Sherborne Times November 2016

NOVEMBER 2016 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

e Exclusoivffer reader alfour

et B Margar entre ty Beau C

CORE VALUES with Simon and Victoria Baxter of Sherborne Cider

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

B

efore moving to Sherborne we lived in a tiny old cottage on the edge of Runnymede. Built on the site of an ancient orchard, a young tree was left in each of the gardens to preserve its memory. They were some of the best apples I’d ever eaten. My grandmother, nearby, also had an apple tree - one which famously bore cookers the size of small pumpkins.

When disease took hold and the tree was felled, it felt like we’d lost a member of the family.

For thousands of years the humble apple has played a role in mythology, folklore, art and religion. Whether we’re bobbing, wassailing or leaving windfalls at the garden gate, the apple, in its many forms, is an intrinsic part of our history and culture. To learn that we have lost two-thirds of our orchards in the last 100 hundred years makes those that remain all the more valuable. Encouragingly, the UK is seeing something of a resurgence with craft cider makers and growers gathering in number. Among them is Simon Baxter who, with his wife Victoria, is determinedly tending trees planted by his father in Longburton nearly 40 years ago. We meet them early one morning as they begin another year’s harvest.

Have a wonderful month.

Glen Cheyne, Editor editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk @sherbornetimes

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne

Frances Aylen BSc Hons OST 56 London Road Clinic @56londonroad 56londonroad.co.uk

Design Andy Gerrard

Richard Bramble @richardbramble richardbramble.com

Sub-editor Julia Chadwick

Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers @CharterhouseAV charterhouse-auction.com

Photography Katharine Davies Feature writer Jo Denbury Print Pureprint Distribution team David Elsmore Christine Knott Sarah Morgan Roger & Mary Napper Maggie Pelly Claire Pilley Judith Rust Geoff Wood

Peter Henshaw & Mike Riley Riley’s Cycles @rileyscycles rileyscycles.co.uk @DCNSherborne dcn.org.uk Sarah Hitch The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms @SanctuaryDorset thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk Colin Lambert colinlambert.co.uk

Mike Burks The Gardens Group @TheGardensGroup thegardeneronline.co.uk

Jeremy Le Sueur 4 Shires Asset Management 4-shires.com

Gillian M Constable DWT Sherborne Group @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Sasha Matkevich The Green Restaurant @greensherborne greenrestaurant.co.uk

David Copp

Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership @swanhousevet newtonclarkepartnership.co.uk

Jenny Dickinson Dear to Me, Fine Stationery @DearToMeStudio deartome.co.uk Giles Dick-Read Reads Coffee Roasters @reads_coffee readscoffee.co.uk

Kitty Oakshott Upstairs Downstairs Interiors @updowninteriors updowninteriors.co.uk Lisa Osman All Hallows AGA Approved Cookery School @cooksandmakers allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk

Contact 01935 814803 07957 496193 @sherbornetimes editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk

Daniel Fernley Sherborne Preparatory School @Sherborneprep sherborneprep.org Jimmy Flynn Milborne Port Computers @MPortComputers computing-mp.co.uk

Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom Glencairn House Clinic glencairnhouse.co.uk doctortwrobinson.com

Sherborne Times is printed on Edixion Offset, an FSC® 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.

Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.)

CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS Fort Financial Planning ffp.org.uk

Simon Ross Oxley Sports Centre @OxleySports oxleysc.com

Cathryn Franks & Lucy Coffin The Sherborne Rooms thesherbornerooms.com

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.

Paul Gammage & Anita Light EweMove Sherborne @ewemoveyeovil ewemove.com

Jane Somper Goldhill Organics @GoldhillOrganic goldhillorganics.co.uk

Additional photography: contributor’s own, Shutterstock and iStock 4 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Mark Greenstock Sherborne Literary Society sherborneliterarysociety.com Julian Halsby MA (Cantab) FRSA RBA Anne-Marie Hamer Mogers Drewett @mogersdrewett md-solicitors.co.uk George Hayward

Marigold Verity Sherborne Scribblers Sally Welbourn Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk Amber Whitmarsh BSc (Hons) BVSc CertAVP MRCVS Kingston Vet Group @TheKingstonVets kingstonvets.co.uk Wayne Winstone Winstone’s Books @winstonebooks winstonebooks.co.uk

40

NOVEMBER 2016

6 What’s On

30 Interiors

68 Body & Mind

12 Unearthed

31 Antiques

80 Property

13 Reader Offer

32 Preview - Paul Nash

84 Finance

14 Festive Shopping Day

36 Gardening

87 Tech

16 Shopping Guide

40 SHERBORNE CIDER

90 Folk Tales

18 Wild Dorset

48 Food & Drink

92 Literature

24 Family

60 Animal Care

98 Crossword

66 Cycle Sherborne

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5

WHAT'S ON Listings ____________________________ Friday 21st October-Friday 11th

£6, from Sherborne TIC. 25% off before 4th November.

Pop, highly original songs and renditions of Bluegrass classics. Tickets £10, £6 children, £25 family.

November, Monday-Saturday

Sunday 6th

9.30am-5pm

Jazz lunch with Julie Dunn

Saturday 12th, 7pm

Exhibition of new work by

Eastbury Hotel, Long St, 01935 813131

Devon Baroque: Wild Women

a glass of wine.

Tickets £17, students £5, from

Richard Pikesley Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street, 01935 815261, jerramgallery.com. All gallery

____________________________

£25 for three courses, or two courses and

Leweston School. Purcell and Handel.

____________________________

Sherborne TIC.

stock can be viewed online.

Monday 7th, 9.30am-3.30pm

____________________________

Magical Creatures by Sarah

Saturday 12th, 7.30pm

Wednesday 2nd, 2pm and 8pm

Bailey (plus Open Day for

Songs of Farewell Choral Concert

With Just a Needle and a

visitors to drop in, with an

Thread, by Susan Kaye Williams

exhibition and gifts for sale)

Sherborne Abbey, godwinechoir.org.

Digby Hall, Hound Street. Susan

West Country Embroiderers, Digby Hall,

Royal School of Needlework, gives

with optional workshops on the second

Kaye Williams, chief executive of the a fascinating look at embroidery

techniques. New members are always

Hound Street, 01963 34696. Meetings

Monday of each month, £15 booked in

____________________________

Acclaimed London ensemble, the Godwine Choir, perform music for Remembrance.

Tickets £20, £10 concession available from Sherborne TIC or online.

____________________________

advance. New members welcome.

Sunday 13th, 4pm

____________________________

Morgan & West’s Utterly Spiffing

____________________________

Wednesday 9th, 7.30pm

Spectacular Magic Show for Kids

Friday 4th, 7pm

ArtsLink Flicks:

Holwell Variety Performance Night

Love and Friendship

Chetnole Village Hall, 01935 873555,

Holwell Village Hall, DT9 5LL,

Memorial Hall, Digby Road,

A monthly evening of music, poetry, art,

£6 from Sherborne TIC.

welcome. sherborne-dfas.org.uk

Music@BearCatCollective.co.uk

storytelling, games or any other form of

sherborneartslink.org.uk.

____________________________

shared entertainment we can all enjoy

Wednesday 9th, 7am-9am

artsreach.co.uk. Victorian magic duo

Morgan & West present a show for all the family, where magic and silliness

abound! Suitable 5+, tickets £10, children £5, family £25.

____________________________

for a donation of £4. Snacks, soft and hot

Early Bird Business Exchange

Monday 14th, 7.30pm

drinks available, B.Y.O. booze.

An Evening with Latvian Guests

____________________________

Castle Gardens,

Saturday 5th, 2.30pm

sherbornebusinessexchange.co.uk. Meetings to exchange ideas, leads and knowledge.

Memorial Hall, Digby Road, 01935

A vibrant and welcoming group.

812452. Three mini lectures with refreshments. Tickets £7.

Thomas Hardy, by Alistair Chisholm Digby Hall, Hound Street. A talk on

____________________________

____________________________

how Hardy is often mistakenly thought

Thursday 10th, 2.30pm

Wednesday 16th, 2.30pm

to be ‘a miserable old fellow.’ Alistair will

Organic Vegetable Gardening

Christmas Decoration

show, through quotations from Hardy’s

by Sherborne Gardeners’

Making, by the WI

prose and poetry, that this reputation is

Association

not deserved. Members £3, guests, £5.

Digby Hall, Hound St, 01935 813679

The Catholic Church Hall, Westbury.

Saturday 5th, bonfire 7pm,

Thursday 10th, 7.30pm

fireworks 7.30pm

Flats & Sharps

Fireworks Extravaganza

Sandford Orcas Village Hall, 01963

Sherborne Castle, New Road. Gates

open and entertainment, food and live

music from 5pm. Adult, £8, child/senior, 6 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

____________________________

We will be making decorations for this

year’s entry into the Cheap Street Church Christmas Tree Festival. New members and

visitors are always welcome at a cost of £3. ____________________________

220208, artsreach.co.uk. Hailing from

Wednesday 16th, 7.30pm

between Bluegrass, Folk, Country and

by Gary Powell

Cornwall, Flats and Sharps blur the lines

Amphibians and Reptiles,

NOVEMBER 2016 Memorial Hall, Digby Road, 01305 264620

Winstone’s Books or on the door in

Somerset & Dorset Family History Society,

Thursday 17th, 10am-3pm

Sherborne and Chojna.

01935 389611, sdfhs.org. Barry Brock,

____________________________ Lunch & Learn:

aid of Student Exchanges between

Art of Southern Italy

Thursday 24th, 6.30pm-8.30pm

Eastbury Hotel, Long St, 01935 813131.

Oliver’s Coffee House 30th

____________________________

Oliver’s Coffee House, 19 Cheap Street,

The Parade (bottom of Cheap Street),

Graham Bendell and George Tatham guide a journey through Sherborne’s commercial

and industrial past. Tickets £10, Members,

Lectures, lunch, refreshments and wine, £45.

Anniversary Charity Event

Friday 18th, 7.30pm

contact Jane, 01935 815005 or Eliza,

Saturday 26th, 3pm

and independent businesses. Tickets £5 to

Cheap Street Church. Violinist Catrin

to go to Tinney’s Lane Youth Centre.

Music Festival’s Duo Teresa Carreno,

Softest Music to Attending Ears Cheap St Church. Songs of Shakespeare.

Music of Finzi, Quilter, Purcell and more, performed by Benjamin Hewat-Craw,

Kieran White and Caroline D’Cruz. Tickets

£8. Prebooking advisable.

____________________________

07580 676833. Showcasing local artwork

Piano Trio Recital

include a drink and nibbles, all proceeds

Win Morgan joins the Latin American with pianist Ana Laura Manero and

£12, concessions £10, from Sherborne TIC.

Friday 25th November-Friday

____________________________

23rd December, Monday-Saturday

Saturday 19th

9.30am-5pm

Paul Jones

Christmas Exhibition

Vida Comida, contact Iain and

Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street,

maitland_67@hotmail.com. Enjoy

work by 15 selected artists. All gallery

Wessex Strings Concert

____________________________

Cheap Street Church. Latin American

Roby Maitland on 01935 816163,

cellist Arturo Serna. Tickets are £10 at the door and include tea and cake, with free

admission for the under 18s. Supporting the Hope for Children foundation.

____________________________

01935 815261, jerramgallery.com. New

Sunday 27th, 3pm

stock can be viewed online.

conducted by Arturo Serna

him sing and explain his Christian faith.

Friday 25th, 7pm

Music Festival concert, performing

an evening with the lead singer from

Manfred Man and Radio 2 DJ. Listen to Tickets £15.00 per head, including meal.

(support act 7.30pm)

____________________________

The Jo Burt Experience

Wednesday 23rd,

Digby Hall, Hound St, joburt.co.uk. Rock/

6.45pm for 7.15pm Polish Film, The Cruise Digby Church Memorial Hall, 01935 83552 or 01935 873846. The Chojna

country-rock/acoustic music concert.

Tickets £10 from Sherborne TIC,

Vineyards or skittle.com. £15 on the door. ____________________________

works by Mozart, Albinoni, Purcell, Parry, and Argentinian composer,

Gerardo Rodriguez. Tickets are £10 at

the door, to include tea and cakes after the concert, with free admission for

children and students. Supporting the Hope for Children foundation.

Committee (part of the Sherborne

Saturday 26th, 2pm-4.30pm Sherborne’s Industrial

Sunday 27th, 7.30pm

film, The Cruise. Tickets £7 from TIC,

Archaeology

Alec Dankworth - Spanish Accents

Douzelage) proudly presents the Polish

Box Office:

01258 475137 Old Market Hill, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 1FH

www.stur-exchange.co.uk

An Audience with Martin Kemp Friday 18th November, 7.30pm Tickets £19.50

Join us for an up-close-andpersonal evening of conversation with actor, musician, TV and radio presenter, Martin Kemp.

____________________________

Beverley Craven

Saturday 26th November, 7.30pm

Tickets £19.00 Brit-Award winner Beverley Craven is back on the road. Come along for an evening of unforgettable melodies that will leave you with a warm glow of nostalgia. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 7

WHAT'S ON Cerne Abbas Village Hall, 01300

Dankworth’s and his quintet play jazz

01935 508249, theslippedstitch.co.uk

Holwell Village Hall, samantha-jane-@

Europe’s leading jazz musicians. Tickets

Christmas craft day

provided), set-up from 9am.

____________________________

Brioche knitted cowl

Saturday 5th, 10am-4pm

Saturday 19th, 10am-12pm

Christmas Artisan Market

Improvers’ crochet: tapestry

Memorial Hall, Digby Rd, 01749

Wednesday 23rd, 6.30pm-8.30pm

Christmas crafts and gifts!

The Slipped Stitch

Monthly Table-top Sale

341332, artsreach.co.uk. Bassist Alec

1 Cheap St, Sherborne

and SwapShop

with a Spanish flavour alongside some of

Saturday 12th, 10am-1pm or 3pm

hotmail.co.uk. Sellers: £5 per table (tables

£10, children £8, family, £30.

Sunday 27th, 5pm Advent Carol Service

Sherborne Abbey, 01935 812452

____________________________ Sunday 27th, 2pm-4pm Divine Union Soundbath

Wednesday 16th, 7pm-9pm

crochet mug cosies

Improvers’ crochet: star garlands

____________________________

677049. 40+ stalls selling handmade ____________________________ Saturday 19th, 9.30am-4pm

Oborne Village Hall, Oborne, contact

Knit and Natter runs every Tuesday and

Book Fair

centreforpuresound.org. Tickets £12, book

Saturday of the month 2pm-4pm, plus

colinbakerbooks@btinternet.com. New,

Dean 01935 389655, ahiahel@live.com, in advance.

____________________________ Tuesday 29th, 7.30pm John Etheridge and Vimala Rowe Nether Compton Village Hall. 01935 413220, artsreach.co.uk. Legendary

guitarist, John and new vocal star Vimala on a musical exploration from India to Africa, the Middle East and the USA. Tickets £9, children £6, family, £25.

Thursday, 10am-12pm and on the last

Memorial Hall, Digby Road, 01803 613356,

crochet, knitting and needle-felting classes.

second-hand and antiquarian books, plus

Children’s reindeer-making competition:

magazines, prints, postcards and ephemera.

entries will be collected from Sherborne

Saturday 19th, 10am-10pm

to The Slipped Stitch, prize £25, winner

Church Studio, Haydon, denmangould.com.

Queries to info@theslippedstitch.co.uk.

stationery, print, art, mulled wine and

schools on 25th Nov or can be delivered

Denman and Gould Winter Fair

announced on Festive Shopping Day.

Homeware, furniture, art, ceramics,

____________________________

live music.

____________________________

Fairs and Markets

Saturday 19th, 11am-3pm

Wednesday 30th, 6.30pm-7.30pm

____________________________

Leigh Christmas Fair

Weldmar Light Up A Life

Pannier Market

Carol Concert

Every Thursday and

Leigh Village Hall, DT9 6HL, 01963

Castle Gardens. A short carol concert

Saturday on the Parade

people a chance to remember the lives of

Country Market

____________________________

Church Hall, Digby Road

with the Sherborne Town Band, giving

____________________________

those who have passed.

Thursday mornings 9.15am-11.15am

Workshops and classes

____________________________ Farmers’ Market

210154, duncancmoore@aol.com,

leighxmasfair.co.uk. Crafty stallholders,

tombola and raffle, treasure hunt, name

the bear, guess the number of sweets in a

jar. Bacon butties, Christmas cake, mince pies, mulled wine, tea and coffee. Live music. Entry £2 with under 15s free.

____________________________

Every third Friday in

Saturday 26th, 8.30am-3.30pm

each month 9am-1pm

Vintage Market

Cheap Street

Memorial Hall, Digby Road, 07809

Fused Glass with Kate Osman

Saturday Antiques & Flea Market

____________________________

Kate Osman’s Studio, Stalbridge,

Every fourth Saturday every month

Saturday 26th, 10am-3pm

01935 815899, sherborneartslink.org.uk.

(exc. April and December), 9am-4pm

Thornford Christmas Fair,

Artslink class.

run by Thornford Pre-School

____________________________

Church Hall, Digby Road

____________________________

____________________________ Wednesday 2nd

8 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

____________________________

387594. 30+ sellers of quality vintage items.

Thornford Village Hall,

NOVEMBER 2016 Pound Road, Thornford

Ottery Lane. Call Jimmy on 07887 800803,

1st IV, Toolstation Western

Sunday 27th, 11am-3pm

£2 per session, first four sessions free.

Raleigh Grove, Terrace Playing Fields,

____________________________ St Mary’s Primary, Bradford Abbas PTA Christmas Fair

sherbornetouch.org. Novices very welcome.

League Premier Division

____________________________

sherbornetownfc.com

At the school and village hall,

Sherborne RFC

____________________________ Wednesday 2nd

stmarysptabradfordabbas@outlook.com.

____________________________

Cadbury Heath v

Santa and his elf, school choir, raffle and

1st IV, Southern

Sherborne Town (A)

Christmas cake auction, delicious tea and

Counties South Division

____________________________

cake or a cheeky winter cocktail from

Saturday 5th

our licensed bar! Local food producers,

Gainsborough Park, The Terrace Playing

Sherborne Town v

art-and-craft and jewellery stalls, festive-

Fields, pitchero.com/clubs/sherbornerfc

____________________________

Hallen (H)

Friday 18th, 8pm

____________________________

Sherborne v Blandford (H)

Saturday 12th

____________________________

Odd Down v

Saturday 26th, 2.30pm

Sherborne Town (A)

____________________________

Coombe Down v Sherborne (A)

____________________________

Every Tuesday and Thursday,

____________________________

Saturday 26th

themed activities to keep the kids amused. ____________________________

Sport 7.30pm-8.30pm Mixed Touch Rugby

Sherborne Town FC

Sherborne School Floodlit Astroturf,

____________________________

Sherborne Town v Shepton Mallet (H) ____________________________

DAYS OUT & HOLIDAYS with TAYLORS COACH TRAVEL Days Out

Holidays

____________________________

____________________________

Autumn Mystery & Lunch

Newquay Tinsel & Turkey

Sunday 30th October

12th - 16th December

£33.50, Club £31.50

5 Days £335

____________________________

____________________________

Birmingham Bullring Saturday 19th November £21, Club £19

____________________________ Winchester Christmas Market Sunday 18th December £20, Club £18

____________________________

2017 Day Trips and Excursions brochure available soon.

01935 423177 | www.taylorscoachtravel.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 9

RICHARD PIKESLEY 22nd October – 9th November

WATCHING THE SEA

THE JERRAM GALLERY Half Moon Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LN

10 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

OIL

www.jerramgallery.com

01935 815261 info@jerramgallery.com Monday - Saturday

Move Faster.

Sell with Knight Frank.

Our understanding of the ever-changing market enables us to price your property accurately, so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving.

15 Cheap Street Sherborne Dorset DT9 3PU 01935 590030 @KFSherborne sherborne@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk/Sherborne

UNEARTHED FREDDY GODDARD, AGE 9 Thornford Primary School and Yeovil Town Football Club Academy

Y

oung Freddy Goddard started playing football with local grass roots team, East Coker Cockerels under 7s. Initially an outfield player, Freddy was drawn to the role of goalkeeper. Clearly at home between the posts, it was here that he began to attract attention with a string of man-of-the-match displays.

Freddy attended a trial for Yeovil Town Football Club Academy where a good performance saw him invited back for an extended six-week trial. This resulted in him being offered a contract and he has since played games against the academy teams of Swindon, Plymouth Argyle, Bristol Rovers and Exeter City.

Freddy trains twice a week with matches on Sunday. He receives specialist goalkeeper training whilst continuing to develop vital outfield skills. Freddy is also given theory work to complete at home. With his progress continually monitored and his contract extension decided on an end-of-season review, Freddy is aware of just how lucky he is to have gotten this far. As a Yeovil Town supporter this is already a dream come true.

When he’s not playing or training, Freddy likes to support his friends at East Coker Cockerels. Outside of football Freddy is your typical nine-year-old boy. He loves music, playing the drums, spending time with his friends and enjoys learning about history and science.

If Freddy does well in his review and is fortunate enough to be retained to U16 level, he will have the possibility of being offered a scholarship. Beyond that, a lucky few go on to apprenticeships and then the possibility of becoming a professional.

Despite the acrobatics and accolades, Freddy’s feet appear to be firmly on the ground. We asked him what he would like to be when he grows up: “An architect,” he replied. ytfc.net

KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY Portrait, lifestyle, PR and editorial commissions 07808 400083 info@katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk www.katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk

12 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER IT'S A GIFT! YOUR £10 VOUCHER When you spend £50 or more on products at the Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre during November, use the voucher below to receive your exclusive £10 discount.

Choose from essential products for everyday beauty, alongside brilliant Christmas gift ideas for women and men.

Visit www.margaretbalfour.co.uk for our opening hours or call 01935 816177.

Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre Swan Yard, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3AX

£10 VOUCHER T&Cs: One voucher per customer, redeemable when you spend £50 or more on products. Present this voucher when you shop until 30th November 2016. Not valid when buying or redeeming gift vouchers.

Excludes beauty treatments & therapies. No cash alternative. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 13

SHERBORNE FESTIVE SHOPPING DAY

C

hristmas lights are beginning to twinkle, carol singers abound and locals and tourists alike are readying themselves to make merry – Sherborne Festive Shopping Day, along with Santa Claus, is coming to town!

Sherborne will once again light up for Christmas with a free-entry ‘Love a Local Christmas’ shopping day on Sunday 4th December, from 10am-4pm.

Organised by volunteers from Sherborne Chamber of Trade, supported by Sherborne Town Council, Battens Charitable Trust, Adanac Financial Services, Abbey 104 FM and both of the town’s Rotary Clubs, the event offers a great family day out, while raising awareness for many local charities.

Sherborne’s Festive Shopping Day is always well supported as the town puts on a whole host of different musical, fun and entertaining activities. The main shopping area of Cheap Street is closed to traffic, allowing street performers, choirs, bands, orchestras, carollers and dancers to entertain, with Abbey 104 FM holding centre stage on The Conduit.

This year Digby Road will also be closed to traffic to allow the festivities to take place in a wider area than ever before.

The Abbey welcomes visitors to join in its joyful shoppers’ carol services, held throughout the afternoon, and to wonder at its magnificent ceiling-high Christmas tree and traditional crib scene. Cheap Street Church stages its ever-popular Christmas Tree Festival too, featuring dozens of twinkling trees, all delightfully and individually decorated.

Dorset Farmers’ Market will be offering delicious local food and drink all day, while more pop-up shops

14 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

and stalls than ever seen at this event before will offer gifts galore. Each year, the shops put on their most creative Christmas displays throughout the town and the coffee shops and restaurants are full to bursting with sumptuous festive treats.

Father Christmas will be taking up residence in his grotto outside the Post Office and every little visitor he sees will receive a gift from him (in return for a small entry fee of £2). A shop window competition, organised

by The Slipped Stitch, will keep little ones busy as the grown-ups enjoy the atmosphere in town (and perhaps treat themselves to a mulled wine or two!).

Visitors will of course be able to browse Sherborne’s wonderful shops, all offering great ideas for Christmas gifts, treats, pampering and entertaining, as well as countless places to enjoy something to eat or drink in the many coffee shops, restaurants and pubs the town has to offer.

Castle Gardens’ award-winning Christmas display will be open until 6pm that day. Visitors can also stretch their legs with a stroll around historic Sherborne, learning more about its ancient past with Blue Badge Guide Cindy Chant. The walk starts at 2pm outside the Tourist Information Centre in Digby Road and costs just £5. There is no need to book – just turn up!

As always, the highlight of the event will be the festive parade along Cheap Street, which everyone is invited to join, culminating in the illumination of the Conduit Christmas tree. The day ends just in time for visitors to join Sherborne Abbey’s annual family-friendly Christingle service at 5pm, which is always a wonderful occasion.

Keep up to date with the latest Festive Shopping Day news on Facebook and Twitter @shopinsherborne

10am-4pm

SHERBORNE FESTIVE SHOPPING DAY

Sunday, 4th December

Supported by

Organisers @ShopinSherborne @ShopinSherborne

The it du Con

ABBEY CHURCH SERVICES

MUSIC, BANDS & CHOIRS

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL

STREET ENTERTAINMENT

CHILDREN’S COMPETITION

FESTIVE SHOPS & STALLS

SANTA’S GROTTO

DORSET FARMERS’ MARKET

POP UP SHOPS

PLACES TO EAT & DRINK

PARADE & LIGHTING THE TREE

4p

m

PLEASE NOTE: NO VEHICLE ACCESS TO CHEAP STREET OR DIGBY ROAD ON 4TH DEC UNTIL 6PM ORGANISED BY SHERBORNE CHAMBER OF TRADE & COMMERCE, SUPPORTED BY SHERBORNE TOWN COUNCIL WWW.SHERBORNECHAMBER.CO.UK

Silver bracelet, £25 (Hiho)

Acrylic necklace, £38, Go Coco Loco (The Yard, a newly opened pop-up above Vida Comida)

Gold earrings, £185, Sophie Harley (The Circus)

SHINE ON

Jenny Dickinson, Dear to Me Studio deartomestudio.com November nights may be dark and long but, with this beautiful handmade jewellery from local designers and boutiques, we’ve every opportunity to sparkle.

16 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Rose-gold ring, £80, Matthew Calvin (Caro Somerset, Bruton)

Gold-plated and glass pendant, £98; and goldplated beads and glass bird, £48, both Charlie Dodge (The Circus)

Porcelain necklace, £45, elisabethbarry.com

Inlaid necklace, £35, Denman & Gould denmangould.com

Silver brooch, £35 (Hiho) www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 17

Wild Dorset

THE VIOLENCE OF NATURE Sally Welbourn, Dorset Wildlife Trust

18 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

T

he deer rut is one of the most powerful and shocking displays nature has to offer. Deer have a reputation for being shy and retiring, but their character changes drastically when the rutting season begins in autumn.

The rutting season is a time for male deer to demonstrate their power and dominance, in order to decide which individuals get to mate with the does.

These highly charged displays of violence, noise and drama can lead to injury and death, but are an essential part of creating the next generation.

You may hear a deer rut before you see it. Males bellow and belch to intimidate their rivals and warn younger males to stay away, inciting what might be described as more of a bar brawl than a fight. The situation inevitably escalates however, with the posturing giving way to pushing, shoving and the eventual brutal locking of antlers. The hormone surge through their bodies is exponential at this point, but the rut is also exhausting for the males; only the fittest will survive.

The best time to see deer rutting is at dawn and dusk during autumn. Often deer are so distracted and preoccupied with rutting, it will allow you to get closer than usual to witness their behaviour and take photos.

However, be warned: for your own safety it is not advisable to get too close to them and be sure to keep control of dogs – if deer are disturbed during a rut, this could affect the future paternity of an entire herd.

DEER RUT FACTS: • Hormone levels are the trigger for the stags’ assertive behaviour. The levels of hormones go from ‘flat’ to ‘surge,’ bringing on the enormous bone growth of the antlers.

• The red stag has about the same calcium metabolic turnover as a dairy cow, but she is producing milk and he is producing bone for his antlers.

• The timing of the rut is prompted by environmental factors such as a cold snap. Red deer in Scotland could be rutting weeks before deer in the warmer South West.

• There are six species of deer in Britain. Of these, the larger species (roe, red, fallow and sika) can be found in Dorset and on many Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserves.

• There is a population of sika deer on Brownsea Island, due to their talent for swimming!

dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 19

Wild Dorset

PAINTING STAGS

Richard Bramble, artist, designer and conservationist

S

pending formative years growing up in North Uist in the Outer Hebrides (when not in Sherborne) meant that, from an early age, I was fascinated by stags. These creatures were abundant on the hills and around the lochs near to our family home and, to a young boy, they seemed so powerful – both in the physical sense and also mystically, especially on misty days when glimpsed in the distance, as we explored the Highlands and islands. We do have plenty of roe deer to admire in Dorset, too, although the males are called bucks rather than stags.

That fascination has stayed with me throughout my life and I now derive huge satisfaction in sharing these iconic animals through my paintings, capturing the majesty and scale of their forms and evoking a sense of their character for collectors of my work to enjoy.

Stags are synonymous with country living. Their coats vary in colour, from a silvery grey (often accentuated in the low autumn light), to a rich red-brown, which blends into the browns of the peaty heather hills – a beautiful combination of colours to paint.

I see stags grouped together throughout the year, except for the rut in the autumn – when they fight each other for the right to mate with the hinds.

Peak times of activity are at dawn and dusk – in the Highlands of Scotland, red deer use the open hills during the day and descend to lower ground during the night. Stags roar and grunt during the rut; hinds bark when alarmed and moo when searching for 20 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

their young. Calves emit a high-pitched squeal when alarmed and may bleat to their mother. They really are quite a noisy bunch! Later in the winter their antlers are shed and, when they regrow in the summer, they are described as being ‘in velvet.’ Velvet covers a growing antler, providing blood flow that supplies oxygen and nutrients, but I think it is simply a lovely description of that time during their growing season.

In order to celebrate these magnificent animals (the largest mammal in Europe), I have created two key stag paintings which have been reproduced on ceramics (with designs hand-applied before firing) and textiles made in the UK. The first is a classic stag pose of one standing, surveying his territory and harem of females. The second is a stag roaring, which they tend to do a lot of during the autumn mating season, again staking his claim to local females in the vicinity!

At this time of year when ’tis the season for antlered creatures, you will find countless home accessories featuring stags, bringing a little of the countryside indoors. It seems that, whether you own an ancient castle, cosy cottage or modern apartment, there is something about this beautiful animal that appeals to everyone, young and old. Do enjoy the season and all the wonderful animals we are fortunate to see here in Dorset and beyond. richardbramble.com

SHERBORNE DWT

D

Gillian M. Constable, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Sherborne Group Committee

orset is a premier county for reptiles. Here, one can find all six of our native reptiles and also six of our seven native amphibians – the missing species, pool frog, is a reintroduction in Norfolk. At our upcoming talk, 16th November at 7.30pm in Digby Memorial Hall, we shall hear from the senior reserves manager of The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, which is based in Bournemouth. Hence one can predict that DWT’s Great Heath project, where most of these creatures are to be found, will get a mention.

In our September talk about the Great Heath, the speaker showed us the work completed at Lytchett Bay Nature Reserve and Holes Bay Nature Park. These reserves are on Poole Harbour and look to be excellent destinations for a winter bird-watch trip. All the new signage and information boards have been completed, which should enhance a visit. Our speaker also told me that, in about five months, all the signage on Upton Heath should be complete. After a disappointing visit there in June, we shall save a second visit until the spring.

Last year I mentioned my liking for the DWT reserve at Kingcombe. Quite close to Kingcombe Meadows is another reserve, Powerstock Common, and on a beautiful autumn Sunday we had a walk there. The track along the old railway line, Bridport to Maiden Newton, is an excellent trail. It was past the best time to visit for special flowers and butterflies, but we did note six red admirals, along with numerous bees feasting on ivy flowers, our first Dorset peacock butterfly and several examples of three other butterfly species. Flowering plant recognition was more challenging – testing deadhead recognition. The fungi were just starting to appear and we found four species of wax-caps and various others. About six deer crossed the trail ahead of us and amongst them was the palest deer we have ever seen.

‘Amphibians and Reptiles’ Dorset Wildlife Trust Talk, Wednesday 16th, November, 7.30pm, Digby Memorial Hall dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 21

L E W E STO N

Consistently Overachieving

S HERBO RN E

SIXTH FORM SCHOLARSHIPS 2017 ENTRY Sixth Form scholarships are offered in all subjects at A Level plus Art/Design, Music, Drama and Sport/Equestrian NEW 100% LOCAL ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP Closing date for applications: Monday 7th November 2016

To find out more please contact us on: admissions@leweston.dorset.sch.uk LEWESTON SCHOOL . SHERBORNE www.leweston.co.uk . T: 01963 211 010

‘Gaudere Et Bene Facere Rejoice And Do Well 22 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Beautiful toys & gifts Organic baby & children’s clothing Traditional children’s shoes

Open 9-5 Monday to Saturday 41 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PU Call 01935 816111 | natasha@gingerandpickle.co.uk

www.gingerandpickle.co.uk

SURROGACY & FERTILITY LAW, A HELPING HAND. Deciding to start a family is central to many people’s lives. Whatever your circumstances expert legal advice from us will empower you to make informed decisions and give you options on your route to parenthood.

• Surrogacy • Donor Agreements & Co-parenting • Fertility Treatment Law • Adoption ANNE-MARIE HAMER SOLICITOR

T 0800 533 5349

Office: 01935 811634 Mobile: 07702 802122 Email: ahamer@md-solicitors.co.uk

ON YOUR SIDE. AT YOUR SIDE md-solicitors.co.uk

Family

31ST OCT TO 6TH NOV 2016

YOU ARE NOT ALONE FERTILITY SUPPORT NATIONAL FERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK

#HiddenFaces W W W. C A T C H I N G R A I N B O W S F E R T I L I T Y. C O . U K

NATIONAL FERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK Cathryn Franks and Lucy Coffin, Catching Rainbows fertility therapies, The Sherborne Rooms

N

ovember is an important month in the calendar for honouring the struggles that many people go through in trying to become parents, or grow their families. The week spanning 31st October to 6th November marks National Fertility Awareness Week (NFAW).

This year, the campaign run by the national charity Fertility Network UK, is called #HiddenFaces. It’s all about recognising what a difficult and stressful experience fertility challenges can be, yet how much silence and misunderstanding still surround these issues.

By highlighting the unseen, day-to-day realities that #1in6 people in the UK face when trying to conceive, 24 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

the campaign hopes to overturn some commonly held misconceptions and shine a light on the help that support can bring.

Joining forces with the campaign this year are Cath Franks and Lucy Coffin, fertility therapists from Catching Rainbows, based here in Sherborne at the Natural Health Clinic and Therapy Rooms. Catching Rainbows supports women and couples with every aspect of fertility, IVF, loss, pregnancy and adoption and, through a gentle blend of science, counselling and holistic therapies, the initative has helped over 1000 babies and families since it was founded in 2009.

Cath and Lucy explain, “When you know more

than anything that the one thing you are meant to be is a parent, it causes so much loss and heartbreak. You feel like you are trying everything, but this just isn’t happening (yet). So many couples do their best to cope with the stress on their own, because it often feels like no one quite understands what they’re going through.”

“Over the past seven years, we’ve found that it’s the little things that matter a lot. Infertility is a whole souland-body experience – not just a medical condition you are juggling on the side of ‘normal life.’ Whether it’s clinical advice and asking the right questions, or having the space to be truly heard, support can make the difference to your journey. More than anything, it can bring back a sense of control and help you to find your path through this journey’s twists and turns

– including natural fertility, IVF, adoption, surrogacy, embryo donation and all the many beautiful ways that families grow.”

To help support the awareness campaign, Cath and Lucy are offering three free mini Catching Rainbows sessions, including complimentary access to their support kits for IVF preparation and calming fertility stress. The sessions can be arranged in person at The Sherborne Rooms, or via telephone or Skype anytime during the month of November. If you are interested in the mini-session offer, or would like to support The National Fertility Awareness campaign, please contact Cath or Lucy at enquiries@catchingrainbowsfertity.co.uk catchingrainbowsfertility.co.uk

THE LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

F

Anne-Marie Hamer, Family Solicitor, Mogers Drewett

ertility and parental legal advice is now very sought after. From problems concerning IVF, adoption, changes in structure of a family household or challenging the current legal system through domestic surrogacy agreements, the queries we receive are myriad. The most important thing is that you are clear in your understanding before taking the first step, whatever process you adopt.

One of the options we are often asked about is donor sperm. This is used to help many couples and individuals become parents, regardless of their sexual orientation or relationship status. It is advisable for anyone considering using donor sperm to seek legal advice, however, as the question of whether or not the donor is known to you could cause issues. If you opt for the procedure to be carried out at home, no legal protection is offered and you could be at risk. In these cases, confusion sometimes arises as to the actual role of the donor following the birth and the question of child maintenance. A licensed clinic, on the other hand, offers more reassurance in terms of parental rights and the handling of potential pitfalls.

Alternatively, if you are considering domestic surrogacy, you need to be aware of the expectations

during the process and, in accordance with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, the legal application following birth. At present, a surrogate in the United Kingdom is the biological and legal mother until a court order transfers those rights to the intended parents.

Failure to make a parental order application may result in the surrogate mother retaining all legal rights and responsibilities given to her on the birth of the child.

While a solicitor cannot be involved in negotiations or arranging a surrogacy arrangement, having legal advice before the process starts and during the court application will ensure that all parties understand what is expected from them. Furthermore, a solicitor will be required to prepare the court application for a parental order and to guide you through the next stages of the court process.

Further clarity should be sought by parties who are not married, or are single, and/or in a gay relationship, as the law has strict interpretations on expectations of home and family life for domestic surrogacy.

For more information contact Anne-Marie on 01935 811634 or email ahamer@md-solicitors.co.uk md-solicitors.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 25

Family

CHARACTER

Daniel Fernley, deputy headmaster, Sherborne Preparatory School

‘C

haracter education’ is one of the more recent buzzwords in the educational press and the former secretary of state for education, Nicky Morgan, was quick to criticise schools for failing to develop ‘character’ through their teaching methods.

In a major knee-jerk reaction, the Department of Education chucked huge pots of money at the idea of character education – offering grants to schools for character projects and creating a burgeoning industry of companies offering special workshops, without stopping to think about what exactly we should be aiming to achieve or indeed what exactly is meant by the term. The words ‘grit,’ ‘resilience’ and ‘growth mindset’ have been bandied about, as though they were new concepts.

In reality, character formation has been a part of education for centuries. One only has to look at school mottos and school songs. ‘Non nobis solum’, not for ourselves alone, has been the motto of Sherborne Prep since is foundation in 1858 and I am sure many of you reading this will recall your own school motto without hesitation! One might argue that this recent clamour to include character education in the syllabus is, in fact, much more a political strapline than a new educational philosophy. It isn’t something that we should be bolting on to our teaching, or for which we should be developing special or expensive initiatives. Rather, it ought to be integral to each and every lesson, every exchange with a pupil and every message to the school.

Education is about so much more than learning how to apply one’s mind. It is about equipping our children to have moral courage, not only to recognise wrong from right, but to have the strength of character to act. We hope that, through our continual reinforcement of good 26 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

behaviour and good choices, we can allow our pupils to develop the right habits of mind. Whilst children are young, we know that much of the motivation needs to be external, in the form of praise or merits.

At Sherborne Prep, we reward children who demonstrate one of the qualities set out in our key values – namely kindness, generosity, perseverance, awareness, honesty and independence – with house

points. As children mature, we expect this system to bear fruit and see children and young adults making the right choices out of an embedded sense of propriety, or a strongly ingrained habit.

Our duty as teachers and as role models is to encourage each individual to think for themselves, give their own ideas, speak out and be heard. At the same time, we must help them to listen and respect the many

and varied opinions of their peers and to form their own conclusions. Character education must surely be embodied in our teaching. After all, as Martin Luther King Jr said, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.� sherborneprep.org www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 27

DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIRS

Upstairs Downstairs Interiors

Problem with your existing windows or doors? We can fix it.

• Replacement handles, locks and hinges • Misted glass units • Repairs to seals, draughts and leaks Call today for a free estimate

bespoke curtains. blinds. upholstery. loose covers. fabrics. free estimates

01935 478455 | 07517 656550

We guarantee to beat any like-for-like quote

The Old School Rooms, Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BS

W.K. WINDOWS & REPAIRS

Tel: 01935 813 831 Email: info@updowninteriors.co.uk

9 Acres Court, Stoford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9UJ

www.updowninteriors.co.uk

wkwindows@btinternet.com | www.wkwindowsltd.co.uk

THE

FABRIC BARN

Interior fabrics with fantastic savings! www.thefabricbarn.co.uk • Call: 01935 851025 28 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

BIG SALE BIG SALE BIG SALE NOW ON NOW NOW ON ON local family local family local family best best possible prices best possible prices possible prices superior quality local family superior quality generous superior quality local family generous local family discounts generous discounts best discounts best possible prices best possible prices 01305 259996 possible prices www.bathroominspirationsdorchester.com 01305 259996 superior quality 01305 259996 www.bathroominspirationsdorchester.com

Mill House | Millers Close | The Grove Trading Estate | Dorchester | DT1 1SS

Interiors

WINTER HUES

S

Kitty Oakshott, Upstairs Downstairs Interiors

TOP THE CLOCK! Or rather… put the clocks great excuse to light more candles and is a different back. It’s that time of year again when the days are way of bringing different colours into the room. Since shorter than the nights. Now is the perfect time to we can’t always be lighting candles, however, you might step back inside, snuggle up on your favourite sofa and want to consider adding some extra lamps to your prepare for a night in. This is why I love this time of the favourite places. Lamps are incredibly versatile, as you year so much. can always have the lamp shades covered in a fabric to This is a brilliant opportunity to have a look at how match the rest of the room or in a colour that embraces you can make your home as cosy as possible – and the mood of deep winter. Don’t forget artwork, which hopefully save on fuel bills in the ought to be appreciated all year process. Thick, lined curtains are a round. Once again, a well-placed great way to keep the cold out and lamp here and there adds not only the heat in. You don’t even have to to the wonderful atmosphere of the buy new ones as you can have your home but also sheds light on those existing curtains lined with thermal prized possessions. Strategically backing. There is also no such thing placed mirrors can also work as too many rugs. Overlapping of wonders at bouncing and reflecting rugs is more than acceptable – in light around the room and giving fact, it is positively encouraged. the perception of greater spaces.

Whilst an extra rug or two can To tie the whole room into your be very aesthetically pleasing, it seasonal colour scheme, you can also adds to the plushness of the add throws onto the sofa or add furnishings and helps keep you a colourful ceramic vase on the toasty and warm. table with artificial flowers. A loose Credit: Linwood Fabric Company Keeping warm in bed is just as cover for your pouf or ottoman is important, so add extra blankets to a great winter adaption. For true your bed to match your colour scheme. During the day, luxury and decadence, how about an ethically sourced these can be folded at the bottom of the bed. Plaids and Icelandic sheepskin – they repel dirt naturally and are tartans are very on trend at the moment. unbelievably sumptuous.

If, like me, you enjoy a good soak in the evening after Lastly, what can be more important than a good a long day, then I recommend placing extra layers on the place to read? I place my favourite reading chair as bathroom floor. This way you know that, when you step close to natural daylight as possible, so that I have the out of the bath, it’s onto a luxuriously warm rug. With a opportunity to soak up the rays through the window blanket here and a rug there, you can easily incorporate even on days when it’s a bit grey. When the nights some fantastic seasonal colours into various rooms draw in, I pull the curtains, wrap up in a blanket without changing the whole aspect. I like dark and rich and continue reading. Such bliss. I hope you all keep winter blues, such as midnight, ink and indigo. wonderfully warm.

Lighting can make such a difference to a room, especially during grey days. Mid-afternoon dusk is a updowninteriors.co.uk

30 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Antiques

THE TEA SET

W

Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

e are a great nation of tea drinkers, travelled the length and breadth of the country – or although it is amusing to learn that tea further afield – and having suffered the odd casualty. was first recorded in Britain as being In Bromell Towers, we have our favourite mugs. Sorry taken in a coffee house in 1658. to disappoint you all, but we don’t use cups and saucers Tea, which many consider to be a quintessentially as it is two items to put though the dishwasher. At work, English drink, was enjoyed in Asia for thousands of years too, we have our personal mugs – and woe betide if I find before its arrival in England in the mid-17th century. anyone using my JPS Lotus Racing mug; that is, the black According to legend – and don’t we all love a legend? mug with almost indistinguishable gold JPS lettering – the story of tea started in 2737 and a large chip on the side.

BC. The Chinese emperor, Shen However, it was a pottery Nung, was sitting beneath a tree cup and saucer that caught my while his servant boiled drinking eye recently on a coins, medals water, when some leaves from the and stamps valuation day at our tree blew into the water. Shen salerooms.

Nung, a renowned herbalist, The owner brought in some decided to try the infusion his medals from both the First and servant had accidentally created The James Snowden Miller bronze Second World Wars, awarded to memorial plaque – and his whopping cup and the resulting brew is what the Snowden Miller family. In we now refer to as tea. the box, there was a First World Moving forward some 4,399 years, the marriage of War bronze memorial plaque, also known as a Dead Catherine of Braganza to Charles II proved to be a Man’s Penny. Some 1,355,000 of these bronze plaques turning point for tea in England. Catherine was not only were issued, along with a parchment scroll, and sadly we a Portuguese princess, but also a tea addict. It was her see them all too often at auction – but it was the cup and love of tea that made the beverage fashionable at court saucer that I noticed. It caught my eye not only because and then amongst the wealthy classes as a whole. of its size – the cup is 11 cm high and holds about a pint As usual, anything that was imported and popular of liquid – but also the inscription which, unlike my JPS was quickly taxed. The first tax, in 1689, of 25p in the Lotus mug, is still legible. pound nearly killed trade off immediately and it was Inscribed, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” in gold unsurprising that the smuggling of tea became poplar – lettering, it made me think of Private James Snowden very Poldark, albeit 100 years before he strutted topless Miller, who served with the Northumberland Fusiliers around the Cornish coastline. and whose name is on the bronze memorial plaque and So what has this got to do with an auctioneer of parchment scroll. He probably owned the cup and saucer antiques I hear you cry? and drank a pint or two of tea from it before he was Well, over the years, all sorts of inventions have been killed in action on 2nd September 1915. designed and made to produce a cup of tea. Generally So, if you like military history and have a penchant in ceramic (porcelain, pottery or earthenware) or metal for tea, this lot in our December 18th auction will be (silver or silver-plated), we come across kettles, teapots, just for you! milk jugs, slop bowls, cups, saucers and mugs every day.

Some will be full sets, some will be part sets, having charterhouse-auction.com

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 31

Paul Nash – ‘Totes Meer (Dead Sea),’ 1940, Tate

PAUL NASH

Julian Halsby MA (Cantab) FRSA RBA

I

t is wonderful that Tate Britain is devoting an exhibition to the work of Paul Nash, 1889-1946.

Nash is one of Britain’s leading 20th-century artists, a man whose style changed and developed – reflecting the huge developments which took place in art during his lifetime. Yet, despite his success, he is not well known amongst the general public. Born in London but brought up in Buckinghamshire, Nash entered the Slade School of Fine Art in 1910, where his fellow students included Stanley Spencer, Mark Gertler, Edward Wadsworth, William Roberts, Ben Nicholson and Christopher R. W. Nevinson, a galaxy of talents who were all to become significant painters.

Nash’s early landscapes were deeply influenced by William Blake and Samuel Palmer; they can possibly be considered part of the symbolist movement. The visionary aspects of Blake and Palmer appealed to 32 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Nash, who developed a love and deep understanding of the timeless English landscape. The West Country landscape, with its iron-age hill forts, megaliths, coastal scenes and ancient trees formed part of his visual vocabulary and, by 1914, he was beginning to make a name for himself as a painter of visionary landscapes.

On the outbreak of war, Nash enlisted for home duties but, with casualties rising, he was sent to the Western Front in February 1917 as a Second Lieutenant.

Being posted to a quiet sector, he was able to continue drawing and, when he was invalided back to London in May 1917, he began to work his drawings up into more ambitious compositions. As the result of an exhibition of some 20 of these watercolours, Nash was appointed an official war artist and sent back to the Front – but this time to an area of vicious fighting. He was shocked and angered by the carnage he witnessed around Ypres

and he returned to London with over 50 powerful Nash also worked with collage and assemblage, drawings. These he developed into oils, a technique making extensive use of photography – a technique in which he had hitherto avoided, expressing his anger and which he was a master. Between 1934 and 1936 Nash disillusionment. Works such as ‘We are Making a New lived in Swanage while he worked on the Shell Guide World’ (1918) and ‘The Menin Road’ (1919) reveal his to Dorset, which had been commissioned by John depressed state of mind. Nash’s World War I paintings Betjeman. He produced some remarkable surrealist are amongst the most impressive, evocative and moving landscapes here, such as ‘Event on the Downs,’ as well as of all the official war artists’ work. many superb photographs – some of which appeared in As with so many other soldiers, the war inflicted the Shell Guide. He was also interested in objets trouvés psychological damage on Paul Nash, from which he and exhibited a piece of wood he had found in a stream never really recovered. In 1919, Nash and his wife under the title ‘Marsh Personage.’ moved to Dymchurch, During the Second where he produced World War, Nash a series of highly resumed his role as original and modernist a war artist, again landscapes. They producing some of subsequently moved to the most memorable Iden, near Rye, where images of the conflict. the Romney Marsh He concentrated on the became a feature in his air war, often depicting landscapes. During the crashed Luftwaffe 1930s, Nash became planes. ‘Totes Meer a leading figure in the (Dead Sea)’ was painted modernist movement, in 1941, showing the establishing Unit One, remains of German a group of progressive Paul Nash – ‘Equivalent for the Megaliths,’ 1935, Tate aircraft that he saw at painters, sculptors and the metal and recovery architects who included Henry Moore and Barbara unit at Cowley. It is a remarkable statement to the Hepworth. He became fascinated by surrealism and took futility and waste of war. In ‘Battle of Britain,’ Nash part in the 1936 International Surrealist exhibition. His paints the extraordinary and weirdly beautiful patterns inter-war landscapes are a complex combination of his created by the vapour trails and exhausts of fighters own mystical approach to the ancient British landscape involved in a dog fight over the English landscape. and the influence of modernism and surrealism. Central For many years Nash had been suffering from ill to Nash’s work was the idea of a life force in inanimate health, dogged by asthma and heart problems. During objects, ranging from traces of human impact on the the final years of the war, he returned to painting landscape such as monoliths, abandoned architecture, mystical English landscapes, influenced again by old paths and hill forts to trees, stones and found natural Samuel Palmer and William Blake. He died aged objects. It is difficult to think of another artist of this 57, leaving behind a huge amount of work including period who so brilliantly captured the essence of the oils, watercolours, prints, photographs, collages, book southern-English landscape and coastal views. He illustrations, fabrics, posters and even stage designs. combines elements which are familiar – such as trees, He is a very significant artist because he combined clouds and hills – with imaginative, surrealist elements, European modernism with the English mystical and creating both the usual and recognisable and, at the same figurative tradition. This really is an exhibition which time, the imagined, in one picture. This was his concept should not be missed. of ‘unseen landscapes,’ which linked the new and the old. ‘Landscape of the Megaliths’ (1934) was inspired Paul Nash, Tate Britain Exhibition, by a visit to Avebury and Silbury Hill and shows Nash’s 26th October 2016-5th March 2017 ability to link what we know with what we imagine, while preserving a real sense of an ancient landscape. tate.org.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 33

The Joinery Works, Alweston Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5HS Tel: 01963 23219 Fax: 01963 23053 Email: info@fcuffandsons.co.uk

www.fcuffandsons.co.uk

DESIGNERS AND MAKERS OF BEAUTIFUL FINE BESPOKE JOINERY SINCE 1897

ACTORY • RF

BLISH

ED

MANUFAC

better!

E S TA

D

We just make things

SIGNED AN DE

RED IN OU TU

Quality Windows, Doors and Conservatories West Country Windows has established itself for nearly 40 years as a trusted name in window, door and conservatory manufacture and installation in the South West. We are proud of our excellent reputation and unlike most of our competitors, we manufacture in-house at our Yeovil factory.

We are able to offer a 15 year guarantee and all products meet the highest industry standards.

West Country Windows - 36 Goldcroft Yeovil, Somerset, BA21 4DH

www.westcountrywindows.com

T: 0800 378 371

Gardening

IN THE GARDEN with Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

I

have been speaking to garden clubs for a while about protecting their gardens against the possible effects of the changing climate. Due to the weather patterns over the past few years, the title of the talk was initially ‘Gardening in Drought’ – but after two years of rain it was clear that the emphasis had to change!

Something else that has changed over the years is the attitude of the audience towards climate change. My two extremes were one from a club near Bournemouth, none of whom believed that the climate was altering. This was a little irksome, as the event was a Friday evening and just as I left home I had a call from friends inviting me to the pub for a drink! I pointed this out to the club and we all had a chuckle that they had invited me to speak

36 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

on a subject about which they had no interest.

The other extreme was in Somerton, when the whole audience put their hand up when asked the question, “Do you believe that the climate is changing?” They perhaps had some cause, as many of them were under water at the time when the Somerset Levels flooded.

It’s interesting to note that the average audience now has a majority who believe that changes are happening, but there is a definite split over whether it’s believed to be a natural occurrence or something influenced by human actions. It is extremely rare to have a climate change denier in the audience and, as yet, Donald Trump hasn’t attended one of my talks…

So while the weather isn’t climate, we are experiencing

some oddities – the most notable being the severity of rainfall when it does happen and, secondly, the wind.

The effect of a severe rainstorm on the soil can be significant because the surface is physically damaged by the battering it takes from the rain. This can cause capping where the soil structure at the surface is destroyed and an impervious layer is created, meaning that subsequently the rain just rolls off. What’s more, the top layer of soil can also get washed away, taking with it the best material from the garden.

This problem can be alleviated by a layer of mulch, such as composted bark, which will soften the blows from the raindrops, allowing the moisture to seep gently into the soil. The improvements to soil structure after mulching are many – one benefit being that it can help reduce compaction of the soil, creating a protective spongy layer and reducing the impact of us walking on the soil. Mulching encourages microorganisms and small animals such as worms, which will proliferate whilst they break the material down and drag it into the soil below.

The spaces that they create as they work allows for air to move around, further enhancing soil quality and fertility, which will in turn help plants to flourish.

The other issue at play following severe cloudbursts is as a result of the huge surface area (particularly in the UK) that is paved over. Water in the past would have gently soaked into the soil, taking hours or even days to make its way into a drain, whereas now it gets to the rivers in minutes. This means that any place along the system where there is a pinch point will become inundated and under pressure.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is concerned with the number of front gardens that have been paved over, contributing to the problem. They claim that over 3 million gardens have been paved in the last 10 years.

Their campaign, ‘Greening Grey Britain,’ has some excellent ideas for keeping plants in the space whilst still allowing for car parking.

Just the provision of a few planted pots is a starting point and will make a concrete, tarmac or brick-paved space look better, whilst in its own small way helping to reduce flooding and improve the environment. As a result, whether you believe that the climate is changing or not, the world can be a better place. thegardeneronline.co.uk

Light up a Life 2016 A Service to remember loved ones

Join us at one of our Light up a Life Services and sponsor a light on this special tree.

Loved ones names are also entered into our Christmas 2016 Book of Remembrance.

To light up a life please call 01305 261800 or visit www.weld-hospice.org.uk/lightupalife

Everyone welcome Castle Gardens, Sherborne Lighting up Service Wednesday 30th November at 6.30pm Orchard Park, Gillingham Lighting up Service Thursday 1st December at 6.30pm

Weldmar Hospicecare Tel: 01305 261800 | www.weld-hospice.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1000414

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 37

The Swimming Pool Specialists • Construction • Renovations • Servicing • Chemicals/Equipment 25 years experience in pool industry

07989 525558 www.aquakingpools.co.uk

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

38 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

WINDOWS

&

DOORS

Residence 9 is a premium flush sash timber-effect window system of traditional design with modern features and benefits. Manufactured at our factory in Sherborne, its authentic appearance makes it suitable for use in Conservation Areas and appealing to any homeowner wanting a top-end luxury window brand.

For more information visit our website or come down to the showroom.

Unit 1a > South Western Business Pk > Sherborne > Dorset > DT9 3PS billbutterswindows.co.uk 01935 816 168

SHERBORNE CIDER Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

It’s an early autumn morning. Mist hugs the land; a wet, heavy blanket soon to be burned off by the warm glow stretching up and out over the trees. A season of two halves; we are on the side of crystal blue skies, a low slung sun and crisp clean air.

Soon all will be mud, grey, stark and dark as we pull closer around the open fire. But, for now, it is glorious.

O

ver a cattle grid we go, along a narrow drive with grassy banks and past a horse, grazing lazily. It isn’t long before we see the orchards of Sherborne Cider, in Longburton. Simon and Victoria Baxter have managed this orchard for the last 12 years and, today, up early with Pippin the spaniel at their side, they are ready to begin their cider harvest.>

40 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41

42 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Wandering through the orchard, you can’t help but admire each tree, bejewelled with bountiful red apples.

Orchards do not occur naturally, but are cultivated – demonstrating that, just occasionally, man and nature can get along to create something more beautiful and fruitful together than either could alone. But such organic architecture is a labour of love; one requiring both patience and faith in order to reap the rewards.

“We are at the mercy of nature here,” says Simon.

“Some years we have a bumper crop, then others are a disaster. We had two bad years on the trot some time ago.” To my eyes, this year’s harvest looks like a bumper crop. Simon is busying himself with ‘the tree-shaker,’ a curious piece of machinery that clasps the trunk and rocks it back and forth to release the fruit. Despite the apparent violence of the procedure, the tree looks positively relieved to be released from its burden. As apples rain madly to the ground on all sides, its branches spring back into position with a new lease of life.

Thankfully cider doesn’t require a pristine apple, so the process won’t destroy the quality of the end product – in fact, some would say it enhances it.

Gone are the days when this process would have been done manually. Armed with sticks, it would have taken a

few men many days to pick the Baxters’ 70 acres of apple trees clean – and this is a comparatively small orchard in commercial terms. But, while the machinery is welcome, this is still very much a hands-on family affair. “Martin Coombs has been with us for 25 years,” explains Simon.

“He worked with my father, who planted the orchard in 1978. Then our children, Henrietta and Walter, who are both in their early twenties, lend a hand when they can.”

Simon and Victoria took over the business in 2004 and his mother, Caroline, still lives nearby. “She has done pretty much everything – except pruning. She isn’t hard enough with the trees,” he laughs, “So we don’t let her do that.”

The business is largely commercial, supplying apples to the cider mill at Shepton Mallet. However, they also produce an award-winning artisan cider, which is sold locally. “We like to pick when the apples are as fit, ripe and as blemish-free as possible,” Simon explains.

They use a mix of varieties but likely candidates are the Yarlington Mills, Dabinett and Harry Masters. Before picking commences, there is the iodine test: an apple is cut and coated with iodine to check for the starch and sugar balance. Too much starch and the apple remains black; it is only when the sugar levels are high that the flesh turns a curious bronze under the iodine. > www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43

"They currently produce 6,000 litres of artisan cider a year and, with an eye firmly on its quality and heritage, they are not looking to make more."

When the sugars are up it is time to pick and, as soon as the apples are off the trees and collected, they are run through the water bath where the baddies are pulled out.

Next, it is on to the mill. If you were making wine, all you would need is a press – but apples are hard and need to be broken up first. Once, it would have been a big stone mill, pulled by a horse – but, today, a frightening wheel of spinning blades does the job.

Pressing the milled pulp for their house cider is Victoria’s job. She usually ropes in a friend and the two of them work tirelessly to make ‘cheeses,’ where the pulp is bound in layers of heavy cloth that holds the solids tight, while allowing the juice to escape.

This is how cider has been made for centuries and the work is intense; their aim is to make 2,000 litres a day.

“We barely stop for a cup of tea,” smiles Victoria.

Clearly Simon is no stranger to hard work, either.

“Orcharding involves being out in all weathers,” he tells me. “We are on clay here and have a thin topsoil compared to, say, Herefordshire. The clay soil doesn’t drain out until spring, so even in the rain we need to keep going.” There are other problems, too. Apple trees are susceptible to fungal diseases such as scab, which have to be treated. It is for this reason that the farm is not organic. However, obviously concerned about the negative effects of pesticides, the Baxters keep bees.

“The bees act as pollinators so, if we do spray, we do it very early before they are up. There are barely any organic cider producers because, as a commercial grower, you are paid by tonnage,” he adds. “It’s about quantity and quality – we have to manage a consistent product.” > 44 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45

46 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

At a time when some ciders are still produced using a concentrate that is imported from a mix of sources abroad, it is hard for a small local apple grower to stay afloat. In the last century, Britain has lost two thirds of its orchards. When purchasing fruit in a supermarket, you are likely to be confined to only one or two varieties and shoppers are said to be led more by what they look like than how they taste. For growers like Simon, consistency of size and a shiny allure is not everything.

The potential variety of flavours is what makes the apple so exciting and, slowly but surely, more and more people are becoming apple gourmets.

“We have recently tested growing dessert apples,” explains Simon, his long stride causing me to gallop alongside him into the new orchard. The trees are only a few years old, but they are already bearing an incredible mix of fruit. Among them is the Egremont Russet, Blenheim Orange and Tom Putt, thought to have been first grown by a vicar of Trent. “I fed them seaweed and orange-juice extract as fertiliser,” Simon confides. He quickly picks and tastes one of each, taking a bite and discarding the rest. Some are sweeter than others and a few, like the Egremont with its heavy skin like sandpaper, have a fresh and nutty flavour that goes perfectly with cheese.

It would be so exciting to be able to come and select from this extraordinary range of heavenly dessert apples but, for the moment, the Baxters have their hands full. They currently produce 6,000 litres of artisan cider a year and, with an eye firmly on its quality and heritage, they are not looking to make more. In January, they will hold their annual wassail, to which all are welcome. This ancient custom of blessing the trees to ensure a successful harvest – assisted by John Waltham and the Wessex Morris Men – also provides ample opportunity to sample the cider. For now, the juice itself is quietly fermenting. After the first tasting, the base ciders from each variety of apple will be blended. “We have spent four years perfecting the recipe. We mix bittersweet apples with sharps to get the right balance,” explains Simon. It’s a long process and one that relies as much on the man as it does on the apple. Hard work or not, it is easy to see how passionate Simon and Victoria are about their orchards. “When you wake up and see the sun rising through the trees,” he says dreamily, “it beats anywhere else in the world.” sherbornecider.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 47

From our table to yours Delicious, frozen meals, made in Sherborne using only the very best local ingredients

N ava i ow Goos lable at e Farm Slade shop

FREE DELIVERY*

Order by phone on 01963 548181 or email info@olives-kitchen.co.uk

View our range of dishes and local stockists online at www.olives-kitchen.co.uk *Free local delivery available within 10 miles of Sherborne. Nationwide courier service available. Minimum order value £35. Please see our website for full details.

H ELYAR ARMS THE

Menu C hris tmas gs and bo okin ble! now availa

Patrick and Claire offer a warm welcome to the Helyar Arms Winter menu, roaring log fire and a superb festive atmosphere awaits you.

Come and see us or visit our website

East Coker • Somerset • BA22 9JR

T: 01935 862332

www.thehelyararms.com 48 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

AN EVENING WITH

FRANK BRUNO SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26TH 2016 Dinner & Speaker Event, 2 Course Dinner 7.30pm for 8pm sit down

(Platinum/Gold reception from 7pm)

BRONZE TICKET £50pp Dinner and entertainment

SILVER TICKET £400

Table of 10 for dinner and entertainment. (discounted by £10pp from individual ticket)

GOLD TICKET £60pp

Includes meet and greet reception, dinner and entertainment MAX 50 TICKETS

PLATINUM TICKET £95pp

Includes meet and greet reception with Frank Bruno and dinner at his table MAX 8 TICKETS

Don’t forget to ask about our accommodation offer

George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430

www.gahotel.co.uk

COFFEE BREAK Kafe Fontana 82 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3BJ 01935 812180 kafefontana @kafefontana kafefontana.co.uk

Oliver’s Coffee House 19 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3PU 01935 815005 Olivers-Coffee-House @OliversSherbs oliverscoffeehouse.co.uk

Old School Gallery Boyle’s Old School, High Street, Yetminster, DT9 6LF 01935 872761 yetminstergallery.co.uk

The Pear Tree 4 Half Moon Street, Sherborne, DT9 3LN 01935 812828 @peartreedeli peartreedeli.co.uk

The Three Wishes 78 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3BJ 01935 817777 thethreewishes.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49

Food & Drink

ERSATZ! “… Made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else” Image credit: Giles Dick-Read

Giles Dick-Read, Reads Coffee Roasters

50 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

J

ust hearing the word ‘ersatz’ takes me straight back However, in my mind, the real wartime ersatz to commando mags and exciting escape stories can be made from one thing and one thing only… from the Second World War. Even Major-General acorns. Simply impossible to buy commercially, the Roy Urquhart wrote about coffee substitutes when only option was to make it myself. A quick hunt on recalling his experiences at the extraordinarily arduous the web for a suitable recipe took me to a website Battle of Arnhem. “Bitter, foul-tasting stuff,” he said, entitled, Wolf & Iron, purporting ‘Articles of Manly “that we drank only so as not to offend those who came Importance.’ What a relief, for the last thing I needed out to offer it.” at this stage was Jilly Goolden. Within hours – and Whilst it’s been around since the American Civil War, thanks to a wonderful old oak in the field opposite ersatz coffee really became a byword for the hardship the house – I’d picked, hulled, roasted and ground and deprivations of life during the wartime years, when enough acorns at almost exactly the perfect ripeness, to rationing was the norm and imported luxuries hard to make a couple of brews. This was it, the Holy Grail… find. Proper men in bunkers, ditches and behind enemy real ersatz coffee. It didn’t smell much like coffee, lines all over the world were drinking the stuff. Now, with but it certainly looked the part. I brewed it exactly as the American elections on a knife-edge, Putin up in arms I would a single cup filter, taking care to grind fine and the risk of us all being plunged back into the dark enough and measuring the dose exactly as I would ages looming large, “This,” I thought, “has to be tried!” coffee. To my surprise, it brewed much stronger than Whilst, in these plentiful days, the term ersatz may I was expecting and, on tasting it, there was an instant have all but died out, there are plenty whap of bitterness that actually of coffee substitutes around in these died out quite quickly, leaving health-conscious days. Ranging from "whoppingly fullme with a not unpleasant, nutty fig and chicory at one end through sort of flavour and a mouthfeel bodied, almost dandelion roots and barley roasts, that could most certainly pass for chewy and, yes, the range of what has been used to – particularly if I was under unspeakably manly!" coffee substitute for coffee over the years is fire from half of the German Army pretty staggering. Native Americans as Urquhart had been. A bit of started the trend by roasting up the rather risky-sounding sugar wouldn’t harm it, but the real transformation roots of ilex vomitoria, a species of holly native to North came when I dropped in a spoonful of instant chicory America. These days, the demand for healthy but vaguely – simulating, I suppose, circa 1956. The drink suddenly satisfying coffee alternatives is being bolstered by the became whoppingly full-bodied, almost chewy and, arrival of organic shops and healthy aisles in supermarkets. yes, unspeakably manly! What a winner!

Caffeine-free, often organic and almost all gluten-free, As for the others in the line-up, the manliness the time is right for a small resurgence of ersatz. So I took scale was clearly topped by the acorn, which required myself off to Whole Foods Market and stocked up with a proper hunter-gathering. Chicory, the right-hand few mainstream options. man to all things ersatz and loved by the French, Rather disappointingly, but perhaps not to my ably assisted in second place. Rather to my surprise, great surprise, obvious contenders came out of a jar. dandelion root came in a very strong third, fig and its Comprised of fine, suspiciously uniform caramelViennese connections not far behind. Poor old Barley coloured powder that closely resembled Mellow Bird’s, Cup dropped to the furthest possible bottom with an instant coffee popular in the mid-70s, I seemed virtually no manly attributes at all. Perhaps I shouldn’t well off my objective of the 1940s classic. Not to be have been too surprised by its weak, rather insipid discouraged, I made my way to the Algerian Coffee flavour, as those most manly creators of the word Stores in Old Compton Street – a mecca for all things ersatz, the Germans, have a word especially for that coffee and a reliable source, I hoped, of roasted fig and one: muckefuck. Go on, look it up! Who said you never chicory. There, indeed, I was rewarded with two small learn anything? brown paper bags and a pack of dandelion root to boot – that’s more like it. readscoffee.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

Food & Drink

WHAT TO EAT NOW

NOVEMBER Lisa Osman, All Hallows, AGA-approved School for Cooks & Makers

T

his month never seems to be met with pleasure.

I can always recall my grandfather grumbling in his deep Dorset accent as November approached – possibly because he was born on the 19th day and knew that he was another year older. Saying that, it may have been the fact that he always worked outside with his horses and cattle, so he dreaded being soaked to the skin when the weather was unkind. But there is always a silver lining and, with the short, dark days comes the opportunity to light the fire in hearth. The burning logs make the house warm and cosy, bringing a different, shadowy light that twinkles and constantly changes.

Outside we can have a bonfire (just remember to check first for hedgehogs that may have made a home

under your pile of garden rubbish). Let’s treat ourselves to baked potatoes that have been wrapped in foil and cooked in the embers. Top with homemade baked beans and bangers, or a stew that has been gently simmering in the AGA for hours.

In the kitchen, game is abundant now that the season is in full swing. There are beautiful squash for warming soups, or try roasting the orange flesh with spices which will add another dimension to risotto or a pie. Now that they have been covered in a picture-book sprinkling of frost, the Brussels sprouts are sweeter and ready to be picked from their tall stalks. Try finely slicing them into a stirfry with lardons and kale. Add a grated eating apple at the last moment and you have a meal in itself.

SEASONAL TREATS FOR NOVEMBER Chestnuts

Having recently returned from Turin to represent Dorset at Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, I was totally overwhelmed by the array of fabulous produce available to see, taste and buy. Street vendors roasting chestnuts was something I had only read about in Dickens, but in Italy they stood on each corner of the festival. There is something magical about watching chestnuts being cooked and then eating them hot from a brown paper bag. Try this at home, either in an open fire or when you are clearing the garden and have a bonfire. You will be pleased you did!

Venison

Seek out your local game dealer or independent butcher to source the very best venison. Ask your supplier what species the deer is and compare the taste. In my opinion, good venison is hard to beat. If you buy primary cuts, learn how to remove the loin of meat from the saddle 52 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

and don’t forget the fillet. This is can be found on the underside and, though small, it is perfect for a stroganoff or to make canapés. Finally, make a deep-brown, rich stock with the bones.

Cauliflower and romanesco broccoli (or roman cauliflower)

Cauliflower and romanesco have both recently enjoyed a resurgence – though, to be honest, they never left our kitchen as I absolutely adore them both. Hold the cheese sauce and try roasting or making a purée or mash with bay- and nutmeg-infused cream. Remove the florets with a sharp knife and blitz in a food processor to make cauliflower couscous, ready to stirfry and serve as a gluten-free alternative to wheat or pasta. This healthy brassicca partners well with spices, scallops and stilton. allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk

SLOW-COOKED DORSET VENISON WITH PRUNES AND PECANS Don’t let the prunes dissuade you from this delicious recipe – after all, they ARE dried plums! Prunes add a sticky sweetness and depth of flavour that turns this family meal into a dinner-party treat. Serves six Ingredients:

900g venison haunch, off the bone and cut into dice with fat and sinew removed Olive oil 75g butter 50g plain flour 225g shallots, peeled and trimmed 4cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated 2 cloves crushed garlic 1 cinnamon stick Generous grinding of black pepper Half of a whole nutmeg, grated 1 tsp coriander seeds, ground in a pestle and mortar ¼ tsp cayenne pepper Half a bottle of good red wine, something you would drink!

1 tbsp dark soya sauce 450ml homemade venison or beef stock 110g pecans, toasted in a little oil in a hot pan when you are ready to serve 24 mi-cuit (semi-dried) plums or stoned dried prunes, soaked in port overnight Method:

1 Preheat the oven 130C or Mark 2 2 Heat a heavy-based pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and knob of butter. Once the butter is foaming, add the shallots and cook gently, but do not brown.

3 Reduce heat, add crushed garlic and grated ginger.

Continue to cook for a few minutes, then place into a casserole with tight-fitting lid.

4 Add a little more oil to the pan and increase the heat.

Sprinkle dry spices over the meat and sear in small batches, adding extra oil if necessary. Add to the casserole.

5 Once all the venison is seared, return pan to a high heat and quickly add the red wine to reduce by half.

At the same time, scrape residue from pan. Add the stock, bring to boil and reduce to a simmer.

6 Over a low heat, melt the remaining butter in a separate pan, add the flour and mix together. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat.

7 Add a third of the hot stock to the butter and flour, stirring vigorously to avoid any lumps, add the next third and continue stirring. Repeat with the remaining hot stock, then replace the pan on the heat, stirring all the time, bringing the sauce to a boil.

8 Once the sauce has thickened, strain if necessary, add soya sauce and seasoning to taste, then pour into casserole. Add cinnamon stick. Replace lid and place in oven. Cook for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is tender. Skim off any fat. Check seasoning, add the prunes and replace in the oven for ten minutes.

9 Sprinkle with toasted pecans and serve with creamy mash and braised red cabbage. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 53

Food & Drink

PARTRIDGE AND PORK TERRINE Sasha Matkevich, head chef and owner, The Green with Jack Smith, apprentice chef

A

wonderfully seasonal dish, perfect for a light lunch or starter.

Ingredients

250g rindless smoked streaky bacon, thinly sliced 375g boneless skinned partridges 15ml lemon juice and zest of 1/2 lemon 225g minced pork 1 banana shallot, finely chopped 2 medium eggs 30g fresh parsley, chopped 1tsp salt 1tsp green peppercorns, crushed Method

1 Preheat the oven to 160C 2 Line a 2lb loaf tin with streaky bacon. Cut 115g of partridge breasts into strips and sprinkle with lemon juice.

54 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

3 Put the rest of the partridge meat in a food processor with minced pork and shallot. Process until smooth, then add the egg, parsley, salt and peppercorns to the mixture and process again briefly.

4 Spoon half of the mixture into the loaf tin and level the surface. Arrange the partridge strips on top and then spoon in the remaining mixture and smooth.

5 Give the tin a couple of sharp taps to knock out any air pockets. Cover with a piece of oiled baking foil and place on a roasting tin, pouring in enough hot water to cover half-way up the sides of the loaf tin.

6 Bake for about 45 minutes, until firm. Allow the terrine to cool in the tin before turning it out and chilling.

7 Serve with walnut satsivi sauce and warm, crusty sourdough bread. greenrestaurant.co.uk

STUFFED SQUASH Jane Somper, Goldhill Organics

A

delicious, comforting meal on a chilly evening – and one we often turn to. To get ahead, we do the first part by pre-baking the squash while getting ready in the morning! Serves four Ingredients

2 x small squash (acorn or onion squashes are perfect) 2-3 leeks, sliced 2 cloves of crushed garlic 250ml double cream 150g strong hard cheese (we used James’s Cheese Cave Aged Wedge) Salt and pepper (Optional) Half a glass of white wine Olive oil Method

1 Halve the squashes around the middle so the squash

will sit flat; you may need to trim the bottom.

2 Scoop out the seeds, drizzle with oil and run around the edges, sprinkle with salt and bake in oven at approximately 180C for 30-40 minutes, until soft.

Check every 20 minutes to avoid overcooking.

3 While squash is cooking, prepare filling.

4 Add sliced leeks and crushed garlic to a pan with a little oil, cook gently until translucent and soft. Turn up the heat, then add wine if using and allow it to evaporate. Add cream and cheese (reserving some for sprinkling), check for seasoning and remove from heat.

5 Once squash are soft, add filling mixture to the scooped-out squash, sprinkle remaining cheese over squashes and place back in the oven. Cook at about 160C for 15 minutes, remove and enjoy with a large hunk of bread and some fresh salad leaves. goldhillorganics.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 55

Food & Drink

56 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

CHANGING TASTES David Copp

A

s I get older, I find my taste for wine changing. I now prefer subtlety and elegance over body and power. I am basically a red wine drinker who also loves white wines. I still have a few bottles of old Burgundy and Claret but they are difficult to replace within my budget, so I am casting my net further afield.

I find that Rioja and Chile offer me the best value in red wines. Rioja sells mature Reserva wines from good vintages at very sensible prices and, as a result, I have come to love the savoury character of well-made Tempranillo. The Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile’s Alto Maipo is superb value, although the alcohol by volume (ABV) is often 14 or more. However, the best wines have sound structure and good balance. Global warming and good husbandry have done us a favour in producing riper fruit for red wines, though they have also increased alcohol levels. However, I am pleased to report that good vintners are looking for ways to trying to control rising levels of alcohol.

In a less ferruginous style, my net has also pulled in Australian Shiraz, such as that from Mount Langi Ghirlan in the Grampians of northwest Victoria, which is round and supple – an absolute delight. Cabernet Franc from Villany in southern Hungary is a special treat and fresh vibrant Gamay from the Loire has recently become a firm favourite.

Chardonnay and Riesling remain my preferred white grapes because they have classic qualities and mature well. The best Chardonnays, such as those from Burgundy, California and Western Australia, are quite pricey so I have looked to coastal Chile, where I have become intrigued by the Limari Chardonnay. South Africa also produces stunning value-for-money Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. The Mosel retains its hold on me for elegant stylish Riesling.

In north-west Spain, a region blessed with rías – rocky inlets which harbour wonderful seafood – I have found superb Albariños and, further inland at Rueda, delicious Verdejos and Sauvignon Blancs. Friuli, on the western edge of Italy where it meets Slovenia, is another superb source for fresh, fruit-flavoured whites.

Hungary, Romania and Greece have all shown me white varieties I didn’t know very well.

Romania’s Latin wine culture has been further developed with Italian investment, but Romanian producers such as Lorena Deaconu of La Cantina and Prince Stirbey in Dragasani are beginning to build a fanbase in the UK. Another joy for me has been rediscovering Bordeaux Blanc, i.e. Sauvignon Blanc enriched

by Semillon – made for seafood but a delightful aid to conversation. I have also rediscovered the gentle, sweet wines of St Croix du Mont and Monbazillac, available at very reasonable prices. What delights me is that there are so many good wine merchants in England bringing our attention to old, but new-to-us, grape varieties from new sources. Whatever style of wine you prefer, you are sure to find a merchant who has new things to show you.

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57

The Manual and Electric Garage Door Specialists

Replacing an existing garage door? Planning to build a new home or garage?

Founded in 1991, Dorset Garage Doors are a family business covering Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. All our work is guaranteed and carried out by fully trained installation engineers • 10 year warranty on selected Garador products • Spares, Repairs and Installation

01963 363782 or 01258 472830 enquiries@dorsetgaragedoors.co.uk Unit 9, Station Road Business Park, Station Road, Stalbridge, Dorset DT10 2RN

www.dorsetgaragedoors.co.uk

Renewable Force Ltd Energy that doesn’t cost the Earth

Air Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pumps Underfloor Heating

Tel: 01963 23291 / 03333 701568 Email: contact@renewableforce.co.uk Website: www.renewableforce.co.uk 58 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

BARBER SHOP For those who know the difference

SHERBORNE’S BARBER SINCE 1992 Three highly skilled, professional barbers with over 80 years collective experience

Cut Back & Sides Crew Cut Shampoo & Cut Concessions

£15 Beard Trim £5 £45 £14 Shave £13 Colour from £24 £29 Under 11’s £13 for over 65’s Mon - Wed

Monday 8am - 5pm Tuesday - Friday 8am - 6pm Saturday 8am - 3pm Booking recommended

01935 815501 6a Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX /jps_barber_shop

Animal Care

KIDNEY FAILURE AND SPIKE’S DISEASE Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership

60 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

I

t’s all very well writing about the bigger issues that affect animals and humans, but sometimes reflecting on what we see on a day-to-day basis can be interesting. In fact, reflection seems to be the way forward these days, becoming an important part of any learning experience. Perhaps the reason for this is that many of us are now so busy we don’t seem to have the free time for abstract thought or free thinking that was practised a generation ago. I now work part-time, so should be able to find time to allow the mind to roam a little, although after years of being absorbed in the art and science of veterinary medicine, I find I need to practice.

So I’ll reflect on two problems we deal with regularly at our veterinary clinics. The first is a cat in kidney failure – so often a condition of older cats, although this case involves a four-year-old. Although some pedigree cat breeds are predisposed to early kidney failure (Persians), this rarely happens to outbred cats. When it does, the commonest reasons are ingestion of a toxin, obstruction of the urinary tract (mostly in male cats) and infection.

With autumn now upon us, topping up or changing antifreeze in our car radiators is a good idea. Many people now know that antifreeze is attractive to cats (and dogs), as they like the taste – unusual for an animal that normally is very fussy over food. Antifreeze, if ingested in large enough volumes, causes kidney failure, usually a few days later. The RSPCA highlighted this a few years ago, warning everyone to take care with the disposal of antifreeze. To our great dismay, this knowledge was possibly used to deliberately and maliciously poison cats, several cases being reported nationally. The Animal Welfare Act now protects all animals by making neglect or harm a criminal offence – thankfully, legislation very rarely used in this part of Dorset.

The point about kidney failure is that it can be temporary and, with appropriate treatment, kidney function can be restored. Success depends on the type and extent of the damage and whether the delicate kidney tissue can recover and heal without too much scar tissue. Many organs with special functions (kidney, liver, brain and heart, for instance) have capacities far above our routine needs, which means loss of some function is well tolerated and is often silent (ironically, making early diagnosis more difficult). However, when function declines below the level necessary to maintain a minimum

level of service, the organ starts to fail and symptoms begin. For the kidneys, this often means nausea, vomiting, drinking more and eating less. Without dialysis or renal transplantation available to us, the mainstays of treatment are intravenous fluids and supportive therapy – although, in the case of antifreeze toxicity, there is a specific antidote (alcohol!) that must be given early and intravenously to be effective, hence a job for the veterinary clinic.

Now a problem close to home: do you have a dog that suffers from seizures? My border terrier, Trilby, has displayed this distressing (for me and him!) trait since he was three years old. Some of you may know that Swan House is a hotbed of borders, with two of our nurses owning one or more of this popular breed. So, naturally, we discuss any medical issues afflicting our beloved terriers and we discovered some time ago that Trilby’s particular type of seizure is common in the breed and also in Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

The type of ‘fit’ that Trilby displays is unusual in that he does not lose consciousness, does not thrash and paddle and does not become incontinent (all features of a classic ‘epileptic’ fit). Instead, there is a loss of control of muscular activity and repeated attempts to stand and right himself, making him look drunk! These episodes are unpredictable in duration and frequency and can happen in the middle of a walk or lying on the sofa. The latter is preferable, if still very unwelcome.

A few years ago, this seizure type was investigated in a border terrier called Spike and, hence, it became known as ‘Spike’s Disease.’ A genetic cause was suspected and, indeed, a mutation has been identified in the King Charles spaniel – knowledge that has led to successful treatment. The situation in the border terrier is different; it’s all due to gluten hypersensitivity. This might seem to be a strange manifestation of what we call coeliac disease, if symptoms affect the intestine. In fact, allergy to gluten can take many forms, most of which do not affect the digestive tract, and this is one of them. So, if your border displays Spike’s disease, a gluten-free diet is the best way forward. If only other types of seizures in dogs (and cats) had so simple a remedy, many pet owners could be saved the stress of this condition and vets would get fewer sleepless nights! newtonclarkevet.com

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 61

Animal Care

LOOKING AFTER ‘OLD FAITHFUL’ Dr Amber Whitmarsh BSc (Hons) BVSc CertAVP MRCVS, The Kingston Veterinary Group

62 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

T

he term ‘geriatric’ refers to the ageing process and relates to the healthcare and management of conditions associated with old age. Ageing is a continual process, with the average horse beginning to show signs of ageing at around 16-18 years of age.

The rate of ageing is influenced by several factors, including genetics, environment, basic care, nutrition and lifestyle. The most common signs reported in horses and ponies are stiff joints, an increasing number of grey hairs, loss of muscle tone and deepening of the hollows above the eyes.

Several diseases more commonly observed in elderly horses include: • Dental disease • Musculoskeletal disorders and lameness with osteoarthritis and laminitis most frequently reported • Heart murmurs • Parasitism • Endocrine disorders such as Equine Cushing’s disease • Respiratory disease with recurrent airway obstruction being the most prevalent Many common health conditions in geriatric horses can be treated or managed successfully, especially when diagnosed early in the course of the disease.

Routine preventative healthcare measures, alongside exercise and nutrition, are important in reducing disease incidence in elderly horses.

Vaccination

Elderly horses have a less efficient immune system and are therefore more prone to disease. Although most geriatric horses are vaccinated against equine influenza and tetanus, the proportions of vaccinated animals are reduced compared to those reported for the general equine population. Unvaccinated horses play an important role in disease transmission, which may have implications on herd immunity, in addition to their own health status.

Weight

While weight loss is frequently reported in elderly horses, twice as many older horses are overweight.

Appropriate nutrition is invaluable for any geriatric

horse or pony as both weight loss and obesity have significant effects on the elderly. The geriatrics, as with a horse of any age, should be fed according to their body condition and level of exercise. Health status and the presence of any disease should also be considered when assessing the nutritional requirements of the elderly.

Dentistry

Dental problems are frequently observed and regular dental check-ups are recommended. The aim is not necessarily to correct dental abnormalities but to reduce the incidence of pain by removing any sharp edges, overgrowths or loose teeth. Horses with dental issues may struggle to eat and this needs to be considered when formulating the components of their diet.

Farrier

Hoof problems are highly prevalent in the ageing population, yet with increasing age they are less likely to be shod, while the frequency with which they receive farrier attention is reduced. Regular farrier checks every two months, even for those that are unshod, will help manage hoof abnormalities and aid in early detection of hoof problems such as laminitis.

Parasitism

Geriatric horses and ponies are more likely to have higher worm burdens than their younger counterparts.

A tailor-made worming plan can be devised by your veterinarian. The use of a targeted worming programme with faecal worm egg counts and a blood test for tapeworms are strongly recommended when devising a worming strategy for older horses.

Unfortunately, a smaller proportion of geriatric horses and ponies receive an annual routine veterinary visit compared to that of the general equine population.

Annual veterinary visits as part of a vaccination schedule will provide an opportunity for a thorough clinical examination. Thus, aiding earlier disease detection, can lead to an improved quality of life in elderly equine patients. kingstonvets.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 63

A RARE BREED George Hayward

T

he June rain was easing. From torrential a few moments ago it was now best described as a sweeping horizontal drizzle and, as George Hayward tilted his head forward, water drained off his bowler hat and drifted back onto his steward’s notebook and bag of rosettes. “Oh blimey, Jack, I am so sorry. I should have known that would happen. I’ve peed into the wind enough times.”

Jack shook his papers and put them inside his jacket.

“What a way to spend a Sunday morning, on top of one of the most exposed parts of Dorset getting soaked and staring at cattle. Have you decided who has won yet?

Because the sooner you make up your mind, the quicker we can get into the beer tent.”

It was a rare breed show and George had the unenviable duty of judging the cattle. Unenviable, because it seemed impossible to know how to differentiate between a belted galloway steer, a white park heifer, a British white bull and a longhorn cow and calf. He stared at the cattle as they were led around the 64 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

show ring by their handlers.

George turned to Jack. “I don’t know what to do, Jack.

How the hell am I going to place them in the right order?”

“Don’t ask me, you’re the flipping judge,” said Jack, shaking his head. He then sighed. “Look, why you don’t have a chat with them and ask when they last showed and how they got on. But be quick about it, for Christ’s sake, everyone’s had enough already.”

George followed the advice and spoke to each person in turn, finding out who had won what and where.

However, he received a sharp rebuke from the owner of the longhorns. “You shouldn’t be asking these questions, you should be judging the animals. You don’t know what you are doing.”

The woman was well-known to George as being an outspoken, fearsome and formidable breed champion.

If she didn’t get her own way there was always a strong complaint and rebuke. She could be faulted, but her husbandry skills were beyond reproach. George, however, decided to give first prize elsewhere.

Forty minutes later, Jack passed George a pint of beer as they waited for lunch. “You’ve got some balls to do that, George. She was fuming when you passed her the rosette.”

George slowly stroked his chin and thought about why he had snubbed her cattle when they were clearly worthy winners. Was it because he was wet, cold and would have preferred to be at home? Was it because she was so critical and bullying, or was it because the owner of the belted galloway was a stunning brunette, her hair set in a ponytail, with the most beautiful brown eyes?

Her smile could light up the most inclement day.

George had met her a few weeks earlier when he visited her father’s farm to carry out the annual stocktaking. She brought the coffee into the dining room and George felt he had been hit by a thunderbolt.

Back in the office George’s secretary, Mary, asked how the valuation had gone. “I suppose the daughter was trotted up and trotted back for your benefit?”

George was remembering the moment, when he was woken from his reverie by a shrill voice calling,

“Where is that so-called judge?”

“Uh oh,’’ said Jack. “The entertainment has arrived.”

George turned round to face the disappointed second-prize winner. Her eyes were flashing as she poked her finger into his chest. “Right, you useless tool, I want to have a word with you. I’ve shown cattle all over the country and I have never met such an inept and uneducated judge. You clearly do not have a clue what you are doing and how you can put yourself up as an auctioneer, God only knows.”

Jack sprang to George’s defence. ‘’Look, judging is subjective and Mr Hayward gave the prizes as he saw it.

A different day, a different judge a different result – but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

George smiled to himself and thought, “Yes – and the winner was certainly more beautiful than the woman in front of me.” But she would not accept Jack’s advocacy.

“Rubbish. Any judge worth his salt would have given me first prize.” She turned to George. “You’re crooked.

You only gave first prize to her because her father is a client of yours. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were sleeping with her.”

George had heard enough. “How dare you question my integrity? I am forging a career and intend to try and become the most respected auctioneer and chartered surveyor in the area. Do you think I would throw all of that away just so that I can try and ingratiate myself with a client and then try and sleep with his daughter?”

He put his pint down. By now, the bar was silent and everyone was listening. “Why don’t you stand back and look at the bigger picture. Maybe you would have won with another judge, but the average age of the owners is fairly high and we have encouraged a younger generation today. A girl in her early twenties could be part of the showing scene for years to come – but I guess you are too narrow-minded and sour to think about that.”

Jack was not sure anyone had spoken to her like that before. She stood, open-mouthed, for a while and then threw the rosette on the ground and walked out. People in the bar clapped George on the back and offered to buy him a drink.

When he got home, George ran a bath and then prepared supper. He was laying the table when he heard a car pull up outside the house. He looked out of the window and saw a girl with beautiful brown eyes and dark hair, set in a ponytail, walk up the path.

He opened the door and stepped back to let her in.

He was right. Her smile really did light up the most inclement day. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 65

CYCLE SHERBORNE Peter Henshaw, Dorset Cyclists Network Mike Riley, Riley’s Cycles

D

ilys Gartside is a human dynamo, the sort of person who manages to transfer her enthusiasm for most subjects within about ten minutes. She also teaches people how to ride bikes.

A solicitor for 30 years, she discovered cycling in her mid-20s. “I was living in Guildford, studying law. I had a Morris Minor back then, loved it. Then I found most of my fellow students were Oxbridge graduates and, of course, they all rode bikes. I thought, ‘This looks good,’ started riding and fell in love with it. I’ve been cycling ever since.”

Moving from Southampton to north Dorset, she and husband Jeremy even chose Okeford Fitzpaine because of its proximity to the North Dorset Trailway, the cycle/ footpath that now runs from Sturminster Newton to Blandford and beyond, along the disused Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway. By then, she was already teaching cycling for a living.

“I would cycle to work as a solicitor and I’d arrive invigorated, ready to get stuck in. Colleagues who had driven in had to spend the first half hour drinking coffee and de-stressing! But, by my early 50s, I’d had enough of 66 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

the job and had to get out.”

In a classic case of midlife retraining, Dilys qualified as a cycle instructor. She had already been a voluntary instructor in schools, but the qualification allowed her to set up independently, fully insured and able to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to ride, relearn or just brush up their skills. “I thought, this is what matters. If we are going to get people to change their transport habits, we have to enable them. Cycle training is all part of that.”

Now, as CycleWise, she splits her time between training children and adults, back in Southampton as well as across north Dorset. Adults are a complete crosssection, men and women, the youngest being 16 and the oldest (so far), 82. The sixteen-year-old boy needed advanced skills for riding through traffic, while the 80-something was a keen cyclist who had to be assessed for his ability to keep on cycling.

“The lad was more of a challenge – I had to have my fast touring bike to keep up with him!” Dilys is 64, so being able to keep up with fighting-fit teenager is testament to what regular riding can do for you.

Now you might think that everyone can ride a bike, or did as a child, but – incredibly – about 70% of CycleWise’s adult trainees have never ridden before, so she has to start from first principles.

“Novices are often white-faced, terrified,” she says.

“But if you can walk in a straight line, then you can ride a bike. My job is to inspire their confidence and, if they don’t enjoy the first hour, then I’ve failed. But they all do! For those who have ridden as children, it might have been decades since they got on a bike – but somehow that software is still filed away in their brain and they soon pick it up again.”

Sarah comes into that category. She’s 40, hails from the Philippines and recently moved to Okeford Fitzpaine with her English husband. “I want to ride for fitness,” she says, “and on the road when I get more confidence.” When I arrived at the village football field car park on Wednesday, she was halfway through her first lesson. Another 20 minutes on, the grin was wider and the wobbles less and less evident.

“Sarah rode as a child,” said Dilys. “You can see what

I mean about the software.” Just was I was leaving, Dilys’s second pupil of the day turned up. Marilyn suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and has been recommended cycling as a means of reducing the onset of symptoms.

“I’ve had two lessons already,” she said, “and I’d like to get on and ride the Trailway.”

Why are all these adults getting back on their bikes?

Well, apart from the obvious benefits to their health, getting through traffic more easily and being kinder to the planet, many are taking advantage of Dorset County Council’s offer of six hours cut-price cycle training to anyone aged 18 or over. It’s always one-to-one with a qualified instructor and costs £10 for two hours, which is a bit of a bargain. Poole and Bournemouth aren’t included, but Sherborne certainly is.

Download the voucher from dorsetforyou.gov.uk/adult-cycle Cycle Wise: cyclewisesouthampton.co.uk/ dcn.org.uk rileyscycles.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 67

NOVE

M

T H E S A N C T UA RY BEAUTY ROOMS

OFFERS: R E B

Double

GEL POLISH on Hands

A ND

fee t £45

LVL LASHES £ 45 LVL (LIFT, VOLUME, LENGTH) LASHES - £45 LASHES ARE TINTED, VOLUMISED AND LIFTED, OPENING YOUR EYES AND ENHANCING YOUR OWN LASHES WITH A FULL BUT NATURAL LOOK FOR UP TO 8 WEEKS. (Patch test required 48hrs before your treatment.)

DOUBLE GEL POLISH (HANDS & FEET) - £45 CHOOSE FROM A GREAT RANGE OF BEAUTIFUL WINTER SHADES FROM OPI OR SHELLAC. YOU’LL ALSO RECEIVE A FREE 30ml OPI AVOJUICIE OF YOUR CHOICE, TO KEEP YOUR HANDS DRENCHED IN NOURISHING MOISTURE. T H E S A N C T U A RY B E A U T Y RO O M S , 8 A C H E A P S T R E E T, S H E R B O R N E , T E L E P H O N E 0 1 9 3 5 8 1 5 0 8 5

W W W. T H E S A N C T U A RY S H E R B O R N E . C O . U K

Body & Mind

BEAUTY SLEEP

Sarah Hitch, The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms

W

e all know the signs of sleep deprivation: foggy mind, tired eyes, yearning for a bottomless cup of coffee…

Our bodies need rest to restore and recharge and our skin is no different. As a living, breathing organ, our skin exhibits fluctuations in physiology around the clock.

These shifts in biological activity mean our skin has different needs from day to night.

During the day, our outer layer is exposed to UV rays, environmental pollution, smoke, poor diet, caffeine, make-up and temperature changes. It’s hard at work against these elements and it’s a stressful job – which is why sunscreen and anti-oxidant vitamins are critical to your daytime skincare products. Anti-oxidant vitamins support our skin by fighting free-radical damage created when our skin is under stress. Goji berries, blueberries, pecans and - happily! - dark chocolate are all good sources of these vitamins.

But because the skin is often last to get its share of anti-oxidants, a great diet is not always enough. Topically applied skincare products have been shown to help prevent biological events occurring in our skin which can lead to accelerated ageing. Adding serums and facial oils – and receiving powerful professional facial treatments – will empower your skin to look its best.

There’s a reason we are encouraged to get our ‘beauty sleep’ and it’s linked to the physiological changes that occur in our bodies during the night.

In anticipation of sleep, the body automatically cools

by around half a degree, increasing blood flow to the skin. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol are reduced during sleep, but cell division actually peaks at around 2am, whether you are asleep or not. Unfortunately, only in our deepest sleep does a surge in growth hormones help to repair and rebuild body tissues, including muscle and bone. So, as skin does most of its regenerating at night, and skin renewal peaks between 11pm and 3am, late-night partying with a face full of make-up will wreak havoc over time. Thankfully, there are ways to recover the situation.

Overall, studies show that, at night, skin excretes less sebum (oil), loses more water and is hotter, drier and more acidic. To maximise night-time skin recovery, deep-clean away the day’s make-up and debris and replenish with a cocktail of nourishing botanical extracts and peptides. Apply a slightly richer skincare product, preferably one that contains oil to restore the moisture shield and strengthen the skin. Unfortunately, too much emphasis has been placed on the removal of oils from skincare products because of the misconception that all oils are pore-clogging (comedogenic) – but this isn’t the case! Natural oils found in the skin provide barrier protection and maintain hydration levels, which lessen fine lines and create a visually smoother texture.

So look after your skin around the clock and you might just be able to turn it back a few years too! thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 69

Body & Mind

EARN IT! EAT IT! BURN IT! Simon Ross, fitness instructor and personal trainer, Oxley Sports Centre

S

o you want to eat well and are wondering which diet to try next? The last diet didn’t work. There is a reason for that! If you try following a ‘diet’ that cuts out all the naughty stuff, you are a lot less likely to stick to it. Yes, the initial results and weight loss are great, but when boredom kicks in and you waver slightly off track with the odd snack or treat here and there, suddenly it’s every day, then you think, “Oh, I’m back to the way I was.” (Or worse.) It’s not a case of dieting; it’s more of eating well and having that treat once in a while.

If it is once in a while, or you have the willpower to stop after a few glasses of wine or Thatchers Haze (my new tipple), it’s fine.

So is a bacon bap that bad for you on a Friday morning? Let’s put it into perspective. You’re more likely to stick to a well-balanced eating plan if you know there are treats on the way at the end of the week. I myself teach and train all week, but look forward to a bacon sandwich – or, if I’m honest, more likely a fry-up. I know that I have earned it and have eaten well during the rest of the week. The difference is, I know that I’m not queuing for a trucker’s breakfast each day. In a bacon sandwich there are around 320 calories – almost the same as a Weightwatchers’ Spaghetti Bolognese at 303 calories, or a chicken curry at 297 calories. So is that little treat much of a sin?

The key is balance in health, fitness and food. It needs to become a lifestyle, a regular pattern and a routine – 70 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

you can’t live the rest of your life thinking, “I have my two shakes today and a nice meal tonight.” Adopting something that is maintainable in the long term is more likely to produce long-lasting results. To preach that you mustn’t eat this or drink that would make all personal trainers and fitness instructors hypocrites.

We aren’t biblical exercise fiends who tut at the thought of a burger and a pint at the nearest Wetherspoon’s.

The key is moderation of the treats and maintaining steady eating well within the week.

This includes getting all the macronutrients the body needs. And, yes, that includes fats to keep the body healthy and functioning properly. So next time you pop in to Oxley Sports Centre of a morning to train and you smell the bacon cooking on the grill at The Coffee Pod, don’t be afraid to stop and have one with a nice hot drink. All I ask is that you do it after training, not before! (Let’s be honest: after you’ve had that, you’re not coming to the gym!)

I love fitness and I love food and I don’t want to miss out on either, so I make sure I don’t. I train well and eat well. If you need help or any guidance on fitness and nutrition, come and speak to one of the fitness team at Oxley Sports Centre and we will be more than happy to help. We may even discuss it over brunch at The Coffee Pod. www.oxleysc.com

Save £££’s so we can help

you lose Ilbs this Black Friday* 25/11/16*

01935 818270 www.oxleysc.com

NATURAL HEALTH CLINIC AND THERAPY ROOMS • Medicinal Herbology • Aromatherapy • Reflexology • Hypnosis • Past Life Regression • McTimoney Chiropractic • EMDR Therapy

• Psychotherapy • Counselling • Sports Injury Massage • Holistic Nutrition • Shiatzu Massage • Yoga • Doula • Acupuncture

10% off all Neal's Yard Remedies on day of treatment

Bradford Road, Sherborne DT9 3DA

Pop in for more information or call

01935 507290

email sherbornerooms@gmail.com or visit www.sherbornerooms.com 56 Cheap St, Sherborne DT9 3BJ

LONDON ROAD CLINIC Health Clinic • Acupuncture • Podiatry and Chiropody • Osteopathy • Counselling • Reflexology

• Physiotherapy • EMDR Therapy • Manual Lymphatic Drainage • Soft Tissue Sports and Remedial Massage

Tel: 01963 251860

www.56londonroad.co.uk Email: info@56londonroad.co.uk 56 London Road, Milborne Port, Sherborne DT9 5DW Free Parking and Wheelchair access

OPENING HOURS Monday to Friday 8.30am until 5pm Saturday 7.30am until 4pm

Walk in, relax.

No appointment necessary 56 Cheap St, Sherborne DT9 3BJ www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 71

Body & Mind

APPROPRIATE FOOTWEAR Frances Aylen BSc Hons OST, osteopath, 56 London Road Clinic

W

hat a beautiful autumn it has been so far.

Many of my patients have made use of the better weather by working hard in the garden or going for long walks and short city breaks for lots of sightseeing.

The difficulty with the change in season is the change in our footwear; often flat, summer slip-ons are not appropriate for long walks – but few people want to wear enclosed shoes in the heat. The combination of vibration and pressure into the sole of the foot irritates the ball of the foot, the fat pads in the heels (bursitis) or can lead to inflammation of the sole (plantar fasciitis).

Wellington boots offer little support, too, and can lead to achilles tendon strains, medial arch problems and, in the long term, the formation of varicose veins.

Usually, vibration from walking travels up the leg into the pelvic girdle and low back and should be dissipated by moving through the limbs and joints in a balanced manner. Unfortunately, if your arches are dropped or you suffer from shortening of calf muscles or ligaments, the knees, hips and low back can end up being the secondary sites of pain. In the long term, damage to bursa and joint surfaces will occur.

Two of my patients also aggravated their spinal stenosis symptoms (narrowing of the bony canal around the spinal cord) by walking in flat gym shoes for too 72 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

long. They thought that the pain in their ankle and foot was ligament strain and didn’t immediately realise the seriousness of what they had done to their spinal cords.

Osteopathic treatment can really help stop the progression of symptoms and patterns of shortening and contracture of muscles, ligaments and joint strains before they become a real problem. Foot arches can be miraculously helped with manipulation, articulation and massage, while deep work can be done to the sole of the foot, achilles tendon and calf muscles. Checking and treating the knees, hips, sacroiliac joints and lumbar spine can also stave off problems.

There are many exercises that help, too. For instance, you could try standing on a step on the ball of the foot and dropping the heels up and down, plus picking up pencils with your toes. These will stretch hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors and the Iliotibial band.

If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, contact 56 London Road Clinic, Milborne Port, where Frances Aylen works on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Frances qualified from the British School of Osteopathy in 1999 and can offer cranial, as well as structural, osteopathy. francesaylen.com 56londonroad.co.uk

N 1 o

LASH & BROW BAR FREE brow tint & shape

worth £23

with every full set of semi Permanent eyelash extensions or eyelash Curling & Lifting treatment

during November

a new destination for beautiful eyes at MARGARET BALFOUR BEAUTY CENTRE a brow shaping | tweezing, threading & waxing a brow and eyelash tint & shape a eyelash Curling & Lifting a semi Permanent eyelash extensions a a relaxing environment with trained therapists a the latest brow & Lash styling products and advice

Book now on 01935 816177 n o.

1

swan yard

| sherborne | dt9 3ax

e: relax@margaretbalfour.co.uk

www.margaretbalfour.co.uk

Body & Mind

TIREDNESS AND CHRONIC FATIGUE Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom, GP and complementary practitioner, Glencairn House

G

eneral tiredness and lack of energy troubles many people. This becomes a problem when it interferes with home as well as work life.

Tiredness and fatigue can be presenting symptoms of underlying medical conditions such as anaemia, underactive thyroid, diabetes, liver and kidney dysfunction, as well as more serious problems such as cancer. For this reason, it is essential that you seek advice from your GP to rule out these underlying conditions.

Having done so, you are left with non-specific and nebulous causes, such as lifestyle and psychological factors, stress, poor diet, smoking, alcohol excess, exercise and excess weight. It is important to address each of these factors in order to boost energy levels.

Unfortunately each takes time to reverse, as well as much determination and self-discipline.

An especially difficult condition in which there manifests a lack of energy is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). This usually follows on from some event such as a severe illness or infection, Glandular Fever being the commonest. It can also follow some stress-related reaction to a traumatic event, or mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Recovery can take a long time and is assisted by a holistic, generalist approach that considers graded exercise, optimal nutrition, structured rest and counseling, such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Other strategies, such as mind-body techniques, yoga and meditation as well as complementary therapies, can be helpful. Above all, it is important to explore the precise onset of the illness and, hence, the trigger factor from which point the insidious process of CFS has stemmed. Careful detective

74 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

work by the practitioner brings an understanding that leads to corrective strategies to achieve relief from the debilitating tiredness and its allied symptoms. This holistic approach is preferable to the blinkered medical approach of drugs prescribed to suppress the presenting, superficial symptoms. The condition has much deeper roots that need to be explored and addressed.

Herbal treatment with St John’s Wort is an accepted treatment for mild to moderate depression, which in turn will help the tiredness that may be associated with this condition. Treatment with homeopathy prescribed on the constitutional or whole person approach by a trained practitioner should be considered. Healthy eating is important; a mixed and balanced diet that contains the correct proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats is needed. Make sure you get your omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, or take them in capsule form.

Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables are an important source of vitamins and minerals. If your lifestyle does not permit you to have a mixed, balanced diet, take a respectable multimineral and multivitamin supplement.

Choose one that contains the B vitamins, which are responsible for many energy-providing metabolic processes in cells, and magnesium, which may increase energy and balance mood.

Sadly, there is no single treatment or cure for CFS. Taking a wider approach in addressing this multifaceted and complex condition makes perfect sense and is more effective in restoring energy and general good health. doctorTWRobinson.com GlencairnHouse.co.uk

YOUR FAVOURITE MUSIC, THE LAUGHTER OF CHILDREN THE EVENING SONG OF A BLACKBIRD, THE WIND IN THE AUTUMN LEAVES THE WAVES ON THE BEACH, THE CRACKING SOUNDS OF A COSY BONFIRE...

REDISCOVER THE SOUNDS OF YOUR LIFE

.. .. .. .

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION HEARING AIDS

& ACCESSORIES

PERSONAL SURROUND SOUND TECHNOLOGY EAR DEFENDERS FOR NOISE PROTECTION EAR WAX REMOVAL

& MICROSUCTION ADVICE

EXCLUSIVE LOYALTY SCHEME SERVICE | REPAIRS | BATTERIES

For the most advanced hearing technology available from your local, independent, hearing expert

Tel: 01935

815647 CELEBRATING 15 YEARS IN SHERBORNE!

4 Swan Yard | Sherborne | Dorset DT9 3AX

www.girlinghearingaids.co.uk

@girlingshearing

Brister&Son Independent Family Funeral Directors

When your family suffers the loss of a loved one, we are here to support, guide and reassure you – every step of the way Call Daniel on 01935 812647 100 Lenthay Road, Sherborne DT9 6AG Email: daniel@wsbrister.com www.wsbrister.com

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)

76 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

The Old Vicarage Leigh, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 6HL

01935 873033

care@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 care@tovic.com

Castle Cary Lovely family home with four bedrooms, two receptions, bespoke kitchen, large garden (gardener included).

Lettings & Property Management

Independent Letting Agent representing town and country property throughout Somerset and Dorset

£1850pcm

Melbury Osmond Stunning farmhouse, three receptions, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, lovely kitchen, large garden with outbuildings.

5 Tilton Court, Digby Road, Sherborne DT9 3NL T: 01935 816209 E: info@stockwoodlettings.co.uk

£2,400pcm

www.stockwoodlettings.co.uk

Want to know what your home is really worth?

We offer a free, no obligation valuation service. There’s no hard sell and it only takes 20 minutes.

Given the recent property price increases we have witnessed across the county, this is a perfect opportunity for you to understand the value of your home should you wish to sell, or are simply interested in what your home is worth.

01935 815 155

St Georges House, Greenhill, Sherborne, DT9 5HF • Email: sherborne@mortonnew.co.uk www.mortonnew.co.uk

78 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Lopen, South Petherton: 01460 243100 Child Okeford, Dorset: 01258 861100 Priorswood, Taunton: 01823 323575

We collect your archive documents, store them and deliver them back to you!

Local self storage and archive storage.

Business or domestic, safe and secure.

Quote Sherborne Times when booking for a week’s free storage

beehiveselfstorage.co.uk

Pay per box

Abbots Way Sherborne, Dorset ÂŁ975pcm NOW LET

Spacious 4-bedroom detached house located in a quiet cul-de-sac on the Western edge of town close to local schools, amenities and the Town Centre.

Double garage, enclosed garden, GCH and downstairs cloakroom.

MORE REQUIRED

Interested in Property Management?

We are looking for a motivated individual to join our Dorchester team as an Estate & Block Management Administrator.

No experiences necessary but advantageous. For more details please contact us or forward your CV.

01305 751772 www.templehillproperty.co.uk Dorchester

Sherborne

Dorset

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 79

Property

IS YOUR RENTAL READY FOR WINTER?

A

Anita Light and Paul Gammage, Ewemove Sherborne

t the time of writing it’s apparent that autumn has truly arrived and we are now heading once again towards winter. What used to be considered ‘freak’ weather conditions are now becoming more common. Heavy rainfall, gale-force winds and freezing temperatures cause havoc and damage to homes across the country. OK, so that’s not happening quite yet, but it’s surprising how quickly the autumn slips by – and you don’t want to be caught out, because wintry weather can pose a significant threat to your property.

As such, it’s wise to make sure any property in your portfolio is prepared and protected as much as possible for the months ahead. Below, we look at some of the most important things landlords and tenants need to consider when winter-proofing their properties.

Advice for landlords

• Are all pipes and tanks in the loft adequately insulated?

It’s worth checking that the insulation has not been moved or dislodged.

• Are all overflow pipes correctly connected and not blocked?

• Are gutters and down-pipes clean and free from cracks or splits? We suggest checking that all supporting brackets are secure and in good condition – snow and ice can build up, adding excessive weight.

• Are drain gratings clear of leaves and debris?

• Is any external pipework lagged, including outside taps which should either be turned off internally if possible and drained down, or fitted with an insulated jacket.

• Are there any cracked or missing roof tiles – it’s worth getting these replaced now.

• Is your property unoccupied? If so, have you complied with any special terms and conditions that may apply, such as regular inspections or draining down of services?

Advice to give your tenants

• Are your tenants planning to be away? If so, ensure that they leave the heating on low.

80 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

• Whether at home or not, doors between heated and unheated parts of the property should be left open to allow warm air to move around the property. In really cold spells this could include leaving the loft hatch open to allow warm air to circulate, reducing the risk of frozen pipes in the loft.

• Do they know where the stopcock or isolation valves are located in case they have to turn off the water to any part of the property? Remember, pipes can be fed from a tank as well as directly from the mains. You should check now that the valve moves easily without the need for any special tools.

• Can your tenant contact you or your managing agent in an emergency? If not, you might consider providing them with the number of a reputable contractor who could respond quickly and undertake emergency repairs to prevent further damage.

What to do if you discover damage

• With burst pipes you should use towels or blankets to try to stem leaks while you turn off the water at the stopcock or mains.

• Turn on taps to drain the water from the system faster.

• Turn off the source for hot water and central heating.

• Arrange for emergency repairs to be undertaken as quickly as possible in order to prevent further damage or inconvenience for your tenants. Whether you are insured or not, you should arrange and pay for emergency repairs and retain your paid invoices, as you may be able to reclaim the cost later.

• Contact your insurer as quickly as possible to report your claim.

No matter how many preparations you make, you can’t completely rule out the possibility that the weather will damage your property and, for this reason, it’s vital to take out comprehensive landlord insurance with a reputable insurer. 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

£350,000 Charlton Horethorne • 3 Double Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Country Cottage

£300,000 Longburton • Extended 3 Bed Bungalow, Sizeable Plot

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

£280,000 Yetminster • 3 Double Bedrooms, Cul de Sac Location, No Chain

£280,000 Sherborne • 3 Bed Bungalow, Countryside Views

£190,000 Sherborne • 3 Bedrooms, Excellent Condition

Estate agency for the 21st century!

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

jackson-stops.co.uk

Big enough to cope small enough to care With 8 offices in the West Country and over 40 nationally, including 8 in London, we combine expert local knowledge with comprehensive national coverage.

For sales and valuation advice please contact your nearest office.

Bridport 01308 423 133

Dorchester 01305 262 123

Sherborne 01935 810 141

Shaftesbury 01747 850 858

Exeter 01392 214 222

Barnstaple 01271 325 153

Truro 01872 261 160

Taunton 01823 325 144

People Property Places

Discretionary Fund Management and Stockbroking services As individual as you are

PETER HARDING WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Principal Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management Established 1993

40 High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8JG Tel: 01747 855554 9 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3PY Tel: 01935 315315 Web: www.peterhardingwm.co.uk

THE VALUE OF INVESTMENTS CAN GO DOWN IN VALUE AS WELL AS UP, SO YOU COULD GET BACK LESS THAN YOU INVEST. The Partner Practice represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The title ‘Partner Practice’ is the marketing term used to describe St. James’s Place representatives. Rowan Dartington is part of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management Group.

Rowan Dartington & Co. Ltd. Is a member of the London Stock Exchange and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England & Wales No. 2752304 at Colston Tower, Colston Street, Bristol BS1 4RD. TWK71_07/16

Your Life, Your Money, Your Future Trusted, professional, fee based advice We live in a complex world. At FFP we aim to remove complexity, replacing it with simplicity and clarity so that our clients can enjoy their lives without worry

FFP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Telephone: 01935 813322 Email: info@ffp.org.uk Website: www.ffp.org.uk

For a fresh take on your accounts, speak to Hunts.

The Old Pump House, Oborne Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3RX T: 01935 815008 E: info@huntsaccountants.co.uk @Hunts_Sherborne W: huntsaccountants.co.uk

84 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Finance

PLANNING FOR THE ‘GOLDEN YEARS’ Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS, Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, Fort Financial Planning

M

ore of us are living well into old age and are enjoying a much more active retirement than many of our ancestors have done previously. Some of us are likely to live into our nineties and beyond and, having retired in our sixties, this could mean a 35-year retirement time horizon to plan for.

Not only are we having to prepare to finance a longer and more active retirement, people are now waiting until they retire to fulfill many of their lifetime aspirations such as seeing more of the world, or buying second homes – having not been able to do these things whilst working. We often refer to these as the ‘golden years’ of retirement. It is therefore becoming increasingly more important to plan for retirement and no time is too soon to begin.

The best place to start is by identifying your goals and aspirations and what you would like your golden years to look like. Would you like to spend more time travelling, on the golf course or eating out? The next step is to look at the likely cost in today’s terms of fulfilling these aspirations and objectives. Alongside this, you must determine how much income you are likely to need each year to maintain your lifestyle in retirement. The easiest way of doing this is to have a clear and accurate understanding of your current annual cash flow. This forms a good starting point from which expenditure that will fall away in retirement can be deducted (such as mortgage costs) and to which additional expenditure can be added (such as the cost of more frequent holidays).

The next step is to understand what capital and other provision you have at the current time and how much is likely to be earmarked for retirement.

From this sound and accurate starting point, whilst making several assumptions as to growth rates on capital, tax and long-term inflation, it is possible to project how much capital and income you will need in retirement to fulfill all your objectives. You can then determine what shortfall there may be and what level of provision needs to be made to make up the shortfall. We refer to this with our clients as delayed gratification – resisting temptation to have something now, so you can have more in the future.

Above all, the key to putting together an effective retirement strategy is not to leave it too late! www.ffp.org.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

THE FALL OF STERLING AND THE RETURN OF INFLATION

T

Jeremy Le Sueur, 4 Shires Asset Management

he recent 18% fall in sterling versus the US dollar and Euro following the referendum will cause problems for Britain in the coming months.

For now, we have a current account deficit of over 5% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This means we import significantly more goods than we export because within our trade figures is a surplus in services – such as accounting, architecture, banking and legal services. The government currently spends more each year than it has in tax income and we have a 0.25% interest rate.

Altogether, the British economic outlook during this uncertain period will have a real impact on everyday life for most people. This is because inflation is coming back.

It is over 40 years since we were in the midst of an inflationary spike coupled with a budgetary mess similar to today. Inflation at the time was over 20%, as prices soared; not since World War I had the problem been so severe. Eventually the International Monetary Fund had to be called in with an emergency loan to assist in the

restructuring of the UK economy. Economists responded with the invention and application of monetarism, which meant that – by controlling the money supply (i.e. interest rate policy) – one could prevent the damaging effects to people’s spending power and stop inflation wrecking the economy again.

After the recent devaluation and considering that we now import more than we export, inflation will rise. Our avocados, pineapples and cars will become more expensive.

We will of course prioritise our expenditure, focusing on paying the mortgage, rent, food bill and utilities. The drop in discretionary expenditure, such as holidays, will likely tip the British economy into recession. Coupled with Brexit, the drop in foreign direct investment into the British economy will make the current account deficit worse. Will the Bank of England raise interest rates to defend the pound? That could make any recession worse, but is probably unavoidable.

4-shires.com

Earning enough on your investments?

We offer experienced, personalised investment management for private clients We are experts at managing income portfolios We keep the costs of owning financial assets down to enhance returns We offer our clients superior financial planning Contact us today for your free portfolio review and see how we can help you improve returns Call Jeremy Le Sueur on 01935 813380 or email info@4-shires.com www.4-shires.com

Expert Asset Management

21 The Old Yarn Mills, Westbury, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3RQ 4 Shires Asset Management is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The value of investments and the income you get from them may fall as well as rise, and there is no certainty that you will get back the amount of your original investment.

86 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Tech

All the pictures, music and documents on my computer slow it down Not at all; your computer is slowed down by the number of programs actually running either while you use them or in the background.

Moving all my pictures and music onto a removable disk will speed things up Moving all your precious data won’t speed up your computer at all; by moving it you’ll then only have one copy of it and risk losing it altogether. Yes! Have a removable disk but just use it for backup.

Downloading and installing free clean-up software will speed my computer up Rarely, but by all means use the free clean-up software but be careful when you install it that it doesn’t invite all its friends and relatives as well. Uninstall it after you have used it.

Password protected wireless networks are safe from hackers Absolutely! Open wireless networks allow somebody outside your house to connect to your network and then try and hack your computer. Most new routers are secured automatically.

If you clear the browser history and cookies, you’ll gain some speed No! Your browser history and cache is a finite size and new stuff comes in at the top and old stuff falls off the bottom. Cookies are little snippets of information about the

websites you’ve visited. They are harmless in themselves but could be used by a virus to gain personal information.

Macs Can’t Get Viruses Generally true. However, you can install unwanted software but it is easily uninstalled again without damage. As Macs are still only about 10% of the market, the virus makers aren’t really interested.

On-line banking is far too risky On-line banking is VERY secure. Banks are not stupid and they force you to have multiple levels of security and use one-time code generators to ensure that’s transactions are valid. If you do get defrauded, then the bank will just refund you anyway. Risk Free!

Build a website and my business will increase No it won’t! Build a website, throw loads of money at it and over time, you’ll get some reward. Don’t forget that the big widget manufacturers throw lots of money at their websites to get to where they are.

A new computer will speed up my internet connection Sadly, not! A new PC will be faster than your older PC because it’s got new tech in it that is faster. However, your internet connection will still run at the same speed.

If you can, then sign up for fibre broadband instead.

I hope that this has been of some help but, as always, if you need assistance you know where to come!

Coming Up Next Month … Be of good cheer, it’s Christmas! www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87

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 Phelps Heating Solutions Ltd, 57 Granville Way, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4AT

phelpsgas@yahoo.com

BRYAN C. COOPER LTD TRADITIONAL BUILDERS - Since 1968 -

A family run Sherborne business established for 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

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 88 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

LTD

FRANKS

MAINTENANCE GROUP Building repair & maintenance | Home refurbishments | Facilities management services

Serving all your interior & exterior maintenance needs

T

CALL OU

2sev4en

• • • • • •

Heating & Plumbing Refurbishments Carpentry Kitchen Fitting Bathroom Fitting Wall/Floor Tiling

• • • • • •

Plastering Hard Landscaping Painting & Decorating Mobile Scaffold Tower Hire Electrical Installations Electrical Test & Inspections

01747 826656

info@franksgroup.co.uk www.franksgroup.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 89

FOLK TALES with Colin Lambert

DR. CHARLIE MIDDLE

D

id you know that November is prostate awareness month? As I pee quite a bit during the night – we’re talking three or four times, even without alcohol – I decided it was time for another visit to my doctor.

Bute House Surgery: 17 staff, 3.5 partners. (What does half a partner look like, I wonder?) The doors open automatically. I tap my name into a computer screen and it tells me to sit down. To my left is a bookcase with leaflets: living with terminal illness; get closer to your dream of having a baby; something about the effects of asbestos (did you know one of the early cigarette filters was made of asbestos?). And then, “If you notice blood in your pee, even if it is ‘just the once’, tell your doctor”. Well that did happen to me once and I did tell my doctor.

A speaker bellows out, “Colin Lambert, Dr Middle will see you now.”

I walk in. Dr Middle is slight, yet athletic, and smartly dressed. He beckons me to have a seat.

“Dr, I seem to be peeing a lot in the night.” He looks at me, smiles and says, “Call me Charlie.”

We discuss Movember, the annual trend of growing a moustache through the month of November in order to raise awareness of men’s health – particularly prostate cancer. After some reassurance regarding my nocturnal toilet trips, I change the subject.

“Did you always want to be a doctor?” I ask.

“My dad was a GP and my mum was a venereologist, 90 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

so it ran in the family.” Born in Buckinghamshire, Charlie went to boarding school aged eight and eventually won a scholarship to Cheltenham College.

Here, his passions were rugby (a flying wing), cricket (batsman) and hockey (wing again). He arrived at Guy’s and St Thomas’ London in 1984 alongside 90 other undergraduate doctors.

The medical school philosophy was, ‘work hard, play hard,’ so hockey, cricket and London life took their place alongside his medical training. He moved to his new London digs in Brixton just as the riots of 1985 erupted.

Charlie was learning life in London at the sharp end.

A junior doctor’s day often meant an 8am Friday start and an 8pm Monday finish. Sport was left behind, yet Charlie speaks fondly of the teamwork and camaraderie that surrounded the teaching hospitals.

By this time known as Dr Middle, he decided to do a year of post-graduate training in sports medicine at the London Hospital, Whitechapel. His love of sport dates back many years – to watching the 1974 cup final between Liverpool and Newcastle with his dad, in fact.

Liverpool won, his dad was ecstatic and Charlie has been a Liverpool supporter ever since. His is a very sporty family with tennis, hockey, cricket and tobogganing (something about the Cresta Run) all regular fixtures in entertaining his wife, two daughters and son.

“Breakfast?” I enquire.

“I often cook bacon and eggs for the family before

arriving at Sherborne Girls’ school for my 8am surgery – I’m doctor to the school and do a 8am-9am surgery every day. By 9.20am I’m here at Bute House and often don’t leave until the evening. At lunchtime I often do minor surgery, when I cut out bits of skin cancer and other lumps and bumps.”

“I see, but you do have weekends off ?” I ask, tentatively.

“Well, no, because I work regularly at weekends for the out-of-hours service.”

“So how do you switch off ?”

“I make time for the gym. I’ve just got into Apple Music, a music streaming service that can predict artists you might like based on the songs you already own; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Pink Floyd and Foo

Fighters are currently on my headphones. At home I’m into Genesis, when not listening to BBC podcasts.”

“You clearly love your job,” I suggest.

“Illness often presents us with lifestyle options, not just another prescription. Look at how the gym has helped your blood pressure. But I always wanted to help people in some way. I see medicine both as an art and a science. As you get to know someone, build trust and understanding, the doctor-patient relationship changes to a partnership.”

You can listen to Colin’s full interview with Charlie live on Abbey 104.7 fm or Abbey104.com on Sunday 6th November at 11am. movember.com www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 91

Short Story

HARE AND GIZAT’S GOAT OF GOOD FORTUNE Marigold Verity

Y

ou would never have thought a leaky jerry can could ever bring someone good fortune, but that’s how it was for Hare and his brother Gizat.

Hare and Gizat lived with their mother Fana is a small, stone homestead in the rugged north of Ethiopia. The family was very poor. Hare’s father had disappeared from home one day. He left a note saying he had gone to look for work in Addis Ababa. But he left with just about nothing. He even left without his harp. “The harp is the national instrument of Ethiopia,” he had proudly told his boys. So Hare and Gizat’s mother Fana was left to bring the rest of the children up alone. Fana worked on her neighbour’s farm, tending crops and livestock and she was paid in kind, which means she took home some vegetables and a few eggs to feed her family.

Every morning before breakfast, Hare and Gizat would take the old jerry can and the older blue bucket to the communal well to draw fresh water.

92 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

They envied the lucky boy who had a water carrier on wheels and minded when other boys teased them about the state of the old blue bucket and the can. But, day by day, they dragged the leaky containers slowly home and each day they left a trail of water in their wake.

Now you see those leaky containers were irrigating the ground. There sprung up a little trail of grass and wild flowers in Hare and Giza’s wake, it went all the way to their home. Small herds of goats could be seen searching for rough scrub and grass across the plains to graze. But as the boys walked home one pretty nanny goat and her kid always trotted behind them, munching the little trail of fresh green grass along the path.

One morning,g through the mist, there was a commotion. The goats shot away, all save the little nanny goat and her kid. The nanny goat bleated and ran in circles, while the little kid stood rigid. The boys looked up. Ambling towards them in kind of a circular fashion were two hunch-backed hyenas.

Hare picked up a large stone and threw it at the hairy creatures, then threw another. Gizat dropped his old bucket and gathered up the kid. The boys started running for home, closely followed by the nanny goat. They rushed through the door of the corral which was their home and slammed the door shut. The hyenas slunk away.

When there was no longer any sign of the hyenas, the boys let the goats go free and went in search of the old bucket and jerry can. An old man with a staff came across the open ground and hailed them.

“You were very brave to scare off those hyenas,” he said. “I saw you rescue my goats, so I’m going to give them to you. I’m an old man, but you two skinny lads could do with some fresh milk and cheese. And I can see you would take good care of the nanny and her kid.”

Hare and Gizat couldn’t believe what they were hearing.” Our mother will be so happy,” they said. They picked up the jerry can and the bucket and, with the help of the old man, they led the little nanny goat and her kid back home. Fana, their mother, was overjoyed to receive the goats and went in search of fodder on her neighbour’s farm. It was mid-morning by the time the boys got to school. Of course, they had to offer the old shepherd some warm tea and thank him for his kindness. Gizat, who had learnt to pick out a few tunes on the old harp, even serenaded the tea party and the old man promised to visit them again.

Not long after her arrival, the nanny goat gave birth to two more kids and the little herd soon began to grow. Later that year, Hare and Gizat’s father returned home. The family was reunited and their father set about irrigating their field with a small pump that he bought with money earned in Addis Ababa. Whatever milk and cheese was left over from the family Fana sold at the local market, so the boys had some new school-books and smart new T-shirts. They never complained about the leaky old jerry can and older leaky bucket again.

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 93

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW

Mark Greenstock, Sherborne Literary Society Wayne Winstone, Winstone's Books, Independent Bookshop of the Year 2016

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (Sceptre 2016) £14.99 Exclusive reader offer price of £13.99 at Winstone’s Books

94 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

“War was declared at 11.15 and Mary North signed up at noon. She did it at lunch, before telegrams came, in case her mother said no. She left finishing school unfinished.” This deceptively innocuous opening lets us into the story of a group of ordinary but extraordinary people caught up in the events of the Second World War. There is a double scenario, of the Blitz in London and the aerial bombardment of Malta.

We are not spared the hard details (just as on the BBC News we are currently not spared details of what is happening in Aleppo); but through his skilful handling of a complex plot, his characteristic mastery of irony

and dialogue and the unobtrusive use of comprehensive research, Chris Cleave steers us through an authentic and moving narrative. This isn’t just another book about war (or, for my generation, The War).

After reading Everyone Brave Is Forgiven I felt the urge to revisit my own memories, which were of events not nearly as dramatic as what Mary, Alistair, Tom and Hilda and their friends had to go through, but which still had their disturbing aspects for a young child growing up on the outskirts of London.

Chris often has children in mind as he writes. One of the ‘heroes’ of this book is the negro child Zachary, who can’t be moved out of London to find sanctuary with a family in the country as so many were. The novel is based on the experiences of Cleave’s grandparents, who were in London and Malta during the war.

When Chris came down to Sherborne last month to speak to the Literary Society about his book he asked

Keeping On Keeping On by Alan Bennett (Faber) £25.00 Exclusive reader offer price of £24.00 at Winstone’s Books

We think this is the publishing event of the last quarter.

A new Alan Bennett tome is always an event and this offering will make the perfect Christmas gift for someone special. In Bennett’s own words, “I seem to have banged on this year rather more than usual. I make no apology for that, nor am I nervous that it will it make a jot of difference. I shall still be thought to be kindly, cosy and essentially harmless. I am in the pigeon-hole marked ‘no threat’ and did I stab Judi Dench with a

if he could bring his wife and their young children, who hadn’t heard this story before. It was as though all of us were eavesdropping on an intimate fireside chat of a family who needed to hear a tale they would never forget. Also listening raptly was a young lady in her early twenties, whose grandfather had similarly been caught up in the siege of Malta. It is that quality of empathy that makes the difference between just another potboiler and a book that a writer has to write from deep inside him or herself. With Cleave, it is a quality also found in his earlier novels Incendiary (2007), The Other Hand, or Little Bee in the US (2010) and Gold (2012). If you cannot get hold of Everyone Brave Is Forgiven, any of these are worth starting with. But otherwise, don’t wait for the paperback to come out – the hardback is marvellous value and Winstone’s may still have some in stock. MG sherborneliterarysociety.com

pitchfork I should still be a teddy bear.”

The writer’s third collection of prose follows in the footsteps of the phenomenally successful Writing Home and Untold Stories, each published ten years apart.

Keeping On Keeping On contains Bennett’s peerless diaries from 2005 to 2015, reflecting on a decade that saw four premières at the National Theatre (The Habit of Art, People, Hymn and Cocktail Sticks), a West End double-bill transfer, plus the films of The History Boys and The Lady in the Van. There’s a provocative sermon on private education given before the university in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, and ‘Baffled at a Bookcase’ offers a passionate defence of the public library. The book includes Denmark Hill, a darkly comic radio play set in suburban south London, as well as Bennett’s reflections on a quarter of a century’s collaboration with Nicholas Hytner. This is an engaging, humane, sharp, funny and unforgettable record of life according to the inimitable Alan Bennett. WW winstonebooks.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 95

Extensive range of wool

DESIGNER

Buttons, ribbons & crafty bits

Bespoke & Ready to Wear New line of gorgeous Autumn Winter hats & Perri’s party jackets in the boutique now!

Yarn, haberdashery and workshops

Find us in Half Moon Street, Sherborne, opposite the Abbey

1 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3PT

Tel: 01935 508249

www.theslippedstitch.co.uk

01935 812 927

See website for workshops

www.perriashby.co.uk

EMDR - a supportive, effective therapy.

Eye Movement, Reprocessing and Desensitisation Covering South Somerset & North Dorset

• Trauma • Anxiety • Low self-esteem • Phobias • Depression Tel: 01747 825288 Mobile: 07966 002927 www.fullstoptherapy.co.uk

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 Therapy & Addiction Services

My Ironing Lady

Pressed for time?

For all your domestic ironing requirements Collection service available Call 07821 698654 Email ironing@myironinglady.com Or visit www.myironinglady.com

01963 250788

CROSSROADS PET SUPPLIES LTD All Pet Accessories Retail & Wholesale

01935 411859 Find us at Forward Garage on the A30 between Sherborne & Yeovil

A VERY SPECIAL VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY Become a SAMARITAN and you become part of a superb local team that offers emotional support 24/7 Find out more about our exceptional training programme and the chance to make a real difference at a PROSPECTIVE VOLUNTEER INFORMATION SESSION on the FIRST TUESDAY of EACH MONTH at 7pm. These are held at our centre (address below) We are keen to hear from anyone over 18 with time in the evenings and weekends. Call 01935 414015 and let us know when you are coming or email recruitment@yeovilsamaritans.org.uk Yeovil Samaritans, 25 The Park, Yeovil • www.samaritans.org You could change someone’s life – maybe your own

96 | Sherborne Times | November 2016

Wayne Timmins Painter and Decorator • • • • •

Interior & Exterior Fully Qualified 20 Years Experience Wallpapering & Lining Residential & Commercial

01935 872007 / 07715 867145 waynesbusiness@aol.com

Home Selection Service and Budget flooring available Carpets ~ Naturals ~ Vinyls ~ Contract Flooring Tel: 01963 441276 Mobile: 07855 743796 glen@inspiration4floors.co.uk www.inspiration4floors.co.uk

DAVE THURGOOD Painting & Decorating interior and exterior

07792 391368

With over 17 years experience, we are the local experts and a family business you can trust.

NO VAT

Supply • Installation • Sanding • Treatment • Polishing

www.sherbornedecorators.com dave.thurgoodstfc@btinternet.com

Mobile: 07812 345169 | Office: 01935 825220 www.wychwoodoakflooring.co.uk

Biskup Property Maintenance Ltd have rebranded, we are now

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 Tel: 01935 584 034 | Mob: 07718 476 549 info@oakleighplumbing.co.uk www.oakleighplumbing.co.uk

Wills ––– of Sherborne –––

Plu m b i n g & H e at i n g Lt d 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

Tiling & Flooring General Renovation Painting & Decorating Kitchen & Bathroom Fitting Roof Repair & Damp Proofing Fascia & Soffits Repair & Replacement Window Repairs & Replacement Guttering Repair & Service Rendering & Plastering Loft Conversions Floor Screeding

New 24 Hour Quote Service 07809 238525 | tom@homeworks.io www.homeworks.io www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 97

SUDOKU

Fill the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 section contain all numbers between 1 and 9 OCTOBER SOLUTIONS

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Horrifying (8)

1. Hats (4)

5. Clothing (4)

2. Away from the coast (6)

8. Large mast (5)

3. Overwhelming majority

9. Lottery (7)

of votes for one party (9)

10. Tallest species of penguin (7)

4. Talk idly (6)

12. A child beginning to walk (7)

6. Love affairs (6)

14. Aircraft with two pairs

7. Cambridge vs Oxford

of wings (7)

event (4-4)

16. A curse; wicked look (4,3)

11. Medley of dried petals (9)

18. Opposite of morning (7)

12. Not pleasing to listen to (8)

19. Showery (5)

13. Probable (6)

20. Plant of the pea family (4)

14. Pleaded with (6)

21. Food enhancer (8)

15. Birthplace of St Francis (6) 17. Extravagant publicity (4)

98 | Sherborne Times | November 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

Christmas Bookings now being taken

Menu du Jour Offer

3 courses for ÂŁ22 or 2 with a glass of wine*

Best food I have ever eaten Trip Advisor October 2016 3 The Green, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3HY 01935 813821 @greensherborne www.greenrestaurant.co.uk *Available evenings Tuesday - Thursday and lunchtimes Tuesday - Saturday