APR IL 2016 | FREE
A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR
e exclusiovffer r e read Olive'sn Kitche
ROOM WITH A VIEW In the studio with artist Vanessa Bowman
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk
WELCOME
A
time of fresh air perhaps. Of open windows, deeper breaths, the letting go and letting in… April brings with it a sense of hope. This month, while we ponder our gardens and wardrobes and restaurants of choice, take pause for a moment on the admirable work of Mia Barlow and her colleagues striving to befriend, help and home Syrian refugees. We hear of the inspirational approach to teaching taken by Daniel Fernley, Deputy Head of Sherborne Prep, and how equipping our children to think critically, creatively and independently will serve to nourish the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. We learn from resident wine expert David Copp, why the French are advancing on English soil and from Mike Burks about how best to reclaim our lawns. Meanwhile Jo Denbury and Katharine Davies spend time in the enlightening company of Cattistock artist Vanessa Bowman. Vanessa and her work, pervade a sense of calm. Immersed in her local landscape, at one with the rhythms of the land, Vanessa’s paintings are a soothing balm. I would like to extend my thanks to the creative and editorial team behind this humble publication, also our contributors, advertisers, stockists and hardworking distributors. I couldn’t do it without you. Glen Cheyne, Editor editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk @sherbornetimes
CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and Creative Direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard Photography Katharine Davies Feature Writer Jo Denbury Print
Alan & Sue Dodge Bailey Ridge @YourBaileyRidge baileyridge.co.uk Alison Nurton Butterfly Bright @AliNurts butterflybright.com Anita Light and Paul Gammage EweMove Sherborne @ewemoveyeovil ewemove.com Canon Eric Woods Sherborne Abbey @SherborneAbbey
Distribution Team Christine Knott Claire Pilley Geoff Wood Maggie Belly Richard & Heather Betton-Foster Roger & Mary Napper Sarah Copley Sarah Morgan Contact 01935 814803 07957 496193 @sherbornetimes editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk Sherborne Times is printed on Edixion Offset, an FSCÂŽ and EU Ecolabel certified paper. It goes without saying that once thoroughly well read, this magazine is easily recycled and we actively encourage you to do so. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither Sherborne Times nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Sherborne Times does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission from Sherborne Times. Additional photography contributor's own and www.shutterstock.com 4 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
David Copp Elly Vvaller Dear to Me, Fine Stationery @DearToMeStudio deartome.co.uk Daniel Fernley Sherborne Prep School @Sherborneprep sherborneprep.org Giles Dick-Read Reads Coffee Roasters @reads_coffee readscoffee.co.uk Gillian M Constable DWT Sherborne Group @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk Ian Pollard 56 London Road Clinic @56londonroad 56londonroad.co.uk Izabel Carter MAR IIR ART(Regd) The Sherborne Rooms @izabel_carter izabelcarter.com Jason More & Adam Corbin The Dining Room @Diningsherborne thediningroomsherborne.com Jill Cook @JillCookPCT jillcook.co.uk Jimmy Flynn Milborne Port Computers @MPortComputers computing-mp.co.uk
Lisa Osman All Hallows Farmhouse School for Cooks & Makers @cooksandmakers allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk Mark Lewis Symonds & Sampson @symsam symondsandsampson.co.uk Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership @swanhousevet newtonclarkepartnership.co.uk Mike Burks The Gardens Group @TheGardensGroup thegardeneronline.co.uk Mia Barlow Refugees Welcome (Dorset) @MiaBarlowMia Mike Riley and Peter Henshaw Riley’s Cycles @rileyscycles rileyscycles.co.uk @DCNSherborne dcn.org.uk Moira Lyons-Montgomery Oxley Sports Centre @OxleySports oxleysc.com Sasha Matkevich The Green Restaurant @greensherborne greenrestaurant.co.uk Sally Wellbourn Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk Sherborne Chamber of Trade and Commerce @SherborneCOT sherbornechamber.co.uk Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom Glencairn House Clinic glencairnhouse.co.uk doctortwrobinson.com Wayne Winstone Winstone's Books @winstonebooks winstonebooks.co.uk
40 6 What’s On
Your monthly events guide for Sherborne and its villages 10 Unearthed
Kieran White
12 Shopping Guide
Elly Vvaller is out and about come rain or shine 14 Exclusive Reader Offer
Olive’s Kitchen
16 Dorset Bats
with Sally Welbourn from Dorset Wildlife Trust 18 Spring’s Emergence
Dorset Wildlife Trust Sherborne Group round-up with Gillian M. Constable 20 In the Mouth of a Shark
We meet Mia Barlow of Refugees Welcome (Dorset), a local group, working towards the resettlement of Syrian refugees 22 Building the Future
with Daniel Fernley, Deputy Head at Sherborne Prep School 24 Highs and Lows
Counsellor, Jill Cook, helps us through the Easter break 26 The Alchemy of Books
Richard Bromell of Charterhouse Antiques and Valuers shows us how age doesn’t always matter
APRIL 2016 28 Cotton Crochet Cloth
We can look forward to doing the cleaning thanks to Alison Nurton’s latest pattern 30 Spring Lawn Care
The art of lawn maintenance with Mike Burks 34 Landscaping your Garden
Part four of Alan Dodge’s guide to garden design and landscaping
54 Cycle Sherborne
Peter Henshaw and Mike Riley help us choose a new bike 56 Body & Mind
Climbing with Moira LyonsMontgomery, Feeling Tired with Dr Tim Robinson, Sleep Therapy with Izabel Carter and Movement Skills with Ian Pollard 66 Energy Efficiency Improvements
36 First Aid Kitt
Advice for landlords with Anita Light and Paul Gammage
_________________________ 38 Vanessa Bowman _________________________
68 What’s in a Name?
46 1785
74 Internet Browsing and Searching
Emergency cat care with local vet Mark Newton-Clarke
Sherborne coffee roaster, Giles Dick-Read shares his secret for the perfect brew, via a brief history of hot air ballooning 48 Early Spring
Talking watercress and asparagus with Lisa Osman 50 Seasonal Recipes
Local chefs Sasha Matkevich, Jason More and Adam Corbin take Lisa’s ball and run with it 52 English Wines
With Tattinger buying up swathes of Kent countryside, we learn from David Copp how it’s time we took English wine seriously
Properties with personality by Mark Lewis
IT support with Jimmy Flynn 76 A Life in the Day
Spending time with Colin Lambert from Sherborne Chamber of Trade and Commerce 80 Literary Review
with Wayne Winstone - Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature by Nick Davies 81 Crossword 82 The All-Consuming Tide of Consumerism
with Canon Eric Woods
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5
WHAT'S ON Pick of the Month
Saturday 30th April 7:30pm Sir James and Lady Galway with Juventus Ensemble and Ruth Rogers. Sherborne Abbey _________________________ Sunday 1st May 7:45pm Ronnie Scott’s All Stars.
Big School Room
29th April - 3rd May Sherborne Abbey Festival
For full programme and to book tickets visit www.sherborneabbeyfestival.org
_________________________
Listings _________________________ Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30am Sherborne Town Walk
Tuesdays from Sherborne TIC, Digby Rd, Thursdays from the Post Office, Cheap Street. 1½-2 hrs with Blue Badge Guide Cindy. £5. 01935 815341
_________________________ Tuesday 29th March Friday 8th April Easter Holiday Activities
Gryphon Sports Centre. www.dorsetforyou.com/ gryphon-sports-centre
_________________________ Friday 1st 7:30pm Sunset Café Stompers
Cheap Street Church. Jazz with Hamish Maxwell. £10 from Sherborne TIC.
_________________________ Saturday 2nd Monday 11th 10am-6pm Spring Exhibition 6 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Highlights Friday 29th April 8pm From the Cradle to the Cross: VOCES8. Sherborne Abbey _________________________
_________________________ Monday 2nd May 7:30pm The Holy City: Sherborne Festival Chorus and Chameleon Arts Orchestra. Sherborne Abbey _________________________ Tuesday 3rd May 7.30pm The Touches of Sweet Harmony: Stile Antico. Sherborne Abbey _________________________
Sherborne Abbey. Featuring work by professional artists, raising funds for Yeovil Hospital.
Thursday 7th 10am-12:30pm “Dreams” Art workshop for children aged 6-10 years
Memorial Hall, Digby Rd. Animated feature based on a traditional Irish tale. Two siblings trying to get home are waylaid by witches, owls and fairies. Book directly: 01935 815899 www.sherborneartslink.org.uk
_________________________ Friday 8th 11am-12pm Owl Appreciation Day
_________________________ Monday 4th 4pm Sherborne Flicks: Song of the Sea (PG)
_________________________ Tuesday 5th 10am-12pm Friends of Sherborne Library Present “A Correspondent’s Life” by Kate Adie
Digby Hall, Hound Street. The world renowned war correspondent and author will talk about her interesting life. £3 for friends, £4 for guests. 01935 812934
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The Old Cow Shed Studio, Manor Farm, Glanvilles Wootton, DT9 5PZ. Booking essential, £12 per child. 07775 902516 www.theoldcowshedstudio.co.uk
Sherborne Museum. Eddi the Barn Owl and Beebo the Tawny Owl from the New Forest Owl Studio come to visit. The day will allow children to experience these beautiful birds first-hand. Admission is free but to hold an owl, a donation of £2.50 will be appreciated. 01935 812252
_________________________ Saturday 9th 10am-12pm RSPCA Spring Fayre
Raleigh Hall, Digby Rd. Cakes, plants, toys, jewellery, raffle,
APRIL 2016 books and bric-a-brac. Free entry, refreshments available. All proceeds to RSPCA West Dorset Branch.
_________________________ Wednesday 13th 7:30pm Sherborne Flicks: Lady in the Van
Memorial Hall, Digby Rd. Film of the relationship between Alan Bennet and the singular Miss Shepherd who ‘temporarily’ parked her van in his drive for 15 years. £6 from Sherborne TIC. www.sherborneartslink.org.uk
_________________________ Thursday 14th 7:30pm Dallahan
One of the fastest rising forces on the international folk circuit, heavily rooted in traditional Irish music, but with hugely diverse backgrounds and influences. Shortlisted for ‘Album Of The Year’ and nominated for ‘Folk Band Of The Year’. Buckland Newton Village Hall. 01300 345455 www.artsreach.co.uk _________________________ Friday 15th April Wednesday 4th May 9:30am-5pm, Mon - Sat Exhibition Of New Work By Ana Bianchi, Vanessa Bowman and Ian Elliot
Jerram Gallery, Half Moon St. All Gallery stock viewable online: www.jerramgallery.com 01935 815261.See Vanessa Bowman’s feature on page 38
_________________________ Saturday 16th 2:30pm Benjamin Jesty
Jubilee Hall, Yetminster. A Bicentenary Review by Patrick Read on the smallpox vaccination
pioneer and resident of Yetminster who died 1816. £5 (inc. tea and cake) from Spar Shop, Yetminster. jesty2016@gmail.com _________________________ Saturday 16th 6:30pm Guitar Echoes
A unique collaboration between award winning classical guitarist Samantha Muir and Josie Elias RHS Photographer of the Year 2012. Tickets available on the door or telephone 01935 812325. Adults £6.00, Students FREE
featuring 16 extraordinary intergenerational singers presenting thrilling harmony singing from South Africa, Corsica, Georgia, the Balkans and many American traditions. 07785 117773 www.artsreach.co.uk
_________________________
_________________________ Wednesday 20th 2:30pm Sherborne W.I.
Catholic Church Hall, Westbury. Take part in a quiz, followed by our AGM. New members and visitors always welcome at a cost of £3, to include refreshments. _________________________ Thursday 21st - Saturday 23rd Auction of Sporting Items, Interiors and Antiques
Charterhouse, Long Street. 01935 812277
_________________________ Thursday 21st Saturday 23rd 7:30pm Amateur Players of Sherborne ‘Great Expectations’
Digby Hall, Hound Street. Tickets: £8, £5 students, from Marshes, Cheap Street and The Abbey Shop, Abbey Close. 01935 813765
_________________________ Saturday 23rd 7:30pm Northern Harmony – Harmony Singing from around the World
Milton Abbey, Milton Abbas. Acclaimed vocal ensemble
Saturday 23rd 7:30pm HENRY V
Sherborne Abbey. Awardwinning theatre company Antic Disposition’s critically acclaimed production of Henry V returns for a season of special performances in some of the UK’s finest buildings. Tickets: £20 – £35 (Under 18s £10 off ). Box Office 0333 666 3366 www.ticketsource.co.uk/ad1 For more information visit www.anticdisposition.co.uk
_________________________ Tuesday 26th April 11am-2:30pm Antiques Valuation Day
Nether Compton Village Hall. Valuations will be carried out by Lawrence’s Fine Art Valuers. Tickets available at www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 7
WHAT'S ON the door. £3 per item valued. Light refreshments will also be available. 01395 425468
_________________________ Wednesday 27th 7:30pm Saving Nature A Media Perspective
Raleigh Hall, Digby Rd. Science Café. Lecture by Dr Julian Hector. sherborne.scafe@gmail.com
_________________________ Friday 29th - Saturday 30th Folk & Real Ale Festival of Bryan
The Antelope Pub, Hazelbury Bryan. Folk music from 8pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday. Guest ales, lager and ciders. 01258 817295 www.antelopehazelburybryan.co.uk _________________________
Workshops _________________________ Butterfly Bright
81 Cheap Street. 01935 817303 www.butterflybright.co.uk Patchwork and Quilting for beginners - 10 week course starting Wednesday 20th. Jennie Maizels’ SketchBook Club - 10 week course starting Thursday 21st. Yarn Shop Day Saturday 30th - A big event in our calendar with amazing special offers, competitions and free demonstrations.
_________________________
Fairs & Markets _________________________
Pannier Market Every Thursday and Saturday on the Parade
_________________________ 8 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Country Market Thursday mornings, 9:15am-11:15am, Church Hall, Digby Road
_________________________
Saturday Antiques and Flea Market Every 4th Saturday, 9am-4pm (exc. April and December), Church Hall, Digby Road
_________________________ Saturday 16th 9:30am-4pm Book Fair
Memorial Hall, Digby Road New, second-hand and antiquarian books (also magazines, prints, postcards and ephemera). 01803 613356 colinbakerbooks@btinternet.com _________________________ Saturday 9th 8:30am(trade) 9:30am(public) - 4pm Chasty Cottage Antiques Fair
Digby Hall, Hound Street. Up to 35 stands, homemade food and refreshments available. Entrance £1 _________________________
Sport _________________________ Every Thursday 7:30pm-8:30pm Over 30’s Touch Rugby
Sherborne School floodlit AstroTurf, Horsecastles Lane. £2 per session. First three sessions free. www.sherbornetouch.org.uk 07887 800803 _________________________
Compton House Cricket Club Dorset Division 2 www.comptonhousecricketclub.org.uk _________________________
Saturday 23 April 1:30pm v Sherborne Boys(f) A _________________________ Saturday 30 April 1:30pm v Pool Town 2s A _________________________
Sherborne RFC South West Division Southern Counties South
_________________________ Saturday 2nd 3pm v Dorchester H _________________________ Saturday 16th 3pm v Bradford-on-Avon A _________________________ Saturday 23rd 3pm v Frome A _________________________
Sherborne Town FC Toolstation Western League Premier Division www.sherbornetownfc.com
_________________________ Saturday 2nd v Shepton Mallet FC H _________________________ Saturday 9th v Longwell Green Sports FC H _________________________ Wednesday 13th v Bradford Town FC H _________________________ Saturday 16th v Bridport FC A _________________________ Saturday 23rd v Odd Down FC A _________________________ Saturday 30th v Cribbs Friends Life FC H _________________________
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KIERAN WHITE Aged 26, the Royal Academy of Music
E
nglish tenor, Kieran White, grew up on the family farm in Purse Caundle, studied at Wells Cathedral School and is currently studying his Masters at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Neil Mackie and Iain Ledingham. He is a Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Soloist. He started singing in the local parish church in Holwell which was the spring board to being a chorister at Sherborne Abbey and then subsequently Wells Cathedral. While singing as a treble Kieran attained a place as one of the four finalists in BBC Radio 2’s Young Chorister of the Year two years running. In his last year as a chorister Kieran sang on the boys production of Britten’s Missa Brevis as the featured soloist. Now Kieran is a tenor and enjoys performing on the concert platform and the operatic stage across the UK and abroad. He is passionate about baroque music and in particular the role of the Evangelist in Bach’s Passions. He has performed Bach’s St John Passion in the chapel at King’s College, London and Bach’s St Matthew Passion for Morley College at St John’s Waterloo. His dream is to sing all over the world, although wherever Kieran's wonderful voice takes him, he always enjoys coming home to Dorset and helping his father on the farm. Kieran will be performing with soprano Charlotte Hewett at the Cheap St Church, 3pm on 29th April, as part of the Sherborne Abbey Festival. www.sherborneabbeyfestival.org
KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY Portrait, lifestyle, PR and editorial commissions 07808 400083 info@katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk www.katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk
10 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Orangeries | Conservatories | Glazing Design • Planning • Installation • Construction Please give us a call to start creating your perfect space
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APRIL SHOWERS Elly Vvaller, fashion and interiors stylist, and creative director at boutique stationery brand Dear to Me, shares her high street picks for an outdoors life, whatever the weather… 12 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Travel Mug, £19.00 Orvis
Wool Trilby, £39.99 Mabers Of Sherborne Landing Net, £65.00 Orvis
Mens Leather Lined Boots, £340.00 Orvis www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 13
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Wild Dorset
Spring is the perfect time of year to catch a fleeting glimpse of a bat
Daubenton's Bat - Upton Country Park. Nick Tomlinson 16 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
THE BATS OF DORSET Sally Welbourn, Dorset Wildlife Trust
A
lthough bats may be the stuff of nightmares to some, there’s no escaping the fascination we have with these intriguing creatures. Recently, there have been more bat sightings in Dorset, as the mild wet winter we’ve had provides the perfect conditions for bats to be more active this time of year. Bats will also start emerging from their hibernation sites in spring so this is the perfect time of year to catch a fleeting glimpse of a bat. In the UK we have 18 species of bat, 17 of which breed. Dorset is an exceptional county for bats, with all 17 breeding species present. Dorset Wildlife Trust works hard to maintain their habitat and monitor bat numbers on its reserves as we do with other flora and fauna. Our reserves offer a variety of habitats for bats, such as woodland, wetland or unimproved grassland. On many reserves, DWT is beginning to collect more data about bats so we can better inform our conservation management decisions. You might wonder, why do bats matter? Bats are
actually amazing pollinators, with over 500 plant species relying on bats to pollinate their flowers, and they also rely on the fruit and flowers of these plants for their own survival. Bats eat thousands of insects every night, so are great pest controllers. It may come as a relief to know that all bats in the UK are ‘insectivores’, favouring insects over blood! Bats are vulnerable, however. Loss or fragmentation of habitat, building and development and diminished food supply are just a few of the problems bats can face. In the UK bat populations have declined over the last century. The Dorset Bat Group www.dorsetbatgroup.org.uk has information on how to get involved if you’d like to volunteer to help bats in Dorset. This time of year, if you see a bat out during the daylight, or on the ground, there could be a problem. Please contact the Bat Conservation Trust on 0345 1300 228 if you see one, as you must have a licence to photograph and handle bats. www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
THREE DORSET BATS Common Name: Lesser Horseshoe Bat Latin Name: Rhinolophus How to Identify: One of our smallest bats, the size of a plum. Its nose is shaped like a horseshoe. Grey-brown fur on its back and white underneath. Lives in woodland and hedgerows.
Common Name: Barbastelle Bat Latin Name: Barbastella barbastellus How to Identify: Dark brown or black, long silky fur with white tips. They have rounded ears that meet on the forehead and short, upturned noses, giving them a pug-like appearance. Lives in woodland.
Common Name: Bechstein’s Bat Latin Name: Myotis bechsteinii How to Identify: Pink face, long ears which are clearly separated by the forehead, reddish brown fur on their back and pale-grey fur underneath. Lives in woodland.
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 17
Wild Dorset
SPRING’S EMERGENCE
C
Gillian M. Constable, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Sherborne Group Committee
ome the end of March my favourite spring flower should be visible – the Snakeshead Fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris. It has a range of local names including Drooping Bell-of-Sodom and Chequered Lily. We have a nice patch in the garden but Lily beetle and a local pheasant provide some problems. In the wild they are rare in Dorset; however they do like our wet pastures in the north of the county. Locally, most years, there is a lovely display in Pulham churchyard, waterproof shoes recommended when viewing. They are said to have been moved to the site when their natural site was ploughed. The DWT Loscombe reserve, on the Ant Hill Trail, is reported to have an introduced population. I love the flower form and the range of colours from deep mauve through to white with either mauve or green ‘shoulders’ and I have enjoyed painting them many times. A year ago, in my first contribution to Sherborne Times, I mentioned the Bullfinches visiting our 18 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
garden daily to partake of the sunflower seeds and the flowers on the winter-flowering honeysuckle. Well, they have been visiting since the start of this year and we have had up to 5 simultaneously. Sadly to date we have received no visits from Siskins, Redpolls or Bramblings – last year was the same and BTO reported on their scarcity. Even sightings of Redwings and Fieldfares have been somewhat limited. (10/03 - 2 Siskins this morning) Our meeting on 20th April at the Digby Memorial Hall 7:30, will start with a brief annual report from our chairman. The main event of the evening is a talk from Tom Porteus of the Game and Conservation Trust. His title is ‘Predator Control, Game and Conservation; Science in a Controversial Field’. One controversy, as many of us are aware, is the existence of Hen Harriers on the northern grouse moors. They are wonderful birds to watch in flight and we see them frequently on the Gironde marshes in France.
With dedicated and experienced staff, specialist equipment and passion, Queen Thorne can develop and maintain gardens for all to enjoy. www.queenthorne.co.uk Tel: 01935 850848
DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 19
IN THE MOUTH OF A SHARK Mia Barlow, Refugees Welcome (Dorset)
“No one leaves home unless Home is the mouth of a shark You only run for the border When the whole city is running as well”
I
Warsan Shire
t is hard to comprehend that we are facing the world’s worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. With one in every 122 people currently recognised as a refugee or internally displaced due to conflict or violence, our modern world has never been less peaceful and difficult for those fleeing their homes. Like many of us, after seeing the desperate images of those fleeing conflict in the past months, of Aylan Kurdi drowned on the shores of a Greek island, of a mother giving birth to her baby in the mud of ‘the jungle’ in Calais, it is hard not to reach a point of despair and helplessness. But in the past Britain has been a country that has offered welcome and hospitality. From Kinder transport of the Jewish children, the Vietnamese boat people or our ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ history of evacuees coming to the countryside for safety. But what are we doing about this crisis now? How can our society sleep at night after children have died due to the cold in these camps? That whole families have drowned trying to make the desperate crossing to safety? It was with these questions in mind that Refugees Welcome Dorset was born. We are a local group that is working in collaboration with the council for the successful resettlement of Syrian refugees in our area. In addition, thanks to the incredible support of the local community in Sherborne, we have collected and delivered clothes, blankets and torches to those living in the terrible conditions in Calais and Dunkirk. Over the next 5 years, the government has committed to resettling 20,000 Syrians around Britain. Although this is only a drop in the ocean, at only 0.05% of all Syrian refugees, so far Dorset 20 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
has not committed to taking a specific number of refugees, unlike Wiltshire and Somerset. Under the current government scheme, the most vulnerable Syrians will be brought across to the UK. At the moment there are approximately 4.6 million Syrian refugees in the countries surrounding Syria, with around 10 per cent of these people officially classified as vulnerable by UNHCR, and in desperate of need of relocation. Among these are unaccompanied minors, elderly and families with young children. Refugees Welcome Dorset is working to support the resettlement of these vulnerable refugees in our local area and has built strong links with both the Red Cross and other local organisations. So far, the primary focal points on our agenda have been the welfare, education and housing needs of those resettled. In the longer term, this will mean a befriending and mentoring scheme and those willing to offer skills such as language support. We are reaching out to the Dorset community for your help. Currently, our biggest need is for any private landlords willing to offer properties for the government scheme. Due to the nature of the programme, unfortunately spare rooms cannot be used for resettlement, but any landlords who sign up to the scheme will work with the council and will be paid the local housing allowance. Here in Dorset, we have always been a community of welcome. Now is our time to act and support those most vulnerable. To find out more or to join Refugees Welcome Dorset, please email refugeeswelcomedorset@gmail.com or join their Facebook group: Refugees Welcome Dorset www.refugees-welcome.org.uk
Anjo Kan / Shutterstock www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 21
BUILDING THE FUTURE Daniel Fernley, Deputy Head, Sherborne Prep School
A
recent report published by Smith & Williamson says that Britain lacks the kind of education that facilitates entrepreneurship and innovation. While at first glance this headline might disappoint, I believe the current generation of pupils might just turn this around if we can develop a more flexible and questioning approach to teaching science. If you ask a grandparent what they learnt at school, they will very likely be able to recall a poem, or to reel off a string of Latin or French verbs. Whilst these facts should still form an essential foundation for all our children’s education, one might perhaps argue that purely learning facts, or learning by rote is not the best 22 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
way to equip today’s pupils for tomorrow’s world. As a teacher of Physics for over 30 years, I am convinced that there are some elements of education where learning the facts, and learning how to revise and retain these facts, is crucial to success. However, I am not sure that this method goes far enough. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen children come alive in a Physics lesson when they have been given a problem to solve, or a question to answer. If we are to encourage the inventors and entrepreneurs of the future at the grass roots level, then we need to engage them in the process of being creative and in using their imaginations in science as much as they do in English or Drama.
Instead of starting a lesson with “today I am going to show you an experiment to demonstrate the difference between a parallel and a series circuit”, if we can allow the children loose with a basic kit and invite them to design their own circuits and then to see what happens when they change something, such as disconnecting a bulb or opening a gate, the results can be far more exciting and more memorable for the children. Having a go, asking a question that then leads on to asking more questions is what we hope to engender in the pupils. If a child were to leave The Prep convinced that he or she knows a huge amount about science then I think we would have failed in our teaching. What I hope to instil in
every pupil is a sense that we are only beginning to scratch the surface of our scientific understanding, and that there is so much more to investigate. The exploration of space is a perfect example of this. If we use a formulaic approach to science teaching where we set out a list of instructions for the pupils to follow they will of course learn something, but they learn so much more when they are given a chance to play and experiment, to follow a few false trails or dead ends on their road to discovery. A more open and questioning style of science teaching also develops the children’s ability to think independently and critically about any subject, rather than to accept a statement of “fact” at face value. We are very lucky that each Saturday we have a different guest lecturer who talks to the pupils (and parents who are also welcome to attend) on a variety of different subjects, and recently we welcomed Mr Way, Deputy Head at Milton Abbey, who lectured on leadership and the qualities of great leaders. At the end of the lecture the children were set a practical challenge. In small groups, the whole team had to traverse from one part of the netball court to another using three planks, three tyres, and a rope. The only rule was that neither people nor planks were allowed to touch the ground. The first group set off and achieved the aim without too much difficulty, and, as expected, used the tyres and the planks to build bridges and shuffle the team to safety. The second group also started out on the same sort of path, but three of the children came up with a novel plan, and instead of using the planks and tyres, threw out coils of rope and balanced across on the rope! Everyone applauded their ingenuity, and Mr Way commented that, despite having given this lecture numerous times before, no one had ever come up with this ingenious solution! If we can encourage every child to think for themselves and to continue to persevere with a problem from every angle, then perhaps Britain may, in the not too distant future, lead a new type of Industrial Revolution. In the words of Elbert Hubbard “The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” www.sherborneprep.org www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 23
HIGHS AND LOWS Jill Cook, Counsellor
When you receive this month’s magazine it will be the Easter holidays. Although I am no longer subject to the rigours of the academic year I am very aware that school holidays in particular can be something of a challenge for many.
T
he children can be weary at the end of the certain times when it builds up it can be unhelpful. term and may have that tricky mixture of It’s important when planning work in preparation tiredness and wanting to be doing things for exams to bear in mind a few pointers: and be entertained all the time. This can feel like a difficult balancing act especially if mixed with the • Don’t expect to work solidly for hours at a demands of parents’ or carers’ work schedules. So time. We can usually do our most productive these holidays in particular can be periods of highs work in 45 minutes to 1 hour. Break work into and lows! manageable chunks so that you can feel that you We are hoping by April for better weather. The have achieved something, then have a short break clocks will have changed and the evenings will and start again. be lighter, so more time for being outside. Being • Do your more challenging subjects when you feel outside for a walk in the country or a run in the at your freshest, leaving the easier ones for the park can be a source of great pleasure and listening time when you have less energy. to the birds, noticing the changes in the trees and • Try to build some exercise into your programme. flowers all around can help us connect with the It doesn’t need to be hours at the gym, just a brisk spring changes that are happening all around us. walk round the block or a few minutes active Entertaining our children doesn’t need to cost a dancing can give you the feel-good hormones great deal. If you tend towards the creative, then which help balance the stress. hand printing, making monsters from recycled • Get some good sleep! It has been shown that materials is cheap and fun but if you don’t feel we sleep better if we have a ‘screen free’ time for you have the skills for that you might want to about an hour before bed. Engaging with games contact Sherborne Artslink who or Facebook stops the mind offer a whole variety of creative Children value the from switching off. You might workshops free of charge. find it a challenge but give it a time they spend You can find them at www. try. At this time you need all the with us and the sherborneartslink.org.uk or call energy you can find! experiences we them on 01935 815899. share, not the Children value the time Easter holidays can signal cost of the outing they spend with us and the the beginning of a busy time experiences we share, not the for those involved in tourism. cost of the outing. Building shared memories can Whether you own a holiday cottage, a hotel or run be priceless. an attraction, the preparation and getting things For older children and young people the Easter underway can be a stressful time. Try to make sure break can bring anxieties about revision for that you grab some time for yourself, even if it’s forthcoming exams. The stress associated with only a short break, something that revives you and exams can build up and become a problem if we enables you to be ready for the next challenge. don’t learn to manage it. Some stress in our lives is necessary otherwise we’d do very little but at www.jillcook.co.uk 24 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Easter Outdoor Education, Sports and Adventure Camp Try your hand at tag rugby, football, basketball, netball, cricket, volleyball, tennis, scootering and tag games. Explore Leweston’s grounds with outdoor activities including orienteering, bike riding, survival skills and shelter building. Craft and cookery activities also on offer. 29 March to 1 April 9am to 5pm £30 per day or £100 for four days 4 April to 8 April 9am to 5pm £30 per day or £120 for five days
Age 5 to 11 years For more information please contact Sarah Hull on 01963 210783 or email office@leweston.dorset.sch.uk www.leweston.co.uk
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THE ALCHEMY OF BOOKS Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers
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erhaps one of the most misunderstood there are just 200 copies in good condition left today aspects of being in the world of auctioneering – the other 300 having been read and well thumbed. is that value is associated with old items. Such is the interest in the Harry Potter series of Every day, we see a good number of clients books, these first printed hardback books which who bring items to our salerooms for identification were sent to libraries (and I suspect a few of you and valuation. Most are looking for the major reading this have probably put down the Sherborne discovery moment they have seen on The Antiques Times and are running to your local library to Roadshow, and as a general rule, if something is check what is on the shelves!) that the top price old they will usually apportion more value to it paid for one of these editions has been a staggering than something more modern, with perhaps books £20,000. I remember when they were selling for suffering more misunderstanding than most. £10,000 and thought at the time the market would The printing press was first established in level out – how wrong was I? Still, I suppose it Britain by William Caxton in proves I am human, although I 1476. To find a book dating “The top price paid have thrown out the crystal ball from the late 15th century which was proving ineffective! for one of these would be a major discovery. To As usual, the second printing editions has been a of the first edition can be worth have a book printed after the staggering £20,000” a fraction of its elder sibling. So Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century could be if you cannot afford the £20,000 commonplace. You then add into the mix simple for one of the earliest editions, you might settle for a economic principles of supply and demand and later printing, just like a client of Charterhouse from you quickly note there is virtually no supply of late the Isle of Wight. 15th century books which attract high demand and She has amassed nearly 200 books from the can be of huge value measured against early 19th Harry Potter series. She has collected first editions century family bibles which were made in huge (sadly not “the first”), celebration editions, deluxe quantities. Many of these bibles have survived and editions, child & adult editions, American and most of them will be of low value, we see several Canadian editions, unread, soft and hard back, every week. Although they are commonplace, it is and even copies of The Goblet of Fire with spelling easy to forget they are 200 years old; but it is not (no pun intended!!) mistakes. Having been off on the age of them which adds value, it is the rarity. a mission to amass this collection, the owner has However, nothing is straightforward in our line now decided to have a change of direction. of work, and still on the subject of age not always Having collected from book fairs to flea meaning value, I now want to compare a 200 year markets, this library of Harry Potter books is old bible with a book first printed in 1997. The first being sold in our 21st & 22nd April two day printing of J K Rowling’s edition of Harry Potter auction, and carries a pre-sale estimate of £10,000, and the Philosophers Stone was on 30th June 1997. and whichever way I look at it, it is a wizard lot Printed in two variations, hardback and paperback, and with the oldest item in the collection still it is the hardback edition of just 500 copies which under 20 years, it shows us age doesn’t matter. are the most sought after. They were originally sent to libraries and of the 500 printed, it is estimated www.charterhouse-auction.com 26 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
The phenomenon which is Harry Potter – one of the books from an Isle of Wight collector going under the Charterhouse hammer on 21st & 22nd April, with the collection estimated at £10,000
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 27
COTTON CROCHET CLOTH Alison Nurton, Butterfly Bright
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pril to me means a good spring clean and I find a good quality hand crocheted cotton cloth is a brilliant tool for all sorts of jobs around the house. Why not make a few different ones and they will also add colour to your kitchen or bathroom between uses! Quote this article and get 10% off our range of RICO Cotton Big when you buy two or more colours Supplies:
5mm crochet hook 2 balls of RICO Cotton BIG (100% Cotton) I used colour 6 and colour 2 Tapestry needle to sew in ends Abbreviations:
ch – chain dc – double crochet Method:
Starting row. Using colour A Ch14 and join with a slip stitch to make a ring. Row 1. 20 dc into ring, join with a slip stitch. Row 2. Ch1 and dc into the base of the turning chain, 3 more dc, make 3 dc into next stitch, 4 dc. Row 3. Ch1 and turn, dc into base of turning chain, 4 dc, make 3 dc into next chain, 5 dc. Finish colour A Row 4. Join Colour B Ch1 and turn, dc into base of turning chain, 5 dc, make 3 dc into next chain, 6 dc. Continue to add rows changing colour as you wish either every row or every other row to add interest. Remember to add 3 dc into one stitch at the central point of each row. Weave in the ends with your tapestry needle. If you are having a problems with the pattern do pop along to our free Yarn Bee every Friday morning, 10am-12pm at 81 Cheap Street. www.butterflybright.com 28 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 29
Gardening
IN THE GARDEN with Mike Burks
SPRING LAWN CARE
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fter a long wet winter, many traditional grass lawns are looking in pretty poor shape with significant levels of moss. They also have a confused look to them, after we had so many weeks of warm weather through the darkest months, followed by the cold spell. Whereas the grass struggles with these conditions, of course the moss thrives. So where do you start in sorting your lawn out? On a dry day, set the mower at a fairly high level and give the lawn a light mowing to tidy it up. Collect the trimmings and put them on the compost heap or leave them out for the council to collect. A few days later, again when the grass is dry, apply a moss killer such as Lawn Sand which will kill off the moss and give the lawn a mild feed. A week or so later you will have a lawn that looks a whole lot worse with the moss having turned black! Vigorously rake out the dead moss with a spring-tine-rake or use a mechanical scarifier. This will reveal bare patches which will need filling in. To do this, first spike the lawn with a fork or better still, a hollow tined aerator (it looks like a giant fork with tubes instead of tines), preferably all over, but particularly where the grass is thin or where there are bare patches. This will improve the localised drainage in the top few centimetres of the lawn. Then apply a mixture of soil, sand and peat (or peat alternative) which is available already made up as Lawn and Turf dressing. I would scatter it by hand and then brush or rake it to evenly distribute the material and for it to fall into the holes you have made. This can be done with a Besom Broom (witches broom), a spring rake or the back of a rake. Then, in order to repopulate the completely bare patches, over sow with grass seed at a rate 30 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
of 2 oz per square yard or 50g per square metre. Where the grass is patchy but hasn’t completely disappeared use about half that rate. Choose a grass seed mix to suit your lawn. If it’s a fine lawn you are after, then use a grass seed mix without ryegrass, should you have shady patches then select a seed mix suited to those conditions. We stock four different types to suit most lawns. Over the next few weeks lightly mow the lawn at a raised setting on the mower until the new grass has germinated and established. Once this has occurred lower the mower cutting height gradually each time you mow to reduce the length of the grass. Three or four weeks later, apply a spring fertilizer such as Evergreen Complete, which contains a feed, but also a weed killer and a moss killer. As the grass begins to green-up and grow quickly, increase the frequency of cutting and reduce the height of the mower. I always like to vary the direction in which I mow the lawn. This not only over time will help control some weeds but also reduces the boredom levels with such a repeated exercise! Should weeds still be an issue then apply a lawn weed killer. The favourite Verdone has been renamed as Weedol Lawn weed killer. This will nobble broad leaved plants but doesn’t affect grass. In September allow the grass to grow slightly longer and repeat the treatment as above, but use an autumn treatment such as Evergreen Autumn. This contains a moss killer and fertilisers that get the grass toughened up for the winter. Such autumn treatments are so important to get the lawn in shape before the winter, reducing the efforts needed come Spring. www.thegardeneronline.co.uk
"Where the grass has struggled, moss has thrived. So where do you start?"
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 31
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Gardening
LANDSCAPING YOUR GARDEN Alan Dodge, Bailey Ridge
In the late 90’s and early 00’s three TV personalities, who will remain nameless, convinced the general public that most landscaping projects could be executed in two days while the home owners were away for the weekend!
N
ot showing the army of helpers behind the scenes was a bit naughty but they did help raise the profile of landscaping tremendously and must be credited, in part, with having aided the huge growth in designing and developing our outdoor living space. The die was cast however and I still get customers who are surprised that a modest garden layout may take two or three weeks to complete. Landscaping is no less or more complex than building and it is vital that any garden construction is carried out correctly as it is the foundation on which your new garden will sit. Built properly with quality materials your new garden should give you many years of enjoyment without having to re-point the patio, fix loose slabs or replace fence posts. Your garden can add two or three rooms to your house in the summer months and even with our unpredictable British weather there are now many wonderful garden buildings and structures which, when incorporated within your garden design can provide an office, an art studio, somewhere to retreat once the warmth of the evening subsides or even a venue for a Christmas barbeque which one of our clients did just this last year! If you are a DIY enthusiast and your skills match what is required, a garden is a very rewarding project. Your designer should provide you with details of the paving, bricks, stone and fencing required and how the various elements should be built. If this is not for you then use
34 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
a landscape contractor who has the experience and training to be able to marry the construction elements of your design, the “hard landscaping” to the earth and plants, the soft landscaping. They will also employ people with strong backs! As a general rule choose a landscape contractor who is a member of a trade association such as BALI, the British Association of Landscape Industries. Members have to provide five recent projects for scrutiny when joining and are checked biannually to ensure that they continue to uphold their principles to achieve and maintain the highest standards of business and professional expertise. I was once told, “A new garden is a journey, your designer will show you where you want to go but your landscaper will get you there”. Not necessarily “tricks of the trade”, more know-how and empathy is what they bring. One hundred and one things from using a particular sand to produce a sympathetically coloured mortar in a stone wall to making the unsightly butyl liner of a pond invisible, recognizing good soil from bad and never “ever” allowing cut edges of paving to be visible. Finally, “be prepared!”, there will be digging, possibly machinery and certainly materials going in and out of your garden, it may look like a bomb has dropped for a while but as the saying goes, “You cannot make an omelette without breaking an egg!” Next Month: “Planting Your Garden” www.baileyridge.co.uk
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 35
FIRST AID KITT Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership
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t’s March and Spring should be about but with bees looking for nectar in my blooming daffodils at the end of January, anything is possible. It’s an important month in the Newton Clarke household as its youngest member starts driving lessons. Oh I remember taking my test in 1977! Since then the number of cars on the road has multiplied ten fold along with the risks of being injured by one. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a major cause of trauma to wild and domestic animals. Cats roaming around at night are in the greatest danger as they are dazzled by car headlights and lose their normally excellent sense of spatial awareness. My advice: keep pussy cats indoors at night despite their protestations. Although cats are naturally nocturnal, their habits can be trained to mirror human lifestyle, although I wonder if teenagers aren’t naturally feline! So what sort of injuries occur and what first aid can an owner apply? Well, the ABC (airway, breathing, circulation) approach is useful in animals although needs a little modification for patients who weigh around 4 or 5 kg. One common scenario is puss returning home with a wobbly gait or on 3 legs, a bloody nose and scuffed claws. Although these injuries could be consistent with a cat fight, an RTA would be top of my list. You are more than justified calling the emergency service (ie. 816228) immediately for advice. There are some things that can help the vet on call assess the severity of the situation. First off, observe your cat’s breathing; if laboured, clear a blocked nose with warm water and cotton wool and see if it improves. Cats hate mouth breathing and would rather struggle sucking air through blocked nostrils than open their mouths. After trauma the most likely nasal obstruction is dried 36 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
blood that should be gently removed if the patient allows! If after doing this there is no improvement in the struggle to breathe, straight to the emergency service you go! Now the above assumes your patient is conscious. Loss of consciousness (LOC) is a serious symptom and always means a degree of brain damage. Again, straight to the emergency vet. But let’s assume the patient is fully aware of what’s going on and is quite cross. Don’t get bitten! If restraint is needed (eg. for examination or transport) then a towel wrapped around the casualty is effective at preventing injury to both parties. So let’s have a think about circulation. A simple way to judge this is to look at the colour of the gums or tongue. Pink is good! Very pale is
common in shock (but also blood loss) and blue is bad. Be careful of the teeth and raising the top lip is the safest option. Feeling pulses in small animals is not difficult (the femoral artery inside the thigh is most often used) but can be tricky so gently pinch the chest between fingers and thumb and the heart’s beat should be palpable, unless your cat is too fat! Next is external blood loss, sadly less common than internal haemorrhage which is much more difficult to spot. If something is bleeding, apply pressure firm enough to stop the flow. You might have to be very firm if an artery is damaged (cats have impressive blood pressure, when they have enough blood). Significant bleeding (along with laboured breathing and blue-tinged gums) calls for
immediate action for a life to be saved. Emergency medicine is a specialty in its own right in veterinary medicine as in humans. With no dedicated animal A&E, vets in general practice have to be competent at just about everything as we deal with all aspects of animal care. First aid applied as early as possible can certainly help us to help your injured pet. It would help if the law was changed to include cats in the category of animals that if injured by a car, the driver must stop and at least try to help or contact the nearest emergency on-call vet. The RSPCA will make a nominal payment for stray and wild animal casualties and they should be contacted straight away. www.newtonclarkevet.com www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 37
VANESSA BOWMAN Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies
V
anessa Bowman comes from a long line of artists. When she was a child, growing up in Dorset, she remembers her father setting up easels in the garden for the three sisters to paint pictures of the local church. It is no wonder that after gaining a first from Winchester College of Art and dipping her toes into textile design, Vanessa returned to her first love, painting. >
38 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 39
‘I always wanted to paint,’ she muses, but I studied textile design because I felt I should do something more practical. It was after just a short time in Winchester following college that she moved back to her home county of Dorset and settled into life in the village of Cattistock. She began by sharing her father’s studio but after a while he suggested she start her own studio, and now she works in a lofty hut at the end of her garden. Filled with light, even on the darkest of days, it is noticeably tidy. Her easel and palette stand at one end while her work surrounds the floor, all in waiting for her contribution to a group show this month at the Jerram Gallery in Sherborne. The notable calm of her studio is reminiscent of the subtle palette of colours that fill the background of her landscape paintings. They have an ease that doesn’t hound you but invites you to investigate them further. When you do, you discover their detail and it is that which makes you want to return to them again and again. Every morning Vanessa walks across the neighbouring fields with her Westie terrier called Smartie. ‘I do it to get my head in the right place before painting,’ she explains. ‘That’s when I see the landscape and begin to focus.’ Her work pays attention to the details in the landscapes, with a focus on the workings of the land punctuated by seasonal landmarks and detailed foregrounds which feature the vibrant colours of hedgerow flowers or Autumn berries. ‘I like Winter as well,’ Vanessa remarks, ‘because the landscape is laid bare. You can see the strip-lets in the fields and the workings left by man.’ She prefers to work seasonally because, in her words, ‘there is a rhythm in the land with what you see’. Be it snowdrops and catkins, or bluebells and Summer poppies, it is clear that Vanessa is very much at home with the landscape that she grew up in and the Englishness of her >
Easter Service - oil on card-10x12". Nasturtiums and Pink Cup-oil on board-14x16". Spring Flowers in Striped Jug-oil on card-10x12". 40 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41
palette is rooted and comforting. ‘I work on board or card using oils but in a way its closer to watercolour because I thin it down quite a lot,’ she explains. Vanessa’s method is to begin by mapping out the arrangement she wants, she then does an overall wash in a neutral colour. When it comes to the actual painting Vanessa can then move the paint around easily because of the smoothness of the support, and add the detail. Although the paintings are set in the landscape, the work is focussed on design, colour, pattern and spacing rather than topographical and this decorative method crosses over naturally into her still life work. On a table to the right of her easel 42 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
she is fanatical about the position of her easel, ‘if it was moved I would be lost’ - is her collection of objects for her still life work. ‘I just collect objects as and when something catches my eye,’ she says and spends time looking for interesting bits and pieces in junk shops and flea markets. Today among the objects is a pretty jug and a shell but tomorrow it might be a vase of flowers and an unusual tablecloth. Whereas her landscapes are worked from memory, the still life paintings are worked in situ and have a wonderful poetic feel that at times is reminiscent of Matisse’s ‘Nice’ paintings. The vibrancy of colour comes from her early years when
she worked in pastel and watercolour. But it was her father, who, eight years ago suggested that she switched to working in oils so that she could find the depth of colour she wanted. She says it was wonderful to have had his input but laughs at that fact he suggested she have her own studio, saying ‘painting is a solitary thing and requires discipline’. Nowadays Vanessa works in her studio from 10am until 3pm when her three children begin to trickle back from school. But as she builds up to a show and as an artist who has to earn a living, she has to timetable her work to make sure the paintings are finished. A small painting can take a day while the larger paintings will take two or three.
Despite the pressure that any new show can bring, Vanessa seems remarkably at ease with her work. As she nestles a cup of coffee in her hands and looks out of the window of her studio towards Cattistock’s church and her beloved hills and fields beyond, a sense of calm pervades. It is clear that she is at one with Dorset and it will always be her greatest source of inspiration. Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street, hosts an exhibition of Vanessa’s work 16th April – 4th May www.jerramgallery.com www.vanessabowman.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43
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Food & Drink
1785
Giles Dick-Read, Reads Coffee Roasters
1785 - a significant year for French balloonatics, it seems. January started well with the first successful flight across the channel.
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ay, perhaps inevitably, brought the world’s first aviation disaster when a hydrogen filled balloon crashed in Ireland at Tullamore, burning down one hundred houses but, luckily, missing the Whiskey distillery – albeit by 44 years. June gave us the world’s first aviation fatalities, another French balloon conflagration, no doubt spawning that very 20th century phobia, Fear of Flying. But what’s all this got to do with coffee..? An Airbus piloting friend recently sent me an article from The Times in which Janice Turner ran through several methods of making coffee only to come to the conclusion that an automatic push button machine was the best and simplest solution. Cafetière: too accident prone. Stove Top: despite the whole of Italy waking up to them, too harsh. Aeropress: too weak. Nespresso: too wasteful (hurray on that one at least). It looks to me as though she’s never been taught the magic recipe for making coffee at home. I’m going to stick with our French theme and concentrate on the Cafetière, or French Press if you’re from across the pond. It’s by far the most common method of making proper coffee at home, one of the cheapest and, best of all, we’ve pretty well all got one. Trouble is it’s also the cause of huge coffee confusion, directly responsible for so many people giving up. Nespresso have amassed their fortune out of it! So, dig your pot out of the
46 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
cupboard, blow the dust off, find a calculator, some digital kitchen scales and get ready to learn, at last, how to use the damn thing. Firstly, you need coarse, freshly ground coffee. Any coffee will do as the Cafetière works with them all. Too fine a grind and you’ll not be able to plunge. If you succeed it may mean you’ve either blown the bottom out or plastered yourself with a coffee geyser as befell our unfortunate Times correspondent. Weigh in your coffee, say a random 25 grams for the purpose of this exercise. Then water. It needs to be off the boil, nearer 90°C to get a brew without burn. Now for the ratio: it's 17.85 grams (same as ml by the way) of hot water for each gram of coffee. There you go…French Balloons remembered! So, after a quick tap on the calculator, that’s 446 grams of water for our 25 grams of ground coffee…fantastique! Try it, it absolutely works and, once you’ve got into the swing of it of course you can work out how many scoops you need rather than weighing your beans every time or make a mental mark as to where to fill the pot. You can make a little or a lot, just
remember the magic 17.85! The great thing is that once you’re making your coffee consistently you’ll be able to taste all the different coffees of the world and be amazed at how much variation there is. Bright, light Ethiopians versus heavy Sumatrans. Juicy Kenyans versus dark, roasty Espresso blends, the world’s your oyster and you’ll have taken back control! The only machine I suggest you ever need buy is a decent grinder. Cost generally equals quality of results so invest wisely. There are even some brilliant Japanese hand grinders for twenty quid or so if you only ever make one cup at a time. Rest assured that whatever you buy will cost but a fraction of an automatic machine, not to mention rescue you from the horrendous cost of capsules. So, next time you spot a hot air balloon pumping up on one side of Sherborne’s Terraces, maybe catching a whiff of roasting beans from the other, remember the point in 1785, grab your Cafetière, and go make yourself a decent brew! www.readscoffee.co.uk
COFFEE BREAK Kafe Fontana 82 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3BJ 01935 812180 kafefontana @kafefontana www.kafefontana.co.uk
Oliver’s Coffee House 19 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3PU 01935 815005 Olivers-Coffee-House @OliversSherbs www.oliverscoffeehouse.co.uk
Old School Gallery Boyle’s Old School, High Street, Yetminster, DT9 6LF 01935 872761 www.yetminstergallery.co.uk
The Pear Tree 4 Half Moon Street, Sherborne, DT9 3LN 01935 812828 @peartreedeli www.peartreedeli.co.uk
Sabins Deli 5 Hound Street, Sherborne, DT9 3HY 01935 816037 @SabinsDeli www.sabins.co.uk
Zest Cafe 1 Abbey Road, Sherborne, DT9 3LE 01935 389192 www.fourleafcloverclub.org.uk
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 47
Food & Drink
EARLY SPRING Lisa Osman, All Hallows Farmhouse, School for Cooks & Makers
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pril is welcomed with open arms as it brings a significant change in the garden and on the farmhouse table. Looking out from my kitchen window I am so fortunate to watch the neighbouring watercress farm burst into life. This has followed a hive of activity over the last few weeks whilst the individual beds have been dressed with fresh gravel and constantly irrigated. The tiny seedlings idly float in the water from the Chalke stream and are nurtured carefully to develop iron-rich leaves with a unique peppery taste. Dress a watercress salad with orange, feta and toasted pecans to serve on your favourite platter which will be full of flavour and pleasing to the eye. Or later in the month when the stalks are robust make a vibrant purĂŠed soup that can be 48 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
married with bacon or Dorset blue. Try chopping the leaves and add to a quiche or combine with spinach for a seasonal pesto. Asparagus
Although the season officially begins on 1st May, I recall buying Dorset-grown asparagus as early as the 12th April. Enjoy these majestic spears whilst you can. Prepare carefully as they can easily spoil by over-cooking. Asparagus is often boiled for a few minutes in salted water but personally I like to brush with a little olive oil and roast in the AGA or a hot oven 180C, Gas Mark 6 for 3-6 minutes depending on their thickness. We serve the baby spears as soldiers for a boiled egg or in a salad with soft herbs such as chives
OTHER SEASONAL TREATS
Dandelion Leaves
The French serve a ‘warm salad’ of dandelion leaves with fried bacon. Try adding a poached duck egg for a substantial brunch. Select just a few tender young leaves that have not been sprayed, as eating too many at once may cause a diuretic effect. Wood Pigeon
Kirsten Wheeler
and chervil. Later in the season add them to a risotto, frittata or make a savoury bread and butter pudding layered decadently with Gruyère or Fontina cheese. As a cook I treasure my favourite food memories. This includes sharing a plate of asparagus which was prepared by my food hero Anna Del Conte and her talented daughter Julia. Tender spears dressed generously in a simple anchovy and lemon vinaigrette. Served on a pretty blue plate with bread baked in a wood-fired oven from Long Crichel bakery ready to soak up the juices. We were encouraged to eat with our fingers and it was pure heaven. I have tried to replicate Anna’s dressing many times but it never tastes as good as hers.
If you possess a licence it is legal to shoot pigeon all year round and the birds in our garden are looking particularly well covered at this time of year. Visit your local butcher or game dealer and buy prepared breasts that you can pan-fry quickly to serve pink. Ideal as a first course with friends and great served with watercress, toast and if you are really lucky a few morels cooked in butter. Salad Dressing Recipe
This isn’t so much as a recipe but more a method that my friend Rosie from Penny’s Mill in Nunney, Somerset shared with me. In a bowl add a tablespoon of your favourite mustard to a teaspoon of caster sugar or honey, add three tablespoons of vinegar or citrus juice. Whisk to combine and then slowly drizzle 150ml (5floz) olive oil into the bowl and whisking all the time to create an emulsion. Once combined you can use the dressing to coat a salad or thin with a little water to serve from a jug. Try a variety of vinegars and different oils to create your favourite recipe. Visit www.allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk for more seasonal recipe ideas www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49
Food & Drink
SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ASPARAGUS, SOURDOUGH BREADCRUMBS AND ANCHOVY DRESSING
Sasha Matkevich, Head Chef and Owner, The Green
This is a real treat, a wonderfully intense flavour. Please allow 4 to 6 scallops per person. Ingredients
16 medium size scallops shelled and cleaned 1 bunch asparagus 1 small head of radicchio 4 tbsp sourdough breadcrumbs 2 hard-boiled eggs peeled and grated 1 tbsp finally chopped flat leaf parsley 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking Cornish Sea salt and black pepper 6 anchovy fillets 1 banana shallot peeled and chopped 1.5 tbsp good quality red wine vinegar 100ml cold pressed olive oil 50 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Method
1. C ook asparagus in boiling salted water for two minutes. Refresh immediately in iced water. Strain asparagus and cut into 3 cm pieces. 2. To make the vinaigrette. Put the anchovies, shallot and wine vinegar in a blender. With the motor running slowly, pour in the extra virgin olive oil to create an emulsified sauce. 3. Cut radicchio in half and finely slice. Place in a large bowl and add julienned asparagus, breadcrumbs, grated eggs and parsley. Squeeze the lemon juice over asparagus salad, drizzle over the olive oil and mix gently with your fingers. 4. Season scallops well with salt and pepper. Cook in a heavy-based frying pan, with a good splash of oil, for 1 minute on each side. The scallops should have a golden crust on both sides and feel springy when pressed gently. Put scallops on top of the salad. Spoon over the anchovy vinaigrette and scatter with lemon zest. Serve immediately, while the scallops are hot. www.greenrestaurant.co.uk
Ingredients
1/2 leek 1 large onion 2 sticks celery 5 leaves of wild garlic 250g watercress
250g peas 20g butter 100ml double cream 750ml veg stock Creme fraiche
Method
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
WATERCRESS AND PEA VELOUTE WITH CROSTINI
Jason More and Adam Corbin Head Chefs, The Dining Room
Chop onions, leeks and celery in the butter Add veg stock and simmer for 10 mins Add watercress and peas, cook for a further 2 mins Blend gradually to the consistency of soup Season to taste and refrigerate
For the Crostini
6. Cut out a 6� by 2� piece of white bread 7. Drizzle with rapeseed oil and compress between two baking trays 8. Bake in oven at 180c until golden brown 9. Garnish with creme fraiche, peas and watercress leaves www.thediningroomsherborne.com
From our table to yours
NEW DISHES: Chicken Casserole, Fish Pie, Ham, Leek & Cider Pie, Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagne and Steak & Ale Pie Available from Sabins Deli, Sherborne, Trenchermans, Compton Park, Sherborne, The Village Stores, Charlton Horethorne and Bishops Caundle Community Stores Order by phone on 01935 816037 or email info@olives-kitchen.co.uk View our product range online at www.olives-kitchen.co.uk
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51
Food & Drink
ENGLISH WINES A HISTORY AND RESTORATION David Copp
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he recent announcement by Tattinger, one of the very oldest of Champagne houses, to buy 69 hectares of Kent orchard land to plant Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier to make sparkling wine, is a wonderful endorsement of the progress England has made in the production of premium sparkling wine over the last few decades. English wine producers have worked really hard to restore English wine production. ‘Restore?’ I hear you ask. Well we were governed from Rome for nearly 400 years and there was a healthy demand for wine from owners of the smarter Roman villas along our southern coast. The Roman historian Tacitus, married to the daughter of Roman Governor Agricola, thought our weather ‘objectionable’ yet still drank the wines we produced. When the Romans withdrew, Christian monasteries took up the running to produce wines for ecclesiastical purposes. However, when Vikings 52 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
muscled their way into Britain they showed a preference for ale. King Alfred got us back on the right track and the Normans continued vineyard expansion well into the late middle ages. WW2 encouraged a lot of fruit wine making but the lift off in English wine production came with global warming which allowed selected grape varieties planted on south facing sites to get fully ripened more often than not. Courageous enthusiasts began to believe we could produce worthwhile wines. Today we have 1800 hectares under vine and 400 producing wineries. Most of them are pretty small like our own Sherborne Estate Wine. Small they may be but improving with every vintage. Larger wineries such as Nyetimber and Ridgeview in Sussex, Chapel Down and Hush Heath in Kent, Camel Valley on the North Cornish Coast and Three Choirs in Hereford
"We are beginning to get not just good but excellent results." have made excellent progress in both national and international sales. I recently met the celebrated New Zealand winemaker Kevin Judd of Cloudy Bay fame, now running his own highly successful Greywacke Winery. It was Kevin who, in 1986, first showed the world what wonderful wines New Zealand had to offer. Now they are world famous. The English are doing well. But let’s go back to the Tattinger story. The French will plant their first vines this Spring and gradually extend planting over their 69 hectares. It will be several years before they make their first wine. It’s a long term business. Particularly when making quality sparkling wine, by far our strongest card. We have the same type of soils as Champagne; we have imported their grape varieties and their know-how. We are beginning to get not just good but excellent results. To taste what Tattinger can expect, have a look at any of the sparkling wine
brands I have mentioned or others that take your fancy. Waitrose offer by far the best range of English wines of any major retailer in the country. But smaller specialists such as Vineyards also carry stocks of the leading brands. I recently tasted a 2009 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs (made from white grapes, mostly Chardonnay), a classic sparkling wine, mature yet crisp, richly flavoured and inviting. This is a wine which already successfully competes with Champagne in international competitions. It has been successful because the company pays attention to detail at every stage of production. Sparkling wine of this quality, made from the best quality grapes, bottle fermented with several years aging before release, does not come cheaply. However, if you have a birthday or anniversary coming up soon, I recommend you give yourself a treat and have a look into the future of English wine. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 53
CYCLE SHERBORNE Peter Henshaw, Dorset Cyclists Network Mike Riley, Riley’s Cycles
Always start your column with a cliché, so here goes: “As I write this, the rain is lashing against the window.” Well it is, and last week we had snow. Despite which, by the time you read this spring will have officially sprung and lots of people will be thinking about buying a new bicycle, or maybe recommissioning the one that’s been sitting in the back of the garage all winter.
B
ut what to buy? Hybrid or mountain bike? Will a cheap bike do or is it really worth spending £1000+? For what it’s worth, here’s a rough guide on how to pick the right bike for you, that should be comfy, dependable and suited to the sort of riding you’ve got planned. Let’s assume for a moment that you are past the BMX stage, don’t trust your partner on the front or back of a tandem and have no ambitions to run away, join the circus and buy a unicycle. If so, adult bikes fall into four basic categories: town/commuting bikes, which have a sit-up riding position, low maintenance and a luggage rack; road bikes, the lightweight Tour de France types with narrow high pressure tyres; mountain bikes (knobbly tyres, oodles of gears); and hybrids, a blend of road and mountain bike. Just to complicate things even more, there are all sorts of sub-categories as well: trekking bikes are hybrids with practical additions like mudguards, lights and luggage. Gravel bikes are road bikes suited to gravel tracks and adventure bikes are heavy duty jobs capable of crossing Mongolia. Ask yourself questions. What sort of riding are you planning on doing? If it really is off-road only, a mountain bike works best, though they are slower on tarmac and less comfy. Go for a road bike if you really have a need for speed and won’t be venturing off-tarmac at all. Hybrids make good all-rounders, perfect for loose surfaced tracks like the North Dorset Trailway, but also good on road. And town/commuter bikes are the practical option, heavier than the others but usually the most comfortable – the workhorses of cycling. 54 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Buy the best bike you can afford – age-old advice, but still worth taking. It’s possible to buy a cheap bike on the internet for less than £100, but spending a little more will bring more comfort, more durable components and better finish. It’ll be nicer to ride into the bargain. Whatever type of bike it is, spending £3-400 with a dealer will buy decent quality and a place to go back to if anything goes wrong. Try the bike first and make sure it fits you well. You should be able to reach the bars comfortably and not feel over-stretched anywhere. There is some adjustment in saddle height (and sometimes handlebars too) but be sure you’re buying the right size bike to start with. Any good bike shop will make sure that happens. But what if you want to resurrect your own bike? Mike Riley has some good advice: "Bikes brought out of hibernation from sheds need more than the cobwebs dusting off. So before going for a ride, check the essentials: the tyres will need pumping up and check them for cracks and tread wear. Check the brakes work – pads go hard with age and cables seize up. Check everything moves – that’s wheels, steering, gears, cranks and pedals. Clean and oil the chain with a proper chain lube. Finally, check the nuts and bolts for tightness, especially the wheel fastenings, handlebars, saddle and pedals. If you don’t fancy doing any of this yourself, at Riley’s we can bring a slumbering bike back to life.” www.rileyscycles.co.uk www.dcn.org.uk
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 55
Body & Mind
CLIMBING THE WALLS Moira Lyons-Montgomery, Climbing Instructor, Oxley Sports Centre
T
raditionally rock climbing was about a journey to a summit but modern climbing is a multifaceted sport. For some it is an intense cerebral and physical challenge requiring discipline and training that is central to their lives, for others it is a recreational activity to be enjoyed affably with friends or family. It is an excellent activity to develop interdependence and confidence or can be treated as an exciting pursuit. It is practised on indoor walls, sea cliffs, quarries, boulder outcrops or mountain crags. In Dorset we 56 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
are spoilt for access to cliffs and quarries and the coastal cliffs of the Southwest contain some of the UK’s most beautiful places to climb. Simply gaining access to some of these locations takes participants into other areas of outdoor activity such as hill or mountain walking or the fun activity of scrambling, which fills the divide between walking and climbing. These diverse styles of climbing all share common movement skills and techniques, which makes transferring or progressing to other aspects of climbing easily achievable. Despite its image, climbing caters for people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels. Some walls accept children from as young as five and I have met climbers in their eighties. You do not need to be super-fit or super-strong. Good technique which develops with practise is more important than pure
physical strength. However, the more you climb the fitter and stronger you will become. Good balance, body positioning, footwork and problem solving are vital and will see perceivably weaker climbers succeed on routes that brute strength fails on. Climbing uses many muscle groups in the upper and lower body. Your back, abdominal, leg and arm muscles get exercised as well as your fingers and shoulders. Regular climbing improves stamina as well as strength and the reaching and stretching involved, improves flexibility and agility. All forms of climbing are a very cerebral. Routes are a puzzle of technique requiring patience, concentration and analysis. As confidence and skill is developed, climbers push their determination and problem solving ability to the limit. The benefits to self-esteem gained by challenging your perceived limits are very positive. How competitive you want to be is entirely personal but you will increasingly want to provoke your limits on harder routes. Though individualistic, it also has a very social element as you are normally surrounded by other climbers discussing their own challenges and sharing experiences. Bouldering walls are up to 4.5m high and is climbing at its simplest - you only need a pair of climbing shoes to participate. Additionally, indoor climbing requires a harness and you climb or belay in turn. These are supervised zones in warm and safe environments. Climbers seeking sunshine can transfer skills learned indoors to outdoor sports routes or the kit laden activity of Trad (traditional) climbing, where the climber places their own ‘gear’ to secure a fall. Climbing centres usually provide all the necessary equipment, including shoes, harnesses and belay equipment that novice climbers need and as much instruction as you require from qualified instructors. Junior climbing sessions are available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays and Adult sessions on Wednesdays and Sundays. www.oxleysc.com
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ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP?
Izabel Carter MAR IIR ART(Regd) Reflexologist, The Sherborne Rooms
M
any people focus on diet and exercise, often sacrificing the one thing that has far reaching effects in terms of wellbeing, and that’s sleep. If you’re one of the lucky ones who drop off to sleep easily, your sleep is uninterrupted, and you wake feeling refreshed and ready for a new day, well then you can turn the page, otherwise, read on. Sleep is essential for your emotional, physical and mental repair. While you sleep, your body will assess and repair the ‘damage’ done during the day. Historically, you would have woken with the sunrise, worked through the daylight hours, slowed down as the sun set, and retired to bed when it got dark. Nowadays, for many of us, it’s a cycle of: waking at a set time (in the dark during the winter); rushing throughout the day; eating a meal (often late); spending a little time with the family; watching TV/on the phone/tablet/pc – and then bed. We’ve all done it, including me. The way to create more hours in the day are to either stay up later, or get up earlier, or, worse still, both. How much more productive are you when you’ve had a good night’s sleep; and how much more patient? There are three hormones that play a role in our sleep: serotonin, melatonin and cortisol. At the start of the day, your cortisol levels should be high and your serotonin and melatonin levels low. As the day progresses, your cortisol levels should reduce, and the others increase. If your natural rhythm is missing a beat, there are things you can do. During the day you should aim to drink plenty of water and limit caffeine consumption > www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57
Body & Mind (particularly after lunch), and then establish a good bedtime routine: • Don’t eat too late; your body should be repairing not digesting • Don’t exercise too late; exercise raises cortisol levels • Switch off phones, tablets, computers and bright lights at least one hour before you go to bed (leave phones, tablets and laptops charging somewhere other than the bedroom) • Read – a good way to relax, provided what you are reading isn’t too stimulating • Have an epsom salt bath; this may sound old-fashioned, but it will give you a good dose of magnesium, which is calming • Clear your mind by writing down tomorrow’s must dos
When you get to bed (lights off ), if your mind still can’t settle, breathe deeply through your diaphragm (your stomach should be going in and out, not your chest), and focus your mind on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet as you breathe. Reflexology can help too. Massage the endocrine reflexes on both hands, in particular the pineal reflex, (see illustration) as well as the diaphragm. www.izabelcarter.com
_______________________________________ 58 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
PRACTICAL MOVEMENT SKILLS Ian Pollard, Soft Tissue, Sports & Remedial Massage Therapist; Running Coach, 56 London Road Clinic
A
s a qualified UK Athletics endurance running coach I have attended various seminars and technical workshops over the past few months which have featured some excellent content on fundamental movement skills and physical preparation for sporting activity. They have explored correct movement patterns based on posture and balance; how we set ourselves to run, jump or throw; and to considered the ‘shape’, or body positions we need to adopt to perform the actions effectively. This correct sequencing facilitates performance, but importantly too it helps minimise inefficiency and the risk of related injury. A stable starting point allows us to remain in control of our movement and forms the bedrock of subsequent movement patterns through an activity. There is a connective chain of flexibility and stability up through the body which gives us this control; get this wrong and you can start to see how poor movement patterns develop and pain and discomfort set in. For the exercise minded, think in terms of squats and lunges, both excellent exercises for developing this control and stability, but it is vital to do them correctly in terms of posture and balance otherwise they can be counterproductive in teaching the body poor movement patterns with quite contrary effect to what is intended. All this led me to consider the practical implications in the context of our busy daily lives and how we set ourselves for any given task; the shapes we assume to carry out these tasks and, importantly, the appropriate use of which muscles we engage for the action required. Manual handling techniques don’t just apply to shifting big heavy loads, setting yourself correctly to carry out even minor activity may well save you from >
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Body & Mind the aches and pains we regularly subject ourselves to in the form of work about the house, garden, workplace or through sport and other leisure activities. Sore shoulders can equally result from hedge trimming as from golf; sore hips from running sports or digging; …sore backs from just about anything! This is particularly poignant when we mix a hard day's effort with other strenuous activity and we ask our bodies to go beyond their comfort level. Muscles that have reached their maximum tolerance can be overloaded by quite innocuous actions, such as pulling on a sock or reaching out for something when postural muscles in our back may have reached overload and seize up accordingly. Setting yourself posturally will go a long way to avoiding such discomfort. Where this coincides with my main activity as a Soft Tissue, Sports & Remedial Massage therapist is in understanding the day to day movement patterns of the people I treat, and how this relates to the subsequent treatment process and advice. Soft Tissue, Sports and Remedial Massage therapy is appropriate for treating many musculoskeletal conditions, however acquired. It safely assesses minor and chronic injuries, applies a range of advanced massage techniques to treat them and offers practical advice on rehabilitation through postural, movement and performance improvement. At this time of year, sportsmen and women are training hard in preparation for the summer months ahead, for a specific event or are perhaps patching up tired bodies after a long winter season. By the same token, many of us are embarking on the physically demanding domestic jobs and leisure activities that place similar wear, tear and overload on our bodies. And, as is often the case, many of us will mix them all, as it is us who label an activity, our bodies just recognise actions. Much is written on how to lead a healthier lifestyle, but we can easily assist with this by improving our practical movement skills, employing movement patterns based on posture and balance and how we set ourselves to perform any task at hand. www.56londonroad.co.uk
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FEELING TATT?
T
Dr Tim Robinson, MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom, GP & complementary practitioner
ATT, otherwise known as ‘tired all the time’ is another way of saying that you lack energy and that you never feel totally refreshed. This can be a symptom of a physical illness such as anaemia, underactive thyroid, hormone imbalance, inflammation as well as liver and kidney problems, or even cancer. Because of this it important to take it seriously and exclude physical causes of TATT. Ask your GP who will assess and examine you and probably sendoff blood tests; if nothing untoward is found the symptoms can probably be attributed to psychological or lifestyle factors. The pressures of modern day living, stressful and demanding jobs, social expectations and long working days (often with long commutes) all result in a strain on the system. If these situations are prolonged this can lead to a depressed state, often along with anxiety. Seek advice from your GP for counselling or a brief course of an anti-depressant to address the imbalance of brain chemicals. For mild to moderate depression the herbal medicine St John’s Wort has been found in studies to be effective. Another form of complementary medicine to consider is homeopathy in which the ‘whole person’ or holistic approach is taken into account, looking at the underlying cause responsible for the presenting symptoms. The validity of homeopathy has been demonstrated in published research studies. They show that homeopathic medicines are not ‘placebo’ sugar pills and there are studies that show it to be effective in chronic fatigue syndrome as well as many other conditions. It is also important to have optimal nutrition to nourish the body and all the many biochemical systems that provide energy. A mixed balanced > www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 61
Body & Mind diet with the correct ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fats is important. Steer clear of refined sugars and opt for ‘slow burn’ (low GI) carbs. Fats are back in favour – but beware of excess intake of high saturated dairy fats that are cholesterol heavy. Try to eat oily fish that contain omega 3 ‘essential’ fatty acids. These have important anti-inflammatory properties as well as being cardio-protective against heart disease. Ensure an adequate intake of fruit and vegetables that contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (chemicals that soak up harmful breakdown products inside the body’s cells). If your lifestyle does not provide a regular intake of fresh fruit and veg take a multivitamin/mineral. Look for one that contains the B vitamins, the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, as well as the trace elements Selenium, Zinc and Magnesium that are essential for efficiently working cells and energy production.
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Besides all the above approaches general lifestyle measures should be addressed. On-going negative factors will strain the system and result in tiredness due to increased levels of stress hormones as well as sleep disturbance. Regular exercise will help by improving the efficiency of energy producing pathways in cells. Exercise also results in the production of the body’s ‘natural high’ endorphins. It will also help with weight control; shedding a few pounds will free up your limbs and make getting about less of an effort. Hopefully these tips above will help you to combat the dreaded TATT but first of all remember to ask your GP about your symptoms in order to exclude anything more sinister or any correctable medical conditions. www.doctorTWRobinson.com
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64 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Open new doors Move with Savills Wimborne Savills Wimborne Wessex House, Wimborne BH21 1PB 01202 856872 | 07812 965365 snevillejones@savills.com
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Property
ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS FOR TENANTS Anita Light and Paul Gammage, EweMove Sherborne
Landlords: Will you be getting an energy improvement request from your tenant this April?
E
ffective this April, private rental sector landlords may receive energy improvement requests from their tenants if the property in question has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G. The landlord will be legally bound to improve the rating to E. Typical improvement measures being, increasing the insulation, upgrading the boiler or installing double glazing. EU figures reveal UK homes have some of the poorest energy efficiency ratings in Europe and as a result it is estimated that some tenants are spending as much as £1,000 per annum more to heat their home than the average annual bill of £1,265. Poor maintenance and insulation are major factors in older Victorian stock with many of the homes having single glazed, rotting windows. Health is also a major concern as many of these properties will be damp with condensation and mould issues. The government recently announced dates for energy efficiency compliance in private rental properties, the Residents Landlords’ Association (RLA) says they are as follows: • April 2018: by this date it will be unlawful to let out a property with an F or G Energy Performance Certificate rating, as a new let. There will be a few limited exemptions • April 2020: by this date the requirement for a minimum E rating will apply, not just to new lets but also to existing tenancies • 2025: the target is for a minimum D rating • 2030: the minimum target will be a C rating To meet the long term targets landlords and letting agents acting on their behalf should evaluate the best approach. Richard Jones, policy advisor and company secretary of the RLA, says, “If you 66 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
carry out improvements piece by piece, going first to Band E and then subsequently Band D and then onto Band C a different approach is required than if you carry out a whole house improvement to go straight to Band C from the outset.” Richard Jones went on to say, “The Building Research Establishment estimates that around 100,000 properties have an incorrect F and G rating so these ratings should be better than they are. This means some of those currently rated at the lowest banding Band G ought to be reclassified as Band F and quite a number of those that are in Band F do in fact meet the Band E requirement.” “We are making repeated representations to the government on this issue because we firmly believe that EPCs must be accurate before compulsion is brought in.” Conservative MP Oliver Colvile, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the private rented sector says, “The government has set ambitious targets for improvements to the energy efficiency of private rented housing and rightly so. To meet these it is clear that much clearer information is needed for both landlords and tenants to understand their rights and responsibilities and the help available to improve the energy efficiency of the rental housing stock.” “Tenants especially need much clearer information on their rights to change energy suppliers whilst energy companies, local authorities and landlords need to do more together to identify vulnerable tenants in need of most help to keep the cost of their bills down.” To tackle the problem the group is calling for incentives for landlords to implement energy efficiency improvements through being able to offset costs against rental income. Watch this space. www.ewemove.com/sherborne
Hi we’re Anita and Paul Branch Directors of EweMove Sherborne Your Local Property Expert
8 Reasons Why Homeowners Trusted EweMove To Sell Their Home 1 We’re open 24/7, so we never miss out on a viewing or offer 2 We advertise on all major property portals: RightMove and Zoopla 3 Our award winning Ewereka! system allows buyers to book their online viewings 4 We will personally manage your sale beginning to end
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Paul Slator
5 We take professional photographs of your home that will make it stand out and increase your click through rates 6 2D & 3D floor plans to allow people to visualise themselves in your home 7 If you’re not happy, you can walk away at any time and you won’t pay us a penny 8 Our customers have rated us 5 star on Trustpilot making us The UK’s Most Trusted Estate Agent
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I have experience of buying & selling properties & how stressful it often is. On this occasion however, I have been lucky in discovering ‘EweMove’ who take the stress out of it by providing a brilliant service. I feel like they are working solely for me. Paul & Anita at EweMove in Sherborne are constantly in contact with us keeping us up to date with everything. They are professional in what they do, yet put me at ease so I feel confident to ask them anything that I am unsure about. From initially contacting them online I feel we have had their constant attention. Whereas other more traditional agents are either unavailable or slow to respond. The photos, description & overall presentation of our house sale have been superb. I feel that this has been a significant factor in securing us a buyer within hours of being marketed. I can’t recommend Paul & Anita at EweMove highly enough.
Get Your FREE Online Valuation Estimate Visit: EweMove.com/Sherborne Or Call: 01935 350 350
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
W
Mark Lewis FRICS FNAVA, Partner, Symonds & Sampson
hen we are asked to sell a property the name can immediately tell you what you will be viewing. The Old Stables tells me it will be a conversion, Crossroads should be on an intersection whilst The Old Red Lion could be a former pub and Windy Ridge may have a good view. But why name a house at all? It is the preserve of the suburbs or the country and suggests individualism that cities with their numbered properties do not have. Statistics tell us that the most popular property names are quite varied including ‘Avalon’, from Arthurian legend, to the less imaginative ‘The Cottage, ‘The Bungalow’ and intriguingly ‘The Nurses’ Home’. My present house is called The Old Orchard which tells you that the garden used to be covered in fruit trees, there are still a couple left. I have also resided at Rose Cottage with beautiful flowers over the front and a Rue Cottage which my wife named after her parents’ farm. When I was at college I rented a property colloquially known as ‘Park Sleaze’ because it was so run down and filthy, nothing to do with me. It was then called Nookie Cottage but that was after I left! We are marketing a number of houses with iconic names at the moment; The Lodge, The Old Post Office, Manor Farm, The Mill House, Yew Tree Farm, The Old Vicarage and The Old School House. If I counted up the number of Hambledon Views or Abbey Views that I have sold it would 68 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
be considerable. I went to see a property on the coast last year called Sea View and I was looking forward to a stunning vista but unfortunately the house had been named many years before a housing estate had been built in front so there weren’t even sea glimpses anymore. Some names are not the most inviting; ‘Labour in Vain Farm’ does not bode well, the ‘House at Hell Corner’ conjured up a hammer horror story whereas ‘Misery Farm’ just had to have a name change. It was surrounded by lakes and far too wet for commercial farming so we plumped for Little Watercombe and it seemed to do the trick as buyers thought it sounded idyllic. Some names are unique, especially when people put their Christian names together and amalgamate, for example, Reginald and Anne might call their house Regann. I even sold a property called Bryngo and I was very pleased to meet the owners Bryn and Margo. So when I was invited to value a house called Gladimere which was situated on a very busy main road, where you had to keep your wits about you when you opened the front door, I assumed I was going to meet a lady called Gladys although I couldn’t work out what the husband’s name would be. When I asked the question the lady chortled, “No, it’s not any names put together, I’m just ‘Glad I’m ‘ere’!” www.symondsandsampson.co.uk
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For a fresh take on your accounts, speak to Hunts.
A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR
12 MONTH SUBSCRIPTION Love the Sherborne Times but live further afield? Receive your very own copy each month for just ÂŁ30.00 T: 01935 815008 E: info@huntsaccountants.co.uk W: huntsaccountants.co.uk @Hunts_Sherborne The Old Pump House, Oborne Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3RX 70 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Please contact editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk or call 01935 814803 www.sherbornetimes.co.uk
Simply
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ÂŁ35 per person including a 3 course dinner To reserve your table call
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Don’t forget to ask about our accommodation offer George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430
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www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 71
Holidays
Days Out
Poldark’s Cornish Land
Bradford on Avon & Canal Ride Saturday 16th April, £25.50 (Club £23.50)
23 rd - 27 th May 5 Days from £415
Cream Tea in the Cotswolds Saturday 23rd April, £24 (Club £22)
26th June - 2nd June 7 Days from £655
Orchid Paradise Sunday 1st May, £24 (Club £22) Mamma Mia! At the Bristol Hippodrome Saturday 7th May, £55
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1 - 4th July 4 Days from £315 st
2016 Day Trips & Excursions brochure available now
For further information, or for a 2016 brochure call the office now!
01935 423177 | www.taylorscoachtravel.co.uk
Keeping you mobile
in style
We stock the largest range of mobility products and furniture in the area
Tel 01935 389391 www.sherbornemobility.co.uk Visit our showroom Unit 5, South Western Business Park, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PS (Access via the station car park)
72 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
The Old Vicarage Leigh, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 6HL
01935 873033
info@tovic.com
We are delighted to announce that following our recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission we have been awarded a rating of Outstanding. This means we are in the top 1% of care homes in England.
The Old Vicarage CQC overall rating
28 January 2016
Set in its own secluded, beautifully landscaped gardens, woodland and meadow, and with stunning views overlooking the Dorset countryside, it’s hard to resist the charms of the Old Vicarage. As soon as you step through the front door of this charming country house, you’ll discover an oasis of comfort, warmth, calm and relaxation. Our highly trained staff ensure that everything - from the mouth-watering food and drink and the stylishly cosy bedrooms to the wide range of activities - will make the Old Vicarage truly a home from home. We have been recognised by the Cinnamon Trust as being one of the best pet friendly care homes in the country.
To arrange a visit please call on 01935 873033 or email info@tovic.com
T
he definition of an Internet Browser says that it is a program that converts web page programming language (HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language) and graphical and multi-media content (bells and whistles!) into what you see on your PC screen. When you ask your PC to go to google.com, it does a number of things in order … 1. I ts says to itself, “Oh, that’s a web page, I’ll start the browser” 2. The browser says, “I’ll ask my Domain Name Server (DNS) where google.com lives 3. The DNS sends back the IP address of google.com (it’s internet address) 4. The browser then asks your Internet Service Provider (ISP) (BT, PlusNet, Virgin, TalkTalk etc) to go to the IP address server 5. The IP address server sends back the web page in HTML 6. The browser converts that into the pretty pictures, text and sounds that you see on your screen 74 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
… all in the blink of an eye!! When you click a button or link on a web page the process is repeated. There are many browsers to choose from, about 75 at the last count, but only about half a dozen really matter: Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and MaxThon. They all do the same thing to a greater or lesser degree, and which one you use is entirely up to you, just like buying a new car: Ford or Vauxhall, Citroen or Peugeot … 4 wheels, 3 pedals and an engine! As many of you will have upgraded to Windows 10, you may have noticed that the default browser is the new “Microsoft Edge”, this replaces the aging Internet Explorer that is still available but hidden away. 10 years ago, 90% of PC users used Internet Explorer as that was what came packaged with your Windows operating system. Since then the market has proliferated with offerings from other companies keen to sign you up as a user to get greater advertising revenues. So what’s a search engine? It’s a database of the content of millions of web pages that can be searched by YOU and displayed in a prioritised
order. Google is a search engine as is Yahoo, Bing, Ask and Excite. They make their money by displaying paid-for results at the top of the list and by displaying advertisements related to your search all over the page. Google rules the roost with over 90% of the market and their data is used by many others. What browser should you use and what search engine should you use? The one that suits you the best and the one you’re used to and the one that makes you happy! The father of a school friend of mine was a dentist and one day I asked him which toothpaste was the best. He answered “the one you like the taste of best, it’s the brushing that really keeps your teeth clean”. Wise words! If you’re not happy with your browser or search provider, then change. As always, if you need help or advice, you know where to come! Coming Up Next Month … It’s all on the disk SATA, PATA, USB & SSD – Jimmy explains it all! www.mpfix.co.uk
BRYAN C. COOPER LTD
A Traditional Family Run Building Company
Established over 45 years Renovations, Extensions and Alterations ~ Patios, Boundary Walls and Fencing Purpose made Joinery ~ Internal and External Decorations ~ Bathrooms and Kitchens Wall and floor Tiling ~ Repairs and Maintenance ~ Roofing and Fibreglass Systems 96 Newland, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3DT Email: bccooperltd@btconnect.com Web: bryancooperbuilders.co.uk
Tel: 01935 814946
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MAINTENANCE GROUP Building repair & maintenance | Home refurbishments | Facilities management services
Serving all your interior & exterior maintenance needs
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01747 826656
info@franksgroup.co.uk www.franksgroup.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 75
A LIFE IN THE DAY, SHERBORNE STYLE Colin Lambert, Sherborne Chamber of Trade
I
woke up this morning to the sound of Radio 4. My alarm goes off at 06.25, just in time for sport news and weather. Wheat grass, Spirulina, half hour Yoga and off I go. Well that’s in my dreams. I know someone who wakes up at 5.30 every morning for 2 hours of “her time” before making breakfast for three boys along with packed lunches for four boys. Her husband is a lucky man. From the moment we wake up there is time to fill. How do you fill it? • Kids dressed, fed and on the school run • Coffee and a fag • Showered, dressed and in the car • Olivers coffee house for muffin and double espresso • Still in bed but sending texts and emails • Press the snooze button and roll over Before you know it you’re at work. What staggers me is that, in almost every sector of working life, everyone is at breaking point. We cut corners and inevitably make mistakes. This has the knock on effect of jobs half-finished, irritable bosses and unsatisfied customers. I had a delivery of a new pressure washer (old one was a month out of warranty) today, but the box contained an electric saw, which I hadn’t ordered and nothing else. Hey ho. Where was I? Oh yes, unsatisfied customers. Around lunch time some folk dash to Digby Tap, hit the gym or even home to walk the dog. I sometimes walk to the Pear Tree for lunch, stroll up Cheap Street or I have even been known to sit for ten minutes in the Abbey. Being aware of what an amazing town we live in is invigorating in itself. How do you spend your lunch break? • Go for a walk • Station cafe for a big boy breakfast 76 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
• Eat whilst working • Meditate in the Abbey • Glued to your smart phone oblivious to everything else • What lunch break? By 4pm you are tired, a caffeine fix helps, chocolate is good. Did you know more chocolate is consumed between 4pm and 6pm than the rest of the day combined? That’s why afternoon tea was invented. Tea and scones in Kafe Fontana maybe? Home time at last, but not if you’re trying to impress your boss, work overtime, climb the corporate ladder, avoid kids bedtime or need to pop into the George for a couple of pints first. I do like the George. Jackie does a fab Sunday lunch. Eventually you are home; a half hearted attempt to embrace the dog, sort of kiss the other half, grunt then realise all that stuff from the day's work is now floating around your head. What do you do next? • Large G&T and the rest • Supper • Get your laptop out and play • Get your laptop out and work • Sit and watch some inane TV programme • Take the dog for a walk, via the pub • Touch Rugby for oldies (Tuesday & Thursday) at the boys school • Sing in the Church choir • Write articles for the Sherborne Times You could also read a book, listen to music, meditate quietly or find another way of being kind to yourself. I have tried all the above from school runs to writing. Rugby and Church choir were many years ago. How do you fill your day? Have a good one. For more information or to join the Chamber; www.sherbornechamber.co.uk
Gas and oil appliance servicing, repair and installation plus All aspects of general plumbing Local, friendly, qualified and accredited professional Please call Patrick O’Loughlin on
07590 121599 or 01935 815613 phelpsgas@yahoo.com
Phelps Heating Solutions Ltd, 57 Granville Way, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4AT
www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 77
DESIGNER Specialist in outfits for the Mothers of the Bride and Groom Bespoke or Ready to Wear
Turnbulls Electrical Solutions Polite, Reliable and Trustworthy
• DOMESTIC • COMMERCIAL • AGRICULTURAL
Find us in Half Moon Street, Sherborne, opposite the Abbey
Testing, Fuse boards, Re-wires or just an extra light or socket. NICEIC Registered
01935 812 927
Tel: 01935 389984 • Mob: 07402 881415 www.turnbullselectricalsolutions.co.uk
www.perriashby.co.uk info@perriashby.co.uk
A treasure trove of beautiful designer fabrics, yarn and haberdashery Providers of craft workshops including sewing, patchwork, embroidery, knitting and crochet Open 10-4pm Mon, Thurs, Fri. Closed for workshops on Tues, Weds and some Saturdays 81 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BA 01935 817303 www.butterflybright.com
EMDR - a supportive, effective therapy. Eye Movement, Reprocessing and Desensitisation • Trauma • Anxiety • Low self-esteem • Phobias • Depression Tel: 01747 825288 Mobile: 07966 002927 www.fullstoptherapy.co.uk
Wills ––– of Sherborne –––
Plu m b i n g & H eati n g Ltd Local & reliable plumber. Gas Safe registered, fully insured • New build • Renovations • Boiler installations • Vented & unvented cylinder installations
• LPG • Bathroom installations • Free quotes • Competitive prices
T: 07885 420609 E: wills.plumbing@hotmail.co.uk
Yeovil rne & Sherbo ing d surroun areas
24 hour emergency callout General plumbing and heating Evening and weekends Friendly and professional service No job too small
Therapy & Addiction Services
Keeping your family and business safe Contact us on paul.pcelectricals@gmail.com or 07974 155624 for a free quote www.pcelectricals-dorset.co.uk 78 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Tel: 01935 584 034 | Mob: 07718 476 549 richard_oakleigh@oakleighplumbing.co.uk www.oakleighplumbing.co.uk
Home Selection Service and Budget flooring available Carpets ~ Naturals ~ Vinyls ~ Contract Flooring Proud Member of BNI ~ Yeovil
Tel: 01935 426185 Mobile: 07855 743796 glen@inspiration4floors.co.uk www.inspiration4floors.co.uk
Suppliers and Manufacturers of quality Signage, Graphics and Embroidered Workwear
T: 01935 816767
info@swsigns-sherborne.co.uk www.swsigns-sherborne.co.uk
Unit 14, 0ld Yarn Mills, Sherborne Dorset DT9 3RQ
DAVE THURGOOD Painting & Decorating interior and exterior
PORT AND AIRPORT CAR SERVICE ANY DISTANCE, ON TIME, IN COMFORT Mercedes E Class
Greg Cook 01935 814334 07594 743748 greg.john.cook@outlook.com
CROSSROADS PET SUPPLIES LTD All Pet Accessories Retail & Wholesale
07792 391368 NO VAT
01935 411859
www.sherbornedecorators.com dave.thurgoodstfc@btinternet.com
Find us at Forward Garage on the A30 between Sherborne & Yeovil
Wayne Timmins Painter and Decorator • Dulux Approved • Interior and Exterior • All Jobs Considered For a free quote call tel: 01935 872007 mobile: 07715 867145
Covering South Somerset & North Dorset Small Business Support
Networks & Cabling
New PCs & Laptops
Wireless Networks
Repairs & Upgrades
Broadband Setup
Virus Removal
Disaster Recovery
The Weighbridge • High Street • Milborne Port • DT9 5DG www.mpfix.co.uk
01963 250788
FENCING & GATES Supplied and erected by the
SHERBORNE & DISTRICT FENCING Co. Free Estimates No VAT
01935 330095
A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR
To advertise please contact advertising@sherbornetimes.co.uk 01935 814803 | 07957 496193 www.sherbornetimes.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 79
LITERARY REVIEW Wayne Winstone, Winstone's Books
Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature, Nick Davies (Bloomsbury) £9.99 Exclusive Sherborne Times reader price of £8.99 at Winstone’s Books. Please bring a copy of this review to claim your discount.
T
he familiar call of the common cuckoo, “cuckoo,” has been a harbinger of spring ever since our ancestors walked out of Africa many thousands of years ago. However, for naturalist and scientist Nick Davies, the call is an invitation to solve an enduring puzzle: how does the cuckoo get away with laying its eggs in the nests of other birds and tricking them into raising young cuckoos rather than their own offspring? Early observers who noticed a little warbler feeding a monstrously large cuckoo chick concluded the cuckoo’s lack of parental care was the result of faulty design by the Creator, and that the hosts chose to help the poor cuckoo. These quaint views of bad design and benevolence were banished after Charles Darwin proposed that the cuckoo tricks the hosts in an evolutionary battle, where hosts evolve better defences against cuckoos and cuckoos, in turn, evolve better trickery to outwit the hosts. For the last three decades, Davies has employed observation and field experiments to unravel the details of this evolutionary “arms race” between cuckoos and their hosts. Like a detective, Davies and his colleagues studied adult cuckoo
80 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
behaviour, cuckoo egg markings, and cuckoo chick begging calls to discover exactly how cuckoos trick their hosts. “This amazing detective story by one of the country’s greatest field naturalists is also a fascinating study that solves many of the puzzles surrounding this most extraordinary bird” – Sir David Attenborough
Wayne is proprietor of Winstone's Books, Winner of South-West Independent Bookseller of the Year 2014 and 2013 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne winstonebooks.co.uk ANNOUNCEMENT
We are very pleased to announce that Winstone’s have again won the prestigious title of South West Independent Book Shop of the Year - the third time in four years. Winstone’s now competes against other regional winners for National Independent Book Shop of the Year, to be named on 9th May 2016.
SUDOKU
Fill the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 section contain all numbers between 1 and 9 MARCH SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Yearly (6) 5. Female pronoun (3) 7. Fight (3-2) 8. Trailer (7) 9. Insanely (5) 10. Provoking; teasing (8) 12. Timothy ____________ : James Bond actor (6) 14. Bracelet (6) 17. Conflict internal to a country (5,3) 18. Flat surface (5) 20. Suitor (7) 21. Rafael ____________ : Spanish tennis star (5)
22. Born (3) 23. Take a firm stand (6) DOWN 2. Perfect happiness (7) 3. The flying of aircraft (8) 4. Plant stalk (4) 5. Clutching (7) 6. Use again (7) 7. Long-necked birds (5) 11. Charm (8) 12. Marine mammal (7) 13. Layered pasta dish (7) 15. Enslave (anag) (7) 16. Essential (5) 19. Ceases (4) www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 81
THE ALL-CONSUMING TIDE OF CONSUMERISM Canon Eric Woods, Vicar of Sherborne
L
ast month the House of Commons debated the Enterprise Bill, which would have allowed bigger stores in England and Wales (such as supermarkets) to open for longer on Sundays. The Bill was defeated by an unholy coalition of Labour MPs, Scottish Nationalists (who have unregulated Sunday trading at home) and rebel Tories. Am I pleased? Well, yes and no. I’m not comfortable that certain ‘faith groups’ did a fair amount of lobbying against the Bill because, whilst I am totally in favour of protecting the rights of minorities, I am not sure that the Churches should use their last vestiges of power and privilege to dictate to the majority. Nor would I ever want to turn the clock back to the oldfashioned Sunday when no-one was allowed to do anything remotely enjoyable! Jesus himself said that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Having said that, faith groups have a right to their say. Quite whether that applies to the Scottish Nationalists voting on a bill relevant only to England and Wales is another matter. There is a smell of humbug and hypocrisy about that which has not gone unnoticed. Yet ultimately I am pleased that the Bill was defeated, for a number of reasons. First, because so many shop workers themselves were against it. For them, Sunday is now the only day they have any chance of a family life. It is a huge loss that so few families eat together and do things together. If we
take the opportunity to do that from the hundreds and thousands of those employed in big stores, we impoverish their family lives for ever. Second, small traders and corner shops already have their backs against the wall. Give the ‘big boys’ of retail permission to be open all hours and the little shops will be squeezed out of existence. In Sherborne, for example, it would be a real loss if the stores at Westbridge Park, Young’s Garage and Simons Road were to close. But there is a deeper issue. The culture of consumerism is so powerful that it’s eating away at the very soul of our society. It is no accident, I think, that supermarkets increasingly resemble churches, with their towers and steeples outside, and their aisles and altars inside. 'Cogito, ergo sum' wrote the French philosopher Descartes in the 17th century: 'I think, therefore I am'. 'Tesco, ergo sum' wrote a wag a few years ago: 'I shop, therefore I am'. In the Bible’s Book of Exodus you can read the account of the sufferings of the people of Israel when they had to endure slavery in Egypt. Every day was unremitting forced labour under hard taskmasters. But within a very short time of their escape from Egypt, God gave them some simple rules to live by, called the Ten Commandments. One guaranteed them a day each week free from all work. The Sabbath became a symbol of their liberty, their freedom from slavery. What exactly would the passing of the Enterprise Bill have said about the sort of society in which we want to live?
"'Tesco, ergo sum' wrote a wag a few years ago: ‘I shop, therefore I am’."
82 | Sherborne Times | April 2016
Crafting quality timber buildings and gates since 1912
Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7LH Tel: (01963) 440414 | Email: info@sparkford.com | @sparkfordtimber www.sparkford.com
Enjoy an apĂŠritif and zakuski
Menu du Jour Offer
3 courses for ÂŁ20 or 2 with a glass of wine*
How many ways can I say how delicious, imaginative and creative our meal was? Trip Advisor March 2016 3 The Green, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3HY 01935 813821 @greensherborne www.greenrestaurant.co.uk *Available evenings Tuesday - Thursday and lunchtimes Tuesday - Saturday