Marshwood+ December 2021

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© Nick Tomlinson Photograph by Robin Mills

The best from West Dorset, South Somerset and East Devon No. 273 December 2021

COVER STORY Robin Mills met Nick Tomlinson near Longburton, Dorset

© Nick Tomlinson Photograph by Robin Mills

’L

ike a lot of people in my line of work I grew up obsessed with the natural world. My childhood was spent on a farm in the Lake District with wonders like toads in the garden and crayfish in the stream, and I spent hours and hours just pootling in the garden, seeing what I could find, and revelling in it. I found school a bit of a distraction from what I really wanted to be doing, so didn’t achieve much academically at that time.

I joined the Navy at 16, a life which took me away from my childhood interest, but even then, out at sea, there were the birds to watch, so that fascination’s never completely gone away. I had started work in a hotel kitchen and thought I was going to be a chef, but a lot of my mates joined the forces at that age and I did the same. I was in the Navy for over 10 years, and loved the life, seeing many different parts of the world. But looking back I think of that time as having been a bit asleep, and when I left my fascination with nature reawakened.

I went back to college and got an OND, then went to University and got a degree in physics. Studying for a scientific degree, although in a subject not directly connected to what turned out to be my working life, fulfilled something which has always been a Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 3

Nick Tomlinson big part of my nature—a need to find out how things work, and why.

I worked for a while in industry and in the public sector, then in 1999 I got my first job in conservation, which was comparatively late in life. All through my OND and degree courses I had been volunteering on a local nature reserve, and at one point I thought I might pack up the degree and go to work there full time, but after discussing it with my wife thought better of it and finished the course. So it took me a long time to get my toe through the door.

My first job in conservation was for the RSPB at Radipole Lake in Weymouth, working in the visitor centre. My previous job had been in IT, so I took a big pay cut, but the quality of life went through the roof. It’s an amazing place, teeming with all sorts of wildlife, even though it is situated in the middle of a town, and I think that was where my interest in bats took hold. My wife and I joined a course run by the Dorset Wildlife Trust to train as volunteer roost visitors, which enabled me to advise people what to do with bat roosts in their houses, and I was immediately hooked.

I soon realised that Radipole was absolutely heaving with bats. Later we found that there were Nathusius’ Pipistrelles (a migrant species from Scandinavia and Russia) and Brandt’s bats, both comparatively rare species, to be found there. Then I went to work for the Bat Conservation Trust, who are the leading non-governmental body for bat conservation in the UK. Coming back to Weymouth a year later I was site manager for the RSPB’s Weymouth and Lodmoor nature reserves for 7 years. And after a spell working for both Dorset and Somerset Wildlife Trusts, I went self-employed 6 years ago.

In the early days most of my work was about advising homeowners who wanted to convert a loft or build an extension, who needed to get a bat survey done to help with planning. I would guide them through the process so that they got the development they wanted but the bats were also safeguarded. I also run a number of research projects, some of which are voluntary, such as radio tracking the rare Bechstein’s bats here at Clive Farrell’s Ryewater Nursery.

I am slowly doing more and more research projects, and I find the work fascinating. One of the things I love about these creatures is the challenge of studying them. They fly at night for a start, which brings its own challenges, and they use echolocation to navigate, so you need to understand how that works, which is something we only discovered in the middle of the last century. If you compare our knowledge of bats to what we know about birds, there is still so much to learn. For instance radio tracking Greater Horseshoe bats recently was hugely satisfying because we found all sorts of information we didn’t know before. One big unknown is we don’t actually know where over 90% of our bats spend the winter. I’m now applying the results of my research to working with organisations like the National Trust, Natural England, and the Wildlife Trusts

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and that’s where I’d like to see the future of my work going, encouraging everyone to do the best for bats.

In the UK there are 17 or 18 species of bat, of which 9 are on the UK Mammal Society’s red list, which puts them in the same category as so many species these days, at risk of extinction. Sometimes we simply don’t know enough about that species’ population numbers or its habitat use.

But bats use many sites to roost, which include buildings which often get converted or developed, so they lose places to breed—and bats are very particular about their breeding sites. Their food source, insects, has also declined massively over the last 30 or 40 years. Light pollution is another big one; as a sweeping statement, bats don’t like light at night, so street lighting and illuminated buildings are a problem.

Sometimes they have a fantastic place to live, and a great source of food, but they can’t get from one to the other because features in the landscape which they move through, like hedges, have gone, or there’s too much illumination. We think some species’ numbers are improving due to legislation and conservation measures, but there’s still a lot to do.

Planning for development now has to take account of biodiversity gain, so places for wildlife species to live have to be designed in to new schemes. But the simplest thing anyone can do is to allow places to be a bit more untidy.

Leave a few patches of nettles and brambles in your garden and stop being so neat. Wildlife can thrive in urban settings if all the right conditions are there; Radipole is a good example, because although it’s surrounded by housing and street lighting, there’s a fantastic dark corridor formed by the river Wey along which bats can travel.

In fact, Dorset is one of the best counties for bats in the UK and, like many other counties, it has its own voluntary group, the Dorset Bat Group. We undertake a range of surveys and activities that give people the chance to get up close and personal with some of the country’s rarest animals and the great news is you do not need any experience or knowledge, we welcome anyone and everyone.

We also run a series of research projects, aimed at trying to understand our bats a little better and safeguard them for the future, part of which also includes running training courses for people who would like to learn a bit more and perhaps work towards running their own projects.

Each winter, for the last three years, we have had a series of on-line evening talks, exploring the world of bats, both in the UK and around the world (we’ve got a talk on vampires this year!). Hopefully, by next year, we’ll get back to holding these events in person. As with many things, the last couple of years have been a bit of a challenge, thanks to Covid, and we have not done as much as we might have wished, but we are re-starting things, slowly and, by next year, we hope to restart our regular programme of events, including talks and walks for the public, which act as kind of taster sessions to see if these amazing creatures fascinate you as much as they do us!

’

© Nick Tomlinson Photograph by Robin Mills

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UP FRONT After the last couple of years, I guess we’re all ready for a season of goodwill: a time to think of friends and family, spread some Christmas cheer, bury the hatchet (no, not like that!) and get involved in a little bit of kindness. Let’s face it there is no shortage of Christmas movies showing us how we can make this a better world. In a recent discussion about kindness on Radio 4, one of the participants in the show, Jennifer Nadel, from the organisation Compassion in Politics, pointed out some of the advantages of putting kindness at the forefront of how we live our lives. ‘If we are fear-based and we focus on the things we fear, we will become more fearful’ she said. ‘If we focus on kindness, we will become more kind.’ On the same programme, Pinky Lilani, Founder and Chair of the Women of the Future Programmes, said she made a habit of carrying five chocolate gold coins with her every day to give out to people who are nice to her. Other than the occasional person saying they don’t like chocolate, she gets a very positive response. The value of actions such as this has been identified in many research projects and may well seem obvious; that there is usually a ripple effect spreading from a single act of kindness that brightens up other people’s lives throughout the day. Asked whether there was a time when there was more kindness in politics, Jennifer Nadel pointed out that one of the most impressive times in this country’s history was the period after the Second World War and the establishment of the welfare state. ‘Everyone had a common goal to try and pay something back to those that had laid down their lives’ she said. However, she also explained that lately we have begun to forget the horrors that humanity can inflict on itself. With a slew of individual agendas prowling the digital world it is easy to be distracted from the benefits of real community engagement and collective interaction. So, looking at the selection of events and gatherings scheduled for the coming month, it’s heart-warming to see that in the run-up to Christmas there are many opportunities for people to catch up and refresh, especially after a time of enormous upheaval—mentally, physically, personally and politically. Merry Christmas.

Fergus Byrne

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

THIS MONTH

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Cover Story By Robin Mills Mapperton - opening the archives By Fergus Byrne Past Present and Future - Lee Elliot Major Event News and Courses News & Views Latterly Speaking By Humphrey Walwyn The Holly & The Ivy By Philip Strange Buried Heads (in the sand) By Cecil Amor

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

36 36 38 40

Food & Dining Festive Mini Croissants By Lesley Waters Pheasant and Squash Curry By Mark Hix Sharing a Brew By Fergus Byrne

42 Arts & Entertainment 42 Los Pacaminos By Fergus Byrne 46 Preview By Gay Pirrie Weir 51 Young Lit Fix By Antonia Squire 52 Galleries 55 Screen Time By Nic Jeune

56 Health & Beauty 57 Services & Classified “As a general rule, the freedom of any people can be judged by the volume of their laughter.”

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Editorial Director Fergus Byrne

Contributors

Deputy Editor

Cecil Amor Seth Dellow Helen Fisher Richard Gahagan Mark Hix Nic Jeune Russell Jordan

Victoria Byrne

Design

People Magazines Ltd

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Fergus Byrne info@marshwoodvale.com

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Robin Mills Gay Pirrie Weir Antonia Squire Philip Strange Humphrey Walwyn Lesley Waters Ashley Wheeler

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

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

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

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

Mapperton — opening the archives A glorious sandstone manor house and romantic valley garden in Dorset, Mapperton has graced the silver screen in movies like Far From the Madding Crowd and Emma. It has also been the backdrop to many a romantic wedding. Now local historian Dr Tim Connor has written the first history of the estate.

F

ollowing on from his books about Wytherston, North Eggardon Farm, West Milton and The Literary and Scientific Institute, Bridport, locally based historian Dr Tim Conner has recently written a book about the Mapperton Estate near Beaminster. Describing it as a ‘lockdown’ book, Tim Conner says that although it benefitted from a huge amount of information available online it was ‘impoverished by the inaccessibility of archives and libraries’. However, that doesn’t detract from what is a fascinating examination of the history of the house and estate.

It begins in the mid-sixteenth century when the then owner Robert Morgan left instructions in his will that his widow was to continue living at Mapperton after his death.

The same declaration also insisted that four daughters were to receive a financial remuneration if, and only if, they obeyed their mother in the matter of whom they would marry. His instructions also dictated that his eldest son John was to receive no legacy if he interfered with his father’s wishes. Morgan’s concerns turned out to be wellfounded when his eldest son not only immediately installed himself at Mapperton but later murdered his brother-inlaw over an argument about his sister’s religious loyalty. He was subsequently hanged in Chard in 1580.

Through marriage, the next inhabitants of Mapperton were the Brodrepps and Tim Conner relates a detailed history of the family’s involvement in local community activity as well as Whig politics. The family’s tenure is all set against a background of great upheaval in England.

He also highlights Brodrepp marriage links to the Strode family at Parnham.

In 1775 an advert in the Evening Post advertised Mapperton as available to let. It was promoted as a ‘very good house, fit for a genteel family’ and described as ‘situated in a cheap, healthy and pleasant country one mile from Beaminster and five from Bridport’. The long period that Mapperton was occupied by tenants meant the building remained unaltered and this is the sort of detail where Tim Connor excels. His knowledge and fascination with architectural heritage ensure constant revelation about the house and the surrounding estates, as well as links to architecture in nearby buildings.

He writes about Henry Francis Compton who helped pay for the building of the vestry to the church in 1908 as well as the gamekeeper’s cottage in 1910. Compton, who also owned substantial estates in Melplash, is credited

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with bringing the Jacobean chimneypiece to the big house in Mapperton. Tim Connor suggests this may have been a much-needed diversion after Compton had been elected to parliament for only a brief moment before his government resigned just two days after his poll. Compton’s efforts to improve the buildings came to an abrupt end with the advent of the first World War. He decided to sell his holdings and a map from the sale catalogue of 1919, reproduced in the book, shows the estate being sold off in various lots. The house was described as a ‘Lovely specimen of the Tudor and Jacobean periods harmoniously blended’.

It was bought by Mrs Ethel Labouchère the widow of Charles Henry Labouchère, a partner in Barings Bank. Tim Conner writes about the now much admired Mapperton Gardens where Mrs Labouchère appears to have focused her attention. It was after her death in 1955 that the property was purchased by Vicount Hinchinbrooke better known as ‘Hinch’ or Victor Montagu after he disclaimed his peerages. Thus began the Montagu tenure which was handed on by Hinch’s son John to his son Luke Montagu.

Today, Luke along with his wife Julie now run the estate.

Tim Connor’s book is a welcome addition to the history of the area. The Countess of Sandwich says: ‘This is the first complete history of Mapperton, telling gripping stories of the Morgans, Brodrepps and other families who have lived in this parish over the last 600 years, descending often through the female line.

‘The author has found his way into libraries and archives during the lockdown and has produced a range of incidents and lives of characters connected with Mapperton and surrounding farms. He also links in the national story of Catholics versus Protestants, cavaliers and roundheads, Whigs and Tories, so that the reader is given a refreshing history lesson, just in time for Christmas.’

The Earl of Sandwich added: ‘Tim Connor’s new social history of Mapperton deserves a wide readership, combining a remarkable depth of research with skilled storytelling.’

Mapperton by Dr Tim Connor is available at £15 from the Mapperton Estate Office or website, as well as some local bookshops.

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Past, Present and FUTURE Lee Elliot Major talks to Seth Dellow

By Fergus Byrne

I

n Seth Dellow’s audio interview with Lee Elliot Major, the country’s first Professor of Social Mobility, Lee remembers his time as a dustman working for the council.

He was earning money to get through college and recalls how he spent a lot of time dwelling on ‘societal issues’ and thinking about life. He also remembers how the people he worked with on the dust cart were ‘bright’ and ‘generous’.

Despite initially finding some of them ‘quite challenging’ he worked hard and in time they became proud of the fact that this youngster was going to university, even gathering a selection of discarded items that they thought he might find useful. He says it was a tough job that at his age now he would find hard to do, but it offered valuable life lessons. ‘I learnt things like resilience, sticking at something, learning how to manage people’ he says.

Today, as the country’s (and possibly the world’s) first Professor of Social Mobility, appointed by the University of Exeter, he has become a global leader in the field. His work is dedicated to improving the prospects of disadvantaged young people. He tells Seth how he feels he has been obsessed with the concept of social mobility most of his life. Despite studying for a PhD in Theoretical Physics, at heart, he says ‘I was always a secret social scientist’. His niche area is ‘how to improve the prospects of, particularly, the disadvantaged young people’. He says that ‘Britain has very low social mobility compared to many countries, and indeed, the South West has particular challenges’.

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One of the many issues that Lee discusses with Seth is the gap created by those with the advantage of having parents who can pay for private tutoring. ‘We’ve seen a huge boom in levels of private tutoring’ he says. ‘But what’s interesting is that that now exists in universities as well as schools.’ He calls it ‘the escalating arms race of education.’

It’s a situation where he believes exam results may not be the indicators of talent. ‘Richer parents’ he explains, ‘are investing ever more money and time into their children’s education and the worry about that is, that means they pull further and further away from children that don’t have that background.’ Increasingly, he believes, ‘A Levels are as much a signal of someone’s background, how wealthy they are, as their academic ability. So for universities, it’s quite hard actually now because you’ve got to try and identify talent wherever it comes from. And I don’t know if you can just rely on A-Level grades now.’

‘I think we suffer from poverty blindness in this country, particularly in places like Westminster and Whitehall.’

Lee did his degree in Sheffield and is very aware of how much location impacts social mobility and opportunity. ‘When I go back now to Sheffield, I’m shocked by how different Sheffield is compared to London’ he says. ‘London has just boomed. You look around London, the wealth in London, it is one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Sheffield on the other hand, and I think to a lesser extent this still applies to somewhere like Exeter and indeed the South West more generally, has suffered over the years and there just isn’t as much money going into these places.’ He sees a ‘huge exacerbation’ in the wealth divide.

He is also aware of the gaps in the ‘levelling up’ agenda which has always been presented as a North-South divide.

Whilst he agrees there is an enormous need to level up opportunities between North and South he is pushing for the South West to be part of that narrative. ‘When we looked at the data’ he says, ‘what we found was the South West has some of the poorest outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.’ He says it also has ‘one of the poorest rates of university entry for young people.’ One of the problems, he believes, is that because the South West is ‘one of the most attractive, possibly the most attractive region in the country’, it is a place where lots of people want to go away for holiday and to buy second homes. ‘Yet that kind of obscures the levels of poverty in the South West.’

As a keen vinyl collector Lee travels to find records, so is very aware of differences in local areas. ‘I go to charity shops in Paignton or Torquay or market towns and it’s quite

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shocking when you go’ he says. ‘I think we suffer from poverty blindness in this country, particularly in places like Westminster and Whitehall. They don’t know what really exists in places like the South West or the North East.’

The pandemic has, inevitably, made things worse.

However, we are only at the tip of the iceberg. Although the government are putting some money into education it is nowhere near enough. Lee explains: ‘I would say they could probably do 10 times more than they are currently doing. And if you don’t address these issues for the under 25s, I think you store up huge problems for society, for later decades.’

He fears a point will come where people will have had enough. ‘Some people have predicted that there will be an unravelling in society. If we don’t address these profound inequalities, at some point, maybe we will have some sort of uprising. Because people will get to a point where there’s nothing to lose. What stake have they got in society?’

Prior to his post at the University of Exeter Lee Elliot Major was Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust and a founding trustee of the Education Endowment Foundation. The Sutton Trust is the country’s leading foundation trying to improve social mobility. Prior to that he was an educational journalist and has written four books on education and social mobility. In his interview with Seth, he also talks at length about the complexities of social class and some of the strategies that could be utilised to bring about meaningful and valuable change—reforms that would benefit society as a whole rather than just a levelling up. He would like to see education that is not only academically focused. He says: ‘If we could create a credible vocational offering that was connected to jobs in schools, in apprenticeships that had as much money and status as the academic routes, I think that would be a huge thing for social mobility.’

He believes there are a number of initiatives that government should be looking at to help create effective and beneficial balance. Funding may need to come from a wealth tax and changes to inheritance tax and he would like to see programmes to help parents understand the benefits of helping children with basic numeracy and reading before the children start school. He is really interested in what he calls a ‘cradle to school’ service. ‘Everyone talks about catch-up, but schools are in the catch-up game from day one.’

Asked how politicians can achieve substantive policy on social mobility Lee suggests an independent body should be created to develop a ‘long term, steady policy.’ Although there is a Social Mobility Commission within government he would like to see an independent organisation that would ‘scrutinise what government is doing’ and suggest long term strategies. ‘Recovering from the pandemic is going to take years’ says Lee. ‘So this would be a body that would outline long term planning and you’d have to have some accountability around that.’

Seth Dellow’s full interview with Lee Elliot Major is available to listen to on the Marshwood Vale Magazine website.

Visit www.marshwoodvale.com.

December

EVENTS AND COURSES 1 December

East Devon Ramblers 8 Mile moderate walk with East Devon Ramblers. Otterton. Tel: 01884-32039 Shared Reading Every Wednesday 2pm – 3.30pm at Lyme Regis Library Come and listen to a short story or poem, and meet new people. Free but booking essential ring library 01297 443151 during opening hours. Also 8 and 15 December.

Westland Ballroom Dance Club Social dance at Westlands Entertainment Venue, Yeovil. BA20 2DD. More info email westlandballroom@yahoo.com Christmas Art, Craft and Vintage Collectibles Fair 10.30 to 4.30 pm At The Masonic Hall South Street, Axminster Free Entry.

Free Entry . Come and meet the makers at this local Christmas Fair. Jewellery, wooden toys and clocks etc, collectibles, gloves, scarves, Liberty print bags etc.

2 December

Sweet Bean (2015, Japan, PG, 113 mins, S/titles, Director: Naomi Kawase) 7:30 pm. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall (TA18 8PS).

Membership £22, guests £4 per film. Contact mickpwilson53@ btinternet.com or ring Mick Wilson on 01460 74849 or Di Crawley on 01460 30508. Prices as they were in 2019. Sensible COVID-19 precautions are in place.

Lyme Voices Community Choir 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun.

Learn tunes by ear. Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (pine hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 01297 445078 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com. Please let us know if you are coming.

Tatworth Flower Club, Christmas demonstration by ‘Lisa Fowler’ Gold medal winner at Chelsea (Christmas spirit), doors open 1.30 all welcome. Visitors £6. Tatworth Memorial Hall TA20 2QW, details Julie Kettle 01934 248536.

3 December

Salute to Humph Big band tribute to Humphrey Lytellton, jazzer, broadcaster and wit. Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. Tickets: www. ticketsource.co.uk/jazz-jurassica East Devon Branch, Devonshire Association Camera Studies of East Devon Wildlife; David White, a keen local wildlife photographer, will talk about how he captures his breath-taking images of these elusive creatures in their beautiful natural surroundings; 2.30pm, Manor Pavilion Theatre Sidmouth EX10 8RP; contact Brian Ludford 01395 513232 or edevon.sec@ devonassoc.org.uk The Stanchester Quire The quire are pleased to welcome Folk Maestro John Kirkpatrick back to Leigh Village Hall, near Sherborne, DT9 6LH, at 8pm when he will be performing his “Carolling and Crumpets” Christmas Concert. Admission £10.For reservations please either email Bonnie at stanchesterquire1@gmail. com or phone Phil on 07 778 119 663.

4 December

Colyton Parish Church 3pm. Cantamus Advent concert, ‘O, Emmanuel’. Seasonal music from 500 years of song writing. Tickets £10 on the door (incl. refreshments). www.cantamus-dorset.org

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The Stanchester Quire The Blessed Virgin Mary Church, East Chinnock, BA22 9DP, at 7:30pm. Retiring “silver+” collection.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7.5 mile walk from Axminster. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340.

Cerne Abbas Christmas Fayre Over 40 stalls – Crafts, Christmas gifts, jewellery and more. Santa’s grotto. Hot food and mulled wine.

Free entry 4pm – 7pm Festive coffee morning 10 am - 12 pm Clapton & Wayford Village Hall TA18 8PS

4 - 5 December

Symondsbury Estate Christmas Market is back and even better than before! It is now a two-day event, on Saturday 4th (11am – 6pm) and Sunday 5th December (11am – 4pm). Admission is free and car parking is £3.00 with proceeds shared by the Family Counselling Trust and Weldmar Hospicecare Dorset. There will be a wide range of local businesses selling handcrafted food, drink and gifts, together with our independent shops, offering luxury giftware, festive decorations, homeware and artisan food and drink. There’s live music and performances across both days.

A Recycled/Upcycled Christmas display 10am - 5pm each day in Dalwood Church, concluding with a carol sing-a-long at 5pm on Sunday 5th. Christmas Hamper raffle.

Andre Rieu: Christmas with Andre (U) 7pm Socially-distanced seats. Join André for his inaugural Christmas concert. Guaranteed to warm your hearts and get you in the festive spirit! The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050

5 December

East Devon Ramblers 11.6 mile strenuous walk with East Devon Ramblers. Honiton. Tel: 07977-544749 Choral Music for Christmas and Advent 4pm, sung by Parnham Voices with Lizzie Peacock (harp), directed by James L Thomas.

St Michael’s Church, Shute, EX13 7QR. Tickets on the door £10 (under 16s free), pay by cash or card. Tea, drinks & mince pies by donation.

6 December

Bridport Folk Dance club If you like music and dancing; enjoy gentle exercise; socialising and possibly learning something new, then come along to our dance sessions on Monday evenings from 7.30 -9.30 pm in the W.I Hall, North Street, Bridport. All welcome whether you have danced before or not. Tel; 458165 or 459001 for information. Also December 13.

Dream Horse (PG). Doors open 7:30pm for 8:00pm start.

Screening at Odcombe Village Hall. Tickets £5 in advance only, phone 07815 295336.

The Stanchester Quire The Quire are performing a concert in support of The David Hall, South Petherton, TA13 5AA at 7:30pm. Tickets from info@thedavidhall.org.uk or phone 01460 240340.

Hawkchurch Film Nights in association with Devon Moviola, proudly presents ‘Another Round’ (Cert.12, 117 mins, in Danish with subtitles). Mads Mikkelsen (‘Casino Royale’) reunites with director Thomas Vinterburg (‘The Hunt’) in this spirited and

thought-provoking comic drama that asks whether a regular tipple is the key to unlocking the best version of yourself. Winner of the 2021 Oscar for Best International Film. 6.30pm (doors 6.00pm) at Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XW. Reservations £5 from csma95@gmail.com or 01297 678176, or pay at the door. Festive refreshments available.

Digital Champions Every Monday 2pm – 4pm at Lyme Regis Library. Want to feel more confident using online services and operating your laptop/smartphone/tablet? Digital Champions offer free help and advice. Booking essential ring library 01297 443151 during opening hours. Also 13 and 20 December.

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing at Chardstock Village Hall. 7.30-10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided and no partner required. Contact David on 01460 65981 Cost £1.50 www.chardscottishdancing.org Sparkling Calligraphy for Christmas From 10.30 to 12.30 In the Bradshaw Room at Axminster Heritage Centre, Silver St Axminster Cost £16 Add some flair to your cards, labels and Christmas messages. Practise letters with a flourish and make some hanging decorations. Ink and pens provided, please bring some paper and card. As places are limited payment secures your place.

Contact gina.youens@btinternet.com to book a place.

7 December

Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday at Ashill Village hall TA19 9LX from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Learn the steps, formations and dances with a fully qualified teacher. Please bring your own drink. It’s good fun, good company and great music. For more information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com or just come along and bring a friend.

Bridport United Church Christmas Tree Festival is back!

Lighting up ceremony by Bridport Mayor 7pm. Then open until Sunday 19th December. The Church will have 25 trees all lit and decorated by local charity supporters. Opening from 11.00 am until 4pm Monday - Saturday and 2pm until 3.30pm Sundays.

Trees will be spaced out to enable visitors to socially distance.

Check website for up to date details www.BUC.cool.

7 - 19 December

The Christmas Tree Festival in the United Church, East Street Bridport.

8 December

Westland Ballroom Dance Club Social dance, at Westlands Entertainment Venue, Yeovil. BA20 2DD. More info email westlandballroom@yahoo.com Seth Lakeman 7.30pm Singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Seth explodes back on the music scene with a stunning new studio album. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050

8 - 9 December

Kilmington Community Cinema will be screening on the 8th & 9th December “Dream Horse (PG)” at the Village Hall (EX13 7RF). The Thursday 9th showing is a matinee with doors open

EVENTS IN JANUARY Live or Online send your event details to info@marshwoodvale.com TH

BY DECEMBER 8 .

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December

EVENTS AND COURSES at 2pm and film starting at 2.15, with reduced capacity to provide maximum COVID spacing for those who need to take extra health care but would love to see a film on a big screen, pre-booking is essential. Wednesday Pre-booking advisable reduced seating, doors open at 6.45pm with the film starting at 7.15, tickets are £5 if booked in advance £5.50 on the door. Refreshments are available during the interval and there is a bar open at 6.45 on the Wednesday. Tickets can be pre-booked by email: wattsjohn307@ gmail.com, see www.kilmingtonvillage.com/other-organisations. html for more information.

9 December

Neil Sands: Christmas Memories 2pm Join Neil and his wonderful West End cast for a dazzling sleigh ride of yuletide memories, songs and carols. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050.

Lyme Voices Community Choir 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn tunes by ear. Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (pine hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 01297 445078 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com. Please let us know if you are coming.

10 December

More Than A Movie At Milborne St Andrew Village Hall, the Causeway DT11 0JB. Doors and bar open 7.00 for a 7.30 start We are showing Downton Abbey! It is 1927 and the Crawleys and their intrepid staff are preparing for the most important moment of their lives. A royal visit from the King and Queen of England will unleash scandal, romance and intrigue that will leave the future of Downton hanging in the balance.

The Stanchester Quire “Christmas Carols by Candlelight” at Holnest Church, DT9 5PU, 7pm. Admission £8, to include mince pie and mulled wine, from Graham, Phone 01963 210632. Early booking advised as numbers are strictly limited.

The Last Bus (12A) doors at 7, film at 7.30pm – A grieving Timothy Spall uses his bus pass to travel the UK with his wife’s ashes. More uplifting than it sounds! We look forward to welcoming you at our new venue – Holyrood Academy, TA20 1JL. Plenty of parking, and with tiered seating, excellent sound system and picture, accessible to all. Tickets in advance from Eleos (correct cash only, please, in an envelope), Barron’s and the PO for £5 for adults or £2.50 for children; or on the night for £6 and £3. Also avaialbel on ticketsource (cashless transaction).

Dear Evan Hansen (12A) 7.30pm Outstanding original musical that speaks directly to the heart. A boy with social anxiety is mistaken as being a close friend of a fellow student who has taken his own life.

The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050.

Beaminster Museum Christmas Concert in association with Parnham Voices, takes place at 7.30pm. A glass of mulled wine on arrival, Christmas music and seasonal readings, singalong carols, plus mince pies and more wine in the interval. Please book tickets at £7 via e-mail from info@beaminstermuseum.co.uk Poems and monologues for Christmas 11am: Paul Evans will present via zoom to Lyme Regis u3a a variety of readings on a Christmas theme and with a humorous twist. To join via zoom, please see the web site lymeregisu3a.org. Membership at just £12 pa is 18 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

terrific value, giving access to monthly talks, countless group activities and regular social events.

Cooking Made Easy – Free cooking demo for anyone that would like to develop confidence, skills and knowledge to cook nutritious meals to support your physical and mental health. Lunch included.

– 11am – 1pm – The Marshlands Centre, Harbour Road, Seaton.

Contact info@project-food.org.uk / 01297 631782 for more information.

10 - 11 December

Classical Piano with Katharine Lam and Duncan Honeybourne.

Opening / performance times: doors open 19:30; concert starts 20:00 Join us for the distinguished piano duo partnership of Katharine Lam and Duncan Honeybourne. Both with their own esteemed careers as pianists and music educators, Duncan and Katharine have performed as a duo across the UK and Switzerland. They are very much looking forward to their return to Tincleton, with a captivating programme which includes the much-loved and suitably festive work, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, for piano four hands. Relishing the opportunity, which this intimate and unique venue affords, to play both of Tincleton’s characterful pianos, Katharine and Duncan will explore a range of familiar and less known works for piano solo, two pianos and four hands. Admission fee: £15: Tel 01305 848 909: http://www.tincletongallery.com : Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR

11 December

St Mary’s Church Netherbury, 7pm. Cantamus Advent concert, ‘O, Emmanuel’. Seasonal music from 500 years of song writing. Tickets £10 on the door (incl. refreshments). www.cantamus-dorset.org The Nutcracker – Royal Ballet Screening Enjoy this sparkling ballet as an enchanting, festive treat for the whole family. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050 ‘Mele Christmas!’ A refreshingly different festive concert featuring the World Première of the carol, ‘Christmas Bells’. The words were written in 1895 by Alatau T. Atkinson in Hawaii. Awardwinning composer, Michael Csányi-Wills, will conduct the first public performance of his new setting in St Bartholomew’s Church, Crewkerne at 7.00pm. Performing along with two choirs, are the Ethno-Folk Duo, Qos Arna, from Kazakhstan, the place of Alatau’s birth. Tickets are £14 and available from Grand Interiors, 2 The George Shopping Centre, Crewkerne or online from Eventbrite. Just search: Mele Christmas!

Bridport Choral Society presents Songs for a Sparkling Christmas - an evening of music among the Christmas trees Musical Director: James Crawshaw, Accompanist: Peter Parshall 7.30 p.m., Bridport United Church, East Street Tickets £10, available from Bridport Music Centre, Smith and Smith or on the door See also information on website bridportchoral.wordpress.com and Facebook Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7.5 mile walk from Hardy Monument. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340.

12 December

East Devon Ramblers 9.5 mile strenuous walk with East Devon Ramblers. Beer. Tel: 01395-516897

Lyme Regis Parish Church 4pm. Lyme Bay Chorale Christmas concert with organist Andrew Millington and conductor Alex Davies. Missa Sancti Nicolai (Haydn), Zadok the Priest (Handel) plus carols for choir and audience. Tickets £15 on the door / £13 in advance from Fortnam Smith & Banwell, Lyme Regis. www. lymebaychorale.co.uk Early choral music for advent 6.30pm. Music by Byrd, Gibbons, Tallis and others sung by the Axminster Chamber Choir with advent liturgy, directed by Peter Parshall and organist Peter Lea Cox. 6.30pm, St Michael’s Church, Shute, EX13 7QR. Free entry, refreshments and mince pies afterwards by donation.

Santa comes to the WI Hall in North Street, Bridport DT6 3JH Santa’s Grotto will be open from 10am to 2.30pm. All children visiting Father Christmas will receive a free gift. Book a time slot at www.bridportandwestbay. co.uk or alternatively visit Bridport Tourist Information Centre or call 01308 424901 to make a booking.

13 December

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing at Chardstock Village Hall 7.30 - 10.00 p.m.

Tea and coffee provided and no partner required.

Contact David on 01460 65981 Cost £1.50 www. chardscottishdancing.org Bridport Bereavement Support Group – a peer support group for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one and would benefit from support. The next meeting is from 4pm-5.30pm at Harmony, Assembly Rooms, Gundry Lane, Bridport. All welcome. For more information please call the social prescribing team on 01308 428943. Feel free to drop in on the day.

14 December

Bridport History Society 2.00 for 2.30 in Bridport United Church Hall Christmas Meeting ‘Migration a Journey in Song’ Rough Assembly. Members only.

The Lyme Regis Society present A Talk: Sun Sea and Sooties.by Roger Dickey (Joint meeting LRS and Dorset Wildlife Trust) at 2pm Woodmead Halls, Hill Road, Lyme

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December

EVENTS AND COURSES Regis. DT7 3PG All Welcome. Members Free. Visitors £3.00. Check website for further information: https://www.lymeregissociety.org.uk/ Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday at Ashill Village hall TA19 9LX from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Learn the steps, formations and dances with a fully qualified teacher. Please bring your own drink. It’s good fun, good company and great music. For more information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com or just come along and bring a friend.

Cooking Made Easy – Free cooking demo for anyone that would like to develop confidence, skills and knowledge to cook nutritious meals to support your physical and mental health. Lunch included.

– 11am – 1pm – Project Food kitchen, Axminster Hospital, Chard Street, Axminster. Contact info@project-food.org.uk / 01297 631782 for more information or to book your place.

15 December

East Devon Ramblers 9.5 miles moderate walk with East Devon Ramblers. Branscombe. Tel: 07870-804711 Westland Ballroom Dance Club Christmas social dance, at Westlands Entertainment Venue, Yeovil BA20 2DD. More info email westlandballroom@yahoo.com The Stanchester Quire alunchtime concert, at 1pm, at St. Michael’s Church, Yeovil, BA21 4LH. Further details from krisemmett@live. co.uk.

The Beehive Acoustic 7.30pm All welcome at this open mic night hosted by Terry Stacey. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton. co.uk 01404 384050 Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticultural Society Demonstration - Create a festive Christmas table by Bex Partridge, Botanical Tales.

7.30pm, Uplyme Village Hall. Refreshments from 7pm including mulled wine and mince pies. Members free; guests £3.

16 December

Tosca: Royal Opera Screening 7.15pm A romance, a tragedy and a thriller – travel to 19th century Rome with Puccini’s passionate, political opera. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050.

Lyme Voices Community Choir 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn tunes by ear. Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (pine hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 01297 445078 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com. Please let us know if you are coming.

Arts Society West Dorset Here we are again The great British Pantomime. Speaker Tony Lidington 2.30pm Bridport Town Hall.

Visitors welcome-£7.50

Minster, Axminster. Conducted by Judy Martin. Tickets £15.00 to include programme. Covid precautions will be followed including wearing of masks as appropriate and not attending if suffering from a cold or other symptoms. Ticket price will be refunded on return of ticket if potential Covid symptoms prevent attendance. BYO cushion and refreshments! Tickets may be purchased online via the link on the website, https://www.axminsterchoral.co.uk/ “How to say it with flowers” - Helen Timbers, Speedwell Hall, Crewkerne. 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm Helen will give a demonstration of using foliage and flowers to make a Christmas centrepiece and then you can make your own using materials supplied.

Tickets: £10 to include mince pie and mulled wine. Tickets available from Crewkerne Information Centre or phone 01460 271767.

(Numbers are limited so please book early.)

Drop in the Ocean doors 8pm Drop In The Ocean have burst onto the south-west music scene with an infectious blend of reggae, ska and dub fusion which makes for a fabulously energetic live show. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050 The Sheldon Singers Christmas Concert – a programme of seasonal music with readings and carols. 6.30pm, St Paul’s Church, Honiton. Retiring collection.

The Martin Schellenberg Trust present a ‘Christmas Fanfare’ at 4pm at St Mary’s Church, Beaminster. Malcolm Archer - Organ.

Winston Leese - Trumpet. Jan Wyld - festive readings. Tickets £10 (to include mulled wine and mince pies served after the concert) available from Yarn Barton Tourist info, Beaminster. 01308 862715. Enquiries: alexschellenberg12@gmail.com

19 December

East Devon Ramblers 13 mile strenuous walk with East Devon Ramblers. Axminster. Tel: 01297-22030 The Stanchester Quire St. Mary’s Hemyock Church, Devon, EX15 3RQ, at 3pm. Retiring collection in aid of “friends of St.Mary’s Church, Hemyock”. Further details from Sarah, email:sf.folland@ gmail.com.

21 December

Snow Angel Cabaret 8pm Suitable age 15+ Charlie Bicknell and Louise Innes combine a gloriously dark sense of humour with amazing voices. A great fun night out. The Beehive Honiton www. beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050

Watkins & Swarbrick Band with special guest Robbie McIntosh Portesham Village Hall @7.30pm.

Tickets £15 In advance only from Angela songsfromthehalls234@gmail.com / 01305 837299 Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday at Ashill Village hall TA19 9LX from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Learn the steps, formations and dances with a fully qualified teacher. Please bring your own drink. It’s good fun, good company and great music. For more information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com or just come along and bring a friend.

Cooking Made Easy – Free cooking demo for anyone that would like to develop confidence, skills and knowledge to cook nutritious meals to support your physical and mental health. Lunch included.

– 11am – 1pm – The Crowshute Centre, Crowshute Link, Chard.

Contact info@project-food.org.uk / 01297 631782

Concert by the Axminster and District Choral Society of Handel’s Messiah with professional orchestra and soloists. 7.00 pm in the

Lyme Regis Rotary carols around the Christmas tree 7 pm The Lyme Regis Town Band will play a selection of Christmas Carols for

16 - 19 December

Christmas tree Festival at the Baptist church, main street, Lyme Regis.

17 December

18 December

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23 December

all to sing along! The Mayor will be in attendance with the Town Crier acting as MC. A great start to the Christmas festivities for all to join in . Hot soup for all in the interval.

The collection being made by the Rotary Club will be for the Children’s Hospice South West.

Jo Seaman former cultural attache at British Embassy in Tbilisi in conversation with Bijan Omrani on Georgia: land of wine, poetry and mountains and a rose revolution.

An illustrated talk with wine, music and nibbles to follow.

6-8 pm St Michael’s Church, Shute. Tickets £10 via www. shutefest.org.uk or on door.

Nostalgic Cinema: White Christmas 2pm Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney & Vera-Ellen star in this 1954 musical. A dementia-friendly screening open to all.

The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050

29 December

East Devon Ramblers 8 mile leisurely walk with East Devon Ramblers. East Budleigh. Tel: 01395-513974

31 December

East Devon Ramblers 5.5 miles leisurely walk with East Devon Ramblers. Symondsbury. Tel: 01460-220636

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News&Views

LYME REGIS Beach closed after cliff fall

A beach in Lyme Regis was temporarily closed after coastguard teams were called to a cliff fall.

The landslide on Church Cliff, to the east of Lyme Regis was checked to ensure that there were no casualties. The beach was reopened once there was a sufficient margin to pass seaward of the slip. A coastguard spokesperson said that the best fossils are found on the beach and warned the public be aware that the cliffs are highly unstable at this time of year.

ILMINSTER Councillor to Step Down

Cllr Linda Vijeh, Conservative ward member for Neroche ward and county councillor for Ilminster has announced that she will be stepping down at the end of the year. In a statement she said: ‘After much consideration I have decided that with effect from 1st January 2022, I shall be standing down as both District Councillor for Neroche ward and as County Councillor for Ilminster division, along with their associated committees and appointments.’ Cllr Vijeh said there were a number of reasons for her decision but the principle one was to allow herself the opportunity to pursue other personal interests. She thanked those who have supported her over the years.

SOUTH WEST New look TIC opens

A new prospectus released by the Great South West Tourism Partnership sets out key priorities to enable year round sustainability in the tourism industry, addressing seasonality and ways to deliver clean growth to establish the region as the most accessible and inclusive destination in the UK. The publication highlights how the region’s visitor economy directly supports more than 133,000 full-time equivalent jobs with tourism representing 9% of all Gross Value Added (GVA) for the region. This in turn stimulates business and encourages inward investment. Read the full report at www. dorsetlep.co.uk/great-south-west

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DORCHESTER Town Crier wins again

Alistair Chisholm, Town Crier of Dorchester has won the 68th National Town Criers’ Championship in Hastings for the 11th time. This equals the record held by the late Ben Johnson of Fowey in Cornwall. Alistair dedicated his win to all the staff at the Robert White Radiotherapy unit at Dorset County Hospital where he has recently completed his treatment for prostate cancer. He said: ‘The staff are not only truly professional but are incredibly patient and understanding. The whole atmosphere created at the unit puts one at ease and the sessions are not only painless but pass very quickly.’

DORCHESTER First wedding in Museum

Dorset Museum has hosted its first wedding for a local couple after recently being granted their wedding license for Civil Marriages and Partnerships. Mike and Rachel said: ‘When we saw the empty Victorian Hall and stunning mosaics we both immediately said what an amazing place to get married, not knowing then that we would be the very first couple to do so! We can’t thank the museum staff enough for all their help, support and kindness in planning and on the day, to make it such a truly magical experience for us, our family and friends.’

Humphrey’s Festive Crossword Laterally Speaking by Humphrey Walwyn

Across 7

8 9

10 11 13 15

17

20 21 23 24

This constricting reptile featured Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin and others (6) Winter eaves dropper (6) Which animal is running when we sing “The Holly and the Ivy”? (4) The end of the line from Waterloo. (8) A time for resolutions (3,4) Part of a leg currently in progress (5) Scottish word for turnips, swedes or (if you live in France) rutabaga. Either way, they’re an essential accompaniment to haggis (5) Sometimes found near the toe of your Christmas stocking (7) Slow mover on French menu carries its own home (8) Swedish quartet is the same forward as backward (4) Where some of us live (6) The last to get such a spoon (6)

Down 1 2

3

4 5 6 12 14

16 18

19 22

Citrusy-sounding half of Dorset seaside town (4) Oloroso, Manzanilla and Fino are all types of this bottle (6) Winter figure with a carrot for a nose will run away when the sun comes out (7) Record-making material (5) Tearaway is a fraud (3-3) Harry’s is numbered nine and three quarters. (8) Always under fire in this West Dorset village (8) Village near Bridport with excellent pub: ‘Hare and Hounds’ (7) Persia when disturbed may express admiration. (6) East Devon seaside town with tramway running to Colyton (6) A way in for a variety of quartz (5) Buzzy beings of honey and spelling (4)

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24 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

The Holly and

The Ivy

Christmas is nearly upon us and some tunes will be heard more than others. But do we know the origins of the songs we sing?

Philip Strange has been looking into the history of one that lingers long after the effects of too much eggnog.

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E

Ho l l y & I v y

EVEN amid the glitz and glitter of our commercialised Christmas, certain seasonal songs have surprising power. For me, The Holly and the Ivy is one of those songs. I probably first heard the carol and began to internalise the words and tune before I was ten years old. Now, although I am not religious, all it takes is a mere mention of the title or a hint of the tune to set the carol going in my head evoking memories of past Christmases. The carol has an interesting history and although the words are staunchly Christian, references to holly and ivy come from much earlier pre-Christian times.

In case you need reminding, here is the first verse of the carol, with the refrain: The holly and the ivy When they are both full grown Of all the trees that are in the wood The holly bears the crown Refrain: The rising of the sun And the running of the deer The playing of the merry organ Sweet singing in the choir The most popular version of this carol, the one you will most likely encounter this Christmas, was first published as recently as 1911. The folk song collector, Cecil Sharp was visiting the Cotswolds in January 1909 and heard this version sung by Mary Clayton of Chipping Campden. Sharp transcribed the words and tune and published them together for the first time in his book English Folk-Carols and this has become the accepted version. Here is a link to a recording: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DDvmZJ2oTFM The words of the song can be found before that time in several early 19th century and one early 18th century Broadsides (early forms of printed lyrics). None of these versions, though, gives the tune and, most likely, the carol was sung to different melodies with local modifications of the words in different parts of the country, and passed between generations as part of the oral tradition.

One of these local melodies has recently become very popular with folk singers. It was first recorded in 1952 by Maud Karpeles and Pat Shaw from the singing of Peter Jones of Bromsash in Herefordshire. I remember hearing this version myself for the first time about twenty years ago sung in a very lively manner by Magpie Lane and it transforms The Holly and the Ivy into a celebratory Christmas song that is great fun to sing. Here is a link to a recording by the Oxford Waits and the Mellstock Band: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=t2zIh3yWRQY The existence of different versions of the song passed on orally in different parts of the country suggests that The Holly and the Ivy is a very old, possibly medieval song. We tend to think of all Christmas songs as timeless accompaniments to traditional Christmas festivities but many were, in fact, written in the 19th

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century or later. A few, including The Holly and the Ivy, are much older.

But why holly and why ivy? Holly can grow as a tree or it may be part of a hedge restrained by cutting and shaping.

Its dense mass of prickle-edged leaves acts as a barrier, a natural barbed wire, and its red berries glitter with welcome colour even on the darkest winter day. Ivy with its prolific climbing habit can, given the chance, rapidly overwhelm walls and hedges and is often treated as a nuisance or simply ignored. It is, though, covered in flowers in the autumn providing late season pollen and nectar for insects and its dark berries are relished by birds in the winter.

The Christmas significance of the two plants derives from their evergreen nature. Both bear shiny green leaves seemingly brimming with life throughout the winter when most other plants and trees are leafless. Holly and ivy were popularly gathered along with mistletoe and other evergreens to decorate churches, houses and streets at Christmas time from at least as early as the 16th century and probably before. This custom may be a relic of pagan midwinter celebrations with the evergreens symbolising rebirth, the

return of the light and the greening of the landscape in spring.

The custom survives and holly and mistletoe, both preferably with berries, are still used as Christmas decorations although ivy seems to have fallen out of fashion.

But what about the words of the carol? Perhaps we shouldn’t delve too deeply into such a traditional song but the first verse does seem counterintuitive. Holly is rarely a large tree and unlikely to dominate all others and this verse contains the only reference to ivy in the entire song. The refrain contains some pleasant imagery but it also seems out of place and the editors of the New Oxford Book of Carols believe it may have been a later addition to older medieval words.

Overall, though, the carol tells the story of Christ’s life interwoven with the life of the holly tree. So, verse 2: “The holly bears a blossom as white as the lily flower” refers to the white flowers borne on the bush in late spring with white signifying the purity of Mary and Jesus. Verse 3: “The holly bears a berry as red as any blood” refers to Christ’s blood. Verse 4: “The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn” refers to the crown of thorns.

Verse 5: “The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall” is another reference to the crucifixion.

The Holly and the Ivy is also one of several carols from medieval England that tells of the rivalry between holly and ivy for mastery of the forest, a contest with its origins in ancient folklore. In The Holly and the Ivy, the holly “bears the crown” so winning the contest; perhaps that’s why we hear no more about the ivy. Holly was also traditionally seen as a masculine symbol perhaps because of its stouter prickly leaves and ivy a feminine symbol with its softer leaves. The carol may, therefore, contain a gentle reference to the ups and downs of relationships between men and women.

So, in The Holly and the Ivy, we have a much-loved, traditional Christmas carol suffused with Christian and pre-Christian symbolism. Even among the approaching Christmas clamour, the song never fails to bring pleasure whichever version we choose to sing.

Philip Strange is Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Reading. He writes about science and about nature with a particular focus on how science fits in to society. His work may be read at http:// philipstrange.wordpress.com/

Ivy in autumn, shiny evergreen leaves, flowers and a red admiral butterfly Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 27

Buried Heads (in the sand)

By Cecil Amor

M

ay I wish you all a merry Christmas, a happy New Year to follow, and also a happy winter solstice.

Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at the University of Exeter, gave a talk on BBC Radio 4 in September about hundreds of male statues that have been excavated in the Middle East. Some are on thrones, some are only heads, usually red faced with long black hair in ringlets at the back of the neck, and a fringe. They had well trimmed beards and all have been dated from well before the time of Jesus Christ.

The professor has published a book, God: an Anatomy.

My immediate thought was why has nothing like this been found here? I cannot recall any finds of god like persons before the Romans came here and they had effigies of their leaders, some worshipped like gods. Before the Romans came here, the existing population was producing large open temples such as Stonehenge and Avebury with standing stones and a number of similar, less well known. Earlier we had enclosure ditches where burials or cremations took place, so both these and the stone circles had family, tribal and perhaps religious connotations.

I have recently added a new book to my library of Stonehenge literature, with Stonehenge, an excellent book by archaeologist Francis Pryor, which brings us up to date with the flurry of excavation in the area and covers much of the earlier knowledge, pointing out the flaws.

Francis Pryor includes a useful timeline, relative to Stonehenge, e.g. the arrival of farming in Britain about 4,200 BC at the end of the Mesolithic Period. Following the Early Neolithic period in Britain, the first megalithic tombs were built in Britain, 3,900 - 3,800 BC and then the main construction of long barrows here, 3,800 - 3,600 BC. One well known long barrow is at West Kennet, near Avebury, 20 miles north of Stonehenge, containing the cleaned bones of a number of various families. It has been suggested

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that bones of a particular family would be taken out for a ceremony and not always correctly replaced.

In 3,800 - 3,400 BC the construction and use of causewayed enclosures took place in Britain, which Pryor suggests were not always produced in a single event but made by different families or groups digging their individual ditch segments. Pryor then suggests that this may have been the case with the Stonehenge ditch, which shows signs of frequent re-cutting when possibly later burials of family members were added, including cremation remains.

Francis Pryor emphasises that the Stonehenge ditch was its earliest feature, surrounding the site and now only a slight depression in the grass. Radiocarbon dates it from 3,000 2,900 BC. It is not completely regular, but has an internal bank, as with causewayed enclosures. The suggestion that the ditch and banks are earlier than the rest of the monument is often not realised. Offerings have been found in the ditch, only to the west of the main entrance, which to Pryor indicates that the ditch cutting was not centrally controlled, but left perhaps to individual families. However he does suggest that the ditch was planned, based on a central point which must have been marked first.

Before any stones were erected at Stonehenge many cremations were buried within the ditch and Pryor says that Stonehenge was one of the largest cremation cemeteries in Neolithic Europe, and by far the largest in Britain, with 63 known cremations and maybe 150 total. Three cremations have provided radiocarbon dates between 3,300 and 2,900 BC. Many cremations were found towards the southern ditch entrance and around the inner ditch bank.

Before erection of stones, a number of post-holes have been found, but not in a circular pattern. Some were large.

The post-holes have not been found to contain any stone chips, which seems to indicate that the stones arrived after the posts. However posts across the main entrance suggests

that the ditch came before the posts. Other, larger postholes of pine wood, have been found in what became the Stonehenge car park, dated to around 8,000 BC. Evidence of large scale feasting has been found near Stonehenge, for example a large pit about 600 metres west of the Stonehenge Avenue, containing the remains of at least ten cattle, seven roe deer, a red deer and one pig. The bones had been buried after the feast, together with many pieces of Neolithic pottery and flint tools, dated at 3,800 3,700 BC. One of the earliest stones erected (and remaining) at Stonehenge was probably the Heel Stone, just outside the main entranceway, which is large and unshaped. It is believed to have had a partner, since disappeared, to mark the entrance from the Avenue, which we now know was created by gullies resulting from glacier melting, coincidently aligned with the solstices. The Slaughter Stone (so called) was also laid about the same time. Early post holes, noted by Aubrey, and named after him, have been found to contain cremations, dated to about 3,039 - 2,900 BC. These holes number 56 and are regularly spaced around the inside of the inner ditch bank, in a circle. They were shaped to contain bluestones, subsequently removed.

Around 2,500 BC, the end of the Neolithic period, saw the end of the circle of Stonehenge as a cremation burial site. Then came the Trilithon Horseshoe and the Circle, both of sarsen stones. The Great Trilithon framed the midwinter solstice sunset and was intended to be viewed from within the Trilithon Horseshoe. Pryor states that the Sarsen Circle uprights were carefully dressed on the interior and the sides of the vertical stones dressed to give an impression of straight and parallel uprights. Also where the circle straddled the main northeast southwest solsticial axis the stones were trimmed and straightened to enhance and frame the sun on the longest and shortest days. Station

Stones aligned on major moonrise and moonset events, were placed just inside the inner banks of the ditch (2,620 - 2480 BC). Other stones were enhanced by small semicircular ditches, with mounds, known as the North and South Barrows.

Between the Sarsen Circle and the inner Trilithon Horseshoe a double ring of bluestones was erected.

The area surrounding Stonehenge had more burial mounds than anywhere else in Britain, many since destroyed by farming.

Frances Pryor refers to Stonehenge as a sacred landscape, toiled over for perhaps one and a half thousand years (e.g.

3,000 - 1,500 BC) and since then continually puzzled over!

Pryor also suggested that after starting the ditch by possibly family workers, it must have been directed by one or more knowledgeable leaders. Obviously these leaders must have been succeeded by following similar people, again and again. It is suggested that the workforce were pleased to work on Stonehenge as they were inspired by its concept, rather than being slaves.

In recent times there has been even more activity around Stonehenge. One road, which had passed close to the Heel Stone has been closed and removed. There is a proposal for a two-mile tunnel to take the present A303 road near Stonehenge underground to reduce congestion on the A303. The proposal is being fiercely debated, and may be abandoned following High Court deliberations.

Bridport History Society hope to meet again physically at last, at 2 for 2.30 pm on Tuesday 14th December in the Main Hall, Bridport United Church, East Street, to hear ‘Migration - a Journey in Song’ by ‘Rough Assembly’.

Members only, numbers limited to 60 maximum.

We wish you a happy Christmas and a better New Year and, of course, a happy midwinter Solstice.

Cecil Amor, Hon President, Bridport History Society

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House&Garden

Vegetables in December

By Ashley Wheeler

D

ecember is often the time that we all as gardeners and growers like to sit back a bit, reflect on the year gone by and browse the seed catalogues looking for inspiration for the year ahead. Over the last couple of winters seeds have sold out from many of the smaller more interesting seed companies like Real Seeds, Seed Cooperative and Vital Seeds and many of the larger seed companies have also struggled to keep up with demand. Supply has also been an issue, in part due to Brexit and also Covid, and the demand that has risen hugely recently as more people are growing their own with the uncertainties of global food supply. The fragility of the global seed system has been highlighted over the last couple of years - but something that many of us who are involved in seed production have been aware of for years. This is why companies like Real Seeds are so great—they are offering really interesting varieties, preserving interesting crops which would otherwise be lost, whilst also providing instructions for growers to save their own seed. So, why not think about trying varieties that you haven’t tried before, and if you often use hybrid seed (F1) then look for varieties that are open pollinated which will mean that you can save your own seed and it will grow true to type the following year when you sow it. If you save seed from F1 hybrid crops, it will not grow with the same characteristics as the parent plant, and although you could get some interesting results, often the flavour is the trait that goes down hill the first generation after you have saved the seed of hybrids.

So, look for open pollinated seed varieties from small seed companies, but also think about saving one or two varieties yourselves next year. Choose a crop and variety that you really like and look into what the requirements are of saving the seed from this species. The main things to consider are whether the crop will need isolating. For example, if you wanted to save seed from a cabbage (Brassica oleracea) you would have to make sure you have no other cabbages of different varieties or no other plants from the same species are flowering at the same time (for example, cauliflowers, kohl rabi, broccoli and more in the case of what might cross with a cabbage). Good things to start with are tomatoes, peas, french beans and lettuce. With all of these crops you can get away with growing them next to other varieties of the same species and they are unlikely to cross (they are what is called inbreeders as opposed to cabbage which are outbreeders). So, in practice you could have 10 different varieties of tomatoes growing next to each other and you could save seed from each of them and they are unlikely to cross with one another, so the seed that you collect will most likely grow into plants that will be similar to the plant you have saved it from. Hopefully that makes some sense! Before growing a seed crop it’s always good to know what you need

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One way of podding broad beans that have been saved for seed!

to do before it all gets too busy in the summer. Work out what is entailed in the processing and drying of the seed and make sure you have a little space and any simple tools for doing this (this might just be a kitchen sieve and a couple of bowls in the case of saving tomato seed).

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

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

OTHER IMPORTANT TASKS THIS MONTH: If the weather dries, continue preparing beds for the winter by mulching with compost. Also any polytunnels or glasshouses could have a wash this time of year to get the maximum amount of light in for any winter salad and veg that you have growing in them. Don’t be tempted to tidy things too much—its always good to leave plenty of crop residue for worms and leave nettles for habitat for overwintering insects.

Take the opportunity to take it a bit easier!

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December in the Garden

By Russell Jordan

O

f all the months of the year, December is probably the one when there is a good chance that you will do no gardening at all, unless you are either mad keen or own a large and complex garden. The festive season provides enough distractions that garden maintenance is likely to be low on your list of priorities—quite right too!

Fortunately, in the northern hemisphere at least, Christmas falls just after the shortest day of the year when plants are at their lowest ebb and there isn’t anything, maintenance wise, that’s extremely time critical. If all the enforced jollity is proving too much for you, and you want to escape into the garden for a bit of horticultural relief, then the absence of leaves, from everything deciduous, plus the lack of herbaceous froth, given that they have now died down, will have exposed the bare bones of the garden.

This gives you the opportunity for a spell of ‘fine tuning’ when it comes to pruning and thinning the kind of shrubs which are often overlooked until they become so large and congested that they present such a daunting pruning task that they get cut down and removed completely. Jumping in and doing some judicious thinning of the bare stems, before they get totally out of hand, is the kind of gardening task which needs to be done slowly and thoughtfully—hence it’s the kind of thing which gets overlooked during the busier times of the gardening year.

On a fine, dry, December day it’s very therapeutic to have a go at assessing the leafless shrubs in your garden and deciding whether they would benefit from having a few of the oldest stems removed. Cutting the oldest, least productive, stems right back to the ground will help to reinvigorate the plant, encouraging new growth to erupt from the base, and keeps an ageing shrub on its toes. The kind of shrubs that spring to mind as being likely candidates are genera like Philadelphus (‘Mock Orange’), Deutzia, Weigela (commonly called ‘Weigelia’), Spiraea (another genus whose common name, ‘Spirea’, is a misspelling) and many Viburnum species.

I find this kind of garden ‘fine tuning’ to be a fairly mindful activity because it cannot be done quickly or thoughtlessly, unlike many more routine gardening tasks, and requires a large amount of standing back and looking at the specimen in question and what is around it. In this way it has parallels with the acknowledged art-form which is the creation and maintenance of bonsai, although on a more ‘real life’ scale.

When a shrub has become congested, so that it is a tangle of old and new growth, it loses a certain amount of charm

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and grace. At this point, especially if you are in a hurry, it is likely to be kept within bounds by a quick going over with a hedge trimmer, or shears, so that it morphs into a twiggy ‘blob’ rather than a natural looking plant. The purpose of a winter thinning is to remove a lot of the material which is making the shrub look too dense while leaving the newest, most intact, stems arising from near to the base. This takes time and careful analysis of what is in front of you, hence tackling it at a slack period of the growing cycle, because you need to edit the specimen in your mind’s eye before you actually begin cutting stuff out.

The aim, as with so much in gardening, is to try and achieve the pretence that the plant is growing free and wild, maintaining a semblance of the shape it would have if growing unfettered in nature, while actually bending the specimen to the will of the gardener. If a shrub naturally grows with arching stems smothered in flowers, but would in reality grow too large for your garden, then pruning it to keep it within the garden scale should still be done in a manner which retains the natural form - hence the similarity with the Art of bonsai!

There may be a way, methinks, of linking this activity with the Festive Season and the giving/receiving of gifts: this kind of intricate pruning is greatly aided by having the right tools, the kind of tools which are a bit of an indulgence, rather than a necessity, and hence may be nice to receive in one’s Christmas stocking.

I find that the most useful pruning saw for this kind of job is a tiny, high quality, folding saw which is razor sharp but has a blade small and short enough to really get into the base of an old shrub. A standard pruning saw cannot squeeze in between tightly packed stems very low down, where ideally you should be removing them, which is what leads them to being severed higher up, which looks ugly and unnatural. I bought mine, quite a few years ago (it’s still sharp!), from ‘Axminster Tools’, as an impulse purchase. I’ve just checked their website and they stock it (it’s the 120mm size) for a not unreasonable £18.98 incl. VAT. The other cutting tool which is a real indulgence but which I’ve found to be completely indispensable, over the past year or so, is my ‘Stihl GTA 26 battery pruner’— commonly referred to as a ‘mini chainsaw’. I originally purchased it because I’m getting to the age where my hands don’t quite have the resilience that they used to so lots of strenuous sawing and cutting, with ‘standard’ hand tools,

would leave me with painful joints, removing some of the joy from gardening. The ‘battery pruner’ is small enough to get into the kind of tight spots which even the tiniest full size chainsaw could not get close to and is also light enough to use in places where trying to wield a heavier machine would be too dangerous.

Having said that, it is only tiny so cutting huge branches is out of the question, it’s not designed to fell trees(!), but I am constantly amazed by just how tenacious it is. Investing in a second chain, to have a sharp one always at hand, and a second battery, so that you can have one in use and one on charge, would extend its usefulness but would add even more to its starting price of around £135 incl. VAT. I bought mine online but I did notice, last time I was having my petrol chainsaw serviced, that ‘Fowlers’ in Bridport were selling the ‘GTA 26’ and buying from a Stihl dealer guarantees that you are getting the genuine article because I read, after I’d acquired mine, that there are various ‘lookalike’ versions being sold, obviously cheaper, by rogue traders: caveat emptor and all that.

I should point out that I have no connection with any of the suppliers or manufacturers mentioned in this article and that the opinions are my own and are not based on exhaustive research of everything that’s available out there—for that kind of advice you need to subscribe to ‘Which?’, published by the ‘Consumers’ Association’, where I first trained, as a ‘Researcher / Writer’, getting on for thirty years ago—doesn’t time fly!!!

On that note, patient reader, I wish you a happy and restful season of jollity :-)

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PROPERTY ROUND-UP

Chocolate Box Cottages

By Helen Fisher

MORCOMBELAKE £465,000

Not quintessentially ‘chocolate box’ but with ample potential and outstanding views. A 1960’s 2/3 bedroomed bungalow approached off a country lane. Attractive fireplace with wood-burning stove and recently refurbished bathroom. Wrap around south-west facing gardens with views across the valley.

Kennedys Tel: 01308 427329

WESY COKER £375,000

A beautifully restored Grade II listed cottage in the heart of the village.

Light-filled, spacious kitchen, double aspect reception room with feature fireplace. Private rear garden with lawn and mature shrubs and trees. Gated, shingle parking for several vehicles.

Connells Yeovil Tel: 01935 431129

STOCKLAND £700,000

CHEDDINGTON £399,000

A Grade II listed 3 bedroomed 18th Century cottage with stunning rural views. Period features inc: sash windows with shutters, fireplace with log burner and exposed beams and floorboards. An attractive walled garden with shrubs and trees, shed and wood store. All set in half an acre. No onward chain.

Stags Honiton Tel: 01404 45885

A Grade II* listed home with 2 double bedrooms and many period features inc: flagstone floors, exposed beams and floorboards, fireplaces, window seats and stone mullion windows. Spacious kitchen/diner with Aga. Delightful, large garden with wild/natural areas plus fine beech tree and shed.

Symonds and Sampson Tel: 01308 863100

COLYTON £285,000

BURTON BRADSTOCK £525,000

An end of terrace Victorian 2 bedroom home, situated in a small terrace of just 4 properties. Beautifully presented inside and out with a feature fireplace and wood-burning stove. Kitchen with French doors to the rear, south west facing, private courtyard garden with side gate.

Gordon & Rumsby Tel: 01297 553768

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A deceptively spacious Grade II listed, former rope makers cottage with 3 double bedrooms. Character features inc: exposed beams & floorboards, window seats, inglenook fireplace with former bread oven and solid oak doors. Beautiful, large rear garden with mature shrubs and tropical plants inc: palm tree and grapevine. Plus fruit trees, summerhouse and stone store.

Stags Tel: 01308 428000

Dracula in Dorset BOWJANGLES, a quartet of classically trained musicians who are as funny as they are musically gifted, bring their new show, Dracula in Space, to Dorset for a short Artsreach tour, starting at Chetnole village hall on Friday 3rd December.

Forget everything you think you know about string quartets—Bowjangles is an irreverent, anarchic group of genre-spanners, bringing music, theatre and comedy together in a way you’ve never seen before.

The four Bowjangles players are a string quartet who can really play, who dance while they play, sing while they play, leap, tumble, juggle and joke while they play!

In this new show, the intrepid foursome are blasting off into outer space to meet a mysterious benefactor, whose proposition seems a little too good to be true. But what happens when their lead violinist starts to act a little strangely?

The other Bowjangles concerts are at Sixpenny Handley village hall on Saturday 4th at 7.30pm and Winfrith Newburgh village hall on Sunday 5th at 8pm.

WARNING: Contains scenes of graphic violins!

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Food&Dining

FESTIVE MINI CROISSANTS If, like me, you love to serve up simple food with bags of flavour and perhaps an unusual twist or two, then stock your storecupboard with a few precious jewels and you’ll find that classy festive croissants can be made up in no time at all.

LESLEY WATERS

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• 240g ready made croissant dough (available in cans in the chiller cabinet) • 200g locally sourced mincemeat • 55g toasted flaked almonds, roughly chopped • 1 small apple, peeled, cored & finely diced • Ground cinnamon & icing sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190C/ 375F. Line a large baking tray with bakewell paper.

2. Place the mincemeat in a bowl, add the almonds & apple and gently combine.

3. On a lightly floured surface unroll the croissant dough. Separate the dough into the pre cut pieces and cut each triangle in half lengthways again.

4. Place a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat at the thick end of each triangle. Loosely roll up each triangle from the thick end rolling up to finish with the thin point.

5. Place the mini croissants on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until puffed & golden. When cooked, immediately dust with icing sugar and cinnamon. Remove from the baking tray and serve warm.

Serves 12

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PHEASANT AND SQUASH CURRY The Curry club has started up again for the chilli winter months at the Oyster and Fish House and the Fox. It’s a great time to make a curry like this with an abundance of pheasants around, and everyone seems to growing squashes now who maybe got a bit keen on gardening during lockdown.

I like to keep some different curry sauces and curries in the freezer, flat packed in zip lock bags for a quick decision supper.

MARK HIX

INGREDIENTS • 20 or so pheasant thighs • 300-400g squash flesh, cut into rough 2cm chunks • 4 onions, peeled and sliced • 2 medium green chillies, deseeded and sliced • 1tbsp ghee • tbsp tomato purée • 1 litre chicken stock; a good cube will do

• 1tbsp chopped coriander leaves • For the marinade • 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed • 50g root ginger, scraped and finely grated • A good pinch of saffron • 200g thick yoghurt • 4 cloves • For the spice mix • 1tsp black peppercorns • The seeds from 12 cardamom pods • A small piece of cinnamon or cassia stick • 1tsp cumin seeds • 1tsp fennel seeds • 1tsp ground turmeric • To garnish • 2tsp melon seeds • 1tbsp peeled pistachio nuts • 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced Serves 4 - 6

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DIRECTIONS 1. Mix all of the ingredients together for the marinade then mix with the pheasant thighs, cover and marinade for an hour.

2. Meanwhile put all of the ingredients for the spice mix in a cast-iron frying pan and heat them over a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes, turning them regularly with a spoon until they are lightly browned.

Transfer to a mortar and pestle and coarsely grind the spices.

3. Melt the ghee in a thick-bottomed pan and gently cook the onions and chillies on a low heat with a lid on for 5-6 minutes, stirring every so often until soft. Add the spices, tomato purée and chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pheasant and the marinade, cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes then add the squash and continue simmering for another 25 minutes, topping up with a little water if necessary. Take a ladle of the sauce and blend in a liquidiser until smooth and return to the pan. The pheasant should be tender now and the sauce quite thick; if not continue simmering. Stir in the coriander and transfer to a serving dish.

4. To serve, mix the melon seeds, pistachios and shallots together and scatter on top.

Serve with basmati rice.

New home, new name and more services for charity

I

t’s been quite a busy couple of years for Project Food (formally HALFF) in Axminster. Not only have they had to adapt to how they support the local community in response to the Covid 19 pandemic, but they have a new name and a new home.

Project Food are a registered charity, set up in 2006 as Health and Local Food for Families (HALFF) registered charity number 1121605, in response to the rising levels of ill health caused by a poor diet. In 2017 they re-registered as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) number 1173120, and in 2020 changed their name to Project Food.

Project Food are best known for their cooking sessions in the community. In March 2020, all cooking sessions had to be cancelled for the foreseeable future due to Coronavirus.

The charity quickly re-evaluated how they could best serve the community and started to provide fresh fruit and veg deliveries to people unable to get out to the shops or get online supermarket delivery slots, ready meals to people who were unable to cook for themselves and had lost support in lockdown and provided free fruit, veg and meals to people impacted financially…this is continuing today.

In November 2020 the difficult decision was made to close the fruit and veg shop. Thankfully, Mandy who worked in the shop continued, moving just a few doors down in South Street under the new name ‘Not Just Veg’.

In February 2021, they then moved to their new home in Axminster Hospital. As part of the NHS Social Prescribing initiative, they were approached by NHS Property Services and asked if they would like to take over the unused kitchen

space to support people to live a healthier lifestyle and reducing pressure on NHS services. This move has provided Project Food with a newly refurbished space, complete with offices and two big kitchens for cooking ready meals and teaching. It was a while before they were able to invite people into the new space as the second lockdown took hold, but they are thrilled to announce that sessions at Axminster Hospital as well as The Crowshute Centre in Chard and The Marshlands Centre in Seaton have now started again.

The friendly support groups will offer cooking demonstrations to anyone that would like to learn how to cook healthy and nutritious meals to help improve and support their own physical and mental health or that of their loved ones. Learn how to cook healthily on a budget, get helpful tips on cooking great meals for just one person, learn what recipes are great for batch cooking and get some new ideas and inspiration from the Project Food team and others attending the group.

Hannah Smart, Project Manager at Project Food said ‘We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to our sessions and would love to see some new faces to join our friendly groups. They are a great place to meet new people that share an interest in food and cooking. We will of course serve lunch at each session which is a great opportunity to socialise and try what has been cooked at the session.’

The sessions in December are 10th, 14th and 21st. For more information please contact the Project Food team and further dates. Call 01297 631782 or email info@project-food. org.uk

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 39

Sharing a Brew

There's many a story to be told at the end of a Westcountry farm lane.

Fergus Byrne has been hearing from Vic Irvine at Cerne Abbas Brewery

© Vic Irvine and Jodie Moore at Cerne Abbas Brewery Photograph Robin Mills

O

n the day I meet Vic Irvine at Cerne Abbas Brewery he receives a worn copy of an old school report in the post. It details the end of year marks from when he was ten years old. Inside the envelope, there's also an earlier photograph of him as a child with one of his best friends sitting in a high chair behind him.

Although the A's in his report outnumber the B's by a long way, and there are effusive comments from his headteacher about his abilities, there is no mention of the fact that one day he might run a successful brewery. But that’s no surprise. Unless you are educated by beer-making monks it’s unlikely that any educational establishment would be able to predict that particular career path.

Today, sitting in the taproom just outside Cerne Abbas at the brewery he runs with business partner Jodie Moore, he admits with a chuckle that he probably had more interest in 40 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

being a racing driver in those days.

In an average week, the Cerne Abbas Brewery in Barton Meadows Farm produces up to 3,000 pints of traditional real ale. About a third goes to bottles and the rest comes fresh from hand pumps in pubs around the area.

Talking about his beer it’s clear that Vic’s passion for producing a unique ‘traditional’ ale means there is no room for getting over creative or too fancy. Today there might be a certain popularity in what is termed ‘craft’ beers but that’s a word that elicits a derisive snort from Vic. He describes it as an umbrella term for smaller breweries. ‘A lot of it is keg driven’ he says, ‘which is stuff that is force-fed with CO2 so it can last longer.’ He describes many of them as ‘hop forward’ where he points out that the hop is the main characteristic of them. ‘They are cloudy beers, stronger beers—American west coast IPA style. We’re more of a

Clockwise from above: © Cerne Abbas Brewery brew kit, the outside bar, the taproom and Vic Irvine. Photographs Robin Mills

traditional brewer’ he says, ‘a balanced beer between the hop and the barley’.

But it’s not just the traditional methods that make Cerne Abbas Brewery beers unique. They have a secret weapon in their arsenal—nearby farmer Will Best’s barley. Will grows Maris Otter barley which has won many awards and his product is the backbone of the brew. ‘The amount he grows is what we brew’ says Vic. If Will’s acreage goes up, then they brew more. ‘He’s getting fantastic returns’ he explained. ‘His yield is quite high. Of course he’s farming organically. A lot of farmers spray everything with fertilisers and weed killers. Whereas he rotates his farm organically and does everything the correct way and gets fantastic returns.’ Vic says that the extract that they get from Will’s barley to turn into beer is fantastic.

Their relationship is a great example of grower and brewer working together, caring for the land, and ensuring a high-quality product at the same time. Using only Will Best’s barley also keeps everything local and ensures a continuity of quality. ‘It’s a big cohesion’ says Vic. ‘If we expand, Will grows more.’

It’s a cohesion and collaboration that he says also extends throughout relationships in his industry. ‘We’re a bit of an incestuous bunch us brewers’ he says. ‘We’re a band of brothers and sisters really. I’ve never known a trade like it.

Everyone’s out to help each other. No one’s out there to stitch each other up’.

But the path to hop and barely has had its fair share of twists and turns for Vic Irvine. After a period traveling up and down the country selling carpet in a business he had bought from his father, he decided that dealing with irate people and beige carpet was ‘dull and unfulfilling’.

He ran a couple of skateboarding shops, tried full-time

farming, and when a job came up as chief brewer at nearby Piddle brewery he recognised his calling. Buying a brew kit from someone who was downsizing he worked with Jodie to slowly create just the right brew—in time finding the perfect home for his business in the farmyard he had worked in previously.

Barton Meadows Farm, he tells me, is where it really started for them. ‘Breweries are rooted in people coming to the brewery, seeing the brew kit, and drinking the beer’ says Vic. In the last summer, they ran events to celebrate local food, music, and beer. One of the highlights was the launch of the Skimmity Hitchers new album The Revolution will not be pasteurised.

The history of brewing in Cerne Abbas is said to have been started by Æthelmær the Stout and his Benedictine monks when they founded a monastery in Cerne Abbas in 987, and the last brewer, James Northover, hung up his apron in 1883. So, Vic and Jodie’s enterprise is rooted in a deep tradition, one that Vic is loath to tamper with and one that he doesn’t want to see consumed by the rush to modernity and growth. ‘The business has evolved organically’ he says. ‘The growth’s been done basically bit by bit. We don’t want to be a beer factory, just a small brewery.’

Not wanting to be Cerne Abbas’s ‘fourth pub’ either, the Cerne Abbas Brewery taproom is only open three nights a week and they are looking forward to running further events. Vic says to keep an eye on their website and Facebook to keep up to date on what’s coming up.

And if you’re short of a smile on one of those three evenings that they are open, pop in and ask him to recite his favourite quote from when he was interviewed by the New Yorker magazine last summer. Nuff said.

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Arts&Entertainment Arts&Entertainment

LOS

Pac ami nos Back on the road and coming to Lyme Regis, Los Pacaminos play music for fun.

Paul Young talked to Fergus Byrne about how things have changed after nearly 30 years playing together.

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W

WHEN Los Pacaminos perform in Lyme Regis in December, they will have just begun their 30th year as a band on the road together.

Featuring a line-up of seasoned musicians including iconic eighties vocalist, Paul Young, the band have lasted far longer than anyone might have imagined—considering they first formed ‘just for fun’ in November 1992. Back then the focus was on making sure they were playing music ‘for the pleasure of it’ and today Paul admits that perhaps the lack of pressure to go beyond that fun and camaraderie is part of the glue that held them together.

The other part of that adhesion could be the style of music they chose to play. They started as a purely Tex-Mex band, which Paul describes as ‘quite a joyful music in its own way’ and have since expanded to embrace various other styles. The reason for expanding beyond Tex-Mex is because, as Paul puts it, ‘we don’t live in Texas… and you can dream about it for a long time but it’s very difficult to steer that course.’ Over the years the band has broadened its horizons and Paul says ‘I think we now come under the broad stroke of Americana. So we can dip into slightly more country things and a little bit more Texas Blues’.

He says the band has a much ‘broader stroke’ to it now with ‘Cajun overtones on some things and really good old-fashioned

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cowboy stuff—and Sergio Leonie as well, and things like that.’

A typical Pacaminos set might include Wooly Bully, La Bamba and sometimes, if enough tequila is flowing, Speedy Gonzales. And if the moment is right, there may be a ballad or two like the stunning Prairie Serenade.

However, one of the key elements for Los Pacaminos is humour. ‘The thing I find about Tex-Mex music is there’s a hint of humour in the lyrics’ says Paul. ‘Where life can always kick you down but you just get back up and carry on. A lot of songs have an element of that in them and it’s quite a British thing really—to be able to make a joke of something that’s quite serious. And that’s our way of getting through things I think.’

Paul describes the group as happy people with a ‘great sense of humour’. He says ‘there’s a lot of laughs going on on stage’.

In fact, a live set can sometimes include more banter with the audience than might be expected. Paul relates a story of how, at a recent gig in the Half Moon in Putney, the band was chatting to members of the audience during the set when someone at the back shouted ‘shut up and play some music’. ‘The rest of the audience turned to him to tell him to shut up!’ Paul laughs ‘talking is half the show. A large part of what we do is we talk to the audience a lot, we don’t act like they’re not there.’

That interaction has created a lot of loyalty amongst fans, or ‘Pacamigos’ as Paul calls them. The opposite, those that haven’t been to a gig before are called ‘Pacavirgins’. They are hugely welcome and soon become Pacamigos. Puns on the band’s name are popular. Last year someone came up with ‘Pacs Vaxed!’ and a new limited edition t-shirt was born.

But there were other reasons for Paul to put the band together all those years ago. After he shot to fame with songs like Wherever I lay My Hat, Every Time You Go Away and Love of the Common People, he missed the conviviality and camaraderie that came with being in a band like he’d had with his previous band the Q Tips. ‘It also takes the pressure off ’ says Paul. ‘It’s much easier on me. When I got the band members together I made a point of making sure there were other singers, because I wanted to play the guitar and get better at it.’ It’s also allowed him to learn another guitar-based instrument called a Baja Sexto, a Mexican twelve string instrument. ‘So I’m doing things that I never get to do as a solo performer—and writing instrumentals as well. You can’t do that as a solo singer. So it fulfills other parts of music for me.’

But the solo work is by no means left on the shelf. Paul is currently working on a new album and is launching a new

website as well as getting ready to tour his new songs. Festivals, a tour with Go West and a previously deferred American tour are all back on the table for next year.

In the meantime the real joy is being back on stage. ‘It’s fantastic to get back on the road’ says Paul. ‘After lockdown we had to have restricted attendance. Sometimes we’ve had to play matinee shows as well as an evening show, which at our tender age—that’s quite tiring. So we can’t wait to get back to the real world.’

After nearly thirty years and an album with the telling title A Fistful of Statins, it’s likely that most people coming to a Los Pacaminos gig have realised that this is a band that is a long way from the soulful Paul Young style that made him famous. They don’t do Paul Young songs. They do Los Pacaminos. And with the band, and sometimes a lot of the audience, wearing cowboy hats, nobody does Los Pacamionos better.

Los Pacaminos are at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis on Saturday December 11th. For more information or to buy tickets visit https://www.marinetheatre. com/los-pacaminos/. Also available from the Marine (Mondays and Fridays only), Bridport Tourist Information centre, or over the phone on 0333 666 3366.

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December PREVIEW

Trumpeter Chris Hodgkins leads the Salute to Humph at the Marine in Lyme Regis

Remembering Humph

LYME REGIS A LINE-UP of 10 top UK and US jazz musicians, led by trumpeter Chris Hodgkins will give a Salute to Humph, the late, great Humphrey Lyttelton, at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, on Friday 3rd December.

With sound, spoken words and pictures, Salute to Humph celebrates the life and music of the great jazz musician, and matchless chairman of BBC Radio 4’s anarchic I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, on what would have been his 100th birthday.

Humph, as he was affectionately known, led the revival of 40s and 50s jazz. He was the first jazzer to have a Top 20 hit with his Bad Penny Blues.

Kora and guitar duo

PORTESHAM A CHANCE encounter between Senegalese kora player Amadou Diagne and French-American guitarist Cory Seznec in the streets of Bath in 2007 led to a new musical adventure in 2021, coming to Portesham village hall on Saturday 11th December.

Following rehearsals in Paris and a recording session at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Somerset, Diagne and Seznec created their latest album, Touki - Rights of Passage.

Drawing heavily on the traditional music and rhythms of West Africa, the kora dances playfully around banjo and the guitar, the calabash and other percussion add powerful, driving beats, and silky voices entrance.

The influences are many, and rather than remaining in any one tradition, the touki—the musical voyage itself—is the destination.

Festive favourites

SOUTH PETHERTON WEST Country favourites the Stanchester Choir and the perennially popular St Agnes Fountain come to the David Hall at South Petherton with Christmas concerts which are 46 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

sure to raise the spirits at the end of this difficult year.

The Stanchester Quire, at the hall on Monday 6th December, are a community quire who sing in four-part harmony. They will be performing a selection of old village carols and songs from the South West of England, from the far west of Cornwall back to very near home with some of the unique Odcombe carols. There will be plenty of opportunity for audience participation! All proceeds will go towards the Support The Hall campaign.

St Agnes Fountain, as always with two dates because it’s standing room only for this brilliant band, on Friday 10th December and Saturday 11th, bring sparkling musicianship and, humour to their heartfelt renderings of traditional and familiar Christmas tunes.

This stellar line-up of founder member Chris Leslie (Fairport Convention) and Chris While and Julie Matthews (Radio 2 Folk Award Winners), has been bringing joy, laughter and a few tears to their performances for the last 20 years.

The year at the David Hall ends with a New Year’s Eve Celebration Ceilidh with Crooked Furrow, on Friday 31st December from 8.30pm. Crooked Furrow have been around for many years performing ceilidhs through Devon, Somerset, Dorset and beyond. The band is Derek, who is the caller and also plays bass guitar, banjo and guitar; Judy, playing fiddle and whistle, and Mark, on accordion.

Gypsy, jazz, world and swing

DORCHESTER THERE is Christmas music with a difference in the Dorchester Arts programme for December, beginning on Saturday 4th with those stylish performers, Moscow Drug Club, and their new show, Transcendent Troubadours of Gypsy Latin & Swing.

The performance, at 8pm at Dorchester Corn Exchange, ranges from 1930s Berlin Cabaret, Hot Club de France, Nuevo Tango and Gypsy Campfire, with the band’s original material, and songs from some of the great wordsmiths of the past century, including Jacques Brel and Leonard Cohen. Imagine Django Reinhardt and Tom Waits having an after-hours jam with the local gypsy band!

On Wednesday 8th, St Mary’s Church is the venue for an evening of medieval carols, by Opus Anglicanum. The concert includes readings performed by BBC Radio’s Zeb Soanes.

Mad Dog Mcrea will ramp up the heat at the Corn Exchange on Friday 10th, with their infectious mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and ‘shake your ass’ music. The themes range from original songs of adventure, drinking, love and life, to traditional tales of gypsies, fairies, legless pirates and black flies.

Swing into the last few days of shopping and cooking with Five Star Swing at the Corn Exchange on Friday 17th.

Enjoy favourite songs from Glenn Miller, Sinatra, Basie and Nat King Cole as Five Star Swing jazz up those Jingle Bells!

The band features Simone from the Ivy Benson Orchestra and Chris Smith (Jnr) composer and arranger for the BBC Radio Big Band and Herb Miller Big Band (Glenn’s brother).

Away in a manger

DORCHESTER AND LYME REGIS LIVING Spit—Howard Coggins and Stu Mcloughlin—are back in Dorset this Christmas with performances of their uniquely touching and pathetically laughable version of The Nativity, at Dorchester Corn Exchange on Saturday 8th December and the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis on Friday 10th.

A huge hit with audiences on its previous tour, Living Spit’s Nativity tells the story (sort of), with the duo’s usual mix of silly songs, pitiful puppetry and biblical befuddlement. After sitting in their underpants for too much of the last 18 months, Howard and Stu can’t wait to strap their sandals back on and head out into the cold winter night ...

The Little Match Girl

LYME REGIS NOT all Christmas tales are happy—The Little Match Girl comes from a sad place, but the timeless story, coming to the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis on Thursday 16th

December, is full of surprising warmth.

The Little Match Girl wanders the street on New Year’s Eve, trying to sell her match-sticks. Everyone is busy celebrating with blazing fires, Christmas trees and delicious food. Outside, the little girl is cold, sad and alone ... until she lights one of her matches to keep warm and visions come to life before her eyes!

It’s a family Christmas show that takes the audience on a magical journey, filled with live music, puppetry and multimedia.

It’s Christmas magic

DORCHESTER ALL round spiffing chaps, with their twirling moustaches and fetching tweeds, Morgan and West bring their unique mix of magic, maths and comedy to Dorchester Corn Exchange with their Great Big Christmas Magic Show on Saturday 18th December, at 2.30 and 7pm.

The time-travelling magicians, whose tricks and illusions baffle audiences of all ages, have created a wonderful family show full of fun and festive frolics, magic, mystery, and merriment.

Richard Digance believes in Christmas

SOUTH PETHERTON SINGER-songwriter and award-winning all-round entertainer Richard Digance brings a very special Christmas show to the David Hall at South Petherton on Friday 3rd

Snow Angel in Honiton THE Beehive in Honiton presents Charlie Bicknell and Louise Innes in the popular and unique Snow Angel. A shamelessly festive show celebrating all that is Christmassy.

From Michael Bublé and Tiny Tim to Frozen mashups and the return of the small and ever-popular Eskimo.

Mad-capped, joyous and at times preposterous, this is an evening of festive frivolity with a tiny sparkle of magic that will delight the unhinged and charm the pants off everyone else.

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

Louise Innes is a versatile operatic mezzo soprano, who has sung at Covent Garden Opera House, Scottish Opera, La Scala, Festival Hall, and 10 Downing Street to name but a few. She has recently been performing with Charlie in Londons’ Crazy Coq, Chelsea Arts Club, St James Theatre and all over the South West.

Suitable for age 15 and above. December 17th at The Beehive, Honiton.

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December. He promises there is nothing rude—but it’s nothing like a school Christmas concert!

The BAFTA-nominated entertainer, who is Sony Awardwinner and a gold award winner from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, is one of only three British folk singers mentioned in The Virgin Anthology of Songwriters for his contribution to comedy songwriting.

Richard has released 31 albums, written 14 books and has had nearly five million visits on YouTube. He composed the songs and music for Bill Bryson’s best-selling audio CD book, The Road To Little Dribbling. He has worked in America with movie star Steve Martin and describes two of his greatest moments as playing the London Palladium with Robin Williams and a guitar duet on TV with Queen guitarist, Brian May. Richard ends another year of touring with what he calls a special Christmas show for grown-ups who still believe— an evening of festive merriment and audience participation to celebrate the end of more than 50 years of touring the country without Santa’s magical sleigh!

Seth’s only local date

HONITON FANS of the Devon-based folk singer-songwriter Seth Lakeman have only one local date to catch the multiinstrumentalist’s tour, marking the release of his new studio album, at the Beehive Centre in Honiton on Wednesday 8th December.

Make Your Mark features 14 new songs including

Lakeman’s first single, Higher We Aspire. It was recorded at Middle Farm Studios in Devon and is released on the singer’s own label Honour Oak Records.

Later in the month, on Friday 17th, the Beehive hosts a visit by singers and performers Charlie Bicknell and Louisa Innes, with their Snow Angel Cabaret, combining a gloriously dark sense of humour with amazing voices.

Drop in the Ocean, on Saturday 18th are a relatively new name on the south-west music scene, bringing an infectious blend of reggae, ska and dub fusion which add up to an energetic live show.

Seussical the Musical

BRIDPORT BRIDPORT Young Performers are staging the fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza Seussical at the town’s Electric Palace on 21st and 22nd December.

Bringing to life favourite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton The Elephant, the Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie, and a little boy with a big imagination Jojo, the show transports the audience from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.

It’s an exciting story with the characters facing ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, before the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community finally emerge triumphant.

Bridport Young Performers is a youth theatre group with everyone involved being 25 or under! Seussical is their

Folk singer-songwriter Seth Lakeman sings from his latest album at Honiton, the only West Country date on his tour. Photograph by Matt Austin

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the show transports audiences to the offices of Scrooge and Marley, the humble Cratchit household and the fearful, final resting place of that infamous miser.

This Bridport Arts Centre event will be performed in the unique atmosphere of the town’s United Church.

The perfect family Christmas show

The Ridgeway Singers and Band celebrate Christmas with West Gallery carols, folk songs and some new songs.

fifth full-scale musical, helping to raise money to provide scholarships for young performers for tuition in the performing arts.

Singing the West Gallery carols

VILLAGES THE Ridgeway Singers and Band make their nowtraditional Christmas tour, singing folk songs and West Gallery carols, as well as new songs, at churches and halls across Dorset, starting at Stalbridge village hall on Saturday 11th December at 4pm.

With their roots in the South Dorset Ridgeway and inspired by the rich sources of locally collected folk songs and West Gallery carols, the Ridgeway Singers and Band, led by Tim Laycock and Phil Humphries, have tuned their fiddles and voices to present a joyous celebration of Christmas past and present.

This year’s programme includes works from the Puddletown and Bridport manuscripts together with newly composed carols in the Dorset tradition including Tim Laycock’s joyful, tuneful One Bright Star.

The Ridgeway Singers are also at Alderholt village hall on Sunday 12th at 3.30pm, at St Swithun’s Church, Bridport, on Sunday 19th at 7pm, and at the Dorford Centre, Dorchester, on Wednesday 22nd at 7pm.

Retelling a familiar tale

BRIDPORT YOU might think there is nothing new to say or do with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—yet every year, inventive performers find different and exciting ways of telling the story. The Storyteller and The Musician bring their version to Bridport on 2nd and 3rd December.

Adapted by writer Adam Z Robinson and performed in the company’s storytelling style with live music, this production explores the gothic and ghostly aspects, presenting Dickens’ remarkable story as you’ve never seen it before.

Join Ebenezer Scrooge, and a whole host of characters, as he journeys into the past, present and yet-to-come on a supernatural journey to redemption. The show manages that special Dickensian balance of cosy and hair-raising. bringing to vivid life the atmosphere of Victorian London, as the ghosts of Christmas return, through the spellbinding medium of storytelling.

Using their signature combination of a live violin score, engaging narration, recorded voices and eerie sound effects,

PLYMOUTH CHRISTMAS doesn’t have to just be about pantomime— there are some great entertainments which also celebrate the festive season, and they don’t get more festive or fun than White Christmas, coming to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 7th to 11th December.

The new production of Irving Berlin’s classic musical comes to Devon direct from the West End. Join veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis as the all-singing, all-dancing duo who follow the stunning Haynes Sisters, Betty and Judy to a Vermont lodge for a special Christmas show.

Their journey takes a misstep, and their rhythm is thrown off when they discover the lodge happens to be owned by their former general and is in desperate need of their help.

White Christmas features many famous songs, including Blue Skies, Sisters and the most famous festive song of all, White Christmas.

The Young’Uns - three time winners of the BBC Folk Awards

The Young’Uns

LYME REGIS THREE time winners of the BBC Folk Awards, The Young’uns are one of the hottest properties on the UK folk and acoustic scene. The three young singers, who are coming to the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis on Sunday 19th December, sing folk songs for our times with heart and humour.

After winning Best Group in 2015 and 2016, their album Strangers was voted Best Album at the 2018 BBC Folk Awards.

Their live performances achieve one of the trickiest balancing acts—an ability to truly “make ‘em laugh and make ‘em cry,” while cutting straight to the heart of some of today’s most topical issues.

Their latest release, The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff, is a musical account of the life of an extraordinary man from their native North East England. Soon to be a theatre show, it tells the story of a working class hero’s journey through some of the most tumultuous events of the early 20th century—hunger marches, anti-fascism demos, the Spanish Civil War—with warmth, passion and humour and movingly features the voice of the eponymous hero.

GPW

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Panto is Back!

YOU could be forgiven for thinking that the whole of the past 21 months has been a pantomime of mistaken identities, inflated promises and false starts, and certainly masks are de rigeur accessories to our theatre-going lives, but as I write this on 16th November 2021, all is set for a return to (almost) normal on the Christmas show front, with our local theatres ready for the happy shouts of “It’s behind you” and “Oh no it isn’t” ringing out from children and their adults.

Once again the annual “banker” pantomimes are in rehearsal, and celebrities, TV stars and local favourites are preparing to meet their public in that most English of seasonal entertainment.

Here in the South West, there are shows to suit most tastes, from the traditional to the quirkily modern. Expect jokes about PCR tests, bumbling brokers men called Track and Trace, and (if I have my way) badly-thatched, pompously blustering landowners promising the moon and demanding more for less.

This year’s biggest names are at Plymouth (Joe Pasquale as Wishee Washee in Aladdin), Bristol Hippodrome (Lesley Joseph and Rob Rinder in Snow White) and Poole, where Michelle Collins stars in Beauty and the Beast. Or travel further east to see Craig Revel Horwood in Cinderella at Southampton Mayflower.

Many families are deciding to stay nearer to home for their pantomimes this year, and the theatres in Dorset, Somerset and Devon are offering an exciting menu of shows for all the family.

Yeovil’s Octagon audiences are delighted that three of the venue’s favourite panto stars are back on stage for Mother Goose,

which runs from 3rd December to 2nd January. Gordon Cooper, Jack Glanville and Lizzie Frances star in Paul Hendy’s new version of the story of the woman who was so worried about how she looked that she (almost) lost all her friends. But it’s a pantomime and that means we all live happily ever after.

At Weymouth Pavilion from 11th December to 2nd January, audiences will get taken for a ride—on Aladdin’s magic carpet from Old Peking. Our hero escapes the clutches of his wicked uncle Abanazar and rubs the magic lamp, but all is not well until the very end of the show, when riches and happiness come to him and his mother, the redoubtable Widow Twankey.

Exeter’s Northcott Theatre has a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ favourite seasonal story, A Christmas Carol from Le Navet Bete, on stage from 1st December to 1st January 2022. It’s described as a joyful, comic, retelling for all the family.

At Bath this holiday season you can see the all time favourite show Cinderella in the magical traditional theatre, or Five Children and It in ‘the egg’, the adjoining children’s performance space. Bristol Old Vic has Robin Hood with the Wardrobe Ensemble, and the city’s “alternative” show, always at the Tobacco Factory, is OZ. Children have missed so much “normal life” during the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions, and there are few things more heartening than to watch their faces at their first pantomime, where the magic comes to life at the same time as they are encouraged to shout, squeal and join in the fun. GPW

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YOUNG LIT FIX IN DECEMBER PICTURE BOOK Robin Robin

By Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, Illustrated by Briony May Smith Published by Two Hoots Books RRP £12.99 Ages 3+ REVIEW BY Nicky Mathewson MEET Robin Robin, a very cute, feathery, fluffy, clumsy, mouse-bird! She’s actually a robin, but is brought up by a family of mice and very much wants to fit in and be part of the family.

The mice love Robin Robin and treat her as one of their own.

Christmas is approaching and snow lay all around, so they are on a mission to gather crumbs to eat from the nearby house. The Who-man house, where there are plenty of crumbs to feed a family of field mice (and a robin), but there is one obstacle, the fearsome cat.

Try as they might, Robin Robin is just too fluttery and clumsy for them to sneak in unnoticed. While the others are asleep she decides to go it alone in the who-man house and really be sneaky this time. But, oh dear, she is just too noisy and instantly attracts the cat’s attention. Luckily a magpie comes to her rescue, and helps her to escape.

Robin Robin wishes more than anything that she could be a real mouse, but will her Christmas wish come true?

Will she be able to help feed her special family?

This really is a gorgeous festive story, illustrated by the exceptionally talented Briony May Smith. It has all of her hallmark warmth and delightful use of colour.

The story is adapted from the Dan Ojari and Mikey Please animation made for Aardman Animation Studios and is lovely to read aloud. It ticks all the boxes for what I want in a Christmas story and with Briony’s illustration it jumps right off the page. Perfect for ages 3+ and a great addition to all your festive favourites. Also, don’t forget to pop by the shop to look at Briony’s gorgeous window!

MIDDLE GRADE Wishyouwas: The Tiny Guardian of Lost Letters

By Alexandra Page Published by Bloomsbury Books, RRP £12.99 For Ages 8+ REVIEW BY Antonia Squire THE year is 1952, the place—London. The fog as deep as dark December as young Penny Black awaits her mother’s return for Christmas. Sitting in her uncle’s post office after hours, Penny hears a scurrying and as a chill travels up her spine she sees a rat’s tail disappear into the Lost Letter drawer. Slamming the drawer shut she hears a cry

as she traps the tail. As she slowly opens the drawer to see what has happens she is astounded when the little creature demands to know why she would hurt him like that, and admonishers her: ‘I is not a rat!’ it burst out. ‘I is wishyouwas.’

And so Penny, with Wishyouwas as her guide, discovers a hidden world beneath the streets of London where the tiny creatures guard the Lost Letters of the world. But there is danger in this work and the Royal Mail Rat Catcher also knows of the guardians and will stop at nothing to wipe them out. Can Penny and her new friend save the guardians and in turn, save Christmas?

A truly delightful tale, full of intrigue, danger and adventure—a perfect read for children and families for Christmas and all year round.

TEEN We Were Wolves

By Jason Cockcroft Published by Anderson Press RRP £12.99 For Ages 12+ REVIEW BY Nicky Mathewson A boy and his father are living in the woods and surviving on their instincts until the father, John, is sent to prison.

How will the boy survive on his own and can he keep John’s secrets until he gets out? Who can he trust? The atmosphere is electric and the story tastes archaic, it speaks of finding the truth about life in the shadows and vibrations of the earth. Animal instincts are sometimes all we can depend on.

It’s such a joy to read a book that reaches deep into my soul and touches every nerve. We Were Wolves is devastating and yet beautiful, moving and profound. This beautifully produced book is illustrated by the author in powerful monochrome images which express so much of the beauty and pain within the story.

I loved this book immediately and it will resonate with me for a long time. Suitable for readers of 12 and up.

Perfect for fans of A Monster Calls.

10% off RRP of these books for Marshwood Vale Readers at The Bookshop, 14 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NQ.

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December GALLERIES

1 - 30 December

Kit Glaisyer: Cinematic Landscape Paintings an evolving exhibition of West Country landscapes with a range of works on show in gallery and studio. Open Weds & Sat 10-4pm. Bridport Contemporary Gallery, 11 Downes Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3JR. 07983 465789 www.bridportcontemporary.com @ bridportcontemporary.

1 - 31 December

John Ombler a well known and respected artist from Uplyme will be exhibiting his artwork. John works mainly in acrylics and has painted many scenes of Lyme, one of his most popular being The Wobbly Cobb. His subjects include representational seascapes, landscapes and boats. Open daily for viewing from 8.30 - 4pm at Unique Framecraft, 4 -5 Millwey Rise Workshops, Second Avenue, Axminster. EX13 5HH. Tel 01297 631614 or 07801 260259 for more details. Follow us for daily art postings on Instagram @ uniqueframecraft.

Until 5 December

Elements A contemporary art and craft exhibition. Features works by Jonathan Mulvaney & Hazel Dormer (Painting), Robin Shelton (Ancient photography), Daniel Richardson & Charlie Salaman (Ceramics), and Alison Shelton Brown (Jewellery, Video art, Ceramics). Jonathan Mulvaney, a participant in Sky Arts’ ‘Landscape Artist of the Year 2020’ gets up with the birds to patiently record the ebb and flow of early mornings by the harbour at Lyme Regis. Impressionist artists such as Monet and Whistler, inspire animal-lover Hazel Dormer. A pinprick of time is captured by Robin Shelton using a pinhole camera created from a matchbox. Daniel Richardson, who worked with the late master potter, Robin Welch has thrown a new body of work for this show.

Charlie Salaman met the curator while studying for a Masters degree at Bath School of Art, since then he has developed glaze and textures to create simple vessels featuring layered surfaces with complex colours. Alison Shelton Brown scours the foreshore for

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materials to use in her environmental ceramic sculpture, jewellery and videos. Malthouse Gallery, Town Mill Courtyard, Lyme Regis DT7 3PU. Where the Mist Rises Based on satellite photographs and historic maps of the Dorset coastline, Annie Ward’s abstract paintings explore those mutable spaces where the land meets the sea. Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge Street, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm Adult £5.95 01297 443370 www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk

7 December - 26 June

Ray Balkwill’s The River’s Voice is a celebratory exhibition of painting the Exe Estuary for over four decades. Ray Balkwill was born in Exeter and graduated from Exeter College of Art in the late 60s. He returned to Exeter in the late 70s to work in advertising giving up his job as an Art Director to paint professionally in 1990. Since then he has lived and worked in Exmouth for over forty years, mainly capturing the many moods of the river. The exhibition will also feature some of his Mixed Media Assemblages from material washed up on its foreshore.

The Cafe at RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RX. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. Closed Mondays and Bank Holidays. Admission free and all work is for sale. rammuseum.org. uk. raybalkwill.co.uk.

8 December - 16 January

Big Skies, Distant Views Lyme Bay Artist Steve Manning works predominantly with lino, employing a combination of multi-block and reduction printing to produce spacious landscapes inspired by the landscapes of Devon and Dorset. Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge Street, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm Adult £5.95 01297 443370 www. lymeregismuseum.co.uk

Until 12 December

Kate Wyatt one of the UK’s foremost wildlife artists returns to

Dorset with a new exhibition of paintings at Gallery On The Square, Dorchester. The gallery is open every day from 9.30 to 5pm and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Gallery On The Square is at Queen Mother Square, Poundbury, Dorchester DT2 9XE.

Until 18 December

Small Paintings Group The Jerram Gallery, Half Moon St, Sherborne DT9 3LN. www.jerramgallery. com. +44 (0)1935 815261 info@jerramgallery.com.

Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm

Until 22 December

Gifted A Christmas selling exhibition at the Allsop Gallery in Bridport Arts Centre. This curated exhibition showcases contemporary craft and design from South West artists. Expect to find glass, wood, paper, textiles, prints, photography, ceramics, furniture and jewellery plus Christmas gifts, decorations and cards. Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3NR

Until 24 December

All Wrapped Up: Festive Exhibition of Handmade Gifts: open daily 10:30-4:30 Get festive preparation done early with the opening of SSW Shop’s ‘All Wrapped Up’: a special selling exhibition featuring some of the best handmade decorations, tableware, greetings cards and gift inspiration our local artistic community has to offer. Sou’-Sou’-West Arts Gallery & Shop, Manor Yard Symondsbury Estate, Bridport DT6 6HG UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties - COP: a photo essay by Terry Jeavons. Photo essay capturing images from the COP conferences of Doha, Warsaw and Paris, showing the venue, formalities, routines, protests and intense final negotiations to move the climate change arguments forwards. Open Thursday – Saturday, 10-5. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell Street, Honiton EX14 1LX, 01404 45006 www.thelmahulbert.com Present Makers 2021 Showcasing creative innovation across craft and design. The exhibited work in a range of materials includes: glass, wood, paper, textiles, prints, ceramics and jewellery. All work is for sale.

Open Thursday – Saturday, 10-5. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell Street, Honiton EX14 1LX, 01404 45006 www.thelmahulbert.com

GALLERIES IN JANUARY Live or Online send your gallery details to info@marshwoodvale.com

BY DECEMBER 8TH.

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December GALLERIES

Until 31 December

Together Again The exquisite Tincleton Gallery is holding an Autumn mixed show of over a dozen of their gallery artists, plus three guest artists, including a range of sculptures, oils, and prints. This show incorporates a stunning selection of sculptures

by Johannes von Stumm, past president of the Royal Society of Sculptors and current president of the Oxford Art Society. Gallery and guest artists at Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton DT2 8QR Tel. 01305 848909 www.tincletongallery.com.

Until 3 January 2022

Eduardo Chillida was one of the foremost Spanish sculptors of the twentieth century. Also Thomas J Price ‘Thoughts Useen’ Price’s multidisciplinary practice confronts preconceived public attitudes towards representation and identity. His inaugural exhibition with Hauser & Wirth presents two decades of conceptual enquiry spanning film, early sculpture, and the artist’s largest figurative bronze to date. Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0NL.

54 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

Until 9 January

Philip Sutton Colours through Life Philip Sutton’s exuberant paintings express the poetry he sees all around him. At the age of 93, he still paints and draws every day as he has throughout his life. His work is full of bright colour, painted with a freedom and clarity reminiscent of Matisse but entirely his own. His treatment of his varied subject matter is full of wonder, sometimes combined with humour. As The Times critic John Russell Taylor wrote, ‘All you need to understand and appreciate Philip Sutton is a lively eye and open mind. You do not have to make your way painfully towards him: his art will welcome you with open arms.’

Sladers Yard, West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL. 01308 459511. gallery@sladersyard.co.uk.

Until 16 January 2022

Dame Elisabeth Frink RA (1930 – 1993) Man is an Animal the most extensive collection of large-scale sculptures by Dame Elisabeth Frink to be shown in this country since the artist’s death in April 1993. Messums Wiltshire. Place Farm, Court St, Tisbury, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6LW. E: info@messumswiltshire.com T: 01747 445042.

Screen Time with Nic Jeune

CINEMA PLAZA CINEMA DORCHESTER West Side Story (2021) Stephen Spielberg homage to 1957 musical adapted by Tony Kushner (Angels in America) “West Side Story was actually the first piece of popular music our family ever allowed into the home. I absconded with it—this was the cast album from the 1957 Broadway musical—and just fell completely in love with it as a kid. West Side Story has been that one haunting temptation that I have finally given in to.”

Director Stephen Spielberg ODEON CINEMAS DORCHESTER Belfast (2021) The award winning actor director and knight of English theatre, Kenneth Branagh, explores his roots.

“Belfast avoids many of the clichés in favor of a more personal look back, through child’s eyes. The affectionate cine-memoir is rendered all the more effective on account of young discovery Jude Hill and its portrayal of a close-knit family (Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench and stay-put grandparents) crowded under one roof.” Variety. PeterDebruge NETFLIX Netflix have a slew of new releases this month Power of Dog (2021) Whilst we were in lockdown New Zealand become a key place for filmmakers. Jane Campion (The Piano, Top of The Lake) shot this in the wonderful landscape of Otago NZ.“It’s a brawny,

brooding drama about the wreckage caused by men, beautifully framed in muted neutral tones as the camera circles the ranchhouse with a deliberate, stealthy tread.”

The Guardian. Xan Brooks The Unforgiveable (2021) Back in 2010 Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley) won The Royal Televison Society Award for best drama serial for Unforgiven Unforgivable is a new US remake starring Sandra Bullock and is directed by Nora Fingscheidt who wrote and directed the brilliant System Crasher (2019) Don’t Look Up (2021) Director Adam Mackay cut his teeth writing and directing for Saturday Night Live and his films often have an edge of satire as in Big Short (2015), the Oscar winning film on the financial crash.

Here he takes on the end of the world! The cast boasts five Oscar winners: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep and Mark Rylance; two Oscar nominees: Timothee Chalamet and Jonah Hill; and one recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar: Tyler Perry. The cast also includes two Grammy winners: Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi. As McKay told Empire Magazine, Streep’s character is “an amalgam of all the ridiculous, ineffective Presidents that the United States has had over the past 40, 50 years.”

BBC iPlayer Let The Right One In (2008) “In the basest terms, a horror flick. But it’s also a spectacularly moving and elegant movie, and to dismiss it into genre hood, to mentally stuff it into the horror pigeonhole, is to overlook a remarkable film” Washington Post John Anderson.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 55

Health&Environment County Hospital support A generous donation from Battens Charitable Trust will support the ongoing care of cancer patients at Dorset County Hospital. The recent donation of £1500 will go towards the DCH Chemotherapy Appeal which is funding the complete redevelopment of the Fortuneswell Chemotherapy Unit at the hospital.

When the project is complete it will provide a more pleasing environment for patient care and improved working facilities for staff. There will be more space for visitors to sit with patients having treatment (once COVID restrictions are relaxed for visitors) and dedicated areas for the storage and preparation of drug treatments.

Naomi Dyer, a Trustee of Battens Charitable Trust said, ‘We are delighted to make this grant towards the Chemotherapy Appeal because we understand how much difference this will make to patients treated at the hospital. We are very happy to be able to support Dorset County Hospital as it continues to improve care for all its patients.’

Battens’ previous support has included donations to the Cancer Appeal and in 2020 to the hospital’s Covid-19 Appeal. This supported staff working under pressure during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and continues to provide facilities and services to protect the wellbeing of staff.

Simon Pearson, Head of Charity at Dorset County Hospital said, ‘We are grateful to Battens Charitable Trust for this generous donation and to all our donors and supporters. The Chemotherapy Appeal will fund this important project which will enhance the care environment for chemotherapy patients at our hospital.’

For further information on how to support Dorset County Hospital email charity@dchft.nhs.uk or visit www.dchcharity.org.uk

56 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

Art auction raises more than £100,000 for Dorset charity PICTURES for The Beehive, a contemporary art exhibition hosted at the home of the Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury, has raised more than £100,000 for Diverse Abilities Splash Appeal, which will go towards the building of a Helen Mortimer, Henrietta Young, Mark Powell hydrotherapy pool for people Photograph Paul Collins with profound disabilities.

The two-day exhibition and subsequent auction of works took place in the autumn sunshine at St. Giles House, Wimborne St. Giles. The exhibition culminated in an elegant party, at the end of which the 29 donated works were auctioned by Guy Schwinge of Duke’s.

Including artists such as Antony Gormley, Maggi Hambling, Paula Rego, and Catherine Goodman, the exhibited works spanning a range of media, raised over £84,000 at auction. Other proceeds collected through the sale of tickets, a raffle, donations and souvenir postcards took the total to well over £100,000.

Henrietta Young, curator and artist, commented: ‘We were delighted with the interest shown in this wide ranging and exciting show, delighted with the fantastic sum we raised at the auction—thanks to the enthusiasm, expertly kindled by Mr. Schwinge, of the bidders—but really delighted that so many more people now know, and care, about The Beehive, the excellent work done there, and the acute need for this pool. This is only the start!’

Helen Mortimer, development manager at Diverse Abilities, continued: ‘All of us at Diverse Abilities have been overwhelmed with the support of artists, volunteers and those who have bid. The hard work and generosity of all these people made this possible and has taken us a huge leap closer to building a therapy pool.’

This event restarts the fundraising process for The Splash Appeal, following a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The £1million appeal seeks to raise funds to build a hydrotherapy pool for adults with disabilities in Dorset.

Artist Amy Shuckburgh added: ‘I was delighted to be asked to donate a picture to this charity and for such a worthwhile cause.

The work I donated is part of a series exploring my experience of caring for children and seemed an appropriate piece to offer for the auction. One of my children has learning difficulties and this series on motherhood began as a way of processing and celebrating the particular challenge of caring for a child with special needs. The term special needs has a bitter-sweet ring to it, and in any context, however ‘special’ the needs, caring can be the hardest job and also the most rewarding.’

The exhibition also featured portraits and drawings of those who attend The Beehive, and it is the charity’s hope that this work can tour in a bid to raise awareness and increase the visibility of those with disabilities. This touring exhibition will be sponsored by Charles Stanley Wealth Managers.

When asked about the drawings that she and some of the other artists have done at The Beehive, Henrietta said: ‘The process of quiet attention, whether in drawing and being drawn, just talking, or simply in being there, has proved to be an extraordinary and enriching experience for everyone involved.’

Visit thesplashappeal.org.uk for more details about the appeal.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 57

Services&Classified FOR SALE Acrow props £20. Scaff tube .80p foot. Boards £1 foot. Mostly only used once. 07976 475229.

Pop riveter Powerfix GS 4 heads complete with rivets boxed brand new £6.00. Trident thermostatic mono bath tap, chrome on brass ex condition as new bought in error £8.00 07968 053268 / 01460 63866.

A superb quality mahogany glazed breakfront concave bookcase by Bevan Funnell. The mahogany boasting a rich patina and flamed grain. The upper section with a carved cornice above four astragal glazed doors enclosed adjustable shelving. The base with carved chamfered edges above marquetry fielded panelled doors enclosed shelving and raised on a plinth base.Dismantles to two sections for ease of movement. £600. Pics Available. Very Elegant 3 Piece Suite which has been Hand Carved from one Solid Beech Tree.

The filling is Traditional Horse Hair and the whole Suite has been individually Hand sprung.

This Suite will add Flair and substance to any home and is considered a Real Handmade Statement piece. £480.

Pics Available. Flamed Mahogany 2 door corner cupboard. Top half glazed with 2 shelves.

Beautiful piece of furniture. £170 Pics Available. Tel: 07484 689302 Jigsaw Winter Coat £50.00. Size 10, colour black, cashmere and wool mixture, double breasted

in good condition.

01308-281348.

Snooker Table 6ft. by 3ft. Heavy duty with folding legs. Cues, balls and triangle. £60 01297 20092 Seaton.

Hornby o gauge clockwork train set with BR engine 3 passenger coaches 4ft circle track fully working good condition in original box now tatty £50 Also 7 wagons as new 4 boxed £50 tel 01305 815463.

Morris-Minor ‘trim’, blue/grey, approx’ 3 metres, + clips for MMinor draughtexcluder. £10. Tel 07398760637, DT1 1SG Genuine Fiat500L roofs bars. £60.00 o.n.o , also available genuine Fiat 500L Boot Board £30.00 o.n.o phone 0129733908.

Two Fisher Price Vintage 1970’s Play Sets, well loved and all in excellent condition. Suit ages 2 - 8 years:Play Family Circus Train Set complete, including a “chug, chug”, “toot, toot” 2-seater Engine, Gondola Car, Cage Car with ramp, 2-seater Caboose with doors, Train Driver, Ringmaster and Clown and 5 big Circus Animals with flexible moving parts. £50. Tel 01395 487554 Play Family School House Set complete with all accessories including play people, desks, chairs, magnetic letters and numbers, etc, playground equipment, plus a nursery set with pushchair, high chair, etc. £50. Tel 01395 487554.

Bed headboard, ‘Lisbon’ single solid oak quality from The Old Creamery. Bought when

58 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

I moved to new house then changed policy and went for a double - too late for a refund. Cost over £100 and brand new, never used. £50.

01300 341637 - could deliver locally.

Royal Doulton fine bone china ‘Rondelay’ [white with pale green border pattern] £47.

27 pieces all in perfect condition. 6 off cups, saucers, tea plates, dinner plates. Sandwich plate, milk jug, sugar bowl & lid. Can deliver in Dorset. 01308 897607.

3-drawer A4 wooden filing cabinet, as new £40 ono. Tel 07981 414119.

Pillar drill, floor standing, 550 W belt driven variable speed. £75 Tel: 07770 720373.

Small dog cage.

Folding. 2-door.

H50xW59xD45cm. Pics available. £25 Kingsize quilted bedspread.

265x265cm. Light taupe/ coffee colour. Little used. Pics available. £20 Tel: 01308 458367.

Fabulous, very large good quality Wall Mirror. Size: 47” x 54” with a plain pine frame.

Originally from the old Alexandra Palace in London. £220. VGC. Tel: 01395 487554 Chenille Throw, Aubergine, size: Double, 150cm x 212cm plus tassels. Excellent condition. £12.

“Next” Cushions - 2 x Aubergine/Cream, 2 x Duck Egg Blue/Cream, 1 x Green/Cream. All in excellent condition. £4 each. Tel: 01395 487554.

Royal family. Ten brochures/coloured supplements D Telegraph & Illustrated

COTTAGE WANTED

TURKEYS

Retired single man would like to rent small unfurnished cottage in 2022.Will pay one years rent in advance. m.hyman123@btinternet. com

Local Christmas Turkeys! Free-range, traditional (rare) breeds. www.

PilsdonPenTurkeys.co.uk Super tasty, highest welfare. Tel. 07760 663504.

Dec 21

PEST CONTROL Three Counties Pest Control. Friendly, professional service for Devon, Dorset, Somerset.

07484 677457. www.3cpestcontrol.co.uk

FOR SALE London News covering 1937 and 1953 Coronations, Highlights of reign of King George V, handover to Edward VIII etc. £10 + for charity. 07958 239 732 (Powerstock).

As new, impressive ladies poncho. Wool mix, taupe & cream, with fringe. Cowl collar, with button detail. L 39”.

Great for winter. £35.

Phone: 01308 458955.

Dinner suit and accessories. Jacket chest 122cm / 48”. Trousers waste 107cm / 42” leg 79cm / 31” M&S washable in original travel bag. Washing bag unused and instructions.

Also included two sartorial dressed shirts, 17 ½ collar 44/45 chest.

Black cummerbund. All only worn a couple of times. £25 phone 01308 424797.

Little Tykes cozy coup car kids ride in foot to floor car. very good condition£20.00 .Large toy wooden fort made by ELC £10.00 phone 07531 500346.

Captur 2013 - Five spoke Alloy wheel Excellent

RESTORATION FURNITURE. Antique Restoration and Bespoke Furniture.

Furniture large and small carefully restored and new commissions undertaken. City and Guilds qualified.

Experienced local family firm. Phil Meadley 01297 560335

Dec 21

PERSONAL I’m a 56yr old handsome male with a nice personality, who would love to meet a 55yr – 67yr old attractive, intelligent arty lady for friendship / relationship.

With interests in countryside walks, antiques, cinema, nice pubs, eating out & a spot of travel. East devon area – stuart 07549 614985

FOR SALE condition £75. Tel: 01297 792187.

Travel cot navy (Graco )folds into case, plus soft cradle Birth-3 years. £25.00 Door jamb set. Internal doors, soft wood, new still in wrapping. £20. Franke kitchen sink. Double R hand basin. Stainless steel .good condition. £25 Breadmaker, Morphy Richards fastbake, hardly used. £25 Deliver locally.

Nissan JUKE crossbar

ELECTRICAL

WANTED

CHIMNEY SWEEP

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

Oct 21

Secondhand tools wanted. All trades.

Users & Antiques.

G & E C Dawson.

01297 23826. www. secondhandtools.co.uk. sept 21

Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975

FOR SALE

easy gearing system.

Perfect for touring, light but strong. £95. 07717 Wanted: Old tractors 88442. and vehicles. Running, Metal detector, non running. Good Minelab Equinox 600, price paid. 01308 11” x 10 ½” coil, with 482320 07971 866364 cover, wireless phones, control box cover, lower carbon shaft, Coins wanted. Part superb condition, very or full collections little used. £600. 07594 purchased for cash.

687485 anytime.

Please phone John on Strong Navy dolls 01460 62109 pram pushchair suitable 3 years + £10. 01297 552683.

FOR SALE 12” Heavy duty paella roof rack. New excess to pan £10. Nursing chair needs £30. 01297489567 very good condition, Yamaha Pacific electric photo available. Manual Guitar vintage White Typewriter portable, £145. Black electric street good working order. £70.

Bass Guitar £130. 07800 01297 553423.

524409.

Bowls size 2, shoes size King size mattress 6. £5. 07889 019587. protector unopened Hornby O gauge £20ono. Rocking chair clockwork train set vgc with cushions coaches BR engine £30ono. 01308 420302. working, good condition, Windsor and Newton track 60 7 wagons as new wooden tri-pod studio £70. 01305 815463. easel, unused £70.

Set of 4 Victorian Crewkerne 01460 78359. mahogany balloon back Lined lace dress size chairs, vgc, £50. 01935 18 blue £15. Soft leather 426197 or 07967 140478. stacked heel laced boots, Set of 5 DVD videos unworn, size 5 £25.

by Chris & James Green.

01308 488086.

New Wildfowling Ladies bicycle Adventures, ideal Xmas Pendulum Brooke, present £20. 01297 great condition and 443419.

Jan 22

Dec 21

Jan 22

Boxed 100 x 100 projector screen with stand and screen pointer £50. Two level projector stand £50. Buyer collects ideal Christmas gift.

01460 61078.

Edwardian mangle cast iron on wheels, ideal for display in cottage garden. £60. 01935 812731 or 07764 692966 Sherborne.

Picnic rucksack cool bag, side pocket, cutlery, plates, glasses, cheese board and knife opener, bottle cooler, bottle holder, napkins, for 2, blue, £20. 01308 422997.

Two fireside armchairs £50 each. 01395 579985.

Sidmouth.

Tennis racquet Dunlop Max 27 with cover. £10.

Carlton squash racquet £10. John Lewis white pleated tennis skirt new 26”w £10. 01297 443930.

Vintage 1960s oak sewing box/ trolley, maker C Arnold of Marlow. Hinges lid, deep storage area, drawer beneath, silk lined. 25” x 17” x 25” on castors for easy moving. Ideal present for ccraft person. £50. 01297 443930.

Vintage Ercol easychair low armchair, Yorkshire design circa 1960s has new webbing recovered,

DISTRIBUTION

FOR SALE as new, £500. Matching footstool £250. Can supply pictures. Details 01297 443930.

A-Z of British Stationary Engines, as new £60. Hardback book of tractors & trucks, as new £40. Classic American Farm Gas engines, as new, £30.

Three books on steam

engines, hard backs, as new, £20. Many more to view. 01460 220786.

Stihl FS 55 strimmer/ brushcutter 15 years old but little used and works well, £65. 01308 868421.

Thomas& friends training bike 2years plus good condition would make good x mas present £20.00. tel 01308427681

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 59

FREE ADS for items under £1,000 This FREE ADS FORM is for articles for sale, where the sale price is under £1000 (Private advertisers only — no trade, motor, animals, firearms etc). Just fill in the form and send it to the Marshwood Vale Magazine, Lower Atrim, Bridport, Dorset DT6 5PX or email the text to info@marshwoodvale.com. Unfortunately due to space constraints there is no guarantee of inclusion of free ads. We reserve the right to withhold advertisements.

For guaranteed classified advertising please use ‘Classified Ads’ form

Hand-made pine display corner unit, top half glass, bottom cupboard. £250ono.

Light coloured dining table, seats extends to 6, detachable legs. £70ono. DFS Italian leather 3 seater settee dark brown comes apart for moving. £250ono.

Wood television table 2/4 shelves, 2 drawers. £30ono. Ikea storage cupboard single size remover shelves, tall one door with Perspex insert £20ono. Go Go Ultra mobility scooter blue/black 2 speeds Hare/Tortoise. £70ono.

01460 65338. 07930 301293.

Child’s or small adults wheel chair £15.

Dremel smoldering iron, incomplete, £25.

Buyer to collect 01297 22399.

Sea Fishing gear, 5 multi piece reels, 3 fixed spool reels, 2 rods, loads of end tackle, weights, £100 ovno. 07876 550056 Bridport.

Gents Barbour jacket Beaufort size 44 excellent condition £75. Ladies Barbour Jacket Beaufort size 38 excellent condition £75.

01308 422361.

Fishing Rods glass fibre beach caster and boat rod with reel and bag. Good condition £45. 01297 680560.

Name .............................................. Tel. ............................................

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

Town ................................................ County......................................

Postcode ..................................

Monthly Quiz –

Win a book from Little Toller Books

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

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

Last month’s answer was Upottery. The winner was A & R Ingold from Rampisham.

60 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 Tel. 01308 423031

BUSINESS NEWS

Friends open new care company TWO friends, Ed Williams, and Ralph Solomon, met as neighbours.

Now they are on a mission together to help the West Dorset community with their new home care company. Good Oaks Home Care Dorchester and Weymouth received its registration from the CQC: the Government body in charge of care quality this month. Based at Burraton Square in Poundbury, The Good Oaks team provides live-in and visiting care for people in their own homes across the area including Bridport, Fordington, Poundbury and Weymouth.

Co-directors Ed and Ralph have been close friends for several years and share the same empathetic world view. Both have parents in their 80s and are aware of the needs of the elderly. The duo wants to provide a premium care service for people in their own homes.

Ed is an educator and Ralph was in the Hotel business. He has recently come out of retirement as a co-owner to lend his expertise in starting-up the business. Ed said: ‘We think there’s a huge need for home care in the West Dorset community. The pandemic has made us realise that quality of life and wellbeing is hugely important. There are many older people that need support to help them maintain their quality of life. We wanted to contribute to the elderly community in a positive way and make a difference in people’s lives. It’s about preserving that quality of life and wellbeing and letting people lead independent lives in their own homes for as long as possible.’ He added: ‘Now that we have the CQC registration, it’s about us going out into the community and saying—we are here to help, here’s what we can do to make life a little bit easier. We have a team of talented and empathetic carers, and we look forward to welcoming new people who have the same ethos to our team.’

The Good Oaks Weymouth and Dorchester team is looking to hire around 30 carers to join them in the next few months. Good Oaks offers industry-leading rates of pay, excellent training, mentoring and career progression. For more information and to apply visit goodoakshomecare. co.uk/Dorchester

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine December 2021 61