News & Views

HONITON

Marsh Award for THC

Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) has announced that Anna Aroussi, their Gallery Engagement Officer, has been awarded the prestigious Marsh Award for dedication and excellence in Gallery Education. The tenth annual Marsh Awards for Excellence in Gallery Education celebrated the hard work and dedication of colleagues working within the sector of gallery, museum, and visual arts education. The Awards are funded by the Marsh Christian Trust and run by Engage, the National Association for Gallery Education, whose mission is to give everyone the opportunity to learn and benefit from the arts. Anna intends to use the prize money for training opportunities.

BRIDPORT

‘Respect’ for Bees

Despite a limit on sporting fixtures Bridport Bees football club has been announced as Premier Division winner of The Toolstation Western League September to December 2020 Respect Award. A statement on the Toolstation website said: ‘In normal circumstances a presentation would take place before a home fixture, but with games suspended due to the COVID situation the club will receive their awards and vouchers in due course. The Respect Award started about 5 years ago as part of the FA Respect campaign. It was originally just for the First Division clubs but a change in the refereeing structure meant that the 2020/21 season included the Premier Division clubs.

YEOVIL

New ranger roles at Ham Hill

Funding from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage has helped South Somerset District Council appoint three new rangers who will help keep Ham Hill Country Park and its heritage protected and in tip-top shape for wildlife to thrive and visitors to enjoy. The funding is a rescue package to safeguard cultural and heritage organisations across England from the economic impact of Covid-19.

AXMINSTER

Axe Vale Show cancelled

Another victim of the pandemic the popular Axe Vale Show has been cancelled for 2021. Simon Hodges, show chairman explained that the committee does not have a high enough level of confidence to make the necessary preparations and commit to the financial investments required to run this year’s show. ‘As a non-profit making charity run entirely by volunteers’ he said ‘we would struggle to remain viable if we committed to a 2021 Show and later had to cancel or restrict numbers due to Covid 19 related guidance. The team voted unanimously to cancel the Show and to retain reserves to stage the next Axe Vale Show in June 2022.’

DORSET

Charity sets out own vision

The countryside charity CPRE joined forces with 17 other organisations to launch their ‘Vision for Planning’ calling on the government to rethink major elements of its White Paper planning proposals and work with stakeholders to deliver a planning system that puts people, climate and nature at its heart. The call comes from a broad and united coalition of housing, planning, transport, environmental, heritage and public health organisations that have worked together in response to the government’s Planning White Paper, published in August last year. The government is expected to make a further announcement in March about whether and how it will take forward the proposals in the White Paper.