Services & Classified

Montacute House on 25 June and The Plough at Torrington on 19 August, and Much Ado About Nothing to Montacute on 1 July and Torrington on 7 July.

Quantum Theatre also has two productions, both of which are performed on the same day at each venue. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, for a family audience, is at Brympton D’Evercy near Yeovil at 4pm on Sunday 26 June, followed in the evening by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The same pattern is followed at Buckland Monachorum Garden House on 9 July. Peter Rabbit is out on his own at Davey Fort, Lyme Regis at 2pm on Saturday 23 July.

One of the most unusual shows this year is Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer, performed by the weather blind company Rain or Shine. See this hilarious comedy at Beaminster Manor on Sunday 26 June, at Cullompton Corn Barn on 11 August or Swanage on 15 August. The all-male Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a company famous for its music and singing as well as versatile acting, has chosen Shakespeare’s As You Like It, coming to the new venue of Octagon in the Country Park, Yeovil on Wednesday 29 June, and to Killerton House on 26 July.

The long-established Chapterhouse has three shows on offer. Romeo and Juliet is at Holme for Gardens on the Purbecks on 7 July, followed by Pride and Prejudice on 8 July. The Jane Austen classic will also be performed at Octagon Theatre in the Country Park on Saturday 27 August. The third Chapterhouse show is Cinderella, coming to Powderham Castle on Sunday 31 July.

Three productions are on tour with the Heartbreak companies this year—Awful Auntie, Jane Eyre and Much Ado About Murder. Jane Eyre is at Killerton House on Thursday 14 July. Much Ado About Murder, a Shakespearean murder mystery skit, is at Athelhampton House on 21 July, and at Rosemoor Gardens, Torrington on 28 August. And Awful Auntie, the show for all the family, is at Killerton House on Saturday 6 August and at Maumbury Rings, Dorchester on 13 August, both at 6pm.

Not just a classic comedy, but tea (with cucumber sandwiches) are on offer from Slapstick Picnic, a branch of the Handlebards company. See their The Importance of Being Earnest at Lyme Regis Marine on Friday 15 July or Taunton Brewhouse on 22 July.

The Last Baguette has adapted some of the immortal tales of King Arthur for the 2022 summer tour, coming to Bridport, Millennium Green on Sunday 24 July and Lyme Regis Marine on 28 July, and to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in the Country Park on Saturday 6 August.

Folksy Theatre has chosen two classics of the open air repertoire, Much Ado About Nothing and Alice in Wonderland, for the 2022 tours. Much Ado is at Burrow Farm Gardens, Axminster on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28, July, at Forde Abbey near Chard on Tuesday 2 August, Lyme Regis Marine on 4 August, Cannington Walled Garden on 13 August, and Hestercombe Gardens on 14 August. Wonderland comes to Hestercombe on Thursday 28 July, Forde Abbey on 29 July, Burrow Farm Gardens on 2 August, Cannington Walled Garden on 3 August and Lyme Regis Marine on Friday 12 August—all daytime performances for younger audiences.

The final company, Three Inch Nails, is another troupe recruited as musicianactors. They will perform two shows this summer, Twelfth Night and The Gunpowder Plot. The second show has only one outing in the south west, at Powderham Castle near Exeter on Sunday 14 August. The Shakespeare play can be seen at Mothecombe House near Plymouth on 20 August, Stone Lane Gardens at Chagford on 24 August and at Powderham Castle on 18 September.

Visit the company or the venue websites for more details, book early and hope that the weather gods cast a kindly eye on the night you have chosen.

Hilarious comedy in Beaminster in June

The Young Lit Fix

MIDDLE GRADE REVIEW

Wilder than Midnight

by Cerrie Burnell Penguin Children’s Books. RRP £7.99

Reviewed by Antonia Squire

‘AT the edge of a fathomless forest, in a castle grey as cloud, a baby was born at the stroke of midnight. But, alas, all was not well.’

So begins a the thrilling adventure of Wild Rose, the girl born with the mark of the witch, handed to the Huntsman to drown—but saved instead by the good hearted man who in turn left the castle to become a humble woodcutter. Raised by the wolves of Silverthorne Forest, and by the forest folk themselves, Wild Rose knows she can never be seen by anyone from the outside.

In the village, on the outskirts of the forest, lives another young girl, daughter of a humble woodcutter who knows the legend of the wild girl in the woods. Saffy, a kind hearted girl who does her best to help others, sets off to visits her grandmother in the woods. But she has forgotten the cardinal rule— never wear red in the forest if you want to be safe from the wolves.

In the castle there is a princess, Aurelia, under a curse and locked in a tower for her own protection but desperate to escape and live her own life. The forest calls to her but first she must break free.

How then are these three girls brought together to take control of their own destinies?

Wilder than Midnight is a richly drawn adventure, weaving images from classic fairytales into something wholly original, something like the origin stories of superheroes. I loved it!

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

Health&Environment Hearing the Voice of the Wild

A seven year spell living in Ghana helped expand Hannah Bourne Taylor’s already deep affection for nature. She talked to Fergus Byrne about the profound effect that experience had on her mental health.

Pottering around the garden of his South Somerset home near the Dorset border, Hannah Bourne Taylor’s father warned her about the many snakes that she might encounter on her impending trip to Ghana. ‘There are at least twelve species of snake there that can kill you’ he told her. Steadfast in her excitement at moving to an exotic country to follow her husband’s new job with a sports development foundation, she brushed off this terrifying information and joined her mother enjoying the familiar smells of cut grass, honeysuckle, and sweet peas. After offering further information on yellow fever, rabies, typhoid, cholera, and malaria, Hannah’s father received a glare from his wife when he casually mentioned how West Africa had been known as “white man’s grave”. This was unhelpful conversation, throwing a shadow over the bonding moments of a family farewell before a big trip. However, whether any of them could have guessed that it was a bronze-winged mannikin finch that was to change Hannah’s life forever is hard to imagine. But that’s what happened.

In April, Aurum Press published a memoir, Fledgling, about her time in Ghana, which she describes as ‘the finch’s legacy’.

Arriving in Ghana, her first inkling that life might not be as exciting and idyllic as hoped came when the word ‘dependent’ was stamped on her passport. Used to running in the gardens and fields, welcoming the arrival of swifts and singing, laughing, skipping, and spinning while watching the ebb and flow of nature in all its forms, Hannah had really only enjoyed socialising with people in her teens. But having had a busy life in London she quickly found her apartment in Accra had become a cage. Her husband was immediately thrown into long working days and there was little support for his ‘dependent’, and neither was there an instant social network for Hannah to try to latch onto. Her first foray into a coffee morning group left her feeling even more isolated. The warning to beware of snakes and diseases hadn’t taken into account what she described as “the silent and lonely perils of being unable to feel at home”. The trip to Ghana quickly began to feel like a prison sentence—until she began caring for two birds that had been orphaned.

Fledgling is the beautiful story of how Hannah cared for a swift and a finch and built up a motherly trust, especially with the finch. However, it is also a story of much more. Although Fledgling carries what Hannah describes as a ‘strong conservation message’ the story is a fascinating journey through the mental strains of loneliness, anxiety, and awakening. Having moved to the grasslands outside the city, a point comes where Hannah becomes obsessed with saving the lives of drowning ants, beetles, butterflies, and even lizards and mice. She finally admits to the OCD that had, at various times in her life, flared to heights that made her think she might be ‘bonkers’. ‘I decided to write the story because I wanted the finches’ voice to be heard’ she says ‘I wanted to become the voice of the wild— because the wild is voiceless. But I couldn’t do our coexistence justice without delving into exposing myself mentally. I had never ever spoken about the fact that I had OCD, not even admitting it to myself until I wrote the book.’ She explains how the idea of loss of identity and severe anxiety and really not knowing who you are, is a very relatable subject. ‘Especially coming after Covid lockdowns where a lot of people found their own routine had changed overnight. They suddenly had a lack of purpose and they were left with this huge expanse of time without a routine, and I think a lot of people really suffered. So I felt that in order to be powerful to a reader I had to be vulnerable myself, and actually what I found is liberating. I’m really glad I wrote about it.’

Hannah’s relationship with nature and especially the finch that she cared for in Ghana allowed her to understand both her own, and society’s collective responsibility for the world around us. ‘There’s nothing like looking into a creature’s eyes’ she says. ‘You can actually see the pinprick eyes and that connection and the fact that we are on this life at the same time.’ She recognises the massive power we have over such tiny creatures but also how important they are and why we should care about every living thing. ‘Caring gives us life’ she says. ‘Because if we don’t connect to the environment we will be doomed ourselves. You don’t have to care about the insects for the sake of yourself, but you do if you want to live! Because they are completely and utterly instrumental to the ecosystem.’

Fledgling will offer different messages to different people but Hannah is hopeful that it can also help readers to see that all those creatures that we have such enormous power over can help us to better understand our role in the world. ‘One fledgling’ she says, ‘really encompasses the whole wild, and each one of us has the ability to protect it. We can all make a little difference. Even to a really little life—and it’s priceless. So that’s my hope, and it’s not really for nature lovers per se, it’s for humanity.’ Published by Aurum Press ISBN: 9780711266674

Hannah Bourne Taylor

FOR SALE

HOME DECORS RESTORATION

Brookes and Adams

Indoor Carpet Bowls Set as new. £40. Buyer collects. (Axminster) 07902 088166.

Dog bed, unused. Luxury

sofa style. Overall 42” x 24”. Suit labrador etc. £38. Tel 07831 316536 evenings(Sidford). Hi-Fi speakers. Celestion DL8 Series 2, 10 – 150w, in black. VGC. £55. West Dorset. 01935 891538. Pine chest of drawers. 6 drawers. 36ins wide X 44ins tall X 18ins deep. As new. £75 Tel 01308 898374.

New, unused 3 foot

adjustable electric bed including new luxury mattress. 2 part bases for no-tool assembly. Head and foot lift and lower control with handset. Length 6 foot 6 inches. 28 stone weight limit. £850. Phone 01935 824029.

Canon Powershot A85

Digital Camera. 4.0, pixel CCD, high quality 3 x optical loom lens. Complete with user guide, interface cable IFC-400 PCU, 2 compact flash cards, Canon FC-32MH & Fuji film 128MB. In original presentation box. £45. Phone 01935 824029.

100 Litre slimline

waterbutt. Brand new. £10. Tel. 01297443118. Trespass Ladies 5mm long sleeve full wetsuit, UK size 10, never worn. £45. Tel. 01297443118. HP 364 Printer Inks - 4 Combo pack (unopened) + 1 Combo pack (opened without black cartridge) + 1 black single cartridge. £45.00. Tel: 01395 516543.

Glass top garden table

approx 3ft x 5ft with parasol hole. Good condition but legs need attention hence £25-00 o.n.o. buyer collects Bridport 01308 281200.

Chalk & Chisel:

Distinctive Vintage Mirrors. We sell beautiful, well-priced vintage mirrors. Visit our store at The Emporium, 39 Princes Street, Yeovil BA20 1EG. Discover more at chalkandchisel. co.uk

Jul 22

PEST CONTROL

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

Wasps Rodents Insects

Professional eradication and control from Three Counties Pest Control 07484 677457 www.3cpestcontrol.co.uk

Aug 22

PROOFREADING

Proofreading,

editing, transcription, secretarial for writers and businesses. Excellent references. Penny Dunscombe 07825339289.

FOR SALE

Large dog cage - Savic brand in good condition. Width 28”71cm x Height 30” 76 cm x Length 42” 107cm. Plastic coated, plastic tray. Two doors. (Pet Planet price £99). Price £40. Tel 07831 316536. (Sidford). Approx 25 sheets of greenhouse glass. Also 4 greenhouse end pieces. All at £ 2.50. Tel 01297 678602.

Raleigh ladies shopper

bike, 6 gears, 26inch wheels, hardly used. £125. ono. 01297 22603.

Graco Junior Maxi

Lightweight High back Booster Car Seat, Group 2/3 (4 to 12 Years Approx, 15-36 kg) Immaculate condition. Bought for grandson and hardly used. With instruction booklet and fixings. £20 Tel: 01308 863340 Beaminster area.

Ralph Lauren’s male

trench coat, size 40s. Excellent condition £75. Telephone 01297 442800.

Headboard/Storage unit:

Floor to ceiling, retro-style, as new, by Nolte Moben of Germany. Canadian light maple veneer, complete with shelves, cupboards and four

THERAPIES

Somerset Reiki:

Complementary therapy for body & mind in South Somerset. Read about Reiki & its practical benefits at somersetreiki. com. Contact sara@ somersetreiki.com 07484 636577 Jul 22

FOR SALE

built-in electric light fittings. Dimensions H 235, W 230 D 60 cm. To accommodate king-size bed-base. Contains ample storage space. Images on request. Purchaser to dismantle and remove. £ 100 cash or nearest. Telephone Yeovil 01935 825246 (can leave message).

Lawn bowls Almark

Stirling slim-line bowls x four black. Size 1hm. Super condition. Plus trolley bowls case. Bowls carrier. & bowls measure. Photos can be e-mailed. £100. 01297 33889. Tent Kampa Fistral 4 with extras £325, used twice. Sewing machine Toyota RS2000, as new, £70. Colyton 01297 551455.

WANTED ELECTRICAL CHIMNEY SWEEP

Vintage & antique

textiles, linens, costume buttons etc. always sought by Caroline Bushell. Tel. 01404 45901. Apr 22

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

Aug 22

Dave buys all types of

tools 01935 428975

Jul 22

Wanted: Old tractors

and vehicles. Running, non running. Good price paid. 01308 482320 07971 866364

Dec 22

Coins wanted. Part or full collections purchased for cash. Please phone John on 01460 62109 Jul 22

Too much clutter

in your Loft, shed, Garage, barn. I buy job-lots of vintage items. 07875677897 July 22

FOR SALE

Polti dress makers

ironing board with heated surface. £65. 0129722603.

Seagull outboard engine.

4hp, short shaft (l think). No little about these, there is a spark but have not tried to start it. £50 call 07479474392 and leave a message. I’m near Membury. Stihl chainsaw 14” model 181, private use only, £200. GP 17.5” ideal leather saddle, old but sound. £100. 01300 321405.

Pine farmhouse table

5’x3’ £50. Four solid oak chairs £50. Tel. 07891 705598.

FOR SALE

Men’s Felldale real

sheepskin coat. Lakeland sheepskin centre. Chest 42” 107cm. Light Beige £50 Tel. 01404 814094.

Dresser hardly used

cane couch and chair,, beautiful condition plus two storage stools to match, original cost £2,000+, will sell for best offer over £100. Genuine reason for sale. 01823 431484. Curtains for sale, ex village hall, blue pattern, gold stripes, 8 – 2m drop x 1.3m wide, 2 0 1.8m drop x 3m wide. Good condition, blackout, fire retardant, donation to village hall. 01460 220339.

National Geographic

magazines about 150 copies 2001 to 2015, vgc, free but must be collected Dorchester area, 01305 213377.

Brown WW2 replica

sheepskin flying jacket, XL with RFC badges £150ovno. 07870 603345.

Telescope National

Geographic Dobson 76/350£35 collection only. Television 19” great for games £20. 0777 8190639. Soup Tureen Portugeuse, blue and white china, £15. Teapot Turkish turquoise pattern £10. Ikea standard lamp £10. 07879 880250.

New adjustable electric

bed, new luxury mattress, remote control handset, head and foot lift and lower, single bed, 6ft 6in, bed is new. £850. 01935 824029.

Ercol (1960) size-med

Rocking Chair, v gd condition. £600ono. Groves Swing Chair, indoor, outdoor, cover + cushions, New, unused. New £480, will accept £400ovno. Charmouth 01297 647342 with answerphone. Dining room table, oval extending, 4 chairs, brown leather seats, colour teak. £50. 01935 415411. Tefal Pro Express steam iron £20ono. A Small life size Bambi, ideal for display purposes, £20. 01297 678692.

Petrol lawn mower,

serviced last year, not used since. £70. Two suit cases unused £10 each. 01935 813967.

Aqua-Roll and bag, £15.

Wastemaster and bag £15. Milenco Optimate Solar Panel £45. Alko Hitchlock £10. Milenco ramps £10. Milenco towing mirrors £25 pair. Awning floor mats £2 each. Truma Ultraflow water pump £25. 01460 220116.

N Gauge model railway

122 x 22cm Terminus Freight Yard British Rail 1970’s-1980’s Ballasted track. Buildings, figures, road vehicles, cement

DISTRIBUTION

FOR SALE

hopper. Low relief scenery, good trackwork, runs well. Buyer collects. £50. 01935 427066.

Free Electric sewing

machine includes spare spools and needles. Unused for 8 years so needs attention possibly only oiling. Seaton 01297625112.

Large Mahogany brown

leather ¾ length satin lines jacket suitable for classic car or motorbike. £150ovno. 07870 603345.

Veritas concave

spokeshave new unused still boxed. Complete with A2 blade and instructions £75. 07905 627483.

Ercol Welsh dresser,

dark wood width approx 5 ft. 60 years old. Needs little tlc £200.00 ono. Tel. 01297 24198.

This FREE ADS FORM is for articles for sale, where the sale price is under £1000 (Private advertisers only — no trade, motor, animals, alcohol, firearms etc). All ads must include the price. 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 insertion of free advertising. We reserve the right to withhold advertisements. For guaranteed classified advertising please use ‘Classified Ads’ form

Name ............................................................. Telephone number ................................. 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 Wayford. The winner was Mrs Ackerman from Bettiscombe

What next for Exeter high street?

A unique collaboration between the University of Exeter, Exeter City Council, Art Work Exeter, and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) seeks to find out what future there may be for our high streets. Exeter High Street has been around in some form since Roman times but now as the internet changes the way we shop, socialise and live, Exeter’s university, city council and museum are exploring how our High Street could evolve to meet our needs—and they want to hear from the public.

A pop-up shop, located in the old Gap store on the High Street, will be open until Saturday 11 June where visitors will find a wealth of information, charting the evolution of the street over the past 2,000 years, as well as opportunities to create their own ideas for the city centre using LEGO® bricks and Minecraft.

Stuart Crewes of Art Work Exeter (AWE) said, ‘We use LEGO® bricks as they are a really accessible way of setting people at ease, to have some of the deeper conversations and let bigger ideas come together. By considering the variety and depth of history that has played out on this street, we’re hoping to guide people to think about how we can enter new ways of being and doing together.’

Visitors can also explore museum objects and volunteers from RAMM and AWE will facilitate conversations with members of the public about what they would like to see on the High Street of the future.

Ian Collinson, Exeter City Council Director of Planning and Development said, ‘We are excited to offer the public the opportunity to let us know what they think about the future of their High Street, in a fun and creative way. The feedback we receive will feed into the Exeter Plan, informing the development of our wonderful city.’

RAMM about Town is a pilot project of the Creative Arc, a unique collaboration between the University of Exeter, Exeter City Council and RAMM to explore how the museum and its collections can help shape a better Exeter. Visit rammuseum.org.uk/ramm-about-town to find out more.