21 minute read
Cover Story By Robin Mills
Robin Mills met Bunty Powell at Cerne Abbas
© Bunty Powell Photograph by Robin Mills
I’ was born in Epsom, Surrey in 1935, one of four children. My older sister June became a staff nurse at Kings College Hospital and married a doctor there, Dr John Jackson, who went on to set up a practice in Blandford, until his death about 10 years ago. Brother John took up farming, though he’s now retired, and my younger brother Timothy lives in Australia. When I was 15 I was taken very ill with a burst appendix, and developed pneumonia. My parents were called at 3am one night to be told that my chances of lasting the night were slim. I couldn’t understand why they’d come to see me in the middle of the night; it didn’t occur to me things were that serious. However, as one can see, I survived, although I was off school for a year resulting in my leaving at the age of 16. My father managed to get me a job as private secretary with two authors in Fleet Street. I found it a wonderful experience because it gave me both a taste for organising things, and eventually led me towards a singing career. One of the authors was a
Lt Col Reginald Lester, who carried out all the publicity for The King George’s Fund for Sailors. In 1952 he put on two films at
The Odeon, Leicester Square on their behalf: The Cruel Sea, and Above Us the Waves which I helped him with. Col Lester went on to write a book called In Search of the Hereafter, an exploration of “life in the hereafter”, which was my job to type. He also set up The Churches Fellowship for Psychical Study, which boasted membership of MP’s and other dignitaries with its inaugural meeting staged at Caxton Hall in London.
After working for Col Lester for several years I wanted more companionship and went to work at TP Bennett and Son, a firm of London architects. There I met my future husband, Peter Powell, who had just passed his Finals as an Architect, and was moving elsewhere to work. We married in 1957 and the next year I gave birth to twin girls. They were undiagnosed—after the first arrived, the nurse said “would you be surprised to know there’s another on the way?” From the way I felt, I said, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were three more. These days, one daughter, Jane, lives in Frimley, Surrey and the other Susan, lives in Charminster. I have four great grandchildren now who chat to me online and are great fun and all keep in touch during this ghastly lockdown.
When we moved to Kingston on Thames, I joined the Kingston Operatic Society. They gave me the part of Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, the result of which was my husband’s affectionate nickname for me, “the old bat”. I also joined the Concert Artists Association; the first concert I did with them was at Wandsworth Prison, with an audience of lifers. I had to be chaperoned everywhere, and the hall was surrounded by guards. I remember singing Summertime, and noticing a young man in the front row, aged no more than 20, with tears streaming down his face. I wondered how he could be in that place for murder, looking as they all did, so normal. I later performed as a soloist with a Welsh male voice choir in Salute to the Prince of Wales at the Albert Hall, and sang in the Evening Standard’s Award night at Lyons Corner House, with Ted Ray the comedian as the evening’s big attraction. We left Kingston after 5 years and moved to Lower Sunbury on Thames, remaining there for 35 years.
Ann Howard, the English Opera singer, suggested I continue singing lessons with her tutor Madame Rudolpho Llombino, which I did. I also joined a small group of professional singers called Court Opera at Hampton Court, which in the early ‘70s put on concerts in large houses throughout the country. At my suggestion we started staging mostly Mozart operas, and we would invite a chorus to join us. I took over running the group when Leslie Woolf, the previous organiser, sadly died.
My singing career was not earning enough to live on, so it was fortunate to be asked to become Trust Organiser of the Thames Heritage Trust. We put on a huge event on the Brocas, a beautiful meadow just across the Thames from Windsor Castle, which belongs to Eton College. The event was called “The History of the Thames in Music, Drama and Lights” with Celia Johnson and Robert Hardy doing voice overs. We seated 4,000 people every night on tiered seating with Windsor Castle floodlit in the background. In the audience on the last night was Horace Cutler, then leader of the London County Council at County Hall, and Sir Bernard Delfont. I was introduced to them and Bernard Delfont asked me what else I did. I told him about the opera group I sang with and said we were looking for a London venue to perform in. Horace Cutler suggested I go and see him at his office, with an idea to put to me. This was to stage opera at Holland Park, a beautiful old venue near St James’ Palace. We put on Don Giovanni first, in the open air, which was a packed out. I had to do everything, front of house, production, directing, and publicising etc, and I have no idea where I found the energy. In the third year, I did two productions, but the weather that summer was dreadful, and the last night became a disaster. Of course, when it starts raining the orchestra just pack up and go home. Fortunately, the site was later taken over by Kensington and Chelsea council, who erected a large canopy, and took over everything except the productions; they invited us to continue, and I stayed there for another 15 years, as a producer and director only. I always found the production side of things very exciting, as it gradually took over from my singing career, even though it was often financially risky. Holland Park is now acknowledged as the number three opera venue in London.
After leaving the Thames Heritage Trust, I became National Organiser for Help the Aged, and organised fund-raising productions at the Barbican, Lambeth Palace and St David’s Hall, Cardiff. In 1995, my husband decided he’d like to retire, so we moved to Dorchester, taking over a house in Durngate Street where his mother, Gwen Powell, had lived. She had been awarded Freedom of Dorchester in 1992, in recognition of her work for the town. When we moved in, she was in a care home with Parkinsons, but Peter and I brought her back to her old house to live with us for the last few years of her life. Peter and I also decided to continue staging events in Dorset, putting on three years of productions at Lulworth Castle, at Shuttleworth in Bedfordshire, and Hatfield House where I introduced Leslie Garrett and Charlotte Church, plus Jazz with Humphrey Lyttelton and Acker Bilk, to name but a few. My last productions took place at Kingston Maurward, called Lakeside Magic. When I first saw the place I knew it would be fantastic for a show. Having introduced myself to the management at the Dorchester Show, I started by putting on opera productions, but that didn’t pull in the audiences in the same way as Holland Park. But we also put on tribute bands, which were very successful. Lakeside Magic lasted until 2008 but I also put on an operatic show at the Old Courtroom in Dorchester to raise funds for the MRI Scanner appeal at Dorset County Hospital.
We moved to Cerne Abbas 10 years ago. Peter clearly wasn’t well, so we needed to be in a bungalow, and I looked after him until his death two years ago. I’m enjoying life in the village, and am thoroughly absorbed in art, having joined art classes under the direction of Sasha Constable which these days are online only. Despite that, it’s great, it’s very sociable and we chat and show our work to one another, all of course on Zoom.
Bunty Powell
© Bunty Powell Photograph by Robin Mills
Alerted by a friend who had sent a message to an old email address that I haven’t used for some time, I logged into the account to see if anyone else had done the same. There were over 1700 emails there and after scanning through about the first 500, I found they were mostly from Google, Facebook and other digital businesses asking me to react to their observations. Thankfully there were only one or two from people I knew, and they had been there for so long that it was far too late to apologise for not responding. The sheer volume of alerts from digital media and their attempts to catch my attention reminded me of the book that Sophy Roberts writes about this month on page 43. Published in 2019, How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell is a book that Sophy describes as a plan of action to wrest ourselves away from the attention economy—our phones and computers, ‘to reposition ourselves in a present, physical realm’. The need to step back from digital control is a long-debated point and some will say that it’s too late to unshackle vast swathes of society from what Odell describes as, ‘the invasive logic of commercial social media and its financial incentive to keep us in a profitable state of anxiety, envy and distraction.’ Obviously, that’s not something that John Hanning Speke would have had to deal with when searching for the source of the Nile—a story that Seth Dellow enjoyed looking back over on page 22. Nor might it have bothered Jill Dudley when she was travelling in Greece to research her book Behind the Masks—more about that on page 38. And would the power of algorithms have bothered the lacemakers that Margery Hookings talks about on page 18?—probably not. There is much to read in this issue that is as far away from digital distraction as one can get. So switch off the phone and sit down with a magazine. As Sophy Roberts says of how we may live after months of largely digital interaction: ‘maybe when things start to return to normal, we can try to become less obsessed with constant distraction, and live instead by a more empowering hashtag: #NOSMO (the Necessity of Sometimes Missing Out).’
Fergus Byrne
Published Monthly and distributed by Marshwood Vale Ltd Lower Atrim, Bridport Dorset DT6 5PX
For all Enquiries Tel: 01308 423031 info@marshwoodvale. com Editorial Director
Fergus Byrne
Deputy Editor
Victoria Byrne
Design
Fergus Byrne 3 Cover Story By Robin Mills
12 Event News and Courses 16 News & Views
17 Laterally Speaking By Humphrey Walwyn 18 The Songs of the Lacemakers By Margery Hookings 20 Pig Snout and Slack-ma-Girdle by Alex Bardwell 22 A Somerset Connection By Seth Dellow
24 Marking Boundaries
26 John Le Carré By Cecil Amor
28 House & Garden
28 Vegetables in March By Ashley Wheeler 30 March in the Garden By Russell Jordan 32 Property Round Up By Helen Fisher
33 Food & Dining
34 Cauliflower & Chilli By Lesley Waters 36 Sea Bream and Fisherman’s Potatoes By Mark Hix 37 Spider Crabs By Nick Fisher
38 Arts & Entertainment
38 Behind the Masks By Fergus Byrne
40 Galleries
43 The Lit Fix By Sophy Roberts 44 Young Lit Fix By Antonia Squire 45 Screen Time By Nic Jeune
46 Health & Beauty 48 Services & Classified
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Contributors
Cecil Amor Alex Bardswell Seth Dellow Helen Fisher Nick Fisher Richard Gahagan Margery Hookings Mark Hix Nic Jeune Russell Jordan Robin Mills Sophy Roberts Antonia Squire Humphrey Walwyn Lesley Waters Ashley Wheeler
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‘I’m a sea kayaker, hiker and lover of the outdoors. I grew up on the River Dart in Totnes playing on boats and in kayaks with my younger brother. My parents always owned boats so it was inevitable that I would grow sea legs from a very early age. I even have a pirate ancestor, known as Captain Trapp, from the Shaldon area, so I suppose one could say the sea is in our blood, even though I neglected this until I moved near the sea. I’ve always loved the water but somehow, I managed to spend 30 years of my life without a kayak or a boat, instead spending my spare time either playing the DJ at various rock venues or racing Superkarts; winning a couple of championships at an amateur level.
I’d been gradually making my way across Devon; living in Torbay, Newton Abbot and Exeter at various times, often due to my job as a car and van diagnostic technician, and eventually ending up in Seaton in 2011. Moving to a seaside town made me realise I’d finally found home. I’ve never married or had children but was always aware of a need to be searching for something and it was around my 40th birthday when I realised there was more to life than just working to live - an epiphany as it were. Follow your heart and gut instincts, something I’d been saying for years but not yet followed my own advice. Always having an affinity with nature, I started looking at how I could be closer to it and help it. I began to reduce my reliance of singleuse plastic and live in a more planet friendly way. I do my best to exist in a way which uses as little resources as possible, for example, my electricity now comes purely from the sun. I’ve never been one to worry about the latest fashion or trend, but I put a lot of effort into only buying things I need, rather than stuff I want. I started practising the healing art of Reiki, living with more thought to the environment, which eventually made me realise how kayaking and the environment went hand in hand.
This friendly town helped me rekindle a love for the outdoors, the sea in particular, and I started sea kayaking in early 2013. Since then with help from many friends and supporters, I’ve raised around £20,000 for good causes under my Kayaking for Charity banner with various adventures. The first one, paddling from Seaton to Land’s End in 2013, took eight days raising funds for Cancer Research UK, a charity chosen because I’d lost people very close to me. One being my mum; the feeling of helplessness as you watch somebody fade away from this awful disease is something nobody should have to experience and I felt compelled to do something about it. The problem with completing what was then the biggest and bravest thing I had ever done is the feeling of wanting more, so I followed it up in 2016 by kayaking from Tower Bridge, London to Seaton; a 360 mile trip which took 21 days, this time raising money for Cancer Research UK, the RNLI and a local hospice. A book about my adventures is close to being published, chronicling not only the emotions of fear and joy one goes through with such a challenge, but also telling a story about the areas visited along the way and the sights experienced from a kayaker’s perspective.
After spending over 30 years fixing cars full time, I made the decision to go part-time in 2019. I’ve since been involved with voluntary work for local conservation groups in my spare time. Not long after starting kayaking again, I noticed an increasing amount of plastics washing on to our World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast. I’ve also been aware of some visitors leaving their litter behind. I learnt from an early age why we should not litter and I struggle to see why others do not understand. My mum Wendy, was a massive influence on my littering views when, as a young boy, we were sat in a traffic jam and witnessed the occupants of the car in front throw their litter out of the window. Mum was straight out of our car, picked up their litter and bravely (this was the 70’s) threw it back in their car. Pointing at the driver she said, in the stern voice only a mother can pull off, “You do NOT litter in my County!”
A few years ago, I had an idea called Just Add Water, Not Plastic, named after my wooden kayak Just Add Water. I felt frustrated with collecting plastic from every beach I visited when I was out on the water, seeing the remains of seabirds entangled in fishing line and occasionally stumbling across dead seals and dolphins. I thought there must be a way to let others know just how bad things are. My timing was perfect—not long after this the country watched Blue Planet 2 with Sir David Attenborough. We watched in horror and sadness as Sir David showed us that this plastic problem was worldwide and far-reaching. It was upsetting in a way I’ve never experienced before, I’m sure I’m not alone, and I knew something had to be done, but how?
Since becoming an Ambassador for the Jurassic Coast Trust in late 2019, I changed the name from Just Add Water, Not Plastic to Clean Jurassic Coast after noticing that I felt alone whilst beach cleaning, “Why isn’t anyone helping me!”. It dawned on me that many others may have felt the same way and the original idea was to turn this into a network of beach cleaning and litter picking volunteers looking after the Jurassic Coast. I have been fortunate these last 12 months or so and met some wonderful people who are now my friends, but more than that they are part of Team Clean Jurassic Coast. Plus, with many other volunteers who kindly gave up their time to help us, we spent most of last year collecting plastic and other litter from the natural world. All we want is a Clean Jurassic Coast.
With some successful fundraising last summer, we recently purchased a boat to help access secluded coastal areas and we’ve turned the group into a Community Interest Company, ‘Clean Jurassic Coast CIC’. We’ll be working to continue our mission to keep the coast free from plastic, as well as offer education to local schools, businesses and the general public. Last year we removed well over 2000kg of plastic from the environment and we are the proud winners of the Litter Free Coast and Sea “Litter Heroes 2020” award. We also work with the Ocean Recovery Project, part of Keep Britain Tidy. Plastics we find in the marine environment get shipped to their depot in Exeter. The plastics are then cleaned and shredded and end up with a new life as a picnic bench or a fence post. One of the great things about this project is the plastics being used wouldn’t normally be recycled. Maybe in the near future, this can be done for ALL plastics.
This summer, I will be undertaking another kayak challenge called Top Down. I’ll be setting off from John O’Groats at the end of May and paddling to Lands’ End to promote awareness of the issues with plastic and litter in the marine environment. This 900 mile trip is expected to take up to two months. I’ll be kayaking on the sea, inland waterways and the 23 mile long Loch Ness as I head along the Caledonian Canal. I’m hoping Nessie likes beach cleaners.
When the current lockdown restrictions ease, I can’t wait to start organising small beach cleans again. It’s great for the soul as well as meeting new, like-minded people. Coming to live in Seaton has certainly changed my life for the better, as well as helping the planet and all life living on it. The sea has become my playground, Mother Nature is my reason for being and, now I’ve at last found where I belong.
If you would like to know more or get in touch, please visit the website www. cleanjurassiccoast.uk’
© Roy Beal Photograph by Julia Mear
Some of the stories you may have missed
For a number of reasons, including lockdown restrictions, we took the decision to produce the February issue as an online issue only. For anyone that may have missed it, visit our website at www.marshwoodvale.com and have a look. We have also printed the cover story on the page opposite. The February issue inlcluded our regular features including Humphrey Walwyn, Margery Hookings, Cecil Amor, Philip Strange, Russel Jordan, Ashley Wheeler, Sophy Roberts, Nic Jeune, Antonia Squire, Mark Hix and Lesley Waters as well as special recipes from the Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support book Recipes with Love. This is a wonderful project that features delicious recipes from local people. Proceeds from sales of the book go to continue the work of Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support. The book is available now and can be purchased at the charity online shop: https://axminsterandlymecancersupport. co.uk/product-category/shop. It is also available to buy in store at: Archway Bookshop, Serendip Bookshop, Felicity’s Farm Shop, Millers Farm Shop and Dalwood Post Office. For more information visit https:// axminsterandlymecancersupport.co.uk/
The February issue also featured a story about the completion of a trilogy of books about three British battalions: the Devons, Hampshires and Dorsets in the invasion of Sicily in 1943. Roy’s Boys, the third in the trilogy Roy’s Boys, is nicknamed after Brigadier Roy Urquhart DSO, and draws on the testimony of scores of veterans. We also had a preview of the exciting new exhibition that came to the Bridport Arts Centre in February. Twenty-three years on from the 1998 Returning Natives exhibition which included drawings and writings from PJ Harvey, Bridport Arts Centre staged a bold new multi-disciplinary show to highlight and celebrate today’s emerging talent. It was an exciting programme that offered much to look forward to, not just for this event but for the work that could follow as these talented locals go forward with their careers.
To see all of these stories and more visit our website: www.marshwoodvale.com.
The West Bay Discovery Centre has won a silver award at the Dorset Tourism Awards 2020 Finals in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism category. The Accessibility and Inclusive category focusses on how well attractions and tourism providers respond to the needs of visitors with disabilities and other impairments.
Trustee at the Centre, John West said ‘We are delighted to have gained this prestigious award, We make every effort to cater for the needs of all our visitors. The Centre is designed to be visitor friendly for those with mobility problems and we have an accessibility guide and a large print guide will be introduced in the coming season to help visitors with sight impairments fully enjoy what the Centre has to offer. We are always working to improve further what we do and an audio guide is in development. This award recognises the progress we have already made in this area. We were also delighted that the West Bay Play Area also won an award. The Play Area is a fantastic facility for all ages and we are within a few minutes walking distance of each other. For the Discovery Centre, like other tourist and visitor attractions, 2020 was a challenging year and our success in opening the Centre for four months and winning this award is a massive achievement by our manager and volunteers.’
The award means that the Centre will also be automatically considered for the South West Tourism Excellence Awards. For more information visit www.westbaydiscoverycentre.org.uk
