Cover Story By Fergus Byrne

Fergus Byrne met Samantha Knights in Shute, East Devon

© Samantha Knights Photograph by Julia Mear

At heart I am a nomad—as happy in the city as rural idyll, and probably never happier than when roaming. I thrive on people, places, and ideas of all kinds. I was born in Wimbledon in 1971. We were living in a flat on Wimbledon Common and my wonderful parents were really passionate about growing their own food, perhaps inspired by the TV show The Good Life, but it ’ wasn’t going to happen in our fifth-floor flat. And so began the migration south. By the time I was five we were living in Sussex and had a third of an acre. We later moved to where they had some more land and they started to create what is now an incredibly beautiful and mature garden with over 100 trees, lots of winter colour shrubs, and fruits and vegetables. Dad set up what was then a pioneering Horsham

Organic Gardeners’ Society (HOGS).

So my younger sister and I grew up with a lot of home grown food as well as tales from a journey they took from London to Kabul before I was born. Our childhood was pretty free range. At weekends and after school in the summer as children we roamed about in a neighbourhood pack on bikes, on foot and came back at dark or when we were hungry. We didn’t travel abroad much when I was younger but had summer holidays at Rinsey Cove in Cornwall with family friends. And then when I was 10 (and my younger sister eight) they took us out of school and we did a month’s road trip all over the West United States. It triggered a love of exploring things new.

I went to an array of schools. My middle school (now failed and closed) was quite a bohemian sort of environment—40 kids in the class with an enormous range of learning styles, quite left-wing. I remember we had an African supply teacher that came for a whole term to get us to make mud huts—lessons never forgotten. But after a few years, mud hut complete, I grew bored and my parents somewhat reluctantly put me into a private girls school in Surrey where I stayed until O-levels (fortunately for them on a full scholarship).

It propelled me into a world of competitive sports and academics and many antics with an extremely spirited cohort of girls. It also sparked a contrarian gene in me with all its rules—some bordering on the completely absurd including that girls should not whistle at any

Samantha Knights

time. At 16 I moved to a large and energetic state sixth form college. After the strictures of the girls’ school it was a breath of fresh air, but my grounding in languages and arts subjects stood me in good stead.

By this time I had started to get very interested in Soviet history (the idea of fomenting a revolution seemed light years away from the Sussex village where I was living). I was also unexpectedly exposed through my language teachers at the Sixth Form in leafy Godalming to Brecht, Sartre and de Beauvoir. It was an eye-opening period for me, combined with a pack of new friends, and Friday night trips (en masse as sixth formers like to be) to The Cider House.

After what seemed a lot of schooling, I was longing to venture forth. As friends drifted off to university or college, I managed to find a family of Russian scientists in Moscow who were keen to have an English ‘governess’. I had few relevant skills but with a crackling telephone line my failings on the Mary Poppins front were readily disguised, and in early 1990 I was on an Aeroflot flight into what turned out to be the embers of Soviet Russia. I had eight months living there, immersing myself in the language and exploring myriad places in the city—state museums, summer palaces, writers’ houses, parks, and the like. Wherever I went by metro, trolley bus or tram, my sturdy Timberland boots (which had to last like everything else for the entire stay) gave away my foreignness and I was always a source of great curiosity. I discovered many things including the student parties at Moscow State University and the common bond of a vodka and a Russian anecdote.

When I came back I spent a very fun three years reading history at Somerville College Oxford. I threw myself into college rowing, the student newspaper, and life—no doubt at the expense of my history studies. I didn’t realise it at the time, but it turned out there was rather a lot missing from the syllabus—no mention of slavery, little discussion generally of the negative side of Empire,, colonialism was taught through the prism of decolonization, and the reading list barely strayed from white, male Oxford dons. But life there was all engaging. It was the age of Poll Tax riots and the Gulf War and American students’ fear of being conscripted. Three years flew by. What I really wanted to do at that time was to become a foreign correspondent. After more rejection letters than I care to remember for a graduate trainee scheme on a national newspaper, I applied for a job as a Business Editor at the Baltic Independent in Tallinn, Estonia. A door opened into one of the post-Soviet states and a new chapter of life. One of the stories that I was asked to cover by a prison guard with a conscience was about some Iraqi women and children that were in prison in the interior of Estonia. They turned out to be middle-class Iraqis fleeing from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. On their way to Sweden, the traffickers they had paid $10,000 a piece to had dumped them on the shores of Estonia. At the time I knew nothing about law nor the Refugee Convention, but it didn’t seem to me it was necessary to imprison them. I went away thinking they needed a lawyer, not a journalist.

I returned to the UK and to law school. I found studying law fascinating—a completely new language and way of looking at the world. I got a pupillage in a set of bankruptcy chambers, spent two years living in Bermuda on a billion dollar trust case which was before the Court there, and living one of the strangest periods of my life. Plucked from my very rooted 20-something life in London, thrust into a goldfish bowl of a life on an island the size of the Isle of Wight in the middle of the Atlantic, I spent weekends sailing or on a Cannondale bicycle as an antidote to the trial. I got stopped once for ‘speeding’ on my bike as the very low speed limits are fiercely policed. As seductive as island life can be, I longed for the grit of London life and to do something more people-orientated.

So, when I came back from Bermuda I headed off to SOAS and LSE on a part-time basis studying the areas of law that I wanted to practice in going forwards including refugee law and civil liberties, and minorities and the law. I then spent a year at Harvard writing a book on law and religion and during that year moved to Matrix chambers, a specialist human rights set. As I was entering the area of refugee law, lots of lawyers were leaving the field because of the legal aid cuts. The situation has only got a lot worse although there is an incredibly committed core of lawyers who continue to work in the field. Every case is different and every client unique. I started getting instructed in cases to do with national security and terrorism in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which is where I represented Shamima Begum recently. Since I became a Queen’s Counsel in 2018 (and now a KC) I do more appellate work where arguments generally turn on points of law. But there is nothing like arguing cases before the first instance tribunal which can lead to client’s being granted refugee or human rights protection where it should be given. I am currently involved in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry which relates to what is one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in this country’s history.

I met my future husband—Bijan Omrani—on a rainy evening in London. He had just returned from Hong Kong. I was about to go to work on a rule of law project in Afghanistan and a friend put me in touch with Bijan as he had just written a book about the country. A spark ignited. We never imagined then we would be living in the South West full-time. But years later our flat in London had become more than a little cramped with two children (now aged 9 and 11), and a growing book collection (Bijan being a friend of almost any book). We came down to Shute, East Devon one summer to think about what to do, and Shute Primary scooped up our son and we never returned to live in London. And so began another episode: one with infinitely better air quality, a local beach, stunning countryside and a far more diverse collection of friends. Later added to by a Clovis—a two-year-old lurcher with a need for an early morning blast in the woods every day.

At first I was an anomaly: a lawyer based in rural Devon with cases in London. But of course in 2023 I am quite the norm with my office in the attic, new and improved broadband (cutting out BT) and only stranded now and again by an increasingly dismal train service. I wouldn’t swap our lives here for the city now. A day beginning walking in the woods and ending in a swim in the sea with work in between is a good one. I

On a local level I have become very concerned about the state of our rivers and seas and how we can stop the gross polluting of them – the toxins from agriculture that run off and the raw sewage being repeatedly and regularly pumped into our oceans. There are some incredible local campaign groups who are becoming ever more active. But our laws are woefully inadequate to protect the environment, our regulators ineffective, and the government agencies responsible are doing far too little. The locao community here however is extremely motivated and collaboratively let’s see what can be done. If we can’t solve toxins and sewage being dumped in our oceans what hope do we have to solve the climate crisis?

As I have got older, increasingly I return to the things I loved as a child, especially reading and roaming; and a desire to explore different things. And so began Shute Festival, now in its eighth year which I co-founded with Bijan and writer and psychotherapist Paddy Magrane over a bottle of wine in 2016 in our house. Every time we finish the Festival we always feel completely shattered and vow it will be the last. And then as January unfolds, so does the longing to create a festival anew: to gather people, performers and musicians and bring on the conversations. ’

Some months ago at a concert in the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester I picked up a badge from the merchandise stall. In white writing on a black background it asked a simple question: ‘What’s going to happen now?’ With war in Ukraine, a looming energy crisis and Britain registering an air temperature of more than 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in recorded history, it seemed a more than pertinent question. As we head into 2023 it now feels more pertinent than ever. Here at The Marshwood Vale Magazine we have been highlighting all that is good about the wider local community for more than 21 years. We have managed to support hundreds of local organisations and initiatives as well as help launch food and literary festivals and promote an Arts Award that now reaches artists and makers all over the world. But the most pressing thing that we want to highlight in the coming years is the need to protect our beautiful yet fragile environment, and to celebrate the natural biodiversity around us. However, to do that we will need your help. Whether as readers donating, or local businesses advertising in support of this community resource, in order to expand our coverage of local environmental initiatives, health and wellbeing concerns and to continue supporting so many vital groups and organisations, we need readers to contribute to that future. We have managed to get through the pandemic - and that was no small task - but with ever increasing energy costs on top of a doubling of production costs in the last year, we have to ask for help to expand this coverage. In our cover story this month Samantha Knights talks about her fears for the state of our local rivers and seas and the ‘gross polluting of them’. This is one of many local concerns that we want to explore further. In this issue I was also struck by a comment from local businessman Alasdair Warren when he said that we all have to think about our local communities and ‘dig deep to support one another’. If you think you can help us to expand our coverage of nature, biodiversity, environment and health by donating toward our community’s future please, do so using the details on this page.

Fergus Byrne

Published Monthly and distributed by Marshwood Vale Ltd Lower Atrim, Bridport Dorset DT6 5PX

For all Enquiries Tel: 01308 423031 info@marshwoodvale. com Editorial Director

Fergus Byrne

Deputy Editor

Victoria Byrne

Design

People Magazines Ltd 3 Cover Story By Fergus Byrne

12 Event News and Courses 22 News & Views

23 Nature Studies By Michael McCarthy

24 House & Garden

24 Vegetables in January By Ashley Wheeler 26 January in the Garden By Russell Jordan 28 What Next By Fergus Byrne

30 Food & Dining

30 Smoked Mackerel Pate By Mark Hix

32 Arts & Entertainment

32 Wander Women By Fergus Byrne

34 Galleries

36 Preview By Gay Pirrie Weir 40 Screen Time By Nic Jeune 41 Young Lit Fix By Nicky Mathewson

42 Health & Beauty

42 To Statin or not to Statin By Christopher Roper

42 Services & Classified

DONATE to support your Marshwood

Please send donations either by cheque to Marshwood Vale Limited (address below) or direct to Marshwood Vale Limited at Santander a/c number 40455735 - Sort Code 09 06 66 - Ref: Donation

Like us on Facebook

Contributors

Mark Hix Nic Jeune Russell Jordan Michael McCarthy Nicky Mathewson Julia Mear Gay Pirrie Weir Christopher Roper Ashley Wheeler Instagram marshwoodvalemagazine Twitter @marshwoodvale

The views expressed in The Marshwood Vale Magazine and People Magazines are not necessarily those of the editorial team. Unless otherwise stated, Copyright of the entire magazine contents is strictly reserved on behalf of the Marshwood Vale Magazine and the authors. Disclaimer: Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of dates, event information and advertisements, events may be cancelled or event dates may be subject to alteration. Neither Marshwood Vale Ltd nor People Magazines Ltd can accept any responsibility for the accuracy of any information or claims made by advertisers included within this publication.

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS

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

January EVENTS AND COURSES

29 - 31 December

Christmas Mouse Hunt Help us find the mice that are hiding around the Centre, see our latest exhibition ‘ West Bay memories’ and enjoy our hands on interactive displays. West Bay Discovery Centre 11:00am -16:00. Admission free. Further details http://www. westbaydiscoverycentre.org.uk/ 30 December

East Devon Ramblers 10.00am 5 mile leisurely walk. Hemyock. 01404-45944. Voices of Hope Beautiful songs from around the world taught in harmony. Group is accessible to all ages and abilities. £5 suggested donation per session. Very relaxed atmosphere, uplifting and fun. No singing experience necessary. Drop in 11am to 12am Borough Gardens Bridport near Buckydoo Square (benches in gardens for those who need to sit or rest) If it is very wet we sing in The Unitarian Chapel in the Garden on East Street Bridport Jane Silver Corren 07887675161. janesilvercorren@gmail.com 31 December

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

East Devon Ramblers 10.30. A leisurely 4 mile walk lasting 2 hours to ‘blow away the cobwebs’. The Byes, Sidmouth. Tell: 01395-513974 Mince pies after! Singing Bowl Soundbath 2-4PM Oborne Village Hall DT9 4LA. £15 Advance bookings 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com. 3 January

Scottish Country Dancing at Ashill Village Hall Nr Ilminster TA19 9LX every Tuesday evening 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Beginners, returners and dancers of all abilities are very welcome to come along and join us. Biscuits and hot drink at the interval. Please wear soft, flat, comfy shoes if possible. £3.00 per evening. Further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com. 4 January

East Devon Ramblers 10.00. A moderate 8.5 mile walk taking in Squabmoor reservoir, Bystock ponds with possible glimpses of Exmoor ponies and highland cattle. Tel: 01395-266668. West Dorset Ramblers Moderate 8.5 mile circular walk around Corscombe and St Juthware. Contact 07826 150114 Scottish Country Dancing at 7.30 Venue: Church House, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NN. All welcome, no partner required but please wear soft shoes. First evening free, thereafter £2.00 which includes tea, coffee, squash and cake. Contact: Malcolm on 07790 323343. Check out bridportscottishdancers for more information. 5 January

Dance Connection for well-being, 7:15pm, Bridport St Mary’s CHH, 07787752201, danceconnectionwessex@gmail.com. The Gleaners & I (2000, France, PG, 82 mins, S/titles Director Agnes Varda). Membership £25, guests £5 per film. Contact mickpwilson53@btinternet.com or ring Mick Wilson on 01460 74849 or Di Crawley on 01460 30508. 6 January

Matilda (PG) 5.30pm The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton. co.uk 01404 384050. Voices of Hope Beautiful songs from around the world taught in harmony all ages and abilities. £5 suggested donation per session. Drop in 11am to 12am Borough Gardens Bridport near Buckydoo Square (benches in gardens for those who need to sit or rest) If wet we sing in The Unitarian Chapel in the Garden on East Street Bridport Jane Silver Corren 07887675161 janesilvercorren@gmail.com East Devon Ramblers 10.00. A moderate 5 mile walk. Sidmouth. Tell: 01395-579607. Twelfth Night Celebrations with music from Rough Assembly and words from Debra Bates – An evening of songs and words of Love and Hope for 2023. Bridport Town Hall, 7.30pm, in support of Bridport Millennium Green. £10/members £8 to include glass of wine and mince pie. Details Sandra Brown 01308 423078. 6 - 7 January

‘Matilda’ (PG) Friday - Family Picnic Night & Saturday Matinee Screenings, doors Fri – doors 6pm, screening 7pm; Sat – doors 2pm, screening 3pm, tickets: Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm. 7 January

Andre Rieu in Dublin (U) Exclusive to cinemas, this celebratory concert is the best way to welcome in the new year! 3pm The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050. Ali & Ava Intelligent, nuanced depiction of 21st century Britain. 7.45pm. Warehouse Theatre, Brewery Lane, Ilminster. Contact details crisrainbow44@gmail.com. Beginners Sewing Workshop at Axminster Heritage Centre, Silver St, Axminster from 10 am until 2 pm. Cost £18. Contact : gina. youens@btinternet.com for booking and more information. Matilda (PG) 7.30pm The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton. co.uk 01404 384050. Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Drimpton. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. 8 January

East Devon Ramblers 10.00. ‘Around the Coly’. A moderate 7 mile walk from Colyton to Southleigh. Tell: 07595-457895. ‘Andre Rieu in Dublin’ Screening, doors 2.30pm, screening 3pm, tickets £14.50 Start 2023 in style with Andre Rieu in Dublin. Exclusive to cinemas this celebratory concert is the best way to welcome in the new year. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm. 9 January

Talk Dorchester Townswomen’s Guild 2 p.m. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Dorchester Community Church, Liscombe Street, Poundbury, DT1 3 DF. Visitors very welcome £2.50. Any queries 01305 832857. Hawkchurch Film Nights in association with Devon Moviola,