jim Henson.” The Wrap. Steve Pond.

Mubi

Alice in the Cities (1974)

“A fine and perhaps unique example of that trickiest of genres, the road movie, and the sort of film that really does deserve the cliched response: they don’t make them like that any more, because they really don’t.” The Guardian. Peter Bradshaw

in France during the Second World War. Her nervous energy and small stature inspired the nickname that stayed with her all her life: La Môme Piaf (“The Little Sparrow”)

She commissioned songs that romanticised her life on the streets, emphasising her passion and inner strength. Her music was often autobiographical with her singing reflecting her life, particularly in songs of love, loss and sorrow. She died in 1963. Her last words were: “Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for.”

Malawi buskers on tour LYME REGIS

A DUO from Malawi who were discovered busking outside a shopping centre in 2009 have gone on to gain a reputation across Africa and Europe for vibrant and exciting music. The Madalitso Band is coming to the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis on Wednesday 24th July at 8pm.

Described as “a two-man musical army,” babatone player Yobu Malinga and guitarist Yosefe Kalekeni really get the crowd on their feet dancing wherever they play. With their strong vocals and traditional music style, they have become favourites with festival audiences including at Womad, Roskilde and Sauti Za Busara, the Zanzibar-based African music festival.

The babatone is a home-made instrument popular in Malawi. Together with Kalakeni’s four-string guitar, the duo create the traditional Malawi ‘banjo’ sound.

Comedy first DORCHESTER

MAYBE laughter isn’t the first thing that comes to mind if you think about Thomas Hardy, but Tom Browns at Dorchester is aiming to change all that with the launch of Hardy Har, the town’s first comedy festival, on Saturday 13th July.

Laughter comes to High East Street as Tom Browns pub joins forces with Dorchester Arts, The Kings Arms and Shire Hall museum to host the festival. The day will include an array of comedy performances from stand-up to sketch shows. There’s also plenty for the family as The Great Baldini takes the stage at Dorchester Arts followed by a free improv performance by Brave Bold Drama.

Tickets are available from eventbrite.co.uk.

The Madalitso Band bring the sounds and rhythms of Malawi to Lyme Regis

A

midsummer Lyme delight

LYME REGIS

ANDREW Rattenbury has done it again—after finding drama and laughter in some of Lyme’s historic events, the actor-playwright brought the magic and mayhem of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream into modern-day Lyme Regis with a colourful and clever mash-up of the Bard’s comedy and the lives and memories of local people.

A Midsummer Lyme’s Dream, staged at the Marine Theatre during the very unsummery late days of June, had all the familiar Shakespeare characters—including Oberon, Titania, Puck and Bottom with his fellow hempen homespuns—but also delved into memories of growing up in Lyme, why locals love the town and some of the famous people who lived or visited, including Jane Austen, Tom Jones’ creator Henry Fielding and (of course) the best-known Lyme native, Mary Anning,

The action was framed around plans for a midsummer celebration, and a group of local actors who have got together to make a play for the event. Meanwhile, warring fairies Titania and Oberon and their mischievous followers are conducting their domestic battles through the woods around a much-loved wych elm. Two runaway lovers arrange to meet by the tree and two other young people follow them … you know the story.

With great music—from pop and rock to Vivaldi and Bach—and gorgeous, imaginative costumes, this was an evening of laughter and nostalgia, a true celebration of what makes Lyme Regis special (and why Shakespeare is truly for all time!)

A Small Quiet English Town SIDMOUTH

AS Sidmouth prepares for its week-long folk festival in August, a documentary about the town and its long relationship with folk music is released, with screenings at Honiton’s Beehive Centre on 26th July, at 2pm and 7pm.

A Small Quiet English Town—A Sidmouth Folk Story, by TPL Films, is a journey through the long history of the festival, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

The producers used previously unseen film and photographs donated through archive collections or found in attics, sheds and even rubbish skips, after decades of neglect, to tell the story of what is said to be Europe’s longest running folk festival,

With interviews, performances and memories from festivals going back decades, it tells the story of how Sidmouth Folk Week became the highpoint in the English folk calendar.

Among legendary and contemporary folk stars featured in the film are Ralph McTell (Streets of London), Steve Knightley of Show of Hands, India Electric Company, Lori Campbell, Edgelarks and The Oysterband.

The Young Lit Fix

by Usborne Paperback £7.99

Review by Nicky

OUT to sea, near a town called Elston-Fright is a tiny island that nobody on the mainland can see. It’s not that it’s invisible, rather that it is instantly forgotten: The Rock-ThatDoesn’t-Exist.

On this rock is a dusty, falling down shack and in this shack live 3 witches. What the witches don’t know is that they are not the only ones residing there.

It is also home to a ghost called Corpse.

Long ago the witches took something from Corpse. She has no idea what it was. She doesn’t remember anything about her life, not even her real name, but a visit from a mysterious old man ghost, changes all that.

He gives her a message from a supposed “friend” telling her of the treasure that was stolen and where she should start looking for it. Corpse doesn’t know how she is going to get off The-Rock-That-Doesn’t-Exist, but she is certain that finding this treasure will give her back her lost memories of her name, her life and her family.

Things aren’t that simple though, especially when you’re a ghost and there are 3 witches on your tail, but what does she have to lose?

A documentary about Sidmouth’s Folk Festival showing at The Beehive in Honiton in July

This is a fabulously quirky, spooky, adventure which I thoroughly enjoyed. Great twists and turns to the plot and instantly likeable characters. It’s a must read for adventure and mystery fans aged 9+

10%

A Girl Called Corpse By Reece Carter Illustrations by Eleonora Asparuhova Published

Mathewson

Austerity spending cuts cost average person nearly half year in life expectancy

The government’s austerity spending cuts cost the average person in the UK nearly half a year in life expectancy between 2010 and 2019, according to a new working paper published by the London School of Economics and Political Science’s (LSE) International Inequalities Institute and written by researchers at LSE and King’s College London.

The research found that life expectancy dropped by an average of five months for women and three months for men. This equates to about 190,000 excess deaths, or a three per cent increase in mortality rates over the period.

Factors responsible for these deaths include ‘deaths of despair’ from drug poisoning. Changes in healthcare spending and welfare accounted for 1000 such deaths which were preventable—approximately three per cent of all drug-poisoning deaths in England and Wales between 2010 and 2019.

Another factor in the increased death rate was the decline in ambulance response quality during the

austerity years. In 2008, ambulances reached the scene within 19 minutes for 96.6 per cent of emergency calls, but by 2017 this had dropped to 89.6 per cent. Part of this decline was due to changes in healthcare spending, resulting in over 35,000 people being at higher mortality risk.

Dr Yonatan Berman, Lecturer in Economics at King’s College London and Visiting Fellow at the LSE’s International Inequalities Institute, and one of the authors of the working paper, said: ‘The level of excess deaths resulting from austerity measures represents a very substantial loss for society.’

The researchers compared local authority districts across the UK that experienced varying levels of austerity, both before and after the 2010 austerity measures were implemented. This allowed them to identify changes in life expectancy and mortality rates during the 2010s that were likely attributable to austerity measures rather than to pre-existing differences between districts.

Raleigh “Array” Electric Bike, Adult Stepthrough, blue, hardly used, must be seen, £450 o.n.o. Tel: (01395) 516975.

Vintage Tin Toys. Collection of 20 vintage/ old tin toys 1950-80s. Motorcycles, trains, cars, planes many with their boxes. Come and see or I can email you photos. Individual or whole range from £10 - £35 each. Bridport 07885 171606. Large 3 piece aluminium ladder with platform £70.00 electric hedge trimmer £40.00 complete set of books by Sua Grafton£10.00. 01297 24745.

g-mac velocity eger 22-05 s560 140150 . Very

Little used. £25.00. Tel 01297678602.

“Riding” (The Horse Lovers Magazine). 115 copies 1937 to 1952. Offers Tel: 01308 868612. FREE. Very solid pine book shelves. Approx. 5’ long x 3’ high. Needs painting. Tel: 01308 868612.

Antique mahogany kneehole desk with removable top. Has a history of link with the Hardye Grammar School in Dorchester - found in drawers, ‘Quater-Centenary Development Plan’ for the school, 1979 ‘Report’ magazine, (published for Members by the Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association),

1969 part newspaper and a Memorial Service booklet for the poet T.S Eliot at East Coker Church in 1965. Valued at £220£250, negotiable as I am downsizing! 01395 348024 to request pictures. Terracotta clay garden pots 10 inch and 8 inch. £10. 2 washstand marble tops 1 36inch x 18 inch semi circle, the other 24 inch x 18 inch in white marble £25. Can supply photos for pots and marble tops. Seaton. 0129722603. Ten birth tepee tent (Robens Mescalero) in excellent condition. It has a zipped in groundsheet and fully fitted carpet and has only been used for 2 nights. One centre pole

assembly. £375 Telephone 07989625544 nr Taunton. Aluminium milk churn,5 gal. Clares churn trolley, old but still works. £100 pair. Wooden tombola drum on stand. £5. Wooden long box till £10. 01823 480440 (Ilminster area).

Blackwall 220 litre compost bin £20 ring 01297 443930. 2 new rolls of code 4 lead flashing size 2.218m x 750mm £80. 1 new roll of code 4 lead flashing 2.900m x 390mm. £60. All surplus to requirement. Tel 01460 220181. Ercol windsor goldsmith carver chair £150 ono phone 01297 443930 to view.

Vintage Ercol easychair low armchair Yorkshire design circa 1960s. Has new webbing, recovered in chintz as new £500, matching footstall £200 phone 01297443930. Tennis skirt, unworn from John Lewis white pleated, 26” waist (medium) £10. Tennis racquet Dunlop max27 with cover £10. Squash racquet Carlton with cover £10 call 01297 443930.

Single bed 2 draw divan, with mattress & headboard, only used for few months, excellent condition, £90.00. Sofa bed with storage, dark grey hardly used, excellent condition, £250.00 ono. Please call 07786 945981.

CHIMNEY SWEEP WANTED

Stamps & Coins wanted by collector / investor. We are keen to purchase small or large collections at this time. Tel Rod 01308 863790 or 07802261339.

Coins wanted. Part or full collections purchased for cash. Please phone John on 01460 62109 or 07980 165047.

Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975

Do you have a shed / garage full of old tools, car bits, unfinished projects etc? I buy job-lots of vintage items. Also enamel signs & slot machines & complete collections, 07875677897

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

Collectables, bygones, vintage, autojumble, Job-lots & collections a specialty. Good prices paid 07875677897

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

TUITION

Piano, violin, theory tuition at your home. Highly qualified teacher. Adults and children welcome. Beginners to advanced. Dr Thomas Gold 07917 835781.

RESTORATION

FURNITURE

Antique restoration and bespoke furniture. Furniture large and small carefully restored and new commissions undertaken. French polishing, chair repairs and modern hand finishes. Phil Meadley 01297 560335

advertise here email: info@ marshwoodvale.com

WANTED

Tractors and Machinery, Pick-up Vans and Tippers. Best prices paid. Tel. 07971 866364.