Community

WALK FOR A CAUSE

David Grey

Many years ago, I lived in a lovely village in the South Hams of Devon just outside Totnes. Most afternoons, you would spot a lady resident, armed with a bag in one hand and a litter picker in the other, scouring the verges and hedgerows for litter that motorists, and indeed pedestrians, had very selfishly just thrown away. Many people regarded her as mildly eccentric, but I personally always had a very strong admiration for her cause.

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted one of my neighbours walking towards Waitrose armed with her bag and litter picker. When I asked her if she was worried that people might consider her to be slightly batty, she replied, ‘David, I honestly do not care what anyone thinks.’ When I saw her later in the week, I asked her if she would mind if I joined her - immediately she said that she would be delighted. She even supplied me with a litter picker, courtesy of her friend and long-time Sherborne litter campaigner, Anthony Vosper.

So, the next day, feeling a bit apprehensive as to what sort of reaction I would get, we set off. Honestly, I had no need to worry whatsoever. The words of encouragement and thanks we received were simply uplifting. Having walked for well over an hour and collected four bags of rubbish between us, I went home feeling so incredibly positive. Important to note that we use bags that we can empty during our walk into one of the dozens, maybe hundreds, of litter bins that are in Sherborne. I then simply take my empty bag home and rinse it out to be used again. This saves just yet another bag going into landfill.

My eight-year-old son Charlie spotted my litter picker. Unbeknown to me he had persuaded his mum to buy him one last year. Probably, knowing Charlie, not to pick up litter, but rather as a robot arm for one

Image: Katharine Davies

of his space rockets taking him on another trip to the International Space Station that seem to regularly depart from the confines of his bedroom. However, I do him a disservice as he immediately asked me if we could go ‘picking’ together. This we did on the following weekend. We only took one bag, which I held, but he was keen to ‘out collect’ Daddy and then, we had a competition for the most unusual piece of litter. I thought I had won, when discovering the decaying remnants of a firework rocket (possibly one of Charlie’s from last bonfire night). However, Charlie won the day when he discovered part of a car’s bumper in Coldharbour car park. I claimed that this was not in fact litter only to be told that if someone knocked a bit off their car and did not bother to pick it up then they were, in Charlie’s opinion, a ‘dimpty stick’ (one of his favourite terms when Daddy does something that he considers head-shakingly embarrassing).

As someone who has done voluntary work in Sherborne for over 10 years, my latest voluntary post is helping cook for the RVS at our fortnightly lunch club. Very sadly, due to lockdown, we have not met now for nearly a year. We do, however, keep in contact by phone with all our members. Sometimes, it is very difficult to sound positive on the phone during these difficult times. There are so often no rays of hope coming out of the media and, in the main, the mood is gloomy.

However, I contacted my team leader at RVS and suggested that I try and motivate both volunteers and members to go out for a walk using my cause as a reason. It’s far, far too difficult these days to motivate yourself to get out of the chair and take that all important exercise. It is just so easy to look at the weather outside and the rain coming down at an almost horizontal angle or a biting easterly penetrating the hardiest of thermal jackets. The thought of getting your cold weather gear on when everything is telling you to pick up the sudoku that you have been struggling with or grab the remote in the hope that there may be something actually worth watching on afternoon television better than the repeat of Homes Under The Hammer that you have seen at least three times before.

So, fellow residents of Sherborne and beyond, put down that remote and sudoku, get on the wet weather gear, but, more importantly, give yourself the greatest incentive for going on that walk, which is a very simple litter picker and a plastic bag.

I absolutely guarantee you will return from that walk exhilarated and inspired as well as exercised. You will have an enormous feeling worth and purpose. You will have received many words of encouragement from people you have never met before. When we eventually come out of lockdown, you will be able to spend time talking to these people who are encouraging you. We have seen in recent months the huge importance of individuals inspiring a nation with their actions. Voluntary work is one of the best ways I know to meet people and gain new friends, but litter picking is a voluntary job you can do on your own without being part of an organisation. Or, do it with a friend or relative as I do. Even if you only go for the shortest of walks and only pick up one piece of litter then that is one piece of litter whose absence is making our town cleaner and a safer place for our wildlife and a far nicer place for the generations to come to enjoy.

You can make a difference so please do it and ‘walk for a cause’.

MARKET KNOWLEDGE

LIZ MANGLES, EWENIQUE FURNITURE

Welcome to The Sherborne Market! What brings you here?

The pandemic! I usually take my Ewenique Furniture to several large craft shows around London and the South East. Last year, all but one event was cancelled and more have gone this year too, so I decided to look for more local, open-air options. I have exhibited at the lovely Stock Gaylard Oak Fair since it began over 15 years ago, so I was excited to be offered the chance to attend Sherborne Market.

Where have you travelled from?

My small seaside workshop on Portland.

Tell us about what you’re selling?

The Ewenique Furniture Flock: a range of sheepshaped footstools with carved wooden heads and upholstered, sheepskin-covered bodies. I’ll also have sheepskin seat pads, hand-sewn sheep greeting cards and sheep-shaped lavender bags.

Where and when did it all begin?

A pony-mad little girl – if I couldn’t have a horse, I would make one! My school was alarmed at my career choice of rocking horse maker.

In ’84, I moved to Crewkerne, where Margaret Spencer was making rocking horses. She bravely took me on as her apprentice and was a total star. I was with her for five years making almost 200 horses.

Then, in ’90, I moved to carving carousel animals; creating large elaborate horses, decorated with secondary animals, from dragons to piglets and my first lamb. Other rides had reindeer, sea creatures and Easter animals. The large ride is currently at Crealy World of Adventure, near Exeter.

Around ’96, I was asked to make a sheep-shaped display stand for a beautiful Wensleydale sheepskin. I had a young family, so it took years to finish, and I lost touch with the customer. Loath to waste it, I tacked a woolly bathmat over it all and … Ethel was born! Further progress with the flock was sporadic until 2010, when I teamed up with Mark Matthews, a sailmaker willing to wrestle sewing real sheepskin coats. The amazingly soft sheepskin with the hand-carved heads proved a winning combination.

What do you enjoy most about selling at markets?

Meeting people! I love seeing people’s reactions to the flock. Often, I have folk line up a row of Mirabelle sheep to choose their favourite; they are all Ewenique! It’s fun and rewarding because I design them to be furniture that makes people smile. Even after selling at shows for years, there is a real buzz and excitement at every sale.

If you get the chance, which fellow stallholders here at Sherborne would you like to visit?

All the food stalls! During the past year, I’ve only shopped from our small local supermarket, so the idea of buying wonderful cheeses is a particular dream. Mark and I will be taking time off the stand to taste our way around!

Where can people find you on market day?

We’ll be on Cheap Street.

A GREENER, CLEANER SHERBORNE

Cllr Jane Carling, Sherborne Town Council

By nature, I am sceptical and impatient, although I am heartened by the forward movement of environment enrichment activity here. Although there is never a sufficient sense of ‘emergency’ for me, I see the STC’s unanimous recognition of the ‘climate emergency’ upgraded to ‘climate and environment emergency’, and the climate working party promoted to a ‘committee’, as a reflection of the council’s genuine and accelerating commitment to improve our environment. But what we can, and do, achieve is not as great as the groundswell of activity from the wider community of Sherborne and outlying villages - and the potential from Dorset Council’s Local Plan which we must use to our advantage.

Looking back at the 2019-2024 STC Forward Plan with its ‘Green Sherborne’ appendix, I know twelve of the issues have been discussed, eight have been accomplished or bettered and four are work in progress. Significantly, what was an ‘appendix’ eighteen months ago is now the body of most discussions and projects. When we lose a tree, almost by definition old and beloved, we plant more. Sadly, saplings are not immediately as glorious as the trees they replace - we need faith in ‘mighty oaks’.

Have you seen our new Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCPs)? STC cannot claim more than encouraging the innovation and applauding their installation, but those EVCPs in both the Old Market and Coldharbour car parks are indicative of the direction in which we are moving. Our thanks to Dorset councillors for delivering this initiative. Our pedestrianised electric road sweeper is about to spring into action with its new operator soon to be appointed, making for greener cleaning. Our website will soon have its very own community page with links to green issues.

We have various initiatives from within the council, and externally, which is really encouraging. Many people in Sherborne are working towards green, from those local artists who are no longer selling their cards in non-biodegradable packaging, to shops and markets where the purchaser uses their own containers and bags for transporting food.

Snowdrops, given by long-term Sherborne inhabitants, have been planted in the Quarr. The snowdrops were planted as we approach one year since the start of the first national lockdown; a floral thank you to all those in and around Sherborne who have helped the community over the past year. Snowdrops have long symbolised hope, showing that the long winter is slowly transforming into spring.

We are on our way to installing one or two community fridges, reducing food waste and providing free fresh produce to those who want or need it, and we are in the planning stages of a community orchard, which is surely cause for rejoicing.

Another potential project for Sherborne, much needed and long wanted, is a viable network of cycleways, for which we have received grant funding for a feasibility study to be carried out.

Then there are those whose vision goes beyond Sherborne. A young resident and Gryphon School pupil, Josh Tregale, soon to be heading off to university, has been invited onto a panel advising the Italian Government ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in November this year. Josh will certainly be one to watch.

sherborne-tc.gov.uk @SherborneTownCl

TAKING A STAND

Sir Christopher Coville, Acting Chairman, Sherborne and District Society CPRE

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) believes in considerate planning and development, with surrounding countryside that is an optimal mix of farming and accessible landscapes that balances food production with wildlife conservation. We stand for green spaces in towns, a countryside that enriches all of our lives – regenerating our wellbeing, and that we, in turn, regenerate, protect and celebrate. We’ve worked for almost a century to support and promote the countryside, but we have never faced such challenges as we do today.

There are many forces at work as we begin a recovery from the pandemic: we need more houses, and ones that are affordable, especially to our young people; farmers are struggling to make ends meet as we transition from the EU to national arrangements; town centres are in decline as Covid and changing consumer behaviour take their toll and on top of all this, we face a climate emergency that if not addressed could cause lasting damage to the planet. This is why we at Sherborne CPRE are increasingly active. We are blessed with living in a beautiful part of Dorset, with a delightful Abbey town at its centre; so why are we so concerned?

As part of the Government’s housing initiative, Dorset has been set a target, adhering to Government guidelines, of nearly 40,000 new homes in the county; this would mean thousands of additional homes being built every year for the foreseeable future. Just think about that, and its potential impact on the county. CPRE don’t recognise these figures, and believe they are about 50% higher than what is actually needed, and twice what has actually been achieved over the past few years. Backed up by an independent report, we are pressing at county level to have these numbers revisited.

So, let’s talk about the Sherborne area. I don’t want to throw stones, but we’ve already seen a lot of imperfect developments west of the town. The current local plan identifies a need for 1,200 plus new homes in Sherborne, all of which would be constructed to the west and north west, around the current A30. With the houses already built or in the process of being built, by the end of the proposed local plan period, up to 2,000 new homes could have been completed. This would amount to a 40% increase in dwellings, with massive pressure on roads, health services, schools and leisure facilities – not to mention the loss of landscapes and farming land.

This is why CPRE Sherborne are actively engaging on the new local plan with the major landowner and the town council. We are encouraged by their concerns. Sherborne Castle Estates have told CPRE that - whatever developments result - they will be built with the right infrastructure and the right overall design. But we cannot be complacent where local authorities are under such pressure from Government. Along with these endeavours, we intend to work with our town council to ensure that when we emerge from these dark days of Covid 19, we together strive to regenerate the town centre, with a rebalancing of its cultural, commercial, domestic and residential core. It will not be easy, and it will need leadership and bold planning decisions; CPRE Sherborne intend to be part of the solution.

REDUCE YOUR FOOD WASTE, HELP COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND SAVE MONEY!

Dorset Council Waste Team

At a time when we’re all trying to play our part in tackling climate change, there’s one easy action we can take – and it will also save us money!

The edible food we throw away contributes to climate change. We are wasting not only the food but the valuable resources that have gone into creating it too – from fertilisers, and water that was used for growing it, to the greenhouse gases created from its production and transportation.

Here are some handy tips on how to reduce your food waste:

Make a list – Before you go shopping, plan your meals ahead and make a list. It will help you to only buy what you need.

Get your portions right – It’s very easy to cook too much pasta and rice. Obviously appetites differ, but a quarter of a standard mug of uncooked rice or two generous handfuls of uncooked pasta per person are a good rule of thumb when estimating quantities required.

Store food correctly – Food lasts longer if stored in the right places. Bread is best stored in its original packaging in a cupboard or in a bread bin, not the fridge. Potatoes should be kept in a breathable bag/sack (not plastic packaging) and stored in a cool, dark place.

Get the best use out of your fridge/freezer – Setting your fridge down to 5 degrees will keep food fresher for longer. Freezing what you won’t eat is like pressing the pause button. All kinds of foods can be frozen, right up to the ‘use-by’ date, including milk and bread.

Keep an eye on your labels – Making sense of the various dates on your food packets can help save your food from being wasted. ‘Best before’ refers to quality: your food will be at its best before the date given. After this date, it might not be at its best, but it will still be safe to eat. ‘Use by’ refers to safety: you must not eat food past the ‘use by’ date. ‘Display until’ and ‘sell by’ dates are just for the retailers; you don’t need to worry about these.

Eat everything that’s edible – Use up every edible part of your fruit and vegetables, including potato skins and broccoli stalks. You’ll get the best value as well as the most of your food’s nutrients. It will also save you the hassle of peeling!

Use up all your leftovers – Leftovers could be used for a lunchtime snack e.g. for fillings in sandwiches or baked potatoes. It can be fun to get creative and use up leftovers to make an evening meal – and could also save you time as you won’t have to cook from scratch.

For more hints and tips, plus lots of tasty recipes for using up leftovers, visit lovefoodhatewaste.com