Marshwood+ October 2024 by Marshwood Vale Ltd

Henry Hemming on Four Shots in the Night Page 10

Three dates with Hilary Cronin Page 62

Clive Crudwick’s small world Page 40

© David Burnett Photograph by Robin Mills

Robin Mills met David Burnett at Marshwood, Dorset

My dad flew Lancasters as a pilot in the war, eventually becoming Director of Air Intelligence. In many ways it was the classic services childhood, moving with his postings. I was packed off to various boarding schools, from which luckily I seem to have to escaped unscathed. Thanks to my dad, a fine carpenter, I’ve built up a workshop, and over the years have made much of our furniture. From my mum I inherited a love of sailing, and for the last 25 years have spent a week or so sailing a small boat off the west coast of Scotland.

As is so often the case, I was blessed to be taught by two teachers who awoke what has been a constant in my life, a love of History and English. A master at my prep school read aloud the whole of the Lord of the Rings. The other managed to turn the Trojan wars into a metaphor for life. Then along came Bob Dylan and Kerouac and On the Road when I was about 16, leading to my travelling round the States when I first left school and falling under the spell of bands like the Grateful Dead (leading indirectly to a love of Bluegrass music). For a while I worked on a hop farm in Kent. For a molly-coddled middle-class boy like me it was an eye-opener. The hops were still handpicked by Cockney Londoners for whom it was their annual holiday, bringing with them granny and the budgerigar. On Saturday night, pay day, the Pearly Kings and Queens would dress in their finery and dance the Lambeth Walk.

© David Burnett Photograph by Robin Mills

I still had no idea what I wanted to do, so drifted into law without giving it much thought. Suddenly I found myself articled to Knocker and Foskett in the Inner Temple, a name only Dickens could have invented. Even in 1964, the firm was a legal dinosaur. At 12 o’clock the whole place came to a halt for ‘partner’s sherry’. It soon became obvious that I was wasting my time and moved on.

A few years later Sarah and I met at a supper in London. She was gorgeous, and I was swept off my feet. Happily, we’re still together 53 years later. Within six weeks we’d swopped her Morris 1000 Traveller for a Landrover, and set out for India. It was 1971, we were 25. We took nearly a year getting there and back on a shoestring budget. It was the Hippie route across Asia, but we spent three months in a hut on a Turkish beach, and drove across the centre of Afghanistan, spending weeks literally in the middle of nowhere. It was a watershed experience for us both, putting our previous lives behind us and embarking on another.

Once back in England, we realised we couldn’t stay a day longer in London. We spent a weekend with some friends near Wimborne, and basically never left, moving into a rented cottage. I think we paid £5 a week. For a while it was hand to mouth. We tried to be self-sufficient, keeping chickens and sheep and growing vegetables. Even now, growing our own food is important to me. Sarah did milk sampling, I did some editing, and finally in 1972 we started a quarterly publication called the Wessex Magazine, an early environmental magazine covering Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset, which two years later became a casualty of the threeday-week and a collapse in advertising revenue.

By fortuitous chance, while working on the magazine, I went to the Dorset County Museum looking for an old photograph to illustrate an article. Roger Peers, then the curator, showed me a trunk, full of old Dorset photographs. I was captivated. Here was a portrait of a rural way of life that had ended with the First World War. I knew instantly they would make a book. I went to see a London publisher, who said what a good idea and offered me a

David Burnett

ridiculous royalty, I think 1.25%. Driving back to Dorset I decided to go ahead and publish it myself. Roger’s support opened doors across Dorset. The result was A Dorset Camera, 1855—1914, which came out exactly 50 years ago and marked the founding of the Dovecote Press.

I took all the orders and did all the deliveries, going from bookshop to bookshop, testing the springs of yet another Morris 1000 Traveller. The first shop I went to took 5 copies. But by the time I’d been round the rest of Dorset they’d rung to order another 10. I went on BBC South Today. By Christmas we’d sold all 2,500 copies, going on to reprint it again and again. I put together a second volume, A Dorset Camera 1914—1945, and the same for Wiltshire. So suddenly I was author, publisher, sales rep, publicist—all from a tiny garden shed which Sarah eventually accidentally set fire to.

By now we had two small children. Money was always tight. In the midst of all this I wrote the first of two historical novels. It was given a good review in the Guardian. Alan Lee, the manager of Natwest in Wimborne, read the review, rang up and said if we ever needed to change banks he thought he might be able to help. A bank manager reading the Guardian! We were through the door the next day. Thanks to Alan, who said ‘yes’ when others were saying ‘no’, we were able to buy our cottage and expand the Dovecote Press. Alan’s in his 90s now and living in Cerne Abbas. We put on a special lunch for him last year as a way of saying thank you.

Gradually I started publishing books by other authors. There was never any masterplan. Things just sort of evolved in an ad hoc way. I was the fortunate beneficiary of advances in printing and typesetting. There were no computers. Invoices were typed, all the sales recorded in pen and ink in enormous ledgers. There was still a network of small country bookshops in every town. Everyone had a bit more leisure time. They wanted to visit gardens or Hardy’s birthplace, learn about Dorset, walk the coast. As the list grew I tried to commission books that appealed to this growing readership for local and natural history.

By now Sarah had started the Natural Dye Company, using natural dyes to dye wool for hand-knitted jerseys to her designs. Her business was an overnight success, before long she had 100 handknitters. With two sources of income, I was able to convert a barn into a warehouse and office. One morning the post brought a letter from John Fowles agreeing to publish a little book on Lyme Regis. He was at the height of his fame: The French Lieutenant’s Woman was being filmed in Lyme. I then published David Cecil’s book on Dorset country houses. Both sold in all the London bookshops and were reviewed in the national press.

Then came another piece of random good fortune, Jack Hargreaves’ Out of Town. AA Gill described Jack as “made for television out of old baler twine and sheep’s fur”. Despite being endlessly asked to write his autobiography, Jack had no time for fancy London publishers. I hadn’t realised quite how famous he was until we met for lunch in a pub in the New Forest and the whole place fell silent. Out of Town has been in print for over 30 years and we’ve sold nearly 100,000 copies.

About a dozen years ago I helped my daughter and son-in-law set up Little Toller Books, based here in Beaminster. Our son is involved in renewable energy and he and his family live over the hill in Membury. Over the last half century, the Dovecote Press has published about 340 different titles, a good half about Dorset. I’ve mentioned only a handful: there are nearly 30 ‘Discover Dorset’ titles alone. The late Queen wrote the Foreword to one book (on the Bath & West Show), Prince Philip another (St George’s Chapel, Windsor), the present King a third (‘Capability’ Brown). One or two were complete disasters. Many of the authors have become friends. In the last few years, we’ve published books on Purbeck stone, Mary Anning, Swanage, and Reynolds Stone, as well as my own two volumes of Lost Dorset. To earn a living from something you love is nothing but a joy and privilege. After half a century near Wimborne we moved two years ago to be near our children and grandchildren. From our house under Lambert’s Castle we look out over the Marshwood Vale. No one could ask for more. ’

Many of those using Google’s search engine recently have commented on how accurate the new artificial intelligence (AI) response can be, and how much quicker it is at getting answers to simple questions. However, a number of users have also commented that it is by no means perfect and still requires further drilling down through search results to verify its findings. In last month’s issue we spoke to Nigel Toon about his book, How AI Thinks, and he pointed to the enormous benefits we will receive from artificial intelligence. This month I was struck by an article on page 69 about how many UK doctors are using AI tools, such as ChatGPT for generating documentation after patient appointments, as well as to assist with differential diagnosis. The lead researcher, Dr Charlotte Blease, who has published more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals and authored The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick, highlighted the huge potential of AI but also warned that the potential for its tools to introduce errors, exacerbate biases, and compromise patient privacy is significant. She says that robust guidelines and training programmes to ensure their safe and effective use need to be implemented urgently. However, news of the benefits of AI seem endless. Avon and Somerset police were recently reported to be trialling an Australian AI tool that can analyse video footage, financial transactions, social media, emails and other documents simultaneously. In one task it took just 30 hours to review information on a crime that would previously have taken 81 years to sift through. This is an enormous leap forward. I don’t expect them to be able to find out who nicked my favouirite fountain pen in sixth form, but the possibilities for families who have suffered loss and had no justice could be much improved.

Fergus Byrne

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Contributors

Uncomfortable

In his new book, Four Shots in the Night, Henry Hemming highlights the complex interplay between the IRA and British forces during the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’. He talks to Fergus Byrne about the moral and ethical dilemmas faced with intelligence gathering.

On a chilly day in January 1974, Corporal Willie Carlin waited to meet a man named Captain Thorpe at Clouds Hill, the former home of T.E. Lawrence near where he was billeted at Bovington in Dorset. As far as he was aware, he was there to discuss his future in the British Army.

Originally a Catholic from Northern Ireland, Carlin had joined the British Army in 1965 and worked his way through the ranks to sergeant. After the tragic loss of his second child, he had been contemplating whether he should do what his wife had hoped and move back home to Derry. It was the height of the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland and there had been more than 3,000 shootings and over 1,000 bombings. The death toll had already reached 220.

Willie Carlin needed to know if it was safe for him to bring his wife, their 4-year-old son and soon to be born daughter back home— especially as he was known to be a serving sergeant in the British Army.

The meeting with Captain Thorpe turned out to be a front to introduce him to a member of the British intelligence services. Their conversation was a bolt from the blue to Carlin, but a few months later, three days after the birth of their daughter, Willie and his wife Mary drove back to live in Waterside, in a small Catholic enclave in the predominantly Prodestant area of Derry.

Now discharged from the army, they had driven into what he later described as ‘real danger’, and that danger is part of the story that Henry Hemming writes about in his latest book Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Espionage, Murder and Justice in Northern Ireland. Henry Hemming’s book is about the RUC and British intelligence service’s use of informants, and the Provisional IRA’s Internal Security Unit (ISU), also known as ‘The Nutting Squad’, whose job it was to find informants and deal with them. A brilliantly written and gripping story centered around some of the characters involved in what Henry describes as ‘the least understood’ and the ‘bloodiest and longest’ conflict in British history, Four Shots in the Night also delves into the belief that one particular British spy may have been responsible for the torture and murder of other British informants.

Carlin was not that spy, but he was to owe his life to him.

The story introduces us to the murder of Frank Hegarty, a man Henry Hemming describes as an “open-faced, affable man” that people would say was “decent and good natured”. Frank’s body is found with a bullet to the head and masking tape covering his eyes. He is one of the many informants who were to become victims of ‘Nutting Squad’ justice.

Using Hegarty’s story as a common thread, Four Shots in the Night introduces us to an extraordinary

Peace Bridge in Derry City Image Alamy

‘it may have been necessary to ‘turn a blind eye’ to criminal activity’

set of events and to the characters involved, including Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams, Willie Carlin and the person who was to become the most high-profile British informant, Freddie Scappaticci, known as ‘Stakeknife’. It also introduces the fascinating story of how individuals such as Michael Oatley, Brendan Duddy and Margaret Thatcher skirted around the “we do not negotiate with terrorists” stance, in an effort to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

The book took five years to produce, and although Henry Hemming has written about spies before, he says it came about after a conversation with someone who wondered why the biggest story in the history of British espionage over the last 70 years, ‘that of spies inside the IRA’, was being written about by very few people.

There are a number of reasons why the story of British intelligence service’s involvement in the Troubles might not receive the wider attention it deserves. One of those could be because, as highlighted in Henry’s book, it may have been necessary to ‘turn a blind eye’ to criminal activity to help achieve an outcome that benefited the wider community.

Against a backdrop of violent protest that had been met with ruthless tactics previously employed in conflicts in former British colonies like Kenya, Malaya and Cyprus, a new process had to be investigated. The Provisional IRA, who had broken away from the old guard Official IRA at the turn of the decade, were using any means possible to achieve their aims of getting the British Army out and eliminating British rule from Irish shores. At the same time brute force tactics and internment had simply boosted the IRA’s numbers.

In Henry’s book we learn how Brigadier James (Jimmy) Glover, whom Henry describes as ‘relatively

outspoken’ amongst other senior Army officers, is credited with presenting the idea of increasing the use of intelligence gathering to the then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Having ‘forcefully’ put his point across, Henry says an ‘extraordinary restructuring’ of the army’s presence then took place and a new initiative began to develop.

However, in the long run the new process led to a question of “at what cost”. In his book Henry asks, “What was the legal, moral and human price that might have to be paid for intelligence?” A question that was to be taken up by a major investigation many years later.

Reports suggest that by the end of the conflict more than 800 people were classed as ‘informant’. That would seem an enormous number of people in a relatively small community. But as Henry points out, ‘No two informants are the same’ and their motivation to help the British will have come from many different places. Examples that Henry cites include people who might simply have chatted to a British soldier over a cup of tea every now and then. ‘They would be marked down in a file somewhere as an informant’. Whereas, at the opposite end of the scale, someone like Freddie Scappaticci became known as a “one-man Bletchley Park”.

It’s likely that when a person accused of being an informant was questioned, tortured or even murdered by the Provisional IRA’s ‘Nutting Squad’, there is a possibility that they were in fact totally innocent. Or, they may simply have just been an old gossip. However, regardless of whether they were completely innocent, a gossip or a spy, the torture and murder of these people and the intimidation of their families were crimes that one would expect to be treated as such, and the perpetrators prosecuted. The reality appears to be very different.

Beacon of Hope by Andy Scott, Thanksgiving Square, Belfast.

With over a thousand unsolved murders throughout the Troubles, and growing anger at the treatment of those who lost friends or family to the activities of the ‘Nutting Squad’, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) commissioned ‘Operation Kenova’ in 2016 to investigate allegations of murder, kidnap, and torture, with special focus on the activities of one particular IRA volunteer and British agent, Freddie Scappaticci.

Initially headed up by Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, Operation Kenova published an interim report in March this year, and having read previous reports of a similar nature, Boutcher’s findings were damning. Whilst he said that “Having examined in detail what the ISU [the Nutting Squad] did to its victims, no one should be in any doubt that these crimes amount to some of the worst atrocities of the conflict.” However, his report describes “a catalogue of unacceptable practices” around how the security forces used agents during the Troubles, as well as a

think it’s perfectly possible that some of the impetus behind that Act came from the security service’ he says. He suggests that there may be some within the security services who felt that if Scappaticci had been prosecuted before he died in April 2023, he might have taken everyone else down with him. ‘I think it would be naive to imagine that they had no input, and the impetus for this Act came from somewhere else’ he says. ‘Because it is surprising how quickly it came about and how precisely it protected the security service in the event of Scappaticci still being alive once prosecution decisions were made on the Kenova case files.’ However, Henry tempers that thought by saying he believes the unwieldy system used by the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland is also partly to blame.

Four Shots in the Night, whilst giving an insight into the workings of the Provisional IRA and the horrific activities of some of its volunteers, as well as the intriguing story of the impact of informants on

‘he would risk his reputation and sometimes his life in order to try and maintain the peace, or to bring the bloodshed to an end’

culture of secrecy and resistance to fair and measured scrutiny. He also accused them of “failing properly to disclose information”.

“Most worryingly” he went on, the reports demonstrated “a concerted and continued absence of effort by those responsible for leading the security forces, and by successive governments, to establish the truth.”

Remarkably, Jon Boutcher’s report comes at a time when not only are very few of the protagonists still alive, but it is being published years after a law was passed that protects most of those involved from prosecution. The ‘Covert Human Intelligence Sources Act (CHIS Act)’, passed in 2021, is a UK law that allows certain public authorities to authorize criminal conduct by covert human intelligence sources. This authorization of criminal conduct was passed at great speed and with very little protest.

Henry Hemming has a slightly skeptical view of the speed with which the CHIS Act was passed. ‘I

what eventually became known as the Good Friday Agreement, also highlights the ethical quandary at the centre of the Kenova debate. The question is whether the protection of intelligence tradecraft and those who practice it, is a case of ‘the end justifies the means.’ Would prosecuting Freddie Scappaticci have benefitted enough people to be in the public interest? Or should the impact of his activities continue to be brushed under the carpet? To answer that question, it’s worth looking at some of the other stories that weave their way through Henry’s book.

Researching this story not only gave Henry the opportunity to learn more about the conflict, but he also gained an insight into the minds of many of the characters he writes about. He describes Martin McGuinness as ‘a fascinating and important character’, yet says he was one of the hardest people to write about. ‘He’s someone who, at different points in his life, is both very good and very bad’ says Henry. ‘He was capable of extraordinary brutality and was

responsible for giving the order for a large number of murders.’ These were often people he knew personally or knew their close families. But Henry says McGuinness was also responsible ‘for saving lives and securing peace in the region’ and ‘he would risk his reputation and sometimes his life in order to try and maintain the peace, or to bring the bloodshed to an end.’

Many years after his time living in Dorchester and Wareham, Willie Carlin was to become an important cog in the wheels of Northern Irish politics. Known as ‘Thatcher’s Spy’ and close to McGuinness and Adams, he is thought to have played a role in helping British intelligence services to bring a political settlement to the conflict.

Having met Carlin before he died in 2023, Henry describes him as a ‘fascinating man’. He says Carlin was someone who had suffered a lot because of his decision to become an agent, ‘and at the same time, was motivated by, in some ways, the best of reasons, because he felt the violence was out of hand.’

In his own biography, Carlin says that his life was spared by Freddie Scappaticci who sent a warning that his cover had been blown. Did Scappaticci spare Carlin so he could carry on feeding information to British Intelligence about Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA? And should Carlin be seen as more of a go between than a ‘snitch’? We may never know the answer to these questions; however, Henry is convinced that both McGuinness and Adams were being safeguarded. ‘We know of at least, I think, three

occasions when there were threats to Adams’s life in which the British intervened’ he tells me. ‘And there’s at least one I’ve heard of concerning McGuinness.’ He also mentions a ‘very detailed case file against McGuinness put together by the police, which was going to be used to prosecute him, and he would have spent time in jail, we think. And we know that MI5 asked for that prosecution not to go ahead.’

Jon Boutcher, when heading up Operation Kenova always stated that he was determined to get justice for the families of those who suffered at the hands of Freddie Scappaticci. But whether that will ever be a strong enough case to bypass efforts to keep the story in the past is anyone’s guess.

Four Shots in the Night is engaging reading. It doesn’t open a can of worms—that can is already open. But it does give a fascinating insight into how some of those worms operated.

Henry Hemming will be coming to Bridport Literary Festival to talk about his book, as well as some of the things he has learned since its publication, on Tuesday 5th November 2024 at the Bull Hotel at 10.30 am. For tickets visit: https://www.bridlit.com.

People sign the Peace Wall, Cooper Way, Belfast 2023. Image Alamy

October

EVENTS

Saturday, 28 - 29 September

Winsham Art Group 2024 Exhibition. The Art Group is holding its Annual Exhibition of Work for Sale in The Jubilee Hall Winsham TA20 4HU. Open 10am – 5pm both days. Free admission. For further information contact suzyna48@gmail.com.

Angels of Sound Voice Playshop 10 am-5pm Learn to give yourself and other a sonic chakra-massage through toning and overtoning the vowels of the sacred phoenetic Sanskrit Alphabet, were each sound is itself to be ‘devata’, a divine being or Angel. Sunday session ends with our usual soundbath session, free to Module attendees. No previous experience or knowledge necessary: open to all. Oborne Village Hall, Dorset DT9 4LA. Full details www.centreforpuresound.org/home/ AutumnAngels.

Sunday, 29 September

Alvorada Brazilian instrumental quintet Alvorada will be presenting their latest album Faz Tempo, a bold and rich tapestry of artfully arranged original compositions. Faz Tempo explores Brazilian rhythms such as choro, samba, bossa nova and baião, with jazz and improvisation peppering their sound. Alvorada are an award-winning ensemble based in London who play music inspired by the choro tradition. From their original compositions to classics of the genre, Alvorada’s shows are filled with joyful and expressive melodies combined with infectious Brazilian grooves and playful interaction. Alvorada unites top musicians from the UK and Brazil, whose diverse backgrounds - including jazz, classical and Brazilian music - lend the group a unique edge. Alvorada have performed at festivals and venues across the UK and beyond, with recent sell-out shows at the Southbank Centre, London Jazz Festival, La Linea Festival, Pizza Express Soho and Paris International Choro Festival. Their debut album First Light, released in 2019, was received with much critical acclaim (5* in Songlines magazine), leading to appearances on BBC Radio 3 and JazzFM. Alvorada also won the LUKAS and Focus Brasil awards for ‘Best Brazilian Band’. Marine Theatre, Church St, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3QB. £14 advance £16 on the door. Tickets available at www.marinetheatre.com. You can also purchase tickets from the Lyme Regis Bookshop and Bridport TIC (01308 424901).

Screening: Edward Scissorhands - 14:00. Matthew Bourne’s magical dance production of Edward Scissorhands has carved a place in the hearts of

audiences worldwide since its premiere in 2005. Based on the classic Tim Burton movie and featuring the hauntingly beautiful music of Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, Bourne and his New Adventures Company return to this witty, bittersweet story of an incomplete boy left alone in a strange new world. Filmed live in March 2024 at the Wales Millenium Centre. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Age restriction 12A Tickets Adult £16 adv £17 door U16 £10 adv £11 door £45 Family ticket (2A & 2C / 1A & 3C) Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Edward Scissorhands: Matthew Bourne’s Dance Version of Tim Burton’s Classic (12A) – ScreeningGateway Theatre, Seaton – 2pm, doors 1.30pm, tickets Adults £16, Under 16s £10. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Divine Union Soundbath 2-4pm Oborne Village Hall, Dorset DT9 4LA Lie down, relax, and allow the Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath plus sacred vocal overtoning give you a sonic deep-tissue massage, taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’, while charging and balancing the aura and chakras of the subtle body, and detoxing the physical body. £16. 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com

Monday, 30 September

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BH 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www.chardscottishdancingclub.co.uk.

West Dorset Ramblers Group 8 mile walk at Cerne Abbas for area and Minterne Parva and Wessex Ridgeway. To book and for details please contact 07974 756107.

Tuesday, 1 October

American Fiction, World Cinema on your Doorstep from Bridport Film Society at Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport. 7.45. Doors and the bar open at 7pm. email: bridportfilm@gmail.com or visit www. bridportfilmsociety.co.uk.

Beaminster Museum’s current exhibition, A Stitch In Time, runs until Sunday 3 November. It follows a thread through local sewing history, from cobblers to couture costumes and darning to drapers, via saddlers and seamstresses, to tailoring and tapestries. Artefacts and archive photographs from Beaminster and the Click Here for an Easy Read version of this article

surrounding villages bring the story to life. The museum is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Bank holidays 10.30am – 4.00pm, Sundays 2.00 – 4.30pm. Free entry but donations very welcome. Beaminster Museum, Whitcombe Rd, Beaminster DT8 3NB www.beaminstermuseum.co.uk

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

West Dorset Ramblers, 5 miles, Views of Bridport. To book and for details please contact Bridget 07952 517764 Thursday, 3 October

Friends of Lyme Regis Philpot Museum Lyme Regis Museum Friends offer an illustrated alk, ‘Hoard Stores –the story of the Bronze Age Dawlish Hoard’ by Thomas Cadbury at 2.30 pm in the Woodmead Hall, Hill Road, Lyme Regis DT7 3PG. Thomas is a curator at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. He will focus on recent finds in East Devon and on highlights from Dorset. Members £2 visitors £4. Enquiries to David Cox, 01297 443156.

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

West Dorset Ramblers, 8 miles. Hinton & Lopen. To book and for details please contact Ian 07826 150114

Past Lives (2023, USA, 12, 106 mins, , Director: Celine Song.) Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny. Doors 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm start. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall (TA18 8PS). Membership £25, guests £5 per film. For more details, contact mickpwilson53@btinternet.com or ring Mick Wilson on 01460 74849 or Kathy Everard on 01460 30646.

Friday, 4 October

‘Thelma’ (12A Picnic Night Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 7.30pm doors 6.30pm, tickets Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50. A feisty 93-year-old grandmother who gets conned by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, sets out on a treacherous quest across Los Angeles, accompanied by an aging friend and his motorized scooter, to reclaim what was taken from her. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.gatewaytheatre.co.uk, or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

One Man,Two Guvnors (12+) 19:30. Presented by Revive theatre. Get ready for a hilarious ride with “One Man, Two Guvnors”! Presented by Revive Theatre and directed by

Richard Batt, this uproarious comedy by Richard Bean will keep you laughing from start to finish. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £17 / £15 CONC JSA (valid proof must be shown on arrival) / OVER 65s (includes bf) Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Saturday, 5 October

‘The Italian Job’ (PG) Picnic Night Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 7.30pm doors 6.30pm, All tickets £5.50 To celebrate 55 years since the release of the film in 1969, Paramount have rereleased it remastered in 4K. Recently released from prison, Charlie (Michael Caine) attempts a high-risk gold theft in Italy right under the nose of the Mafia. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars, a bus and a lot of traffic he hopes to bring Turin to a standstill, steal the gold, and escape. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. gatewaytheatre.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm. One Man,Two Guvnors (12+) 14:30 and 19:30. Presented by Revive theatre. Get ready for a hilarious ride with “One Man, Two Guvnors”! Presented by Revive Theatre and directed by Richard Batt, this uproarious comedy by Richard Bean will keep you laughing from start to finish. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £17 / £15 CONC JSA (valid proof must be shown on arrival) / OVER 65s (includes bf) Book online -electricpalace.org.uk Monday, 7 October

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock. Evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BH 7.3010.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www. chardscottishdancingclub.co.uk.

West Dorset Ramblers, 5 miles, More Views of Bridport. To book and for details please contact Bridget 07952 517764 Hawkchurch Film Nights, in association with Moviola. org, proudly presents ‘The Fall Guy’ (140 mins, Cert. 12 - moderate violence, infrequent strong language, drug references). Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt dazzle in this entertaining high octane romcom/action thriller set in Hollywood’s stunt world. A stuntman recovering from an accident agrees to work on a film directed by his ex. Based on the 80s TV series. Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.00pm at Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XD. Ticket reservations £5.50 from csma95@gmail.com or leave a message on 01297 678176 (socially-distanced seating available if reserved in advance); tickets also available for £5.50 from Hawkchurch Community Shop or £6.00 on the door (cash only). Subtitles for the hard-of-hearing provided. Home-made cake, popcorn, teas, coffees, wine and other tasty refreshments available.

Tuesday, 8 October

The Lyme Regis Society presents a talk: 2pm on 8th October 2024 at Woodmead Halls, Hill Road, Lyme Regis. DT7 3PG. All Welcome. Members Free. Visitors £3.00. Refreshments Included. Social distanced seating available if desired. Please check website for further information: http// lymeregissociety.org.uk

Scottish Country dancing at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR 7.30 to 9.30 pm. £3.00 pay on the door. All very welcome to come and join us. Further information from Anita on 01460 929383 , email anitaandjim22@gmail.com or visit our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress.com Divine Union Soundbath 9-10.30 PM Digby Memorial Hall, (Griffiths Room), Digby Rd, Sherborne DT9 3LN Lie down, relax, and allow the Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath plus sacred vocal overtoning give you a sonic deep-tissue massage, taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’, while charging and balancing the aura and chakras of the subtle body, and detoxing the physical body. £16 01935 389655 ahiahel@live. com

Wednesday, 9 October

Film “Vindication Swim (PG) The extraordinary life of Mercedes Gleitze who in 1927 became the first British women to swim the English Channel. Doors and bar open 6.45 film start 7.15 at Kilmington Village Hall EX13 7RF. Tickets @ £5, or £5.50 on the door, can be ordered by contacting: John at wattsjohn307@gmail.com or Tel: 01297 521681.

Thursday, 10 October

Folk dancing at Combe St Nicholas village hall (TA20 3LT) at 1930 hrs. David and Friends will be providing the music and the caller is Olive. It’s £4.00 per person which includes a cuppa and cake, all welcome and it is a lot of fun! Further details from Elaine on 01460 65909. Shakespeare’s Globes presents Othello - 19:00. Streamed from Shakespeare’s globe theatre. Experience Shakespeare’s confronting look at the destructive impact of institutional racism, toxic masculinity, and a justice system locked in a vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy.Director Ola Ince debuted in the intimate, candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse with this ‘inspired’ (The Guardian), and ‘profound’ (Evening Standard) and ‘masterfully redefined’ (West End Best Friend) take on Shakespeare’s blistering tragedy. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £16 adv £17 door Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

West Dorset Ramblers, 8.5 miles. Charmouth Circular. To book and for details please contact Chris 07715 760884

A talk by Kate Wilkinson Encouraging Hedgehogs into the garden. None members £2.00 including refreshments. The Masonic Hall Seaton. Time: 2.30p.m.

Film Vindication Swim (PG) The extraordinary life of Mercedes Gleitze who in 1927 became the first British women to swim the English Channel. Matinee, doors open 1.45pm film starts 2pm, cream-teas served during the interval but must be pre-booked with your seats @ £3.50. see above and www.kilmingtonvillage.com/ other-organisations.html for more information.

Henry Blofeld – My Dear Old Things (For Seaton Cricket Club) – Live talk - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 8pm doors 7pm, tickets £17, Age recommendation 12+. Raising funds for Seaton Cricket Club.Blowers reflects on a truly extraordinary life, filled with scrapes and near misses. There are hilarious tales of Johnners, Arlott and other larger-than-life characters in the box and on tour with England. Henry also has plenty of hysterical stories from his post-retirement appearances on Would I Lie to You? and The Real Marigold Hotel. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.gatewaytheatre.co.uk or in person TueThur 10am - 1pm.

Friday, 11 October

‘Wilding’ (PG) Screening, talk and Q&A - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 7.30pm doors 7pm, All tickets £5 A second screening of this wonderful documentary film based on Isabella Tree’s book about the wilding of Knepp Estate. A talk from Rewilding Coombeshead and a Q&A follow. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. gatewaytheatre.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am1pm.

Jah Wobble & the invaders of the Heart (14+)20:00. Combining global music, reggae, fusion and punk influences, Jah Wobble has entranced the world with his hypnotic bass riffs for over four decades and has become one of Britain’s most influential and distinct bass players. Accompanied by his band, Invaders of the Heart, Jah Wobble is reborn into a new decade as defiant as ever with a brand new UK tour. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £23.50 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk Saturday, 12 October

Gala Dinner in aid of Weldmar Hospicecare at the George Albert Hotel, DT2 9PW. With vocalist Emily Jean, an auction of promises, tables up to ten people. £40 per person. Discounted B&B available. 7 pm welcome drink, 12 am carriages. Booking essential. Call Terry 07785 544482.

Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society Autumn Show and Coffee Morning. Fun, informal event, open to all, free. Raffle, plant stall. Uplyme Village Hall, 10am – 12 noon. Show schedule and more information www.ulrhs.wordpress.com

The Friends of Weymouth Library’s talk at 10-30a.m. will be by Ed Carter, the Weymouth Harbourmaster. He will describe the day-to-day running of our busy harbour, and other harbours he is responsible for in the area. The tickets for the talk will be available from the Library (01305 762410), £2 for members of F.O.W.L. and £3

for non-members. Refreshments available; everyone welcome. For information contact 01305 832613. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (12a) - 19:30. Cocktail maestros from DarkBear will join us for this screening , whipping up a themed cocktail alongside a classics menu. Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Sunday, 13 October

Divine Union Soundbath 2-3.30 PM Bridport

Unitarians, 49 East St, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3JX Lie down, relax, and allow the Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath plus sacred vocal overtoning give you a sonic deep-tissue massage, taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’, while charging and balancing the aura and chakras of the subtle body, and detoxing the physical body. £16 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com

Dance Connection, Dance Day, 11am-4pm, Bridport St Mary’s CHH, DT6 3NN, 07787752201, https://www. joysofdance.co.uk/workshops

Monday, 14 October

Free introduction to bridge at Bradpole Village Hall, Bridport 2-4.00pm. Suitable for beginners, an overview of the game of bridge and an outline of the course will be given. Weekly lessons for beginners and rusty returners start Monday 28th October at the same venue. For more information and to register, please contact Martin on 01308 861120; email bridportbridgeclub@ gmail.com or visit the club website – www.bridgewebs. com/bridport.

Dance Connection, for fun, health & wellbeing, 10:30am-12, Unitarian Chapel, Bridport, DT6 3JX, 07787752201, https://www.joysofdance.co.uk/ danceclass

Dorchester Townswomen’s Guild 2p.m. After a short business meeting and cup of tea, David Bailey, wildlife photographer, will be presenting ‘Good Hare Days’. Dorchester Community Church, Liscombe Church, Poundbury, DT1 3DF. Visitors welcome (£3) Enquiries 01305 832857.

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BH 7.3010.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www.chardscottishdancingclub.co.uk

Tuesday, 15 October

Four Daughters World Cinema on your Doorstep from Bridport Film Society at Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport. 7.45. Doors and the bar open at 7pm. email: bridportfilm@gmail.com or visit www.bridportfilmsociety. co.uk.

Turn Lyme Green Talks- “Its Not Easy Being Green” Gareth Bourton will discuss the principles and practice of Waste Reduction in an interactive session. and Catherine Causley, lead climate change officer, East Devon will discuss some of the climate challenges we face as a nation and explore both the big issues and share ideas on things you can do in your own life to be more eco-friendly. We will also have an update on the activities of River Lym Action, one of the TLG Projects. 6.45pm for a 7pm start at the Driftwood Cafe, Baptist Church, top of Broad Street, Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Free Event, Refreshments available. Contact www. turnlymegreen.co.uk or 01297 446066.

The Critic (15) - 19:30. The Critic is a deliciously dark and sharp-witted thriller set in 1930s London ‘theatreland’ featuring an all-star cast including Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville.When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (McKellen), finds himself suddenly in the crosshairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes a sinister Faustian pact with struggling actress Nina Land (Arterton) who is desperate to win his favour.Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

‘Hocus Pocus’ (PG) Nostalgic Cinema –Matinee screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton –1.30pm, doors 1pm, tickets £3.50. Anyone who loves nostalgic films is very welcome to join us for an afternoon of fond memories and friendship. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.gatewaytheatre. co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm. Wednesday, 16 October

Cancelled Bridport FC presents: A Fundraising Evening with John Still, with a 3 course dinner. John Still is a bit of a legend in the world of English football, especially when it comes to non-league clubs. Born in 1950 in West Ham, London, he’s spent decades managing teams and has earned a reputation as a manager who knows how to get the best out of his players, even when the resources are tight. The dinner is 6.30pm for 7pm start at the Bull Hotel Ballroom, East Street, Bridport DT6 3LF. Tickets: £65.00 available from Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901.

The Art of Travel, a talk by Chris Hilton, presented by Bridport Camera Club. A romp through Chris’ travel back catalogue with a particular bent towards the themes of the club’s competitions this year: light, colour, nature, a sense of place and collage. Non members welcome for £5. Book via www.bridportcameraclub.co.uk or turn up at the door on the night. 7pm to 10pm. Bridport Town Hall, Bridport DT6 3LF. Meeting Voices Community Choir, Chard. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome. Chard Guildhall. Fore St, Chard TA20 1PP. Phone 07534 116502 or email mvsecretary@outlook.com.

River Char Community Project, Charmouth Village Hall, DT6 6QT. 7pm. How you can help! For our 2025 Dragon Festival, we need organisers, artists, writers, photographers and costume-makers. We also need River Guardians, mink monitors and River Charter advocates. FREE. More info: https://www.riverchar.org

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

Colyton & District Garden Society ‘Planting for Bees’ by Caradoc Doy, Horticulturalist and plant historian.Colyford Memorial Hall, EX24 6QJ , start 7.30 pm. Parking in the hall car park. Members free, guests £3.00. Information : Sue Price 01297 552362.

Thursday, 17 October

‘Royal Ballet – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ (12A)

screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 7pm, doors 6.30pm, tickets Adults £16, Under 16s £10. At a garden party on a sunny afternoon, Alice is surprised to see her parents’ friend Lewis Carroll transform into a white rabbit. When she follows him down a rabbit hole, events become curiouser and curiouser…Tickets from 01297 625699, www.gatewaytheatre.co.uk or in person

Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

West Dorset Ramblers, 6 miles. circular walk from Hive Beach to Shipton Gorge. To book and for details please contact Heather T 07798 732252

South Somerset RSPB Local Group. Chough-ed to be back: returning the Red-billed Chough to Jersey, Kent and beyond! Missing from the Channel Islands for over 100 years a five year reintroduction project, Birds on the Edge, successfully released captive-bred chough on Jersey. This illustrated talk by Elizabeth Corry, will explain more about the project. at 7.30pm

The Millennium Hall, Seavington St. Mary, Ilminster, TA19 0QH. Entry: Group members £4, non-group members £5, under 25’s Free. Tea/coffee & biscuits included – Wheelchair access. Further details from Denise Chamings on 01460240740 or www.rspb.org.uk/ groups/southsomerset. Everyone welcome.

Pip Bensley will be giving a talk about ‘Climbers at 7-30pm. The Bridport and District Gardening Club will be hosting the talk at its meeting at the Women’s Institute building on North Street in Bridport on. Pip is a horticulturist, has won RHS Chelsea gold medals, is the author of ‘The Hillier Guide to Climbers and Wall Plants’, is a NAFAS accredited judge and in 2023 qualified as a national speaker in NAFAS. Entrance to the talk is free for members and £2 for non-members. For more information, visit www. bridportgardeningclub.co.uk. Friday, 18 October

Wicked Little Letters at 7.30pm. Village Hall, The Causeway, Milborne St Andrew DT11 0JX. Doors and bar open 7.00pm. Tickets cost £6, which includes a drink or an ice-cream. Wicked Little Letters. ***Not for those viewers easily offended or sensitive to foul language*** A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a farcical and occasionally sinister scandal in this riotous mystery comedy. Based on a stranger than fiction true story, Wicked Little Letters follows two neighbors: deeply conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). When Edith and fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, as the town’s women -- led

by Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) -- begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss, and Rose may not be the culprit after all. One Reviewer says: Absolutely superb. All the actors were amazing and if you need a laugh this is certainly the film for you. I was crying with laughter. I am not sure what everyone else was watching but this film is brilliant from the script to the acting to the cinematography. Such an easy film to watch and a great escape from reality, which is what the movies should be about. Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Lolly Adefope and Joanna Scanlon are absolutely superb.

Tankus the Henge (14+) - 20:00. Tankus the Henge have built their reputation on unforgettable songwriting, spectacular live performances and relentless hard work, playing hundreds of shows across Europe and building a devoted fan base along the way.Their funk-fuelled repertoire is wildly eclectic, ranging from New Orleans inspired swing to heavy rock riffs, and since their beginnings in the ratty alleyways of London’s Soho, the band has evolved into a wild groove machine. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £20 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Spikedrivers - Their music has been described as ‘haunting’, ‘gutsy’, ‘tribal’ and even psychedelic. Inspired by the early blues of Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Big Bill Broonzy they have added their own blend of north African and Native American rhythms, gospel harmonies, sixties blues and rock guitar. Tickets: Early Bird: £20 Standard Adult: £22. 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. 01460 54973 www. ilminsterartscentre.com Friday, 18 - 19 October Francesca Maria Villani; classical piano. This concert will be performed by Francesca Maria Villani who is travelling to Tincleton from Bari in Italy. The concert programme is not yet finalised but will include : Scarlatti : Sonata K32, and Sonata K.87; J. Brahms : Klavierstucke op 76; M.Ravel : Parade. Francesca Maria Villani was born in Manduria, in the south of Italy in 1999, and she started playing the piano when she was five. She graduated with full marks and honors from the Conservatoire “Nino Rota”, in Monopoli with Professor C. Gallo in 2018 and the she studied with Aquiles delle Vigne during a biennal course. She has played Schumann’s Konzerstuck op 92 and Beethoven’s Concerto n 2 op 19 with the Conservatoire’s orchestra. She was selected by the Conservatoire to play the Goldberg Variations at Radar Theater in Monopoli. She won the first prize at London Grand Prize Virtuoso, and she was selected to play at the awards gala at Royal Albert Hall in December 2016. She has given recitals for concert seasons and festivals throughout Italy. She partecipated at ‘ A due voci’ festival, a series of concerts in Como about music and philosophy promoted in the field of the Journée mondiale de la

philosophie sponsored by UNESCO in November 2021 and on that occasion she gave a concert lesson on the Goldberg Variations and Berg Sonata op 1. Among other activities she attended the biennal course with A. Delle Vigne. She has Master’s degree in Philosophy at University of Bari. Her studies focus on the analysis of some vocal works of Sofija Gubajdulina and the writing of Helene Cixous. Currently she is a PhD student in Bari, and her studies focus on the relationship between music and Gender Studies. : Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR. Opening / performance times: doors open 19:30; concert starts 20:00. Admission fee: £15. Tel 01305 848 909. Website: http://www.tincletongallery.com.

Saturday, 19 October

Reg Meuross - Singer, songwriter. Award-winning Reg Meuross was introduced onto the stage of the Albert Hall by Mike Harding as ‘one of this country’s finest’ and is a true modern troubadour, representing contemporary English folk writing at its best. Captivating audiences with his beautiful tenor voice, and with breadth and depth of material that is unparalleled, Reg has toured extensively for decades across the UK, Europe, North America and the Antipodes. Doors 7.15, Start 8.00. Uplyme Village Hall. Tickets £10 - treasurerupvh@gmail.com or wegottickets. com/event/620885.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 8.5 mile walk from Maiden Newton. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/visitors welcome.

Lee (15+) - 19:30. ‘Lee’ played by Kate Winslet tells the story of Lee Miller, American photographer. Determined to document the truth of the Nazi regime, and in spite of the odds stacked against female correspondents, Lee captured some of the most important images of World War II, for which she paid an enormous personal price. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Moscow Drug Club – Live Music - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 8pm doors 7.30pm, tickets £20, £22.50 on door A curious musical place where elements of Berlin Cabaret, Latin Tinge, French musette and storytelling meet…..Imagine having a few to drink and staggering arm in arm into the darkness of an eastern European cobbled street and stumbling into a bar where Django Reinhardt and Tom Waits are having an after-hours jam with the local Tziganes. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.gatewaytheatre.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Sunday, 20 October

Axe Vale Orchestra. “Home Grown”

Afternoon Concert at The Gateway Theatre, Seaton, starting at 3.00pm. Faye Meyer will perform the brilliant clarinet concerto by Charles Villiers Stanford, who taught many of our best

known composers when they attended the Royal College of Music. The orchestra, conducted by Walter Brewster, will also play works by two of Stanford’s famous pupils, Edward Elgar’s Nursery Suite and Gustav Holst’s Moorside Suite. Refreshments provided after the concert. Tickets £12, students free, from www.axevaleorchestra.co.uk, Owl and Pyramid Bookshop, Seaton, Archway Bookshop, Axminster, The Little Shop, Colyton or on the door.

French + Breton Folk Dance, Bal Crewkerne with live house band, in the Speedwell Hall, Abbey Street, Crewkerne, TA18 7HY. All welcome, no experience necessary. Dance workshop for beginners 6-7pm followed by main dance 7-9.30pm. Admission £4 at the door. Tea and coffee available or bring your own drinks. Free parking in the town centre car parks. More information on our website: https://balcrew. wixsite.com/balcrewkerne

Ballet screening : Alice’s adventures in Wonderland14:00. Royal opera and ballet season 2024/25 . At a garden party on a sunny afternoon, Alice is surprised to see her parents’ friend Lewis Carroll transform into a white rabbit. When she follows him down a rabbit hole, events become curiouser and curiouser…As Alice journeys through Wonderland, she encounters countless strange creatures. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £45 Family ticket (2A & 2C / 1A & 3C) £16 ADV/£17 Door adult | U16 £10 ADV/£11 Door Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

When the Yanks came to Lyme. Ken Gollop tells the story of the American troops who came to Lyme in 1943 to train for the D-Day landings, and were amongst the first troops ashore on Omaha Beach. Whilst in Lyme they trained hard, never got used to drinking the local cider, a few married GI brides, and made many lasting friends. Woodmead Halls Lyme Regis 2.30 pm Admission £4 in aid of Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Four hands, One piano, Ragtime meets Boogie. Doors open 2.30pm Starts 3.00pm Blues and boogie woogie star Julian Phillips joins ragtime pianist Mike Denham at the grand piano to explore these two styles, that helped to shape 20th Century music. Entry £10 at the door with tea and biscuits during the interval. St. Swithun’s Church Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU. Contact Yvonne 01308 459587

Monday, 21 October

An Introduction to Scottish Dancing A special taster evening at Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BH. We are a friendly group who welcome beginners. We meet on Monday evenings at 7.15 p.m. ready to start dancing at 7.30 p.m. All that is needed are lightweight comfortable shoes, preferably with soft soles. Cost - intro session is free of charge, and after £2 per evening, to include tea/ coffee. Scottish dancing is great exercise, you will make many new friends and is lots of fun. We look forward to meeting you and for any further information contact David on 01460 65981.

Tuesday, 22 October

Scottish Country dancing at Horton Village Hall

TA19 9QR 7.30 to 9.30 pm. £3.00 pay on the door. All very welcome to come and join us. Further information from Anita on 01460 929383 , email anitaandjim22@ gmail.com or visit our web site at www.ashillscd. wordpress.com.

West Dorset Ramblers, 8 miles. Millhayes & Stockland in the Blackdown Hills To book and for details please contact Ian 07826150114

Bridport U3A speaker in October is Ashley Jones, and his subject is The Nobel Prize. These are presented for excellence in the fields of literature, economics, chemistry, physics, medicine and peace. Ashley will tell us how individuals are selected for the honour and considers some of the better known and celebrated Nobel laureates. The talk is at 2pm in the Bridport United Church Hall, East Street, Bridport, DT6 3LJ. It will last about an hour, followed by a Q&A then refreshments.

Wednesday, 23 October

Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society. Talk and Demonstration ‘Unexpected Fruits’ by Mark Diacono. Uplyme Village Hall, doors open 7pm, talk starts 7.30pm. Members free, guests £3. More information www.ulrhs.wordpress.com.

Meeting Voices Community Choir, Chard. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear.

Everyone welcome. Chard Guildhall. Fore St, Chard TA20 1PP. Phone 07534 116502 or email mvsecretary@ outlook.com.

Thursday, 24 October

Guardians of Martock Church concert The Trudgeon’s Trad Jazz Troubadours, A mature Trad Jazz combo that will enthral everyone. Martock Church; TA12 6JL Time: 7:30pm. Tickets: £12 or £10 at 07547 213992/Martock Gallery/ Martock Newsagent. Website:www.martockonline.co.uk/events. www. facebook.com/martockguardiansconcerts.

West Dorset Ramblers, 8 miles. Blackberry Camp to Branscombe – To book and for details please contact Laraine 07889 921435.

Henning Wehn:Acid Wehn (16+) - 19:30. Awarddeserving German Comedy Ambassador Henning Wehn takes an unbiased look at climate change, a topic sure to delight audiences and no surprise. After all, everyone loves talking about the weather. Rain or shine, all will be fine. Or maybe it won’t. Who knows?! Come along. Or else. . Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Tickets £27.50 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk Folk dancing at Combe St Nicholas village hall (TA20 3LT) at 1930 hrs. Derek Boles is the caller and Chris Toyne will be providing the music. It’s £4.00 per person which includes a cuppa and cake, all welcome and it is a lot of fun! Further details from Elaine on 01460 65909.

Seaton Music World class classical music in East Devon (74th season) 7.30pm. Renowned piano quartet Rossetti Ensemble perform works by Beethoven, Judith Weir, Arnold Bax, Herbert Howells. Gateway Theatre, Fore St, Seaton. Tickets at door or from Archway Bookshop, Axminster. Friday, 25 October ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’(12A) – Picnic Night Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm, tickets Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50. Three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. When someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times, the mischievous demon gleefully returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.gatewaytheatre.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Beaminster’s Yarn Barton Centre (reg’d charity) are holding their annual fundraising quiz in the town hall, Fleet St, 7.0 for 7.30pm. Teams of up to six (max), tickets £10pp (including ploughman’s supper and a drink) available from YBC. 01308 862715.

Henning Wehn:Acid Wehn (16+) - 19:30. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Tickets

£27.50 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Voces Amici accompanied by Jonathan Delbridge - A Group of young professional vocalists with programmes ranging from light classical Operatic arias to songs of the Wars and musical theatre. Tickets: £15. 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com.

Saturday, 26 October

Lyme Bay Moonrakers – Live Music - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 7.30pm doors 7pm, tickets Adults £12, Age 12-15 £5, Under 12s free. Join us for an evening of shanties and other songs of the sea, including ‘The Pull of the Tide’- a new film by Rob Jayne, charting a local family’s story of a young lad’s rite of passage from boy to man upon the sea. The film is accompanied by new songs composed by Mark Hewitt with words by Corinne Reed. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.gatewaytheatre. co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 6.5 mile walk from Frampton. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/ visitors welcome.

Family opera screening : Wolf Witch Giant11:00am. Sung in English with subtitles. Do not miss this ‘enchantingly staged’ family folk opera, following the triumphant, Olivier Award-winning run in 2021. Royal ballet and opera season 2024/5 Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 adult £6 u16 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk.

PFF: Anatomy of a fall (15+) - 17:00. Purbeck film festival. When her husband Samuel is mysteriously found dead in the snow below their secluded chalet, Sandra becomes the main suspect when the police begin to question whether he fell or was pushed. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Tickets £9 adult £6.50 u25/student Book online -electricpalace.org.uk.

Small things like these (12a tbc) - 20:00. Purbeck film festival 2024 exclusive preview. Cillian Murphy, after Oscar glory as Oppenheimer last year, has chosen another 20th Century historical narrative as his next film, and, as in that film, it is his utterly committed performance as a man wrestling with his conscience that is the backbone of this powerful and moving Irish drama. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Tickets £11 adv £9 u25 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Saturday, 26 - 27 October

Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre 40th anniversary. Art, Craft and Fossil Fair on Saturday in the St Andrew’s Community Hall from 10.00 - 4.00. Meet the fossil collectors; start your Charistmas shopping with pottery, glass, stitched and knitted items, jewellery, prints, paintings, greetings cards, willow craft and home produce on offer. Cream teas from 2pm. Charmouth Local History Society is displaying photographs of Charmouth 40 years ago and will have booklets for sale in the Village Hall from 10.00 - 4.00. Daryl Wakelem

will be signing his book. Children’s activities including treasure box making with a ‘lucky dip’ for a fossil and Clean Jurassic Coast will have a sand tray activity. Refreshment from 10.00 with bacon rolls served from 12.00 - 2.00. Free Entry to both halls. Both halls can be found in the centre of Charmouth with parking nearby. Look out for ‘Mary Anning’ and some friendly dinosaurs!

Sunday, 27 October

Divine Union Soundbath 2-3.30 PM Oborne Village Hall, nr. Sherborne DT9 4LA Lie down, relax, and allow the Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath plus sacred vocal overtoning give you a sonic deep-tissue massage, taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’, while charging and balancing the aura and chakras of the subtle body, and detoxing the physical body. £16 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com.

Apple Day at Symondsbury Estate. Join us for Apple Day from 11am-2pm, in the courtyard outside Symondsbury Kitchen. This free, family-friendly event celebrates all things apple, with fun activities for everyone. Kids can enjoy lawn games and a birdfeedermaking activity, while we showcase our recent nature work and upcoming projects. We’re excited to welcome

EVENTS IN NOVEMBER

Live or Online send your event details to info@marshwoodvale.com BY OCTOBER 14th

authors James Crowden and Liz Copas for talks from 11.30am on the fascinating history of cider in Dorset and the lost orchards of the region. Symondsbury Estate Bridport, Dorset, DT6 6HG.

The taste of things (12a) - 17:00. Purbeck film festival. A delectable feast for the senses, The Taste of Things is a stunningly beautiful romance that simmers with emotion.The new film from acclaimed director Tran Anh Hùng, it will be an unmissable cinematic treat. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £9 adult £6.50 U25 student Book online -electricpalace.org.uk.

La Chimera (15) - 20:00. Purbeck film festival. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street , DT6 3NY. Tickets £9 adult £6.50 U25 student Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Alex Voysey Blues Trio, Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. A rising star in the blues world, Alex Voysey’s shows are packed with incredible guitar performances, breath-taking grooves and riffs, phenomenal musicianship, and a deep passion for blues. His new album ‘Blues In Isolation’ reached the prestigious number one slot in the IBBA (Independent Blues Broadcasters Association) charts in May 2024, and was praised as ‘an album full of stunning guitar virtuosity’ (Blues In Britain). It launched to a sold out Cheltenham Playhouse, with the first single, Whiskey and Wine, hailed by renowned blues broadcaster Spencer Evans as ‘exceptional’ Alex’s playing owes much to the blues/rock influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Bonamassa, coupled with a refreshing and high-octane personal style. The band’s material is engaging and memorable, and when coupled with virtuosic funk bass player Ben Hands’ monster 6 string Dingwall bass and the talents of drum maestro Paul Arthurs, this is a band that is constantly evolving and excites audiences wherever they go. Recent highlights have included their debut at the legendary Soho Pizza Express jazz club and headlining at the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival in 2023, with a sold-out debut show at Swanage Blues Festival, and appearances all over the country in 2024…these guys are an exciting new talent not to be missed! 8pm Marine Theatre, Church St, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3QB. £14 advance £16 on the door. Tickets available at www.marinetheatre.com. You can also purchase tickets from the Lyme Regis Bookshop and Bridport TIC (01308 424901)

Dalwood Jazz Club presents “Three Good Men” - A Benny Goodman Tribute at 3pm. With Nick White (Chris Barber Jazz Band) on clarinet, James Clemas - piano and Jim Newton - drums. Dalwood Village Hall, EX13 7EG (near Axminster). Bar for beer/wine/soft drinks and teas/coffees/ cake etc. Parking at the Village Hall £12.50p If possible, please book in advance and pay (cash or card) at the door. t.mackenney111@btinternet.com. www.dalwoodvillage.co.uk Monday, 28 October

The Stone Age in Dorset. An illustrated talk by John Smith which will outline the story of the Stone Age and how people developed our first technology. It will refer to

evidence found on National Trust properties in Wessex. United Church Main Hall, East Street, Bridport at 2.30 pm. Members £3, Visitors £5. National Trust Golden Cap Association. Contact: Mike Nicks 01308 45855. Dance Connection, for fun, health & wellbeing, 10:30am12, Unitarian Chapel, Bridport, DT6 3JX, 07787752201, https://www.joysofdance.co.uk/danceclass Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BH 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www. chardscottishdancingclub.co.uk.

Monday, 28 October - 1 November

Tudors at Athelhampton. Step back in time to Elizabethan England, and immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of Athelhampton House as it might have been when it was first built. All levels of society from gentlefolk to servants will be around the house and gardens this half term. Activities throughout the day range from trying Tudor food, dancing, and clothing, to having a go at writing with a quill or kicking a Tudor football. Come and see demonstrations of how a whole host of different crafts were done in the 16th Century, and maybe have a go at a few! Be prepared to spend the whole day in the house and gardens; in this fully interactive event, you’ll be more than just a visitor - you’ll be able to become part of the Tudor community for the day! This family-friendly event is taking place in the house, near Puddletown, from 10am – 4pm. It’s worth making sure you get there early, so that you don’t miss anything! Tickets can be booked in advance at www.athelhampton.com

Tuesday, 29 October

Rosalie World Cinema on your Doorstep from Bridport Film Society at Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport. 7.45. Doors and the bar open at 7pm. email: bridportfilm@ gmail.com or visit www.bridportfilmsociety.co.uk. West Dorset Ramblers, 9 miles. Puddletown circular. To book and for details please contact Jill 07974 756107.

Artsreach’s Fideri Fidera “Oskar’s Amazing Adventure” at Powerstock Hut. Half Term event for children 2-7 yrs. 11am Tickets: 01308 485730 or 07817 429907 or www. artsreach.co.uk. Adult £8, Under 18’s £6, Family £24. Fairport Convention - 19:30. Fairport Convention have been entertaining music lovers for over half a century, with 2024 being their 57th anniversary.During that time the band that launched British folk-rock has seen many changes, but one thing has remained the same – Fairport’s passion for performance.This year’s Autumn Tour will present a mix of long-established Fairport favourites and some surprises from albums old and new. Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Tickets £32 Book online -electricpalace. org.uk

BEER

75 years of Railway Modeller

“At the Heart of the Hobby”, Railway Modeller magazine, published by Peco in Beer, is celebrating 75 years in publication with it’s latest issue. Railway modelling is an absorbing and creative hobby enjoyed by countless generations for many decades and Railway Modeller has been serving afficianados of the hobby since 1949.

EAST DEVON

New community

East Devon District Council is seeking to deliver a significant proportion of their housing need within a sustainable new settlement of up to 8,000 homes by 2050. The council has designed two masterplan concepts and opened a public consultation which ends on 7th October. Residents are encouraged to view and comment by visiting https://eastdevonnewsettlement. commonplace.is/

BRIDPORT

Business owners feted as heroes Local business owners have been feted as heroes after helping a mother and baby out of a burning building in Bridport. When the K Yuen Chinese takeaway on East Street caught fire local residents ran into the smoke-filled building. Shaun Butler from Bridport PC Repair, Clive Thorner from CT Motorcycles and Jason Foote from Footeprints all jumped in to help bring the mother and baby to safety.

BRIDPORT

Viking themed entertainment Axe throwing joins table football, darts and pool as one of the many attractions at a new Viking themed venue in Bridport. The Viking Village at Seal’s Cove took two years to build and is said to be unlike anything in the area. Although a family venue the indoor adventure area will be 18+ after 8pm.

DORCHESTER

Naked visit to museum

Following a warning that the Dorset Museum needed new ways to increase customers, museum Director Claire Dixon was innundated with suggestions. One that came to fruition recently was to allow members of the Dorset branch of British Naturism to wander through the galleries naked. More than 60 people attended the event which included a glass of wine in the ticket price.

Thursday 31, October

Halloween Night with Steam Train Yeovil Railway Centre, Yeovil Junction, Stoford BA22 9UU: (6pm-9pm). Recorded information on 01935 410420, visit the website www. yeovilrailway.freeservers.com, or find the Facebook page. The Critic (15) - 14:00. The Critic is a deliciously dark and sharp-witted thriller set in 1930s London ‘theatreland’ featuring an all-star cast including Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville.When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (McKellen), finds himself suddenly in the crosshairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes a sinister Faustian pact with struggling actress Nina Land (Arterton) who is desperate to win his favour.Bridport Electric Palace 35 South Street, DT6 3NY. Tickets £7 Book online -electricpalace.org.uk

Scarlet Oak Theatre are heading to Wootton Fitzpaine this half term with a playful and heart-warming adventure for young children and their families featuring puppetry, plants and lots of pots! In the intimate setting of a potting shed, we meet our Gardener. She loves the smell of the flowers, the feel of the earth and watching her plants bloom. But along came a magpie who turns her potting shed upside down! Making friends is lots of fun but can sometimes be tricky. Join our gardener and magpie on this playful, heart-warming

adventure as they navigate the intricacies of friendship. Suitable for ages 2-6yrs - bring a cushion, this charming show is touring Dorset with Artsreach, the county’s rural arts charity. 10:30am. Wootton Fitzpaine Village Hall. 01297 560948. £8, £6 u18s, £24 fam or book on artsreach.co.uk West Dorset Ramblers, 8 miles. Lambert’s Castle Circular. To book and for details please contact Heather G 07587 098079.

Clapton & Wayford Village Hall AGM; business followed by wine & nibbles, 7.30pm; all welcome. More details from Mary (01460 74849)

Dance Connection, Open Class, for fun, health & wellbeing, 7:15-8:45pm, Bridport St Mary’s CHH, DT6 3NN, 07787752201, https://www.joysofdance.co.uk/danceconnection-bridport Friday, 1 - 3 November

Women’s Singing Workshop Weekend. North Eggardon, nr Bridport. Come and sing! Enjoy a weekend singing retreat in the beautiful countryside of West Dorset and share good times (singing, food, walks) with other women in the amazing space of North Eggardon Carthouse. Veronique Sodano, jazz singer, teacher and wonderful woman will be leading us through singing sessions with fun, warmth and inspiration. She’s also an amazing cook and together we will prepare delicious meals, with organic and local ingredients. more info at mycupofteacreativeworkshops.com.

REFLECTIONS on Nature and Learning

A NEW book by David Selby, founding Director of Sustainability Frontiers, offers a deep dive into the natural history of Weston Combe on the Jurassic Coast of East Devon.

Down the Combe and Into the Meadow: Reflections on Nature and Learning also offers an insight into the natural world in a wide range of locations across East Devon and into West Dorset, together with occasional forays to the Hebrides.

Opening with a helpful fold out map of Weston Combe, the book comprises twelve chapters that begin locally before stretching out to consider significant nature-related issues at scale such as climate breakdown, rewilding, biodiversity loss, hay meadow restoration, species migration, restorative farming and confronting and coping with despair at nature loss.

The book is richly descriptive of the natural world and further enhanced by some 138 stunningly beautiful photographs, including 51 images by award winning nature photographer David White.

A former Professor of Education for Sustainability and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Futures at the University of Plymouth, David Selby founded Sustainability Frontiers as an international alliance of sustainability and global educators concerned with formal, non-formal and informal education that addresses the current confluence of threats to the environment and to human society globally.

David has lectured and led seminars, projects and workshops in some forty countries and has been consultant to a wide range of organisations including UNESCO, UNICEF, Save the Children and the International Red Cross.

The book is published by Blue Poppy Publishing, Ilfracombe, East Devon and is available from Waterstones and other book shops or from www.sustainabilityfrontiers.org and www.bluepoppypublishing. co.uk.

INature Studies

By Michael McCarthy

n writing about nature you can express love, fascination, joy, curiosity and a whole range of positive emotions, but it’s quite hard to express grief. We tend to feel grief about our human world, do we not, most of all about the loss of beloved people; so to say you feel such a deep emotion at the loss of a nonhuman organism might seem simple exaggeration. But it’s the only word for what I feel about the disappearance of Aglais urticae

That such a beautiful creature should be lost to us I find almost unbearably sad.

In plain English that’s the small tortoiseshell butterfly. It was the first butterfly I learned to love, as a boy of seven— an exquisite combination of lustrous orange with black and yellow bars on the forewings, and along the lower wing edges a charming row of pale blue dots, like a turquoise string of pearls. In the distant days of my boyhood it was very common, it was everywhere in summer, but over the last fifty years it has suffered a decline of nearly eighty per cent. Before we moved to Dorset we lived just around the corner from Kew Gardens, and although I spent a lot of time in Kew and saw many butterflies, including red admirals, peacocks and commas, its close relatives, I never saw a tortoiseshell once. However, when we came to Dorset in August 2021 I found to my delight that the village was full of them. They were in the gardens, including ours, and they were in the allotments and even

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

the main street, small sprites flashing their sublime colours on every sunny day.

Times have changed. Last year, after the drought of 2022, there were fewer of them; but this year, after the wet winter and then the sodden spring, they have gone. Completely. I have not seen one. Anywhere. And it’s not just me. Last month Butterfly Conservation revealed that 2024 had been the worst summer on record for British butterflies, and that the tortoiseshell in particular had had a ‘horrendous’ year.

It’s also been a dreadful year for many other flying insects, and this is a dire warning for us all about the state of nature in general, and I recognise that; but the main feeling I have is heartache, of real grief at the tortoiseshell’s disappearance. That such a beautiful creature should be lost to us I find almost unbearably sad.

Not quite lost, though. On September 9, while I was away, a couple of tortoiseshells did appear in the village, and Nicky Duckworth, our local birder, videoed one of them on the buddleia outside our house and sent me the file, with the message “Don’t despair!” If you click on the link you can see it, and you can see at once the wonderful colours culminating in the turquoise string of pearls on the lower wing edges; you can marvel at it, as I do. But I still haven’t seen a live one, and though 2024 will no doubt be remembered as the year Keir Starmer was elected in Britain, and the year when Donald Trump either was or wasn’t re-elected in America, for me it will always be the year the tortoiseshells disappeared. Alas!

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

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Expanding on his No Dig gardening advice

Charles Dowding turns his thoughts to Compost

Global no dig expert Charles Dowding puts the importance of feeding the soil firmly at the heart of his renowned growing methods and also in his new book Compost which sheds light on the joyful alchemy of turning household waste into a valuable, free resource.

A companion book to No Dig, published in 2022, Compost aims to dispel the many myths and mysteries of compost making, explaining how it can improve the health of the soil, our crops, the environment and ourselves. Charles has packed this definitive guide with practical, fun and easy to action advice on how to make perfect compost, whether you garden on a balcony, a small plot or across a large outdoor space.

Compost brims with practical tips on what to compost and how to do it, how to achieve the perfect balance of the materials in the mix, and advice on how to successfully create compost throughout the seasons, with a helpful timeline of the compostable year.

Through his years of compost trials, Charles is also able to debunk many traditional composting misconceptions, with some revealing myth-busting sections including how to add weeds to your compost, why heat in your bin is not essential, why worms are not vital to the process, and why no dig gardening doesn’t actually require more compost, as many believe.

Charles generously shares his 40+ years of compostmaking expertise, including engaging explanations of what compost is, why we should use it, the benefits it brings to the soil and plants, and the immense ‘satisfaction and sense of achievement’ the process can provide for gardeners, when ultimately they spread their homemade compost on the soil.

Showcasing the many valuable tips and hacks in the book, Compost is beautifully illustrated throughout, with stunning woodcut drawings by Jonathan Gibbs, making this powerful little book, the perfect gift for gardeners of all ages and abilities.

Commenting, Charles who has over 690 thousand YouTube subscribers and more than 495 thousand followers on Instagram, said: ‘Experience has told

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me that when it comes to improving soil to produce healthy growth, it’s compost that provides the answers we need…. In this book I use my understandings from decades of compost making to strip away the myths and misconceptions surrounding composting… and I aim to empower people with a sound knowledge of how the process works.

‘I want this book to spark people’s interest in compost and show them how to successfully make it so they can improve the health of their soil, their plants, the wider environment and themselves.’

Charles Dowding is the leading proponent of no dig gardening. Not only does he have a huge following, but his advice is born out of more than 40 years of growing, analysing, comparing, and recommending.

He has been growing veg since 1981, having gardened in four different locations and grown hundreds of thousands of crops.

Compost—Transform Waste Into New Life by Charles Dowding is available in hardback at £14.99. It is also available in audio and ebook formats.

October in the Garden

By Russell Jordan

Gardening tasks in October are likely to be dictated, to some extent, by the weather and especially how cold it is getting. If summer is still hanging on by its fingertips, providing some warm and sunny days, then lifting tender plants, such as cannas and dahlias can be held off. If things take a turn for the worse with plunging temperatures, especially if there is a frost, then all those tasks which are geared towards protecting less than hardy plants will suddenly take precedence. Readying your greenhouse, or other designated overwintering space, will need doing, if you have not done so already, because digging up and potting anything that is frost tender is on the cards even if it can be delayed until next month.

Planting spring flowering bulbs should be in full swing this month but remember that tulips can wait until November so prioritise genera such as Crocus, Narcissus and Allium. When planting bulbs the larger they are, generally, the deeper they need to be planted. I find that ‘bulb planters’, those circular type tools sold for the job, are more tricky to use than a sturdy trowel. If naturalising in grass, mown as short as you can before undertaking this task, I find it easier to ‘stab’ planting holes with a trowel rather than messing around with a bulb planter, which requires ‘stamping’ down, removing a plug of grass, before dropping in the bulb. It’s amazing how quickly you are able to progress by shuffling around on your knees (invest in some comfy knee protectors) stabbing into the sward, inserting the bulb and then firming back the ground in rapid succession. This is one of those tasks which is easier when the ground is wet, but not waterlogged, and is particularly pleasant if you are able to do it with the sun on your back.

Cutting down herbaceous plants which have begun to die down will yield plenty of gaps into which spring flowering bulbs can be inserted but keep in

mind how tall both the herbaceous plants and the bulb will be when flowering in the spring. Obviously, low growing spring bulbs will need to be planted at the front of the border, or planted in dedicated patches where they have no competition, or else they will be swamped by the emerging herbaceous perennials before they get a chance to flower. The taller ornamental onions, Allium, lend themselves to being ‘woven’ through a border because they tend to hold their drumstick flower heads high above the lower border plants without producing too much unsightly foliage of their own. Daffodils, Narcissus, flower earlier than the ornamental onions but they do produce relatively large clumps of foliage, which persists long after the flowers have faded, and this can detract from the look of a border if it isn’t sufficiently covered up by emerging herbaceous perennials.

If inserting spring bulbs into existing planting schemes is proving too complicated, it might be worth using the old trick of planting up big pots, with your favourite bulb species and varieties, in order to plunge them into beds and borders when they come into flower. This way you don’t have to worry about how tall the border plants will be, at peak bulb flowering time, and you don’t have the hassle of trying to hide the dying down foliage because you simply whisk the entire pot out of the border after flowering. The downside is that you need to have a large enough garden to allow you space to keep the pots from now until they are plunged into the border and also for all the time that they take to die down after they have been removed. In the ‘good old days’ it was assumed that everyone had ‘frame yards’, or other hidden garden areas, where the less attractive facets of an ornamental garden could be accommodated!

In October it can be safely assumed that there is likely to be a fair amount of rainfall and also that the soil will still retain a good amount of the warmth that

it absorbed over the summer. These conditions lend themselves to digging up and dividing herbaceous perennial plants, at least those that have begun to die down, and also to acquire and plant new specimens which you want to add to your garden as these will be able to get their roots down before it gets really cold in order to romp away in the spring. Remember that trees planted now will require staking to ensure that any high winds cannot dislodge them before they have a chance to grow anchoring roots of their own.

Although now is a good time to plant most ornamental plants there is a caveat regarding planting evergreen trees and shrubs. It is usually suggested that these are best planted in the spring, rather than the autumn, due to the fact that they do not drop their leaves, unlike deciduous specimens, and are therefore at risk from drought if the ground freezes solid before they are fully established. They are at risk of losing more water from their foliage, than they are able to absorb through their roots, if they are newly planted and the root ball freezes solid so that no water can be taken up to replace that lost by transpiration.

Although this is a risk I think, especially here in the south west, that it is very unlikely that the ground will freeze completely solid before the plant has a chance

to grow at least some new roots after planting out. It’s more likely to be a limiting factor in very exposed sites or if you leave it very late in the season to plant, or move, evergreen specimens.

It’s getting to the point where ornamental lawns will be getting their last cut of the year but, as with everything else this month, this will depend on how kind the weather Gods are being. Raising the cutting height of the mower is a good idea and using the mower to remove the initial fall of autumn leaves should keep the grass looking good for as long as possible. Over-sowing, with ornamental grass seed mixed into sieved top soil, any areas where the grass is looking patchy is something worth doing as grass seed will germinate during any period when temperatures remain above six or seven degrees Celsius. Drying out is less likely at this time of year, unlike trying to do this in the spring or summer, and keeping off the lawn is easier now than during the warmer months.

As with so much, at this tail end of the growing season, how much you can actually undertake does depend on it not getting too cold, or too wet, so fingers crossed that this month remains relatively benign with more productive gardening days than inclement ones.

This Month in

the not so distant past

Looking back at historical moments that happened in September, John Davis highlights Mary Kingsley: Facing danger head on

Until the age of thirty, Mary Kingsley, who was born in October 1862, lived a quiet, sheltered, uneventful life even by Victorian standards.

With her father, a doctor and travel writer, away for much of the time in both Africa and North America and a fragile mother who was often ill, Mary was largely responsible for bringing up her younger brother and running the household on a tight budget. There was no time for formal schooling as such and she educated herself from the books that she found in her father’s well-stocked library.

Then in 1892 there was a massive sea-change. Both her parents died within the space of five weeks and Mary, who was the niece of the writer and social reformer Charles Kingsley, could, with the benefit of her inheritance, pursue interests she had been harbouring for some time.

Despite the fact it was unheard of during the late nineteenth century for a woman to embark on such adventurous journeys, she was determined to travel to Africa to see at first hand the places she had read about in her father’s books during those long, lonely days at home in the library. While there she also intended to carry out research so that she could finish writing a book about African law and religion her father had been unable to complete at the time of his death.

Over the next three years she not only achieved this aim but also gained enough fascinating material for several gripping books of her own as she brushed aside convention by climbing mountains, hacking her way through dense jungles, wading across swamps, encountering cannibals and canoeing down crocodile infested rivers.

During one incident in her travels along the Ogooue River, a crocodile attempted to board the canoe in which she was travelling. In her book Travels in West Africa, she described the attack. “He chose to get his front legs over the stern of the canoe and endeavour to improve our acquaintance. I had to retire to the bows to keep the balance right and fetch him a clip on the snout with the paddle when he withdrew and I paddled into the very middle of

the lagoon hoping the water was too deep for him to repeat the performance”.

In her climbing expeditions she noted she was “forced to cling on to the rock wall more like an insect than an insect hunter.” Once Mary, who always wore formal and often black Victorian clothes with a hat, as her photographs show, emerged from a river with a ‘collar’ of leeches around her neck.

“It is at times like these that you realise the blessings of a good thick skirt.”

Later, after falling into a spike filled pit used to trap animals, she managed to escape injury and observed, “It is at times like these that you realise the blessings of a good thick skirt. Had I have paid heed to the advice of many people in Europe and adopted masculine garments, I should have been spiked to the bone.”

When Mary first visited the African continent in 1893, she travelled along the coast of West Africa and then explored the country now called Nigeria. In the area around the lower reaches of the River Congo (often now called the Zaire River) she collected specimens of both insects, plants and freshwater fish for the British Museum. Three new species of fish were named after her.

The following year, Mary sailed from the Canary Islands to Sierra Leone and then on to Gabon to again reach the Ogooue River. When the river became impassable to the steamboat she transferred to canoe. Trading British cloth and other goods to finance the trip, Mary became the first European to visit the more remote parts of Gabon. It was here she stayed with the Fang tribe—a people notorious for savagery and cannibalism. She also found time to climb the south east face of Mount Cameroon by an untried route—at over 4000 metres the tallest mountain in West Africa.

On her return to England in 1895, Mary became

an entertaining lecturer and took time off to write Travels in West Africa. It proved very popular as a travel book especially for readers who were wanting to expand their knowledge of places in the Empire far beyond Britain’s shores. Mary had a writing style which made her books appeal to all. They read more like an adventure novel than an academic journal.

But her views also angered the British establishment because of its anti-colonial sentiments and empathetic approach to the people of Africa. A number of leading newspaper editors refused to review and publicise her book as Mary condemned the way in which she felt the people of Africa had been exploited and their customs and traditions ignored. She resented the interference of Europeans in the continent and argued that local African rulers should be allowed to govern their own people. Her strong views did much to shape Western perceptions of the culture and everyday lives of Africans at that time.

Mary Kingsley made her final visit to Africa in 1899. She again intended to visit West Africa but the outbreak of the Boer War, with the British fighting

against the Afrikaner Republic of South Africa, led to a change of plan.

For a time, she worked as a journalist but then trained to be a nurse in Cape Town and devoted her time to tending sick and injured Boer prisoners of war. Her second book, West African Studies, was published in 1899 and completed the recollections of her earlier adventures. It included not only her own observations and findings but also the firsthand accounts of British traders who had a wide experience of living and working in the region.

It was while nursing the injured that she caught typhoid fever and in June 1900 she died at Simon’s Town in South Africa. She was only 37 years-old. In accordance with her wishes, she was buried at sea.

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

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Mary Kingsley

Food&Dining

SMOKED FISH TRIO

Hix Smokin house offers a selection of seasonally smoked British fish in the farm shop including Cornish anchovies. A little selection of these makes a perfect celebratory dinner party or Christmas starter that can be plated in advance whilst you have a drink with your guests.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds remove and thinly sliced

• 1/2 tbsp chopped dill

• 1tbsp cider vinegar

• 6-8 new potatoes, boiled in their skins and peeled

• 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

• 1tbsp freshly grated horseradish

• 1tbsp good quality mayonnaise

• 2 medium cooked beetroot, peeled and finely diced

• 1 tbs capers, drained

• 1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar

• 1tbsp finely chopped chives

• 2 mackerel fillets, skinned and boned

• 200g cold smoked trout

• 4 smoked sardine fillets, halved

Serves 8

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the cucumber with the vinegar and dill, season and leave for 30 minutes.

2. Cut the potatoes into rough small dice and mix with the mayonnaise and horseradish and season.

3. Mix the beetroot with the capers, chives, oil and vinegar and season.

4. Plate the fish next: divide the pickled cucumber into little piles on 8 plates with a slice of trout on top.

5. Spoon the potato onto the plates then the potato salad and break a piece of mackerel on top and finally the beetroot with a piece of sardine on top.

6. Serve with the bread separately.

MARK HIX

SMOKY BACON CHICKEN WINGS

Pancetta is one of my favourite ingredients—the slow curing process gives it such a fantastic flavour that goes so well with chicken, which absorbs the strong flavours and somehow seems to improve on them. There are so many recipes for chicken wrapped in bacon that I wanted to add a new twist, so I’ve cooked the pancetta in the oven until crisp, then mixed it with sugar and spice to make a bacon rub to add to the chicken wings and transform them into a tasty, spicy snack

INGREDIENTS

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

• 8 strips of pancetta

• 2 tsp dark soft brown sugar

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• 16 chicken wings

Serves 4

Published by Nourish, an imprint of Watkins

Media Limited

ISBN: 978-1-84899-424-9 (Hardback)

ISBN: 978-1-84899-425-6 (ebook)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the strips of pancetta on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until dark and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

2. Put the pancetta into a spice grinder or blender and blitz to a powder, then add the sugar, smoked paprika and cayenne and blitz quickly again.

3. Put the chicken wings in a bowl and rub all the smoky bacon mixture into the wings. Spread them out on a baking tray, making sure there is plenty of the bacon mixture on top of the wings so it melts as they cook. Roast for 20 minutes until the chicken wings are coloured and cooked through.

4. Serve warm on their own as a smoky and spicy snack

The Good Chicken Cookbook by MARCUS BEAN

Bridport Pub wins top award

The Woodman Inn in South Street Bridport has been named as one of the top 17 pubs in the UK as part of the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) prestigious Pub of the Year competition. The pub has also been named as the best pub in Wessex.

There were once more than twenty pubs in South Street, but at the time of writing The Woodman can say it is the last one standing. A fiercely independent, traditional pub, it is at the heart of its community, with a determined focus on quality beers and ciders.

The Woodman offers a range of five constantly changing beers, rarely serving the same drink twice, with one handpump dedicated to dark beer. Exhibiting a vast array of ciders, the pub also won the Regional Cider Pub of the Year award in 2023. The Woodman has a cosy one-bar interior with a stone floor and log burner, a pleasant garden to the rear and a skittle alley.

Thousands of pubs have battled it out across the UK to be crowned the winner in their area. Those in the competition are scored on their atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, inclusivity, overall impression, and most importantly—the quality of live beer, real cider and perry.

The regional and national finalists will now compete for the UK National Pub of the Year award, with judges whittling the 17 pubs down to just four in late September. The overall winner will be announced in January 2025. CAMRA’s esteemed National Pub of the Year title is the topmost accolade the campaigning group can bestow upon a pub.

Andrea Briers, National Coordinator for the Pub of the Year competition says: ‘These amazing pubs really are the crème de la crème and I would encourage the public to seek out the 17 winners from across the nations and regions of the UK—they are top-tier pubs serving excellent beer, cider and perry, run by welcoming, hardworking staff.

‘It’s also important to support your local all year round. With constant pressure from stubbornly high energy prices, fluctuating running costs and grossly unfair business rates threatening to drown pubs across the UK, it’s vital to get out and support the licensed trade.’

This year’s Weymouth Octoberfest is at the Ocean Room in Weymouth Pavilion on Friday 4th & Saturday 5th October 2024. For tickets visit: https://camrawdorset.org.uk.

THE Small World OF Clive Crudwick

Ten years on from his last show, Clive Whaley talks to Fergus Byrne about life with Crudwick

Clive Crudwick hates the idea that, in the future, he may have permanently wet socks. He puts that down to global warming. But he also hates the “Earthwide Interweb” considering it “not at all healthy”. His friend Norman dislikes celebrity TV shows that are full of people he’s never heard of, and they both dislike plastic surgery when it’s used to enhance body parts. In a song based on his and Norman’s discussions on what really bothers them, Clive also expresses his irritation for silicone implants that always “seem to be pointing at me”.

As a singer songwriter, something he admits to with a hint of nervous hesitancy, Clive Crudwick has written songs that celebrate subjects from the “wiggly and mysterious path of love” to a protest at the irreverent use of a Greggs sausage roll in an advertisement—a song that was inspired by some clippings belonging to his friend Norman’s wife, Eleanor.

Norman prefers to call his wife Nelly, but Clive prefers to call her Eleanor—it’s more respectful.

The Small World of Clive Crudwick, and his often unintentionally hilarious views on life, are the brainchild of Bridport resident Clive Whaley. A fundraiser for two local charities: Bridport Harmony mental health group and the Bank of Dreams and Nightmares, this new show is scheduled for two nights at the Bridport Arts Centre in late October.

Although we never meet Norman or Eleanor, Crudwick goes to their house once a week with his guitar, and he thinks Norman is the ‘bee’s knees’, because Norman encourages him to play the songs and gives him advice from the music industry. Clive Whaley says Norman is the voice that eggs Crudwick on. ‘He’s the inner voice, which is more assertive and more aggressive, but also has perhaps a slightly misguided or manipulative edge to it.’

Combining ‘mockumentary’ film footage and live songs, it is billed as a tragi-comic tale of creative ambitions, misguided friendship and male vulnerability.

But where did Clive Crudwick come from?

‘He’s a vehicle for my songs’ explains Clive Whaley. ‘I’ve never pretended to be the world’s greatest guitarist or singer, far, far from it. But at one stage I discovered that the songs were funnier and more moving if they were played by Clive Crudwick than by Clive Whaley.’

Speaking with a pronounced northern England accent, not unlike the accent Clive was surrounded by in his youth, Crudwick was inspired by a role Clive played for Encore Theatre in the Alan Ayckbourn play, A Chorus of Disapproval. ‘I played a character called Guy Jones’ he says, ‘who is newly moved to the area and joins an amateur theatre group who are putting on The Beggars Opera.’ Clive envisaged Ayckbourn’s Jones, as a ‘really timid, sort of naive, lonely character.’ He played him with an Argyle cardigan and big thick glasses. ‘I played him as a bit of a geek’ he says. ‘The way I read the script was that he was desperate to please and desperate to fit in but quite nervous and quite shy as well. I really liked the character, and I almost missed him afterwards. So, I morphed this character, Guy Jones into Clive Crudwick’. He then gave him ‘a very, very silly wig and trousers that don’t reach his ankles. He also wears sandals and socks.’

Fans of the spoken word and fringe events around Bridport may have been fortunate enough to have spotted Clive Crudwick at open mic nights at ‘Apothecary’, a monthly spoken word open mic session held at the Beach and Barnicott a few years ago. Crudwick was also shortlisted for the 2019 UK musical comedy awards in London. Clive found the London performance experience ‘absolutely terrifying’ and felt like ‘a fish out of water.’ However, despite that, Crudwick began to grow as a personality, and if it hadn’t been for Covid, may have reached wider audiences some years ago. As it happens, Clive explains, Covid put Crudwick ‘into hibernation for a couple of years.’

The 75-minute show alternates between filmed monologues delivered by Crudwick to a documentary filmmaker and live, original songs on

stage. They are presented with increasing conviction and ambition—solo at first but progressing to a full band and string players. The show and the music give an insight into the many things that Crudwick experiences in his life, and touch on subjects that Clive Whaley has experienced himself. Clive says he felt a ‘strong philosophical and psychological connection’ with Crudwick.

Although the show follows on from Clive’s previous productions at Bridport Arts Centre with Lonely Boys a ‘musical documentary’ in 2011, which he revived for one night in 2012 and then 21st Century Blues in 2015, a show that focused on mental health, he doesn’t see The Small World of Clive Crudwick as being quite as narrowly focused. As a former advocate with The Dorset Mental Health Forum and a psychological well-being practitioner with the NHS, his own experiences and that of those he has encountered inevitably inform some of the things that Crudwick has to say. However, Clive tells me, ‘It’s not meant to be a show about mental health or male mental health, but it is a show about male vulnerability and creative ambitions. It’s also about misguided friendships and unrequited love.’ He describes it as a ‘warm and funny show’ but says there are also ‘some poignant and more, what I hope are, moving moments.’

Talking to Clive Whaley about Crudwick and remembering Clive’s earlier shows, it is easy to see similarities between the characters. I ask Clive if they have in any way morphed into each other. ‘He’s a lonely hero for people with creative ambitions’ he explains, ‘and I try not to admit it, but he is really an exaggerated version of me. So, I can distance

myself from him and I can talk about him in the third person. In fact, I usually do, but I recognize that there is some crossover.’

Producing a show like The Small World of Clive Crudwick doesn’t come without its own challenges. Talking about the length of time since his previous big production, Clive says, ‘It takes time to put something like this together, especially without any funding or support. It also takes courage to put yourself out there in the public eye. I’ve had my own mental health struggles since the last show, and I guess it’s taken me more than 10 years to be ready to put my heart and soul on the line once more.’

Clive is keen to point out that although it’s about Crudwick’s life, it is not a one-man show. Locally based photographer, producer and musician Pete Millson is musical director, and although some of the songs feature Clive on his own, others have a full rock band as well as a cellist, a violin player and backing singers.

‘I hope people find it funny and moving’ says Clive. ‘Maybe they will see a less common portrayal of masculinity—a man who is kinder, more lonely and more vulnerable than you often see. I think it’s quite a surprising format and will appeal to people who do not normally see themselves as theatregoers. Above all I hope people just have a great night out in the theatre. The Arts Centre is a perfect venue for this kind of intimate production.’

With special guest, Jinder, supplying a support set each evening, The Small World of Clive Crudwick promises to be a heart warming and captivating evening, with humour, emotion, and poignant storytelling.

The show is at Bridport Arts Centre on Wednesday October23rd and Thursday October 24th. For tickets visit https://www.bridport-arts.com or call 01308 424204.

Photographs by Elliot Millson

GALLERIES October

Until 5 October

George Young Recent Paintings. The sixth solo exhibition of new paintings and woodcuts by George Young. The Art Stable. The Art Stable Child Okeford Blandford Dorset DT11 8HB.

Kevil Davies Recent Work. A painter and printmaker, Kevil Davies has work in various public collections including The Arts Council, The Royal Academy and The Contemporary Arts Society, and has been selected for the John Moores painting competition. The Art Stable. The Art Stable Child Okeford Blandford Dorset DT11 8HB.

Until 6 October

Water, Wasser, Aqua, l’Eau…H2O Exhibition of photographs, videos, sound collages, objects and texts, Eva Fahle-Clouts in collaboration with David Rogers will share her love of water and reflections on protecting this precious substance. The Malthouse Gallery The Town Mill, Mill Lane, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3PU. 10.30am - 5pm daily. Admission free. (Plus special events 6pm-8pm-see website for full details). 07847 280806, evafahleclouts.wordpress.com

Until 12 October

Gerry Dudgeon 1952 – 2023: A Life in Painting. Exhibition Tues – Sat 10am – 4pm. A retrospective exhibition celebrating the life and work of renowned, Dorset-based artist Gerry Dudgeon who died in October 2023. Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR.

South West Textiles – Borderlines. Free entry. Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Open Tuesday – Saturday. 9.30am3pm. 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com. Café: Annie Musgrove. Free entry. Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Open Tuesday – Saturday. 9.30am - 3pm. 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com

12 - 13 October

A range of local crafts and artisans that includes: Lighting, limited edition photographic prints, turned wood & reloved traditionally upholstered furniture will be at The Peek Chapel next door to The Alexandra Hotel. Sat October 12th 10-5 and Sun October 13th 10-4. Crafts @The Chapel The Peek Chapel next door to The Alexandra Hotel Pound St, Lyme Regis DT7 3HZ. Contact kdd@ddbinteriors.com / 07808 584624. Public Entry free.

12 October - 16 March 2025

Artists in Purbeck: Spirit of Place, a groundbreaking exhibition at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth. This first-of-its-kind exhibition celebrates the rich artistic legacy of Purbeck, Dorset, through the eyes of renowned and emerging artists. It is a captivating exploration of the Isle of Purbeck’s diverse landscapes, including quarries, seaside towns, and iconic landmarks like Corfe Castle. The exhibition features over 70 works and provides a unique opportunity to explore the Isle of Purbeck over time, through the eyes of artists who capture its ever evolving beauty. Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth. www.russellcotes.com.

15 October - 9 November

Frog Lane Artists. Free entry. Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Open Tuesday – Saturday. 9.30am - 3pm. 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com

16 - 27 October

Kit Glaisyer: The Cinematic Landscape is a major two-week exhibition of dramatic, large-scale landscape paintings by Kit Glaisyer in the grand setting of The Jubilee Hall, Poundbury. Kit grew up in North Dorset, painting alongside his father, deeply inspired by John Constable and the British Watercolour tradition. His paintings were

further transformed by five years as an Abstract painter in London, before moving to West Dorset and creating his spectacular series of Cinamatic paintings that are often compared with JMW Turner, David Hockney, and Edward Hopper. Open 10am to 6pm from Weds 15 to Sun 27 October. Jubliee Hall, Poundbury, Dorchester DT1 3BW. 07983 465789 www.kitglaisyery.com @ kitglaisyer

18 - 20 October

Blue Barn: Unique clothing for men and women handmade in Dorset. Unique, beautiful, clothes in timeless designs and wonderful fabrics. Open Studio 11-5. BlueBarn.Life, School House Farm, Blackdown, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LE. 19 October - 10 November

Elemental. An exhibition grounded in exchanges about the terrestrial and materiality. Fiona Campbell, Ally Matthews & Jan Alison Edwards respond to ideas around the elements, materiality, and the invisible thread binding all life on earth. 10.30am-3.30pm daily at Sou’-Sou’West, Symondsbury Estate, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG. Website: Sou’-Sou’-West [https://sousouwest.co.uk/]

Admission: Free to visit - all welcome!

Until 31 October

Kit Glaisyer: West Dorset Landscapes is an everevolving exhibition of Kit’s beautiful West Country landscape paintings, popular Cafe Royal series, and evocative Drip Figures on show in his gallery and studio,

GALLERIES

including original paintings, drawings, and prints on canvas. Open Saturdays 10am - 4pm or by appointment. Kit Glaisyer Fine Art, 11 Downes Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3JR. 07983 465789 www.kitglaisyery.com @kitglaisyer.

Until 2 November

Philippa Lawrence: A Space Between. Anne Jackson: The Witchcraft Series (upstairs gallery) Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Elmfield House, Dowell Street. Honiton, Devon EX14 1LX. Until 3 November

Sky Lines Alex Lowery recent paintings and drawings. Lise Herud Braten studio pottery. Petter Southall furniture. Sky Lines takes us out into the landscape, the rugged and the urban, the natural and the man-made. Alex Lowery’s stunning new paintings of Portland and Lyme Bay (with Orkney, Greece and Sicily) introduce bright new colours and an upbeat mood. Many of us have followed his work over the years and it is exciting to see him finding new ways of looking at our much-loved coastline. Showing for the first time at Sladers Yard is ceramicist Lise Herud Braten, a Norwegian rising star based in London, whose highly textured vessels and forms reflect a strong natural environment. She joins our resident Norwegian, Petter Southall, whose creations in wood bring a Scandinavian design sense and world-class craftsmanship to magnificent, sustainably grown, Northern European trees. Sladers Yard, West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport Dorset DT6 4EL gallery@sladersyard.co.uk Tel. 01308 459511. Tel. 01404 45006.

Until 10 November

The Really Wild Show Local watercolour artist Trisha Hayman will be showing some of her recent still life work which she describes as “an observation on the fragility of nature within the natural world,” as these images focus on nature’s unconsidered, forgotten or expendable specimens. As she puts it, “some are beautiful, some are bland and some are just ignored!” Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum,

Bridge St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm, www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk.

15 - 17 November

‘Parallel Origins’ Exhibition of work by Jason Anderson and Jon Adam. Please contact Jon or Jason (via their website contact form, www.jon-adam.co.uk or jasonandersonartist. com) to book a place at the Private View on Friday 15th November – 7.00pm to 9.00pm. The Salthouse, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4HB.

Until 16 November

Searching for The Motherland The Windrush gereration and their community 25 years on. An exhibition of 50 photographs and poetry. Photographs by Robert Golden and poetry by Shaniqua Benjamin. Shire Hall Museum, Dorschester, Dorset DT1 1UY. 01305 261849.

Until 5 January 25

Edge Of Land by gallery artists & guest artists featuring the strong theme of the shoreline from several artists. Philippa Headley writes of the series in oil that we are showing “Nature always unveils a myriad of surprises. Whatever time of day, the colours, textures and sensations of its beauty are available to experience and absorb. In this series I was particularly fascinated by the way in which the land and sea interacts with light and atmosphere.” Those sentiments deeply inform Kim Pragnell’s stormwracked Cornish rocks, or Mary Gillett’s pieces from her own county of Devon or from farflung Canadian lakes. Bristolbased Ruth Ander contributes her limpid nature-drenched monoprints. Many other gallery and guest artists will also be exhibiting their various sculptures, ceramics, and oils including Johannes von Stumm, Alison Wear, Almuth Tebbenhoff and Colin Moore. Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR. Opening / performance times: 10am – 4pm Sat/Sun, or weekdays by appointment. Admission free. Tel. 01305 848 909. www.tincletongallery.com.

Alex Lowery Hive. Oil on canvas. 2024. 30 x 45cm. Part of the Sky Lines exhibition at Sladers Yard in West Bay, Dorset. Visit https://sladersyard.co.uk or tel: 01308 459511 for information.

Complementary styles in West Bay show

TWO widely respected local artists, Jon Adam and Jason Anderson, are exhibiting together in November at The Salthouse in West Bay. Their three-day collaborative exhibition, ‘Parallel Origins’, is the first time the two have exhibited together, and their unique yet complementary styles offer individual perspectives and distinct artistic voices with a deep connection to the region.

Jason’s work is heavily influenced by his stainedglass background, featuring thick daubs of vibrant colour applied in an impasto style. Selling internationally, he was commissioned by Billie Eilish to create the cover art for her single ‘everything i wanted’.

Jon Adam has exhibited in galleries in New York, London and across the UK since the early 90s. His distinctive oil paintings express an emotional interpretation and abstraction of the natural world around him, using hand ground pigments to maximise depth and luminosity and intensify the emotive response.

Jon’s unique style of painting has evolved over the many years he has worked with paint, influenced by the nature and light that surrounded him growing up in Cornwall.

‘Parallel Origins’ is at The Salthouse in West Bay from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th November. Please contact Jon or Jason (via their website contact form, www.jon-adam.co.uk or jasonandersonartist.com) to book a place at the Private View on Friday 15th November – 7.00pm to 9.00pm.

Jon Adam and Jason Anderson

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When in Venice

If you ever needed an excuse to visit the Venice Biennale then this year is it. A unique exhibition featuring P J Harvey and Andy Goldsworthy, as well as a host of other artists with links to Dorset has opebned at The Dorset Pavillion in Venice this year.

‘Why should only countries get to have pavilions at the Venice Biennale?’ asked curator Sophie Molins before gathering a group of artists together and opening up the first county pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

The Dorset Pavilion presents an earthy mix of contemporary artworks from 25 artists and provides a refreshing local and rural perspective to contrast beautifully with the global themes of the surrounding National Pavilions and, in stark contrast to Venice’s refined and classical aesthetic, it creates a welcome interplay between the intimate and the grand: fine terrazzo with fossils and sheepskin.

Sophie Molins’ Lost Sheep Productions has partnered with the renowned Common Ground to present established art world figures such as Andy Goldsworthy and P.J. Harvey alongside a traditional Tolpuddle Union Banner of the Martyrs and Bibby Stockholm by Ed Hall; an exquisite fossil design by Will White; Sheep skin art work by Lower Hewood Farm; A Brexit “mourning” Murano glass work by Sophie Molins; Stills (featuring Michael Clark as a dancing sailor) by David Appleby from Bill Douglas classic film Comrades—and a film by recent Glasgow school of Art graduate Robyn Bamford; alongside weaver and ceramicist Jacy Wall; ceramicists Silva De Majo and Fiamma Colonna Montagu; painters Janie Fox, Jeremy Gardiner, Henrietta Hoyer Miller, Veronica Hudson, Alan Rogers, Ella Squirrel and Amanda Wallwork, and Printmakers Flora Wood and Hugh Dunford Wood. Textiles by Nicholas Kalinoski and Kalika Kulukundis. There is also a large scale work by Dorset raised New York based artist Ellen Harvey from her extraordinary series The Disappointed Tourist

The Dorset Pavillion is at Biennale Spaces, Castello 96 / 95, Venezia 30122, Italy until October 29. For more information visit https:// lostsheep.black/dorset-pavilion

DORSET PAVILION

Searching for THE MOTHERLAND

The Windrush generation and their community 25 years on

An exhibition of 50 photographs and poetry

Robert Golden: photographer Shaniqua Benjamin: poet

27 September – 16 November 2024

Shire Hall Museum, Dorchester

Shire Hall Museum in Dorchester is hosting an emotive photography exhibition from Bridport based photographer and writer Robert Golden. The exhibition offers an intimate insight into the lives and experiences of the Windrush generation, 25 years after their arrival in the UK. Robert gives some background to the photographs and how they came about.

These photographs were made throughout the 1970s. Explaining the background to the images Robert says the older people in the pictures, some of whom are amongst the original group, can be seen responding to social, cultural and economic conditions, perhaps as any group of migrants or strangers in a strange land have forever responded. In their home islands the UK dispossessed them of their freedoms and their economic survival; in the UK they were dispossessed through rejection, arbitrary racism, harassment by civilians, police, bureaucrats, landlords and politicians, and condemned as ‘Other’. But they had imagined a life in a cold, distant land being better for them and their children than living in what was too often an economic and cultural dead-end on the many island domains left impoverished once the value of tobacco, sugarcane and cotton dropped and the strategic value of the islands no longer existed for the British Empire.

Their children were even more harassed, finding less solace in the church and in the hostile population of the so-called Motherland. ‘So-called’ because in mythologies, Mother embraces her children and cares for them. She is of the earth and nurtures the children physically and cares for their souls. The Empire generation’s children, suffering discrimination, harassment and with fewer opportunities, with their potential and abilities ignored because of skin pigmentation, remained exiles in England, cast out from their mother’s embrace. Some revolted, finding a voice in race and class based ideologies. Others turned their backs as best they could on the dominant culture and attempted to forge their own way, some in desperation were tragically criminalized, but others,

against the odds, succeeded culturally, educationally and professionally.

How did I, a young white foreign photojournalist become accepted? Previously I played a part in the American Civil Rights Movement and in the antiVietnam War struggles. When I moved to London from New York I became engaged in the Right To Work Campaigns and the anti-Nazi campaigns as a photographer/designer and as a participant. In brief and for reasons of my own history, upbringing, selfeducation and my studying history, not only did I find racism and nationalism emotionally unacceptable, but intellectually hollow and morally repugnant. I found many of the people I met in the black communities, warm, friendly and often humorous.

Look at these images. Look closely. What you may see, if you spend time, is what state of mind individuals were in at that moment of being photographed in that place, illuminated by that light. What you can see is that I was either invisible or accepted because the people in the pictures sensed I was to be trusted. At best they liked me; at worse they simply ‘paid me no mind’.

These pictures are about creating image equivalents to my underlying always evolving story: that too many human beings are in struggle against economic, bureaucratic and political bullies, and that many of those in struggle possess dignity and untold strengths and even as they are forced to carry unacceptable burdens, they do so with grace and modesty; both worthy of embracing, celebrating and admiring.

Searching for the Motherland is on display at Shire Hall Museum until Saturday 16th November. Entry to the exhibition is included with a Museum ticket.

Books

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APOLOGIES if there seems to be a common thread running through the book reviews this month (see also The Book Thief ) but the Second World War, and the events that also preceded it and followed it, still holds a fascination for many writers.

One of them is Rory Clements who has set this historical whodunnit in Munich during 1935 as the Nazi Party were beginning to take a real stranglehold on German life.

Munich, the state capital of Bavaria, attracted wealthy, aristocratic young people from Britain at that time, ostensibly to learn German and the local culture but more realistically to attend parties, swim in the lakes and drink copious amounts of beer.

Prominent among this group of Teutophiles is Unity Mitford, a real-life character, and one of the famous Mitford sisters, who became a personal friend of the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler.

A friend of Unity’s, a high-born English girl is murdered and another later goes missing. Both cases end up on the desk of Detective Inspector Sebastian Wolff, a highly competent sleuth but wellknown for his detestation of all things Nazi. He’s already had a short spell in Dachau for falling foul of the authorities.

To make matters worse, Wolff is given a new

assistant, Sergeant Hans Winter, a by-the-book member of the Gestapo. Is he there to help or just to inform?

The word Stasi used in the title of the second book is the abbreviated name given to the Secret State Police that operated in Communist East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Stasi Wolf is set in the mid-1970s when the organisation was making full use of improved technology including hidden cameras and wiretapping to monitor its citizens. (The excellent film The Lives of Others is set in the same period.)

Hard to reveal the plot without spoilers but briefly, detective Karin Meuller, proud of her country’s progress but sceptical of its practices, is sent to the ‘model’ town of Halle-Neustadt to investigate a case of missing twins. Surely though such things don’t happen in this ‘utopian’ state so it’s hard to solve a crime where you can’t ask questions or appeal to the public.

Readers who like to mix their genres, good history and a crime investigation, juxtaposed, will enjoy these well-paced thrillers. Different in many ways but also illustrating the difficulties of working in a police system straight-jacketed by rigid state control.

Munich Wolf by Rory Clements and Stasi Wolf by David Young

Historical Novels

The Book Thief by

Markus Zusak

MANY novels make use of a narrator in order to introduce characters, describe a location and pass telling observations but I can’t think of another one in which the narrator is Death.

You may be wary at first but run with it and you will come to find him (for equality’s sake, you could substitute her) philosophical and even perceptively moving at times as he (she) comments on what is unfolding.

The book thief of the title is impressionable young Liesel Meminger who, in a desire to learn how to read, commits her first theft following the death of her brother in late 1930s Germany. The book she steals is The Gravediggers Handbook which she takes with her when she is re-housed with foster parents.

Kindly foster father Hans Hubermann teaches her to read the book and, being a signwriter by trade, sets up a special dictionary for her on the walls of the cellar where she can add new words in chalk as she learns them.

Later her ‘larceny’ is encouraged by the wife of the local burgomaster who conveniently leaves the doors and windows of her well stocked library open though you can imagine the trauma Liesel experiences when local Nazis decide to hold the customary book burning rally in the main square.

Add in characters like Liesel’s close friend Rudy, the village bully boy Franz, some stringent Nazi officials and Max, the Jewish refugee and you not only have a thought-provoking story but the chance to learn something about what life was like ‘on the other side’ during World War II. It’s easy to forget that these are Allied bombs which are falling on a civilian population.

Top rated historical novels

In place of another review this month, here is a list of the top six rated historical novels published during 2024 including the winner of the Walter Scott Prize, Hungry Ghosts.

The New Life by Tom Crewe published by Chatto Life among and the difficulties faced by the gay community in late Victorian London.

Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein published by Bloomsbury Publishing Living under colonial rule for Hindus in Trinidad during the 1940s.

My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor published by Harvill Secker

A small group led by a priest aim to smuggle out escapees in German occupied Rome in 1943.

In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas published by Penguin Random House Slaves from the United States of America who have escaped into Canada in the late 18th century.

Absolutely and Forever by Rose Tremain published by Vintage

A coming-of-age story for teenagers Marianne and Simon during the 1960s in Britain.

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng published by Bloomsbury Publishing Life during the 1920s in the Malay States featuring a fictionalised version of writer Somerset Maugham.

Reviews by John Davis

Was Shakespeare just a pseudonym, a ‘cover-name’ for a man on the run?

In his book, Marlowe Unmasked, Malcolm Elliott, argues that Christopher Marlowe is the true author of the works attributed to Shakespeare.

This book claims not only was Christopher Marlowe the real writer of Shakespeare, but that he escaped the gallows by the intervention of the queen and the provision of another man’s corpse dressed up as Marlowe to fool the authorities. The book makes even greater claims on our credulity by divulging that the Queen was not the virgin of popular mythology, but that she gave birth to fourteen children by several lovers.

All this was strenuously denied by Elizabeth, desperate to retain her popular image as ‘the Virgin queen’. Most men could be silenced, but one who could not was her own personal confessor, the archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift. To him she told ‘the secrets of her soul’, whereupon Whitgift blackmailed the queen, for the rest of her life, surrendering all matters of religion to his authority including the power of life and death over his enemies.

While most people today would accept Elizabeth’s claim not to have to lost her virginity, there is widespread evidence to undermine such belief. As long ago as 1948 a one-time editor of The Daily Mail, Comyns Beaumont, wrote a book on The Private life of The Virgin Queen, in which he told of her affair with Robert Dudley, but it failed to tell the full story of her suffering the attentions of Admiral Tom Seymour and of Philip of Spain’s attentions while he was failing to enjoy conjugal felicity with her sister Mary. When Queen Mary died Elizabeth refused Philip’s offer of marriage. Their offspring were called Philip and Mary and both adopted by the Sidneys.

Elizabeth’s next baby was the result of an indiscretion with Francis Walsingham. The baby was given to the family of Nicholas Bacon and became Francis Bacon, the future head of the Secret Service and front-runner in the current stakes as the true author of Shakespeare’s legacy. About this time Elizabeth began a relationship with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Talk of marriage was abandoned after the suspicious death of his first wife, Amy Robsart, in a fall down the baronial stairs.

Elizabeth’s sexual appetite remained strong however, and she was evidently attracted by the

young Marlowe. He was her favourite poet and had impressed her with his skill in water sports when he was chosen to retrieve a jewel from the bottom of the lake at Elvetham. So, when Marlowe was accused of heresy and threatened with the death penalty, she was willing to read a poem he composed, asking her to save his life. The poem was a gentle reminder of their earlier lovemaking, entitled Shall I die? Shall I fly? and it had the desired effect.

It was rediscovered in 1985 by an American researcher and widely accepted as by Shakespeare. It bears no relation to the known life of the man from Stratford upon Avon but can be seen as a clear response to Marlowe’s predicament in May 1593. Christopher Marlowe’s life was in danger. Branded as a heretic, he wrote the poem as a desperate plea to Queen Elizabeth. She responded by ordering the corpse of another man to be substituted for Marlowe’s and buried in Deptford churchyard. Elizabeth also ensured that the jury and coroner’s report would endorse the story as related in the official report. So Marlowe was dressed in the dead man’s clothes and sent across to France. He was safe, but ‘dead men tell no tales’ and he could never write under his own name again.

Fortunately, his publisher knew William Shakespeare, an actor who would be happy to put his name to anything Marlowe wrote.

Marlowe Unmasked by Ilminster based former lecturer and founder of the Leicester Victorian Society, Malcolm Elliott, is obtainable from Brendon Books of Taunton Visit: https:// brendonbooks.org/ product/marloweunmasked/

Sharing a love of Art

For three decades Laurence Anholt has been inspiring young people and their parents through his beautifully illustrated stories of artists and their lives.

It’s been thirty years since locally based author and illustrator Laurence Anholt began his beloved series about great artists and the real children who knew them. For many of us they were charming bedside reading for our children and in some homes well thumbed copies are waiting patiently for another generation to enjoy them.

Since their initial publication, these classic tales of Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, and many other geniuses of Western art have provided a springboard into a lifetime’s love of art, selling millions of copies around the world. The stories have been adapted in many forms including ballet, opera, Braille editions for blind and partially sighted children, and a full-scale stage musical in Korea.

Now, a new anniversary edition, Small Stories of Great Artists, has been published with dozens of high-quality reproductions of the artists’ work, child-friendly biographies of the artists, and interactive questions for young readers. Each story is closely based on historical events and extensive research. In many cases, Anholt visited the artists’ homes and studios, walking in their footsteps and interviewing their relatives. He was granted private access to Monet’s house in Giverny and became close friends with Sylvette David

(now Lydia Corbett), Picasso’s famous Girl with a Ponytail.

In order to make the artists and their worlds accessible to young readers, Anholt employs a unique device in which the events are seen through the eyes of a child protagonist who actually knew the artist.

In this way, readers are able to “piggyback” through the story, and artists who might otherwise be inaccessible become humanised.

On a subconscious level, the reader absorbs many inspirational themes such as kindness, self-esteem, perseverance, creativity, and courage.

A whole generation of readers have found a lifelong love of art through his stories and now they are passing that precious gift to their own children. The gift of art is golden. This volume features the following artists and their stories: Van Gogh and the Sunflowers; Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World; Cézanne and the Apple Boy; Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail; The Magical Garden of Claude Monet; Tell Us a Story, Papa Chagall; Degas and the Little Dancer; and Leonardo and the Flying Boy

Small Stories of Great Artists is published by Taschen and is available in bookshops or online. ISBN-10 3836593564. ISBN-13 9783836593564. Hardback £30.00.

Celebrating 20 years, Bridport festival offers a wide range of literary events

Tickets are going fast for Bridport Literary Festival talks in November, with many events already sold out.

The 20th annual BridLit, which takes place in venues in and around the town from 3-9 November, features a stellar line-up of writers from all genres

‘There is something to please everyone,’ said BridLit director Tanya Bruce-Lockhart. ‘It really is a literary festival to suit all tastes.’

With talks by the likes of award-winning historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes, bestselling novelist Andrew O’Hagan and celebrity chef and farmer Julius Roberts already sold out, there are still a number of great events to be snapped up.

The festival kicks off on Sunday 3 November at Sladers Yard, Wesy Bay, with a rousing performance of Cider with Jessie, which sees The Ciderhouse Rebellion duo (Adam Summerhayes and Murray Grainger) joined by Adam’s daughter, the poet Jessie Summerhayes. They collectively create an immersive and expansive collection of folk-poems, woven between and around spontaneously created music.

You can enjoy their latest work, Tales of Colonsay, inspired by stunning landscapes and awe-inspiring seascapes—a brand new journey in spoken word, deeply connected to the land. The event is followed by the option of a delicious lunch from the Sladers kitchen.

On Sunday 3 November, Giles Milton will be in conversation with Sir Barney White-Spunner at Bridport Electric Palace at 2pm, discussing his

book, The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance That Won the War.

In the summer of 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, shattering what Stalin had considered an ironclad partnership with the Fuhrer. The Allied reaction was twofold: delight that there was now a second front and fear the Red Army would be defeated. In the wake of the Nazi invasion, writer and historian Milton explores how a select team of British and Americans, by befriending Stalin, could keep the fraught Allied alliance on track and forge a path to victory.

Poet Lavinia Greenlaw will be at Sladers Yard, West Bay, on Thursday 7 November, at 6,30pm. Greenlaw is one of the country’s most celebrated poets, novelists and memoirists and The Vast Extent: On Seeing and Not Seeing Further is a beautiful and ingenious consolidation of a thirty-year body of work.

In a series of essays, she presents a record of how thought builds and ideas emerge—aligning art and scientific scrutiny and exploring subjects as broad as early photography, boredom, seasickness, wonder, mountains and mice. She will also read from her Selected Poems which have established her as one of the most perceptive and original poets of her generation.

Journalist and broadcaster Andrew Pierce is at Bridport Electric Palace on Saturday 9 November at 10am, talking about Finding Margaret: Solving the Mystery of my Birth Mother

Approaching fifty, journalist and broadcaster Andrew Pierce tells the moving story about his

The Ciderhouse Rebellion with the poet Jessie Summerhayes coming to Slader’s Yard on November 3rd.

search for his birth mother. He had lived in an orphanage in Cheltenham for more than two years until his adoption by a loving family who nurtured him.

As his career flourished and despite feeling a sense of betrayal to his adoptive parents, Pierce tentatively began to search for his biological mother, only to find that she had done everything she could to ensure he would never find her. Finding Margaret is a heartwarming and candid tale of both heartbreak and reconciliation.

For centuries, men have been writing histories of antiquity filled with warlords, emperors and kings. But when it comes to incorporating women, aside from Cleopatra and Boudica, writers have been more comfortable describing mythical heroines than real ones.

Spanning 3,000 years, from the birth of Minoan Crete to the death of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome, award winning classicist, Daisy Dunn, explores the stories of dozens of women in The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women who Shaped it that puts them at the centre of the narrative. She is at The Sir John Colfox Academy on Thursday 7 November at 2pm.

Spy’s granddaughter and novelist Charlotte Philby is at The Bull Hotel on Tuesday 5 November at 12 noon.

Life seldom works out to what is planned. How much of this is due to circumstance and fate? When a telephone rings in a French farmhouse, Judy knows her past has finally caught up with her. Her daughter, Francesca, insists on knowing why there are so many journalists in pursuit of her. Philby writes a gripping nuanced literary thriller which exposes the secrets and lies so many mother/ daughter relationships have to come to terms with.

Tickets are available online at bridlit.com or by calling in at Bridport Tourist Information Centre on 01308 424901.

Early memories of building a new life in post war Axminster

WRITING in his latest book, A squatter’s write, about Millwey Rise in Axminster, Derek Sturch says “Obviously today’s houses on Millwey Rise bear little resemblance to those that the early civilian squatters moved into in the Autumn of 1946. The original buildings were constructed around 1943 to house the American 315th Station Hospital in readiness to receive their anticipated casualties from the planned 1944 invasion of Europe.” At the end of the war Axminster residents wondered what would become of the former hospital.

Citing the potential usefulness of the building as post war temporary accomodation, Col. D. J. Greenshields, speaking to The Public Health Committee said: ‘Any young man coming home from the Army would be very glad to rough it for a year or so with his wife and not more than one child. They could live there and be perfectly happy and comfortable, as the Americans had been. I myself, would live in the Camp cheerfully’. The recommendation was adopted.’

As one of the families that moved into the Nissan Huts that made up the hospital buildings Derek Sturch was one of the pioneers that laid the foundations for today`s vibrant and independent community of Millwey Rise.

Through a mixture of verse, prose and snippets from diary entries, Derek relays the stories of how the new community developed after the war. He also details memories of his own family and the many other families that settled into building a new life in post war Axminster. A squattter’s write by Derek Sturch will be available at the Archway Bookshop in Axminster.

Derek Sturch with cousinn Rosemary and sister Molly outside their Nissen Hut

October PREVIEW

Baroque and roll-necks

LYME REGIS

THE Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis hosts two top comedians during October—Fin Taylor, with his show Ask Your Mother, on Friday 11th, and Lloyd Griffith with Baroque and Roll, on Thursday 17th. Fresh from the viral success of his hit web series Fin vs The Internet, that comedian your mother doesn’t like you watching is touring a new show of his trademark brutally funny stand-up. When he’s not in a roll-neck making influencers squirm, he’s on a comedy club stage near you or on television on Live at the Apollo, Have I got News for You, The Mash Report or Comedy Central’s Roast Battle Back with his new show, Baroque and Roll, Lloyd Griffith is having a big year. He’s turning 40 and with it comes the impending midlife crisis—or

‘renaissance’ as he’s insisting it’s called—complete with body hair removal, head hair additions, teeth whitening and obviously the obligatory half marathon sign up. It’ll be funny and yes, there’ll be the odd song or two from that magnificent voice of his.

A musical history of slavery

CERNE ABBAS

WEST Country folk singer-songwriter and story-teller Reg Meuross is on an Artsreach tour with the West African musician Suntou Susso, with a powerful show called Stolen from God, coming to Cerne Abbas village hall on Tuesday 22nd October.

Stolen from God is an investigation of the history of England’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. In it, Reg Meuross unearths incredible tales and uncomfortable truths of a history which needs to be

Fin Taylor brings Baroque and Roll to Lyme Regis in October

told. Featuring the enchanting and virtuoso playing of kora master Suntou Susso, these stories are brought to life in a stunning folk music cycle of moving and thought-provoking songs alongside narration on the background to each piece.

The show is also with Artsreach at Langton Matravers village hall on Wednesday 23rd October. Much later in the year, Reg Meuross will be playing at Crewkerne Town Hall with Phil Beer on 20th December.

Return to 23 Railway Cottages BRIDPORT

FOR readers of a certain generation, the names of Tony Hancock and Sid James—and their radio and television programme Hancock’s Half Hour—will ring many laugh-filled bells. The miserable Hancock and his eternally optimistic and well-intentioned sidekick, were a comedy duo made in radio heaven. Now three “lost” episodes have been reimagined for the stage, and are coming to Bridport Arts Centre on Monday 7th October, at 7.30pm.

Celebrating the centenary of Tony Hancock’s birth and the 70th anniversary of the BBC comedy, Hancock’s Half Hour—The Lost TV Episodes, written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and adapted by John Hewer (who plays Hancock), is presented by Hambledon Productions—the company’s other TV-to-stage shows include Just Like That! The Tommy Cooper Show and Steptoe and Son.

In 1954, comedian Tony Hancock burst onto the BBC with a comedy show unlike anything the British public had experienced before. Based at the fictional 23 Railway Cottages, East Cheam, the show featured the lugubrious Hancock surrounded by a stellar cast

including Sidney James, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams—who would all go on to star in many of the Carry On films. The show proved equally successful when it transferred to television.

The new show recreates three ‘lost’ episodes from the original television series. Missing from the BBC archives, this UK Tour will mark the very first time these hilarious scripts have been brought to life since their original broadcast.

Hancock’s Half Hour—the Lost Episodes is back in this area, at the Princess Theatre, Paignton, on Wednesday 13th November and the Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, on Thursday 14th.

Comedy hit on tour BRIDPORT AND SWANAGE

ONE of the great comedy hits of the past 20 years, Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Gunners, is coming to the Electric Palace at Bridport on Friday and Saturday 4th and 5th October, and the Mowlem Theatre at Swanage on Friday and Saturday 11th and 12th October.

The new production by Revive Theatre, directed by Richard Batt, aims to capture the hilarious, chaotic story of a hapless idiot, Francis Henshall, who finds himself juggling suitcases, gourmet food and his fiancee as he tries to satisfy two bosses, each with a lot to hide—and a lot to lose.

It is based on the equally funny farce, The Servant of Two Masters, by the 18th century Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni.

Hancock’s Half Hour—the Lost Episodes is coming to Wimborne in November

The power of friendship BRIDPORT

PAVILION Dance South West is coming to Bridport Arts Centre on Saturday 26th October with Plastic Paradiso, Claire Benson’s environmental inspired performance which aims to engage children and families in the importance of saving the oceans and the value of recycling. There was once a wide, windswept place, near nowhere and close to forgotten, that was filled with things that nobody wanted ... Based on The Tin Forest, a story by Helen Ward, Plastic Paradiso uses dance and puppetry to tell a story about friendship and the natural world. It is set on an imagined, barren island where the lone inhabitant spends their time collecting the plastic which is forever washing up on the shore. Unexpectedly, this lonely person makes friends with a bird who appears there after a storm. Demonstrating the power of friendship and the value of resilience, the bird returns with a seed which rewilds the plastic island. It is a gentle show, using non-verbal communication and ‘old school’ theatrical magic. It is most suitable for children aged four to 11yrs and their grown-ups.

A primal roar of Welshness VILLAGES

SONGLINES, the magazine that celebrates folk and indigenous music around the world, described the Welsh folk band VRi as making “a primal roar of Welshness”— celebrating the music and language of their homeland, the trio are coming to Dorset for a short tour with Artsreach, starting at Corfe Castle village hall on Friday 11th October, at Litton Cheney Community Hall on Saturday 12th and Sandford Orcas village hall on Sunday 13th, all at 7.30pm.

Winners of Best Album at the Wales Folk Awards 2023, VRï are Jordan Price Williams (cello, voice), Aneirin Jones (violin, voice) and Patrick Rimes (viola, violin, voice). These three young men from deepest chapelgoing Wales have mined the cultural upheaval of past centuries and drawn inspiration from the incredible story of a time when Wales’s traditional music and dance were suppressed by Methodist chapels, and, earlier, its language by the Act of Union.

Three-part harmonies, stunning fiddle and the unusual addition of cello together create VRï’s unique sound. Since forming in 2016, the trio have been pumping out their native foot-stomping dance tunes while maintaining the poise and elegance of a string ensemble. Seizing the remaining strands of subsumed tradition and music, VRï blends them into a joyous celebration of Welsh identity and a contemporary rediscovery of lost traditions.

Rising star on tour CONCERTS IN THE WEST

SOPRANO Hilary Cronin was selected by BBC Music Magazine as a Rising Star of 2022, having won both first prize and the audience award at the 2021 Handel Singing Competition. She comes on a three-venue tour with Concerts in the West, starting at Bridport Arts Centre, on Friday 4th October, for the regular coffee concert at 11.30am, that evening at Ilminster Arts Centre at 7.30pm, and at Crewkerne Dance House on Saturday 5th at 7.30.

Hilary is a regular soloist with The Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. On the concert platform, she has appeared as soloist with many groups and orchestras including The English Concert, The Sixteen, Solomon’s Knot, Florilegium, London Mozart Players, Oxford Bach Soloists, English Chamber Orchestra, London Handel Players, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Royal Philharmonic

Orchestra.

She will be accompanied by Asako Ogawa, one of today’s most versatile performers on keyboard instruments. Asako plays a wide historic range, from virginals, harpsichord and fortepiano to modern piano. Her wide repertoire covers all periods both on harpsichord and modern piano. She has been performing as a soloist, as an accompanist and as a continuo player in the UK, Europe and Japan.

Hilary and Asako will perform a programme that reflects their wide repertoire, with works by Handel, Schumann, Wolf and Liszt.

Typhoid tale

LIVING SPIT ON TOUR

MARY Mallon, a talented cook in New York City in 1906, takes a job preparing delicious meals for yet another high society family—and yet again they begin to fall ill and die. Coincidence? Mary thinks so. And now she’s put all that nonsense behind her ... or has she? Find out more when Living Spit bring their latest batty historical performance to a venue near you, starting at Royal Manor Theatre at Portland on Tuesday 15th October. Irish immigrant. Cook. Amiable host. Killer? Mary is

Hilary Cronin in Bridport, Ilminster and Crewkerne. Photograph by Helena Cooke

cooking three courses for a very special guest tonight— YOU! ... That is, unless health inspector and sanitation expert George Soper can stop her before it’s too late…

There’s Something About Typhoid Mary is on a lengthy West Country tour with Stu Mcloughlin as the much-maligned Mary Mallon and Lucy Tuck as the germaphobic George Soper. The tour has two Artsreach dates, Portland on 15th October and Lytchett Matravers village hall on Wednesday 16th. It will be at The Exchange at Sturminster Newton on Thursday 17th, and in November on Wednesday 13th at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Thursday 14th at Bridport Arts Centre and Friday 15th at Dorchester Arts.

With live original music, deliciously tempting food which you can really eat (if you dare), gory deaths a-plenty, puerile puppetry and sackfuls of cross-dressing crassness, this promises to be a feverishly funny feast of fun for some of the family. Just don’t mention the T-word… Are you brave enough to take this contagiously entertaining journey through the dark and sinister world of the killer cook, Typhoid Mary, told with Living Spit’s trademark wit, song and silliness.

The Undercover Hippy LYME REGIS

IF you know of The Undercover Hippy, you may be one of those devoted fans who will cross the country for one of his gigs, singing along with every chorus in his highly political songs. On Thursday 3rd October you can catch him in our region at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis.

The Dorset date is followed by three in Devon—Friday 4th at The Junction, Plymouth, Saturday 5th at St Mary’s Hall, Appledore, and Sunday 6th at the Barrel House Ballroom, Totnes—and one in Frome, Somerset, at The Treehouse on Wednesday 9th.

Billy Rowan aka The Undercover Hippy has been performing at festivals since 2008, working his way up from being a solo singer-songwriter playing in small marquee stages to now having a full band and playing main stages at some of the UK’s best independent festivals. The band have been regulars at Glastonbury, Boomtown, Electric Picnic, Eden Festival in Scotland and Beautiful Days at Ottery St Mary.

The music is best described as politically-driven, acoustic roots-reggae folk-hop, with feel-good vibes and a sly sense of humour. The set list includes songs from their 2023 fourth album, Not Paying Attention.

Young writer’s debut

DORCHESTER

PLOUGH Youth Theatre comes to Dorchester Corn Exchange on Sunday 6th October at 6pm with The Best Life, the debut play of young scriptwriter, Kateryna Rudiakova.

The Best Life reminds us of a huge, transparent issue that we have forgotten about. The madness and pain of war, locked in Roksolana’s teenage heart, makes us both laugh and cry, while her sincerity about the family that remains in Ukraine makes us live through the fear with her.

Billy Rowan aka The Undercover Hippy comes to Lyme Regis in October

Screen Time

with Nic Jeune

Top Six at the Flix

Bridport Arts Centre The first films of an exciting selection from Bridport Film Society 59th Season of 12 award winning films playing at the Arts Centre between now and April 2025.

American Fiction (2023)

Broad-brush American Fiction might be, but its approach to race and racism is oblique and unexpected, and it’s very funny about publishing’s literary ghetto. The Guardian Peter Bradshaw Daughters (2024)

The film, which focuses on a handful of girls and their dads as the dance looms, is as touching as it sounds — and invariably as sad. Los Angeles Times. Robert Abele. Bridport Electric Palace Beetlejuice Bettlejuice. (2024)

The zippy pacing, buoyant energy and steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments hint at the joy Burton appears to have found in revisiting this world. Hollywood Reporter. David Rooney.

Plaza Cinema Dorchester Joker Folie a Deux ( 2024)

Phoenix’s performance remains powerful and stirring, too. Against the odds, this ingenious and deeply unsettling film even turns into a bit of a weepie by the final reel. The Independent. Geoffrey Macnab Netflix

Woman of the Hour (2024)

A true-crime thriller that also operates as a damning commentary on societal misogyny—especially in Hollywood— it’s as chillingly sharp and canny as its deranged fiend. The Daily Beast. Nick Schager.

Amazon Girls State (2024)

The film’s chief enjoyment is seeing how motivations transform, and character is forged, through the sliding doors of new people, victories and losses, and the sharpening of the young women’s disparate judgments on the genuinely disappointing differences between boys and girls state. The Guardian. Adrian Horton.

At just 15 years of age, Kateryna Rudiakova found the courage and her voice to tell this story from her own point of view.

This is a Pay What You Can ticket price—all proceeds will be going towards the Plough Youth Theatre.

Original folk inspirations

VILLAGES

ARTSREACH brings folk band Counter’s Creek for three dates in Dorset in October, starting on Friday 18th at Sydling St Nicholas village hall, on Saturday 19th at Briantspuddle and Sunday 20th at The Portman Hall at Shillingstone, all at 7.30pm.

Counter’s Creek is an acoustic folk quartet who play original music inspired by the folk traditions of the British Isles and beyond, including foot-tapping jigs and reels, dance grooves from Eastern Europe and West Africa and a whole lot more!

Featuring Ben Cox (voice/flute/whistles/harmonium), Jonathan Taylor (flute/whistles), Tom Newell (violin/banjo) and Moss Freed (guitar), expect an evening of exciting, uplifting entertainment, with virtuoso performances delivered by engaging and witty musicians who convey their passion for contemporary British and Irish folk music in their playing as well as encouraging the audience to join them in sea shanties and heart-wrenching songs in sublime four-part harmonies!

Between them the four musicians have performed at most of the UK’s leading folk and jazz festivals, played with pop acts including Muse and One Direction, appeared on TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and in numerous stage shows on the West End and around the UK.

Must I wait till spring?

VILLAGES

ANGLO-Swiss theatre company Fideri Fidera has three October dates with Artsreach, bringing the delightful award-winning play for children, Oskar’s Amazing Adventure, to Millborne St Andrew village hall on Monday 28th at 2pm, Hinton Martell village hall on Tuesday 20th at 11am and Powerstock Hut on Wednesday 30th, also at 11am.

This original, heart-warming and entertaining play for young children and their families is full of humour, adventure, music and song, storytelling, physical theatre, clowning and puppetry.

Snowbound in Grandma’s little house, fun-loving puppy Oskar runs all the way down a snowy mountain to find a friendly animal to play with. But where are the animals? And why must Oskar wait until spring before meeting his friend Marmot and playing their favourite game together?

This tale of a puppy’s search for friendship in the wilderness of the Alps is perfect for children aged two to seven years and their families

Fideri Fidera is a professional Anglo Swiss theatre touring company dedicated to creating new and original theatre for young children.

The gardener and the magpie VILLAGES

THERE is a delightful play for young children coming to Dorset during half-term with Artsreach. Scarlet Oak Theatre’s Along Came a Magpie will be at Buckland Newton village hall on Wednesday 30th October at 10.30am and at Wootton Fitzpaine village hall on Thursday 31st, also at 10.30am.

This is a playful and heart-warming adventure for young children, aged two to six years, and their families featuring puppetry, plants and lots of pots!

In the intimate setting of a potting shed, we meet the gardener. She loves

the smell of the flowers, the feel of the earth and watching her plants bloom.

But along comes a magpie who turns her potting shed upside down! Making friends is lots of fun but can sometimes be tricky. Join the gardener and magpie as they navigate the intricacies of friendship.

Climate change challenge DORCHESTER

WISE Ram Theatre brings a powerful play about the climate crisis, Decommissioned, to Dorchester Corn Exchange on Tuesday 22nd October, at 7.30.

The new neurodiverse theatre company makes theatre about the climate crisis and this piece, their first play, is by co-director and writer Molly Anne Sweeney.

“Cariad, I care about climate change too, but I live in a place where there are three buses a day and I can’t afford a Tesla!”

Elis wants to guide a class of ten-year-olds to become ethical, informed citizens. Gwen wants to tell the unvarnished truth—in the next 30 years the village they grew up in will be gone.

Inspired by the true story of Fairbourne in Wales, Decommissioned is a described as a “heart-warming, comical and intimate” play about how we’re meant to care for children, fall in love and stay sane while tackling the climate catastrophe.

Secrets from the past DORCHESTER AND LYME REGIS

OLIVIER Award-winning theatre company Papatango comes to Dorset with a new version of Robert Wentall’s classic ghost story, The Watch House, at Dorchester Corn Exchange on Sunday 27th and the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, on Wednesday 30th.

“There’s a legend about the Watch House. Scrape beneath the whitewash and you’ll find terror. You’ll find him.” Once a coastguard station renowned for daring rescues, the old Watch House is now all but abandoned. Just like Anne, dumped here while her parents sort their divorce. She’s never felt more alone. But she isn’t ...

Sunk deep in the past is a secret which threatens everything. Only Anne can stop it. Catapulted on an adventure through graveyards, discos and shipwrecks, she and her eccentric crew must uncover the truth before it’s too late.

GPW

The Young Lit Fix

AT the busy train station, surrounded by soldiers in crisp new uniforms, Iris Winnow is holding back her tears as she says farewell to her older brother Forrest. He gives her his coat and she wears it like a hug. As the train pulls away she reaches into the pocket and finds a note: Just in case you didn’t know… you are by far the best sister I’ve ever had. I’m so proud of you. And I’ll be home before you know it, Little Flower.

Their peaceful town, Oath, is changing, since the goddess Enva called to arms the people of Oath to fight in her honour against the forces amassed by the god Dacre. The fight is taking place some distance from home, but everyone feels its effects. Although it would seem that some residents of Oath would rather pretend it wasn’t happening.

After her brother’s departure to join the fight, Iris begins her internship at a small local newspaper; the Oath Gazette. She is in direct competition for the job of columnist with an arrogant young journalist called Roman C. Kitt. She wonders what the C stands for: Churlish? Cantankerous? She instantly dislikes him and the fellow journalists go head to head to secure their dream job.

Full of worry for Forrest, Iris types a letter for him, even though she has no idea where to send it. Her Nan used to leave her notes to find in her room, it became a tradition, and at a loss for what to do, she slides the note for Forrest under the wardrobe door. It’s a space they used to share and it just feels right. To her amazement, the following day, the note is gone. Even more amazing is when a return letter appears from under the door. It contains three words: This isn’t Forrest.

What a sensational read this is. A story of love, loss, mythology and war. I adored this book and became completely invested in the characters and their world. This book is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers romance stories and I would recommend it to teens aged 14+.

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

Divine Rivals By Rebecca Ross

Published by Magpie Books/ HarperCollins Paperback £9.99

Review by Nicky Mathewson

Decommissioned a powerful play about climate change comes to Dorchester in October

Gardener/ Handyman

wanted to work one day per week thro ughout the year, can be flexible.To carry out heavier duties such as spreading compost, managing bonfires, mowing, strimming. Also the exciting opportunity to progress & manage a new area of woodland./garden. Please contact firstly via e mail to: christinewoodibiza@ gmail.com

Le Creuset oval

enamelled cast iron casserole dish, 30cm, blue, good condition, no cracks or chips.

Buyer to collect from Stoke Abbott area. £40 (RRP£200). Tel: 01308 868430.

Terrex fork in good working condition. If you’ve never heard of these back saving tools check them out on the web. Ours has done sterling service for us, but our current plot is too stony, so it’s time to pass this amazing garden implement on to someone else. £90. Located near Stockland. Call 07479474392 and leave a message.

Mercury outboard. 3.5 hp longshaft two stroke engine. Complete and turns over, but no spark. Probably best for spare parts. £60 . Located

SITUATIONS VACANT

Digital Media Freelancer

Are you a creative and tech-savvy individual with a passion for digital media?

Do you have a knack for engaging audiences and driving brand awareness through various digital channels? If so, we want to hear from you!

We are seeking a freelance talented Digital Media Expert to manage our online presence and assist in creating content that resonates with our target audience.

In the first instance please send your CV to info@marshwoodvale.com

near Stockland. Call 07479474392 and leave a message and I’ll reply.

Hydraulic Press, large floor standing type plus spare seal kit and new ram. £500 o.n.o. 07721 530520.

Belle Maxi Mix 140 240v electric cement mixer,only used for mixing feed & dry compost (photo available) £350. 07721 530520.

Belle 16”wacker plate, one owner immaculate condition £525 o.n.o. 07721 530520.

Vintage Pine solid Corner Unit restored and primed. H 196cm (77”) x D 58cm (23”). Buyer collects. Offers. M.07920 382000 (photos available).

Ladies Dunlop City Bicycle. Recently professionally serviced. Basket/Rear rack and

FOR SALE

large comfortable saddle. £100. Tel: 01460 52289. Ilminster. Aluminium sheet, 2m. x 1m. x 1mm.

Brand new-£40. m.hyman123@ btinternet.com. Approx 70-plus trees, oak, chestnuts, holly, hazel, beech ect. Tel 074940 57654 mobile.

Ryoai long pole electric headge cutter 1 year old little used £50. Ryoia electric strimmer little used £10. Ozito electric shredder little used £25. 5 rung step ladder £5.00. Honiton tel 07815764131.

Electric adjustable single bed in excellent condition mattress pristine.. Top of range.£350 or offer. Melplash 01308 488789.

Flymo easy glide

300 Hover collect lawnmower 1700W

Ex-display sheds, stables, fieldshelters, stables, garages, summerhouses, offices, beachhut, agricultural, workshops. 01935891195 Dec 24

Book collection, 50 volumes in good condition. Subjects: Art, artists, antiques, houses etc. Full list available. £250 - no offers. Tel: 01460 54919.

Accordions for sale, private collection, 120bass, Italian, German, electric Roland, Call 07758134593

motor cutting width 30cm easy empty grass box 10M cable as new complete with manual etc 4cutting heights £35. Tel-07971 991012. Vintage cycles. Gents Raleigh Tempest. 24 inch frame. 12 gears. £50. Ladies British Eagle. 20 inch frame. 18 gears. £30, Weymouth 07434 101119. Pacsafe Anti Theft Bag and Backpack protector. Fits 55 to 85 litre bags. High tensile stainless steel. Have a look on their website. Unused gift as already have one (which I wouldn’t be without!! Selling for £45. Phone and leave message 07447660827. 400W Lawn Raker/ Scarifier, vgc, 30cm cutting width, 20 litre grass collection box, £25, photos available, Pymore 01308 423177 or 0787 249 9174. Black Cavallo dressage boots Used but good condition. Size 6 Not zipped ie pull on. Height 50cm and calf 38cm. Sue 07485586749 £150

One in five UK doctors use AI chatbots

A SURVEY led by researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden reveals that a significant proportion of UK general practitioners (GPs) are integrating generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, into their clinical workflows. The results highlight the rapidly growing role of AI in healthcare—a development that has the potential to revolutionise patient care but also raises significant ethical and safety concerns.

‘While there is much talk about the hype of AI, our study suggests that the use of AI in healthcare is not just on the horizon—it’s happening now. Doctors are deriving value from these tools. The medical community must act swiftly to address the ethical and practical challenges for patients that generative AI brings,’ says lead researcher Dr Charlotte Blease, Associate Professor at Uppsala University.

The study reveals that 20 per cent of GPs reported using generative AI tools in their practice, with ChatGPT being the most frequently used AI tool. Conducted with collaborators at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA and the University of Basel, Switzerland, this is the most comprehensive examination of generative AI in clinical practice since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.

The study was conducted in February 2024 and researchers surveyed 1,006 GPs registered with Doctors.net.uk, the largest professional network for UK doctors.

Apart from revealing that 20 per cent of GPs used AI tools in their practice, the study also shows that among users, 29 per cent utilised these tools for generating documentation after patient appointments, while 28 per cent employed them to assist with differential diagnosis.

These findings suggest that AI chatbots

are becoming valuable assets in medical practice, particularly in reducing administrative burdens and supporting clinical decision-making. However, the use of these tools is not without risks.

The potential for AI to introduce errors (“hallucinations”), exacerbate biases, and compromise patient privacy is significant. As these tools continue to evolve, there is an urgent need for the healthcare industry to establish robust guidelines and training programmes to ensure their safe and effective use.

‘This study underscores the growing reliance on AI tools by UK GPs, despite the lack of formal training and guidance and the potential risks involved. As the healthcare sector and regulatory authorities continue to grapple with these challenges, the need to train doctors to be 21st century physicians is more pressing than ever,’ Blease concludes.

This study was supported by the Research Council on Health, Working Life and Welfare Beyond Implementation of eHealth (2020-0122) and by the University of Basel.

Dr Charlotte Blease

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For guaranteed classified advertising please use ‘Classified Ads’ form.

CHIMNEY SWEEP WANTED

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

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

Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975

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

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

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

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

RESTORATION

FURNITURE

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

TUITION

Piano, violin, theory tuition at your home. Highly qualified teacher. Adults and children welcome. Beginners to advanced. Dr Thomas Gold 07917 835781. Dec 24

STUDIO WANTED

Professional Artist requires large studio space to rent, must be private secure and quiet Call 07960406333

BOOKKEEPING

Experienced self employed bookkeeper seeks new client. One day per week, or for monthly/quarterly processing. Ilminster +20 miles. Call Alison on 07849 467667.

WANTED

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

Marshwood+ October 2024

Robin Mills met David Burnett at Marshwood, Dorset

David Burnett

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One in five UK doctors use AI chatbots

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