Sherborne Times September 2021 by Sherborne Times

SEP TEMBER 2021 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

THE WHOLE HOG

with James & Charlotte Hull of The Story Pig

sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

he sight of a dozen giddy ginger piglets is enough to make anyone go soft. Throw in spectacular views, homemade biscuits and the heady scent of lavender and it suddenly all becomes a bit much. Emotions run the full gamut here at Lavender Keepers, home to The Story Pig, James and Charlotte Hull and their 350 Tamworths. Seasoned readers of the ST will be familiar with James’ monthly tales of life on the farm. His honest account of the hardships and hilarities have reduced us to both sorts of tears. We cheer them on from firm ground at a comfortable distance, willing the weather to suit their needs and wishing each piglet well. That’s the difference of course – James and Charlotte work incredibly hard in order to create something of quality and integrity. While we might buy their meat at The Sherborne Market and remark on its flavour over Sunday lunch, we can barely grasp the effort that went into it. It’s a labour of love of course, a love that has recently spilled over into a glorious new venture – Lavender Keepers Café. We pay James and Charlotte a visit and do our best not to smuggle home a piglet. Have a great month and keep well. Glen Cheyne, Editor glen@homegrown-media.co.uk @sherbornetimes

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard @round_studio Photography Katharine Davies @Katharine_KDP Feature writer Jo Denbury @jo_denbury Editorial assistant Helen Brown Social media Jenny Dickinson Illustrations Elizabeth Watson elizabethwatsonillustration.com Print Stephens & George Distribution team Barbara and David Elsmore Nancy Henderson The Jackson Family David and Susan Joby Christine Knott Adam May Sarah Morgan Mary and Roger Napper Mark and Miranda Pender Claire Pilley Ionas Tsetikas

Harriet Bajorat Sherborne School sherborne.org

Andy Hastie Cinematheque cinematheque.org.uk

Heidi Berry Sherborne Prep School sherborneprep.org

James Henderson Sherborne Abbey Choir sherborneabbey.com

Elisabeth Bletsoe Sherborne Museum sherbornemuseum.co.uk

Mike Hewitson MPharm FFRPS FRSPH MRPharmS The Abbey Pharmacy theabbeypharmacy.com

Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers charterhouse-auction.com Mike Burks The Gardens Group thegardensgroup.co.uk David Burnett The Dovecote Press dovecotepress.com Paula Carnell paulacarnell.com Cindy Chant & John Drabik Sherborne Walks sherbornewalks.co.uk Ali Cockrean alicockrean.co.uk David Copp Kim Creswell Dip.Herb.Med. MNIMH Goldberry Herbs goldberryherbs.co.uk Steve Crook The Compton Candle Co. thecomptoncandlecompany.co.uk Rosie Cunningham Jemma Dempsey

1 Bretts Yard Digby Road Sherborne Dorset DT9 3NL 01935 315556 @sherbornetimes info@homegrown-media.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk Sherborne Times is printed on 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. 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.

4 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

James Flynn Milborne Port Computers computing-mp.co.uk

Richard Hopton Sherborne Literary Society sherborneliterarysociety.com Johnny Jones The Queen’s Arms thequeensarms.com Lucy Lewis Dorset Mind dorsetmind.uk Carole Little Leigh Art Show leighvillage.org.uk Peter Littlewood BA (Hons), FRSA, Cert Mgmt (Open) Young People’s Trust for the Environment ypte.org.uk Chris Loder MP chrisloder.co.uk Paul Maskell The Beat and Track thebeatandtrack.co.uk Sasha Matkevich The Green Restaurant greenrestaurant.co.uk Stéphanie Max stephanie-max.com Gillian Nash

Simon Ford DWT Sherborne Group dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership newtonclarkevet.com

Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS Fort Financial Planning ffp.org.uk

Simon Partridge SP Fit spfit-sherborne.co.uk

Andy Foster Raise Architects raisearchitects.com

Percy Seymour Sherborne Science Cafe sherbornesciencecafe.com

Jan Garner Sherborne Scribblers

Val Stones bakerval.com

Jenny Gibson BVMSci MRCVS Kingston Veterinary Group kingstonvets.co.uk

Emma Tabor & Paul Newman paulnewmanartist.com

Craig Hardaker Communifit communifit.co.uk

Alison Treble Mogers Drewett Solicitors md-solicitors.co.uk Michael Thorner ReBorne Church rebornechurch.org

74 6

Art & Culture

SEPTEMBER 2021 64 Antiques

116 Legal

18 Events

66 Gardening

118 Finance

22 Community

74 The Story Pig

120 Tech

30 Family

82 Food & Drink

124 Short Story

42 Science & Nature

90 Animal Care

126 Literature

54 On Foot

96 Body & Mind

128 Crossword

58 History

110 Home

130 Pause for Thought

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5

Art & Culture

ARTIST AT WORK

No.34: Stéphanie Max, Home 2021, mixed media on aquafine smooth 300gm Daley Rowney paper and 12 inch wooden hoop, £125

hen I knew I would be moving to Somerset, I dreamed about setting up with an outdoor easel in the countryside and learning oil painting. 3 years and 3 lockdowns later, other dreams have come true, but I still haven’t touched an oil tube and have since started learning embroidery instead. The last few months affected me in many ways, like most of us, and have had repercussions on my art practice, inevitably. In an unexpected creative path, with lack of space, time and focus, I started tiny paper sculptures and drawings, very detailed, with materials and tools I have at home. Nature was always a major source of inspiration and this has exploded since March 2021 in my daily life and artwork. This hoop is the perfect choice to share who I am at the moment, ripped between domestic tasks and confinements, a muted cry of freedom, a need of nature and fresh air, all heightened. The meaning of ‘home’ 6 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

changed so much through the Covid period, between a spectrum of refuge-prison feelings, with inside-outside boundaries, physically and mentally, to reconsider. A house to re-imagine, to re-view and re-experience. @Maxdemoiselle stephanie-max.com

___________________________________________ Saturday 18th September - Sunday 3rd October Venue 50, Somerset Open Studios 2021 One of the country’s largest Open Studios events, showcasing the work of Somerset Art Works Members in a range of private and pop-up workspaces across the county. somersetartworks.org.uk

@somerset_art_works @SAW_Somerset

somersetartwork.page

___________________________________________

Mini

FESTIVAL

Mini

Friday 24th September

3.00pm Ana Manero (Piano) & Arturo Serna (‘cello). Gransden Hall, Sherborne Girls – £10 7.30pm Salvator Mundi: Mark Lockheart (saxophones) & Roger Sayer (organ). Sherborne Abbey – £12

Saturday 25th September 3.00pm Felix Stickland (guitar). Tindall Recital Hall, Sherborne School – £8 7.30pm Pocket Sinfonia, led by Rosie Bowker (flute) with violin, ‘cellos & piano. Gransden Hall, Sherborne Girls – £10

Sunday 26th September 3.00pm Fair Oriana present The Trials & Triumphs of Oriana. Cheap Street Church – £10 7.30pm The Iuventus Ensemble, led by Ruth Rogers (violin). Big School Room, Sherborne School – £15

More information and tickets available from: sherborneabbeyfestival.org and ticketsource.co.uk/ sherborneabbeyfestival Tel: 0333 666 3366 Bookings now open!

Art & Culture

ON FILM

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

hisper it softly, but it looks as though Cinematheque is now able to return to the Swan Theatre this autumn. On 6th October we will show our first film since February last year, 20 long months ago. And it couldn’t be more aptly titled: Sorry We Missed You (2019) is Ken Loach’s compelling, searing attack on zero-hours Britain and the gig economy – a powerful study of the contemporary work climate. Next month I will be able to give further details of the rest of our programme as bookings and selections are confirmed. Looking at possible film options from the last year and a half, there is an absolute wealth of quality cinema to look forward to. Following on from last month’s column, I told how British cinema in the 1950s was trying to relate to the social context of its time – post-war and rejection of austerity – running alongside enormous cultural change. With this in mind, I’d like to recommend the work of a director, who although born in 1945, started his career with intensely personal films set in the post-war period. Terence Davies is from a Liverpool Catholic working class family, and draws from his own familial memories for his first two films, both autobiographical. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) is an intimate portrait of a family in the 1950s whose lives are intermittently terrorised by their brutal father (Pete Postlethwaite at his chilling best). Recalling family gatherings of births, deaths and marriages, Davies paints a lyrical picture of family life, and the highs and lows of being human that is universally recognised. Painful scenes are made palatable with creative framing and lighting. ‘The ugliness of the situation is transformed by the beauty of its presentation’.(Mark Cousins, The Story of Film. The Long Day Closes (1992) follows a young boy’s harsh surroundings, where school is tough and alienating, but the warmth of family life betters the agonies of the adult world. Particularly in this film, release from the greyness of 1950s life is provided by (of course!) visits to the cinema with female relatives. ‘Beautifully poetic... 8 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

the film dazzles with its stylistic confidence, emotional honesty, terrific wit and all round audacity.’ Time Out. I hope I haven’t made these films sound too gruelling, for they are not at all. They portray universal family emotion, beautifully presented in dream-like form by a poet of cinema. Whenever I watch them I cry – I’m never really sure why, my childhood was nothing remotely like that depicted. I think it is more

Sorry We Missed You (2019) Zeitgeist Films/Kino Lorber

to do with how one managing to remember beauty and recovery, even through adversity, is a universal experience. That, and the fact that Terence Davies is a master film maker. Do look out for them. Both films are available online or on DVD.

___________________________________________

cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk

cinematheque.org.uk or call 01935 421905

Wednesday 6th October Sorry we Missed You (2019) 15 Yeovil Cinematheque, The Swan Theatre, 138 Park Street, Yeovil BA20 1QT. Members £1, guests of members £5, Swan Theatre members £4. For more information visit

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 9

Art & Culture

CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT Rosie Cunningham The Play That Goes Wrong. Image: Robert Day

saw The Play That Goes Wrong at the Theatre Royal Bath, a production by the Mischief Theatre whose mission, according to their website, is to be ‘serious about silliness’ and they are true to their word. The Cornley Drama Society are putting on a 1920’s murder mystery but everything goes wrong for the accident-prone thespians with hilarious consequences. This was a completely chaotic, although incredibly well choreographed, play of supreme silliness from start to finish. It didn’t matter that the storyline was almost non-existent or that some of the dialogue was hard to hear because, as the stage set fell around the actors more and more frequently, the audience was outdoing their feats by the rising level of uncontrolled laughter and enjoyment. Think Norman Wisdom and Mr Bean. The elderly lady next to me had brought her two young grandchildren and all agreed that the play was thoroughly enjoyable and was a great antidote to the world events playing out elsewhere. The cast members applauded the audience for their enthusiasm and also 10 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

thanked everyone for ‘coming back to theatre’ which I felt was really heartfelt and genuine. The play is touring and can be seen in various locations until the end of November. For pure fun, with a strong flavour of farce and pantomime, it is money well spent. The Windsors: Endgame, is the live stage version of Channel Four’s irreverent royal spoof, on at the Prince of Wales Theatre for a very limited run until 9th October. Starring Harry Enfield, this is a soap opera story of family conflict and back-stabbing. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Ironic choice of theatre venue. Van Gogh Alive is an immersive multi-sensory experience walking through Van Gogh’s life and famous paintings, on at Kensington Gardens in a massive tent with café and terrace, until 26th September. Over 8 million people have visited in 70 cities across five continents. Tickets are £24 each and the numbers are limited for social distance reasons. A friend went with her daughter and spent a wonderful, enchanting hour. There is a recreation

JOHN MADDISON

18th September - 6th October

of Van Gogh’s famous blue bedroom and easels are available, together with a tutorial, for anyone who feels inspired. Be warned, do not book through Viagogo or other similar sites who charge up to three times the ticket price. 2.22 A Ghost Story is on at the Noel Coward Theatre starring Lily Allen as Jenny who believes that her new house is haunted. During dinner with her husband and friends, they decide to stay up until 2.22am to find out the truth. Sounds like a normal weekend party to me! This is a supernatural thriller from Danny Robins who created the BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist and wrote Young Dracula. On until 16th October, recommended for 14+ so expect something scary. The Paula Rego exhibition is on at Tate Britain until 24th October which I can highly recommend and William Hogarth's greatest works, together with those of his peers across Europe who embraced the mid-18th century cultural and societal changes, can be seen from 3rd November.

PELARGONIUM

OIL

INTERIOR

OIL

www.jerramgallery.com THE JERRAM GALLERY Half Moon Street, Sherborne, 01935 815261 Dorset DT9 3LN info@jerramgallery.com Tuesday – Saturday

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 11

Art & Culture

COUNTER CULTURE Paul Maskell, The Beat and Track

No.1: KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD

s the name might suggest, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are a truly unique band. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia they formed in early 2010 and honed their skills for several years before committing their songs to vinyl. Their first EPs and debut album blended surf music and garage rock giving them a mid-to-late 60s sound. The band didn’t stay content with this genre or indeed the frequency of their output. Since 2011 the band have recorded 18 studio albums, 9 live albums, 2 compilations and 2 EPs. In 2017, not content with an already envious catalogue 12 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

of material, they made a promise to record and release 5 albums in 12 months. This promise they kept and released albums spanning genres such as microtonal, sci-fi heavy metal, psychedelic jazz, indie rock and psychedelic pop. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are a band that not only take great pride in the production of their material and development of their ideas but consider their record-collecting fans in the process. The release of their 12th album Polygondwanaland was issued as a free download for anyone and everyone. Fans were encouraged to make their own pressings, distribute these

themselves, create their own artwork, coloured vinyl editions etc. At last count there are reported to be over 288 different physical versions of the album available. ‘This is all very well Paul,’ I hear you say, ‘but where do we start with a band as complicated as this?’ Well, this is actually quite easy – Gumboot Soup. One of a clutch of 2017 releases, Gumboot Soup covers multiple genres by means of some incredibly crafted songs. Loose mellow jazz, motorik metal, pastoral progressive rock and even some Bowie-esque art-funk are all members of the gang on this release. An excellent introduction to a prolific and forwardthinking jazz, metal, rock, indie, psychedelic, acid, pop, experimental band. This is a band that truly covers all bases. Their songwriting ideas, recording output and format variants are inspiring. Their live shows are the perfect representation of their recorded output, managing to cram all their energy and experimentalism into a live setting with a huge dose of fun. This is what makes them the great band that they are. They show no pretentiousness, no avant garde snobbery, just enjoyment in what they do and no concept of rules or boundaries. A total, so far, of 9 live albums gives any fan or prospective fan ample opportunity to check out the live side of King Gizzard. A personal favourite of mine being Chunky Shrapnel, full of songs spanning the bands back catalogue including the 19 minute-long A Brief History of Planet Earth. Many people’s reaction to this band and their ‘slightly’ eccentric way of doing things would be – ‘Why?’ The simple answer to that is – ‘Why not?’ Drop the needle on a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard album and dive into the Gizzverse. Christian Bertrand/Dreamstime

thebeatandtrack.co.uk

SHERBORNE_TIMES.qxp_Layout 1 19/07/2021 22:06 Page 1

THE FREE WESSEX ARTS AND CULTURE GUIDE

EVOLVER MAGAZINE

Pick up your copy every two months at arts venues, galleries, art shops, cafés, libraries and tourist information centres (etc) throughout Dorset, Somerset, East Devon, West Wiltshire, Bristol and Bath Or subscribe online at: evolver.org.uk Instagram: evolvermagazine

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 13

Art & Culture

THE ARTIST’S PERSONA interviews by Ali Cockrean

SUZANNE BETHELL

14 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Lush, Acrylic and Oil Stick on Paper, 59cms x 84cms

olour is obviously a very important aspect of visual language. Not only can colour set the mood of a painting, but it can invigorate or subdue our energetic response to a work. Colour theory and understanding how combinations of colour and tone work together, is at the heart of art practice. One artist for whom this relationship with colour has been fundamental to how she operates, is contemporary abstract painter, Suzanne Bethell. Suzanne explains, ‘What fascinates me most is the power of colour to alter mood and mind state, its potential to excite the eye and engage the heart.’ This, she says, is central to all her art. As an abstract artist, Suzanne works intuitively, often inspired by an emotional response to a sense of place or time. She often creates a series of work around a theme and employs a number of techniques, including paint on large scale canvas or board, smaller works on paper, as well as mono printmaking. She also often combines these processes, so painting and mono printmaking become integrated, ‘…a piece which begins as a screen print may be worked into by hand, using paint or a range of mixed media and collage,’ she tells me. It’s this freedom of expression and openness to

experiment that makes Suzanne such an inspiring artist. She is happy to admit that not all works turn out well, that not all ideas bear fruit and that painting over old pieces, which she frequently does, often leads ultimately to a far better final work. This is always the hallmark of a great artist - there is nothing to hide. She speaks the language of artists through the history of time. Art is, more often than not, hard work, blood, sweat and tears, struggle and challenge, until a painting finally reaches its destination. Only the creating artist knows when the painting is finished and it’s not always obvious even to them. Sometimes you have to live with work for a while before you really know. Sometimes it takes weeks or months of looking, or not looking, before you get the ethereal, intuitive answer you’ve been waiting for. Suzanne, like many artists, admits that sometimes it’s not until the work is in the frame that she realises it needs more time and attention. I understand that completely, having taken many paintings off the wall myself, in order to rework or adjust. Creating art is messy, we agreed. Not just the physical mess, but the rollercoaster of challenges and the emotional responses these issues create. Artists > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 15

Art & Culture

Urban Explosion, Screenprint, 90cm x 70cm

work alone, finding solutions daily to emerging problems. It doesn’t really ever get any easier. Every new work is a whole process and an emotive journey. ‘I was addicted to painting, drawing and creating from early childhood, but it didn’t become a career choice until much later in life,’ she reveals. ‘I was largely self-taught until graduating from a Foundation degree in Art and Design in 2000, having taken a sabbatical from my day job as a lecturer in English Literature.’ This was followed up with a Complete Printmaker course with Hotbed Press Salford in 2017-2019. Nowadays she works from her peaceful studio which overlooks Etherow Country Park, near Stockport, describing it as her ‘retreat’. Suzanne’s work is represented by the Porthminster Gallery, St Ives, Cornwall; Manchester Art Gallery’s web shop and The Gallery, New Mills. Her work appears in many private collections around the world, including the UK, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Kenya, Australia and New Zealand. She is an associate member of Castlefield Gallery 16 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

in Manchester; a member of Hotbed Press Salford; an associate member of the Penwith Gallery, St Ives and part of an artist collective running The Gallery, New Mills, High Peak. Like all dedicated, practicing artists, Suzanne is always discovering new ways to communicate her messages to the world. Most recently she has been experimenting with even larger format work and spray paints. Her honesty about her process and the raw delight she has for her profession shines bright. She has nothing to prove to anyone – she only paints for herself and, as she says, ‘if others like it and want to buy it, that’s always just a bonus for me.’ Suzanne Bethell epitomises what’s really important about all artistic practice. To listen to your soul and respond. suzannebethell.co.uk alicockrean.co.uk To hear Ali’s full interview with Suzanne, search Facebook for The Artist’s Persona and join the free membership.

TENEBRAE 6TH OCTOBER

“phenomenal” The Times

“devastatingly beautiful” Gramophone Magazine

Tenebrae is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles, renowned for its passion and precision. In this special concert, Nigel Short and a consort of Tenebrae singers are joined by virtuoso saxophonist Christian Forshaw, bringing new colours and context to music by Gibbons, Tallis, and Hildegard von Bingen. Tenebrae Workshop

Box Office: 01305 266926

An amazing opportunity to work with Tenebrae’s Artistic Director, Nigel Short. After the workshop, participants can observe the full ensemble in rehearsal for the evening concert in St. Mary’s Church.

dorchesterarts.org.uk Dorchester Corn Exchange High East Street, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1HF

Dorchesterarts Register Charity No: 1015546

kindly supported by

Events

Graham Fuller (L) and Steve Crook (R)

MARKET KNOWLEDGE Steve Crook, The Compton Candle Co.

Welcome to The Sherborne Market! What brings you here? Sherborne is our local market. We started trading here a year ago and we come every month. It’s so friendly and has such a great variety of stalls. Where have you travelled from? Just 3 miles away from Over Compton. Tell us about what you’re selling? We sell a large selection of affordable soy wax candles, soy wax melts and reed diffusers. We believe that quality home fragrances shouldn’t cost the earth! Where and when did it all begin? My partner Graham told me I needed to get a hobby rather than watching too much sport on TV. So, I bought a small candle making kit on the internet and thought ‘I can do better than this’. I started making my own candles – people wanted to buy them in the village and it just snowballed from there. 18 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

What do you enjoy most about selling at markets? We enjoy talking to our customers face-to-face. It’s great to see their reactions to the different fragrances and getting feedback from people who have already bought our products and come over to tell us how much they’ve loved them. It’s like getting a pat on the back when someone compliments you on something that you have put a lot of effort into making. If you get the chance, which fellow stallholders here at Sherborne would you like to visit? We’re normally quite busy but, if we get time, we like to visit Viper Gin to try out their new flavours and also Tim at Miggles who sells the lovely Savon de Marseille soaps. Where can people find you on market day? We are normally opposite The Three Wishes Café near the bottom of Cheap Street. thecomptoncandlecompany.co.uk

Flying the flag for local

Hand picked & selected artisan market featuring local producers, suppliers, amazing food, arts and crafts.

2021 dates

September 19th October 17th November 21st

Events

LEIGH VILLAGE ART SHOW 2021

espite all the Wholly run by uncertainty volunteers, Leigh Art over the last Show would not be 18 months or so due to possible without their Covid-19, it has been invaluable support. They decided to go ahead with contribute so much in the Leigh Art Show every aspect. in October. Set in the This year, Heads of beautiful, thriving village Art and their students of Leigh, in the village from local schools and hall, Leigh Art Show is colleges have been invited a very popular biennial to visit, with a view fixture in the Leigh to encouraging their calendar of events. participation at this year’s A range of artists from show or at future shows. professional to amateur, Folly on the Hill, Mike Jackson It is hoped this could offer a wide variety of prompt younger people art such as pictures, with artistic ability to sculptures and ceramics to exhibit and sell. Mr Kim showcase their art to the general public in the Dorset Pragnell, a well-respected, professional, local artist and Somerset area, which could perhaps help to build who has exhibited at Leigh Art Show for many their confidence in the art world and even lead to an years elaborates: artistic career for some young people. ‘I recognise that my career as a professional painter Fresh coffee, tea, soft drinks and delicious cakes began with the Leigh show, back in the halcyon days of will be available for visitors to buy throughout the the nineties. I continue to do so, not because I know I exhibition and the Chetnole Inn is just a mile away for can sell there but because we all learn from each other anyone wishing to have a pub lunch. and art has the history and future to elevate us all to The show opens with a preview event on Friday being more creative, more curious about how to improve 22nd October (6pm-8pm) and the exhibition runs on our work. I have painted in watercolours and now in oils, Saturday and Sunday 23rd and 24th October from this being a medium that I find to be more expressive. 10am to 4pm on both days. My dark and broody seascapes (and now bright and sunny landscapes) are what I am known for and why leighvillage.org.uk people buy my work. I am very much looking forward to ___________________________________________ the Leigh Show, in Leigh’s superb village setting.’ Friday 22nd October 6pm-8pm Leigh Art Show has always been and still is a Leigh Art Show Preview charitable event and many local charities have benefitted Entry £5.00 on the door. Includes a glass of wine and canapes. over the years, including Sherborne ArtsLink – first ___________________________________________ registered in 1982, it helped to improve the lives of Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th October 10am-4pm people within the community by offering access to the Leigh Art Show arts and culture – and The Rendezvous – a drop-in centre Leigh Village Hall DT9 6HL.Entry by catalogue £2.00 for young people in Sherborne. Amongst other things (one per individual, couple or family). Light refreshments it helps young people to gain qualifications, write CVs will be available to purchase. and boost their self-esteem to find themselves a job. ___________________________________________ 20 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

ARTI S A N R

by c l iv e w e bbe r

ALPACA - PIM A COT TON - SI LK

Open Day Event – Digby Main Hall Saturday 25th September This special event will be held on Saturday 25th September from 10.30 AM – 3.30 PM. There is plenty of parking at the Digby Hall car park. We will be featuring our brand new Autumn Collection of Alpaca Knitwear, ‘Perfect Fit’ Pima Cotton Tops, and Silk Scarves – All by Artisan Route. This is a young company and brand name, but please remember that Clive Webber has had connections for over 20 years in Sherborne and really knows how to produce top quality designs in Alpaca, Pima Cotton

Catalina – Links knit tunic with cowl neck and side slits. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca.

Intermezzo by Millma – Intarsia zipper jacket. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Superfine Alpaca.

Paulina by Raffa – Beautiful intarsia jacket. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Superfine Alpaca.

Joanna – Long links knit jacket with cosy shawl collar. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca.

Patricia – ‘Perfect Fit’ Peruvian Pima Cotton long sleeved Crew. Available in 12 colours.

Paula – ‘Perfect Fit’ Peruvian Pima Cotton Roll Neck. Available in 9 colours.

and Silk. The beauty of the Open Day is that it provides the opportunity for Artisan Route to show our products in reality, giving customers the chance to see all the products we have. Personal service and attention is the focal point of our small business. Our very good friend Mel Chambers will be with us to help and assist. We are sure that you all know how to reach Digby Hall at Hound Street, Sherborne, but just in case, the postcode is DT9 3AA.

We have chosen a spacious setting in the Main Hall within a safety sensitive environment to give you a warm and friendly experience ! You can check out our collection in advance on our website, please enter the full address below

w w w. a r t i s a n r o u t e . c o . u k or phone for a brochure. T : 01896 823 765 ( Monday - Friday 10.00 - 18.00)

Community

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Sherborne Community Aid Network

herborne CAN (Sherborne Community Aid Network) is a new organisation that helps you to do exactly that. And what’s more, it doesn’t cost you much time, money or effort! It is really easy to be part of. The idea behind Sherborne CAN is simple. It is like the foodbank, but for non-food items. • If you have an item that you no longer need, you inform Sherborne CAN that it is available. They will let the community know and people in need can come forward and receive the item – free of charge. • If you need an item, but maybe find it difficult to afford it, you can contact Sherborne CAN. They will put a call out and, if someone is able to donate the item, it will get passed to the person who requested it. Free of charge. The idea of sharing is as old as humanity itself – and sharing resources is an integral part of every world religion. However, Sherborne CAN is nondenominational and all inclusive. As humans, we rely heavily on each other – and the pandemic has made us more aware than ever of this inter-dependency. Our common ‘enemy’ is also climate change, and so Sherborne CAN is not only aiming to help people in financial need, possibly due to the pandemic, but its aim is also to help reduce waste, encourage the re-using of items, re-gifting, repairing and re-purposing. We are in this climate emergency together. Let’s do whatever we can to help. Every little bit we do is not only 22 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Sjolejonen/Shutterstock

for us and for our community, but also for our planet. Why use Sherborne CAN?

• Both donor and recipient remain anonymous, removing any sense of shame or judgement. • Things that might otherwise have ended up in landfill are reused and valued. We reduce waste. However, we can only accept donations of items that are being requested, as we don’t have storage facilities. • People in financial difficulty can receive items they require quickly and easily, thus helping them to keep out of debt. • Everybody is a potential donor and recipient. • Our community and connections are strengthened through solidarity, mutual support and respect. Sherborne Town Council have welcomed Sherborne CAN as a new local organisation and have provided funding support towards our work in the community. Please help spread the word and share our details with your friends and family. If you refer people to the foodbank in your professional capacity, please bear this organisation in mind for non-food items. To find out more, to volunteer or to offer financial support, please get in touch. If you need an item or want to donate something, contact us via Facebook, by phone on 07918 040355 or email sherbornecan@gmail.com @sherborne.can

Community

Image Josie Sturgess-Mills

BE A CHORISTER!

James Henderson, Director of Music & Organist, Sherborne Abbey and Director of Music, Sherborne School

herborne Abbey Choir consists of up to eighteen boy choristers, and twelve adult singers known as ‘the back rows’, who perform sacred music within the liturgy, during two Sunday services, in the Abbey which must surely be one of the greatest architectural delights of the South-West. Whilst many associate traditional choral singing primarily with Christmas and its enormous canon of often very well-known choral music, there are also Holy Week and Easter services that are imbued with music of an even more moving quality. Then there are the other many ‘big occasion’ services during the year when the Abbey Choir performs music of zest, brilliance and excitement — such as Handel’s Zadok the Priest 24 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

(composed for the coronation of George II in 1727) and Parry’s I was glad (composed for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902). Inevitably the last eighteen months have seen the Abbey Choir heavily affected by Covid-19 — the Abbey was closed altogether during the first lockdown — and opportunities to sing there (or anywhere) have been restricted at times to small groups of just six socially-distanced adults. To their great credit, however, almost all of the Abbey choristers stuck with their ‘virtual choir’ in its three online rehearsals each week on Zoom, through the many individual mobile phone recordings of their singing made in their homes, and in the technologically-compiled virtual performances of

hymns and anthems for the weekly Sunday ‘broadcast’ on YouTube. For those who missed the online services, the Virtual Abbey Choir may still be heard, in fine fettle, on Sherborne Abbey’s YouTube channel. Very soon, though, after the summer holidays, the choristers — who are drawn from several different local schools including Sherborne Abbey Primary, Sherborne Prep and The Gryphon — will all be back in the Abbey as part of the ‘real choir’ rather than as ‘recording artists’ in its virtual relative. From the beginning of September singers will be free of restrictions (we hope) and the Abbey Choir will therefore begin the new choir year ready to welcome new choristers. The ‘real’ musical life to which the choristers will be returning is part of a unique choral tradition in England that dates back hundreds of years, that is respected world-wide, and that involves a training that has lifelong benefits. As the starting point for a happy and fulfilling life of music-making almost always involving singing — and very often involving playing one or more musical instruments along the way — the young choristers’ years singing in a choir are fundamental to their musical development. Through singing beautiful words, in stunning architectural surroundings and in music ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day, the choristers nurture a love of music which they never lose. And there are wider benefits, too. A choir is every bit as much a ‘team’ as is any other collection of people with one collaborative aim, and with that sense of being part of a team there develops for each individual a strong sense of purpose, of self-discipline, and of commitment. So, too, the friendships formed through striving for a common goal are long-lasting, and there is an age-old pedagogical process in younger choristers gaining both musical and personal confidence through singing alongside those who are slightly older and more experienced. The main backstays of the Abbey Choir’s liturgical performances each week are the 9.30am Sung Eucharist and the 6pm Choral Evensong, both on Sundays. Choristers particularly enjoy singing Choral Evensong as there is a wealth of music involved (much of the liturgy is sung rather than spoken), and for the congregation this most traditional of evening services provides a feast of splendid choral music that enhances their worship whilst providing space and time to reflect on the busy week. The Abbey choristers additionally benefit from receiving free specialist singing lessons, generously

"Through singing beautiful words, in stunning architectural surroundings and in music ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day, the choristers nurture a love of music which they never lose ." funded by the Sherborne Abbey Festival, once a fortnight in the Music School at Sherborne School. From time to time assistance is also given with the cost of instrumental music lessons. Together with two early morning singing practices each week in the Abbey at 7.50am (on Tuesdays and Thursdays) — during which all choristers, rehearsing together, develop sight-reading skills, musicianship and a basic knowledge of music theory — there are also weekly Friday evening choir practices in the Abbey when the choristers and the ‘back rows’ rehearse as a full choir. Undoubtedly it is a big commitment and the breaks that the school holidays afford, particularly in the summer when the Abbey Choir takes six weekends off, are well-earned. Membership of the Abbey Choir, whether for choristers or for adult ‘back row’ singers, is reached through attending a brief audition with the Director of Music in order to gauge musical ability and an aptitude for singing. The optimum age for children to audition is during Year 4 (at the age of 8+) or at the beginning of Year 5 and, apart from those who opt to move into the ‘back rows’ when their voices break, most choristers then leave the choir around the age of 14 or 15. Anyone interested in putting forward their children for audition should initially make contact through the ‘Music’ section of the Abbey’s website. There has never been a better moment to become a chorister! sherborneabbey.com Anyone interested in putting forward their children for audition should initially make contact by emailing james. henderson@sherborneabbey.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 25

Community

OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER Chris Loder MP, Member of Parliament for West Dorset

ne of the most barbaric acts that take place in this country, that no one wants to talk about, through fear of offending someone is non-stunned slaughter of animals – and I’m thinking particularly of cows, sheep and chickens. The Food Standards Agency estimates that 94 million cattle, sheep, and poultry were slaughtered in England without being pre-stunned in 2018, and approximately 70% of meat produced for Kosher diets is not labelled as such. This means we are likely all consumers without even knowing it. As a nation, we are especially fond of our pets. The lobby for cats and dogs is immense. The lobby for protection of horses isn’t far behind, but the lobby for cows and chicken and sheep is nowhere to be seen, yet the barbaric acts of brutal slaughter in our food supply chain is ignored. During the passage of the Agriculture Bill last year, the opposition and others suggested we were going to compromise on animal welfare standards. That we would permit chlorinated chicken and that we would allow hormone-injected beef. That was false, because our import standards do not allow it anyway. From a purely animal welfare perspective, I do not believe that non-stunned slaughter should be allowed to continue in the UK. Usually, when an animal goes for slaughter, the animal is stunned so that it is unconscious when a cut is made in its throat. However, as the name suggests, non-stunned slaughter is where a cut is made in the animal’s throat while the animal is still conscious. This is obviously very painful and distressing, and it can take several minutes for the animal to bleed out and die. In my view, as a farmer’s son, it is not acceptable that we allow this to happen to our animals. The thought of what goes on makes me shudder – I would be horrified if I knew the cows on our farm were subjected to this fate. I doubt I would allow them to be taken. I believe many farmers feel the same. I am expecting that, as I go further with trying to 26 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

stop this practice, I will be accused of many things – religious intolerance, cultural insensitivity, perhaps even anti-semitism and islamophobia. I like to think people will understand that my opposition to nonstunned slaughter has nothing to do with religion – I just feel that in the light of increased understanding about animal sentience and the growing acceptance that animals deserve to be treated as feeling beings, cutting the throat while a creature is still conscious is not what we should do. For me my Christian faith is incredibly important. I am not Jewish or Muslim, but I can fully empathise with the significance of religion in a person’s life and the joy of practicing it. I understand what it is like to be religious, because I am religious myself – but I am not convinced that religion, in and of itself, is an automatic justification for continuing with a practice that new evidence has shown to be painful and distressing. When looking at an issue like non-stun slaughter, it is a case of weighing up competing interests. On the one hand, there is the right to freedom of religion

as guaranteed by the Human Rights Act 1998 in the UK. On the other, there is the duty – both enshrined in law and existing as strong majority feeling – to protect animal welfare. It is not the case that one or the other of these ought have total precedence – rather it is about finding the balance between them. The question we must ask, then, is: how can we enhance animal welfare while making sure that freedom of religion is preserved? I actually do not think these are two criteria at odds with each other. I believe there is a way to reconcile these two equally important considerations. For example, if the practice of non-stunned slaughter were no longer allowed to take place in the UK, it would still be possible to get meat imported from abroad for those who need to consume it for religious reasons. There is international precedent for this: in 2017 the Flemish region of Belgium banned non-stunned slaughter, which was judged to not be an infringement on religious freedoms by the EU Court of Justice in 2020. The Court judged that, because the Belgian law does not ban religious slaughter – rather it bans only one specific

aspect of the process – and because imported products are still allowed, it is in keeping with religious freedom. Multiple countries around the world have restrictions or outright bans on non-stunned slaughter, showing that the vital balance between protecting animal welfare and upholding freedom of religion is possible. I would like to see that in the UK. There is no getting around the fact that this is an extremely difficult issue and I am very aware there will be strong opposition. However, I would not be working at stopping or restricting the practice domestically if I didn’t feel as strongly as I do that we have a moral duty to animals to reduce their pain and suffering in whatever way we can. Animals are sentient – they can feel pain, fear, stress, as well as contentment and joy. We’ve all seen these things in our dogs, cats, or farm animals. Just because few of us see what goes on in slaughterhouses doesn’t mean we shouldn’t recognise the suffering that happens there. chrisloder.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 27

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elizabethwatsonillustration.com 30 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

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Achieve financial peace of mind Contact us to learn more 01935 382620 | enquiries@church-house.co.uk | www.ch-investments.co.uk At Church House Investment Management, we only make recommendations from our range of investment portfolio services and associated accounts. Full details of the nature of our services can be found at www.ch-investments.co.uk/important-information or can be provided on request. Please note the value of investments and the income you could 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. You should also be aware that past performance may not be a reliable guide to future performance. Church House Investment Management is a trading name of Church House Investments Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

UNEARTHED Ruby White, aged 14 The Gryphon School

We featured Ruby White, the pint-sized boxer, in January 2019 and have been following her progress ever since. With an inkling Ruby would be edging even closer to her Olympic dream, we caught up with her again to find out.

’ve been boxing since I was 7 and it has done so much for me as a person by improving my mental and physical health. Our gym is like a big family and we support each other through everything. I started at the Fun Box Club and after my first session my coach Shaun Weeks told everyone he was going to make me a National Champion as soon as I am old enough to compete. Just 3 years later I achieved just that! At 11 years old I was the 2019 national Cadet champion. We started training again in April 2021 after a 16-month break due to Covid and last month I boxed in the Riviera Box Cup in Torquay. The National Schools Championships start this month, with the finals taking place in Newcastle, where I hope to win my second national title. Following that, I will hope to win the Lonsdale title for the 3rd time in October. I move up to Junior Level in 2022 with the National championships taking place in March. If I win the Junior title I would then progress to the Three Nations Championships, boxing against the National champions of Scotland and Wales. Winning that would lead to me box for Team GB in the Summer 2022 European Championships. I’ve achieved so much already and want to compete in the 2028 Olympics, then maybe turn professional to challenge for World titles. Boxing is a really hard sport but it has provided me with a life of respect, discipline and confidence. gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

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

32 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

We are adventurous Join our Whole School Open Morning on 23 September at 10.00am to find out more about life at Leweston A co-educational Prep, Senior and Sixth Form Flexi, weekly and full boarding options Daily buses across Dorset and Somerset 01963 211015 | www.leweston.co.uk | admissions@leweston.dorset.sch.uk

Little Preppers Returns!

Our popular toddler group returns on Friday 17 September. Drop-in or come every week!

34 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

www.sherborneprep.org Follow our story

Children’s Book Review by Corbin, aged 10, Thornford Primary School

The Wild Before by Piers Torday (Quercus Children’s Books) £12.99 (hardcover) Sherborne Times Reader Offer Price of £10.99 from Winstone’s Books

iers Torday has written a series of three books - The Last Wild, The Dark Wild and The Wild Beyond - and this book, The Wild Before, gives us an introduction to what came before them and tells us about some of the characters. Although I hadn’t read the other books, I still understood it really well but it would be better to read the other three first. The Wild Before introduces us to the characters Little Hare and his sister. Little Hare is trying to save the animal kingdom from a dangerous, unknown killer. Little Hare takes us on an adventure into the animal world and we meet Mooncalf, a very special pure white calf that needs protecting, otherwise a Terribleness will come.

'Independent Bookseller of the Year 2016’ 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX www.winstonebooks.co.uk Tel: 01935 816 128

This is a brilliant adventure story that made me feel sad at times but mainly exhilarated because Little Hare is so brave and takes on some scary animals that try to stop him on his mission. The book starts by teaching the reader some words that animals use and, since reading this, I find myself using those words in real life! My favourite character is the robin, who we usually think of as jolly and friendly but he is the complete opposite! He made me laugh out loud each time he yelled at the other animals! This story is a warning about not looking after the world and about having hope even when times are tough. I would recommend this to children of age 9 and up.

Other great books by

Piers Torday

Family

HOME FRONT Jemma Dempsey

Fernando Cortes/Shutterstock

he four walls of the A&E waiting room have become painfully familiar and I begin to worry that the receptionist eyeing me with a degree of suspicion and is considering a phone call to social services. Three visits in as many weeks has to be some kind of record – maybe I should get a certificate for effort. I’m certainly trying. This time the small one, it’s always the small one, has, we think, broken his little toe after being chased round the house by his big brother. Some game of monsters which clearly got out of hand. So here we are, the small one and me, killing time along with a growing bunch of sorry-looking souls with their various ailments and 36 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

aching body parts, trying to get comfortable on the hard plastic seats in the hell that is Yeovil District Hospital’s A&E. Another weary mother catches my eye this early Friday evening but any attempt to commiserate with a knowing half smile is thwarted by the mandatory face mask. We continue with I Spy. A nurse emerges through the automatic doors, shouting ’Dempsey’ above the TV din and I jump up, while the small one grabs my arm and hobbles along behind me. I know this is only the beginning of the process, stage one: triage. She asks the necessary questions and looks down at the injured pinky which is curiously jutting out at a 45 degree angle. Even my medically untrained

www.yeovil.razzamataz.co.uk

eye can see this is not right. An x-ray is ordered and it’s back to the waiting room. Bored of I Spy we play the ABC game where you take a subject and go through the alphabet finding words for each letter. Seeing as we’re in hospital we plump for body parts, but get stuck on D and I text the husband who immediately comes back with Diaphragm. Know it all, before we get to Q, my turn, we get called again for the x-ray. I should add here that the small one is able to get around the hospital corridors with relative ease as he is on crutches, crutches we still have from last year from when he broke his big toe. This is where I would insert a rolling eye emoji if I could. What with the pandemic and my cancer we hadn’t gotten round to returning the crutches and I’m mightily relieved. X-ray complete we wait once more. It’s now starting to get late and the mood of the waiting room is beginning to change. A Friday night in A&E is no place for a child but fortunately the wait is short and at long last we get to see a doctor. A real life doctor. The x-ray shows the toe is broken, a clear fracture, albeit a tiny one. The small one looks proud of himself and is pleased to know this trip to hospital hasn’t been a waste of time, unlike the one a fortnight ago when we thought he’d broken his thumb playing cricket. Even better, he’s given laughing gas to take the pain away while the doctor corrects the strange 45 degree break and then straps the toe to its neighbour with gauze and tape. Happy as Larry, whoever Larry was, the small one and I leave the hospital and get home at a respectable 10.30pm. A substantial bruise has developed on said toe, proof that playing and not watching TV or being on X-box can get you in big trouble the big one declares. This time I roll my eyes but deliver milk and a biscuit to the small one who is almost asleep, exhausted from the evening’s activities. The following day the fracture clinic calls and we chuckle about how children break toes, although really this is no laughing matter – it’s the summer and we’re off on holiday soon, a holiday we all really need after the year we’ve had. A couple of weeks bandaged up should be sufficient the nurse tells me. No football or cricket until then. I sigh, as I hear the children squabbling in the distance and I realise the next fortnight will be long. I head to the games cupboard, ‘Come on kids, how about a games day? And I don’t mean X-box!’ jemmadempsey@hotmail.com

As well as performing arts lessons for ages 2-18, we’re a great place to make friends, boost confidence and have fun! Contact Claire at Razzamataz Yeovil to book a place or for more information 07856 273166 yeovil@razzamataz.co.uk

Thank you for your support during this difficult time. Sherborne Food Bank relies solely on the generous food and cash donations from the community and is in urgent need of your help. Please consider adding the following items to your shopping trolley: • Anti-bac hand gel and wipes • Savoury biscuits • Tinned soup (Please no pasta, beans or cereals) Donation points can be easily found at: Thank you.

www.sherbornefoodbank.org

07854 163869 | help@sherbornefoodbank.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 37

Family

Image: Katharine Davies 38 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

NEW BEGINNINGS Heidi Berry, Head of Pre-Prep, Sherborne Prep School

ave you noticed that as soon as schools break up for the summer, ‘back to school’ signs start to appear in shops? They promise shiny shoes, pristine clothes and brand-new pencil cases. As a child I loved shopping for new things to start each school year, but my parents, who were both teachers, seemed less enthusiastic to see the adverts so early on in their holiday! Although this year, these new beginnings have increased poignancy; the familiar feeling of excitedly packing school bags and trying on uniform returns. The reality begins to dawn that our children are a year older and are about to start a new school year which, for many, is when the nerves kick in. Even after 25 years in teaching, I still experience apprehension about the new term and so I am ever aware of the need to reduce anxiety for the young children in our care. Schools are excellent at helping with the first step; reassuring anxious parents of the care and attention each precious child will receive, arranging school visits to see what their class will be like, and organising events to meet their teachers. These are important parts of preparing for school. Children feel empowered by these preparations, which go a long way to reduce butterflies on the first morning. If you haven’t left your child before, I urge you to talk frequently with them about their new setting and all the exciting things they will do. Make a special trip with your child to buy uniform or let them choose their lunchbox or pencil case, praising how grown-up they are being. Try to avoid showing your own anxiety and on the first day, be very brave, smile, and tell them you will see them later, then depart with an affirmative step! At Sherborne Prep, we tend to call parents a few minutes after they have left, so they can hear all is well and avoid spending the whole morning worrying. Making sure children are happy is the very first aim for schools and they will quickly become part of a strong community where their contributions will be valued and where they will be nurtured to grow and thrive. You can be reassured that they will have so much fun they may not even be keen to see you at ‘home time’! sherborneprep.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 39

Family

Image: Henry Hunt 40 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

REACHING OUT

Harriet Bajorat, Assistant SENCO, Community Outreach and Charity Co-ordinator, Sherborne School

ever before has there been such a need to reach out to the community and rebuild or form relationships. After months of isolation and restriction, we are hungry for it. But first, we must re-establish our own culture and, in a new role of Community Outreach and Charity Co-ordinator here at Sherborne School, this is my challenge! Although fundraising and volunteering are longstanding, I feel that the opportunities that come with this ‘blank canvas’ are vast and exciting. Learning what young people are passionate about are the main aims of this year, discovering what the need is within the local area and of course finding a body of students who are bold enough to drive forward some positive change. There are many events and ideas in the pipelines – a dance and afternoon tea in June 2022 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Friends of the Yeatman Hospital at The Green being one. Another, joining forces with the local schools to work together on the recently obtained school allotment. This month, there will be a charity bike ride in honour of Alan Turing and in aid of the Sherborne Voluntary Ambulance. There are meetings taking place with Headway Somerset to see how we can volunteer to help people recovering from acquired brain injuries and students are being invited to interview at The Rendezvous Youth Centre to work as a Maths or English tutor. So much more is also being developed. But the message really is that our outreach will be led by giving of our time. Whilst there is a very real need for fundraising, nothing will incentivise that better than a long-standing relationship, a true understanding and deep empathy for those we are helping. Whilst there are many ways to distract oneself from the stresses and strains of daily life and even more ways to find an adrenaline rush, we cannot underestimate the ways in which we exhaust ourselves in such entertainment through the choices, comparisons and expenses they often incur. As young men, (not being one, I open myself to criticism here) I sometimes wonder whether the students at Sherborne have truly had the chance to develop their emotional intelligence in conscious and deliberate ways. When applying for

this post, I remembered how my own experiences of volunteering had impacted me and I thought perhaps we need to transform the relationships we all have with power and convenience and create more time and space for compassion, kindness and gratitude. The world needs leaders who are empathetic as well as courageous. The trick is finding the time to work on this, when life can be so full of serving our own goals. I stumbled into volunteering at the tender age of nine when my tennis ball landed in the garden of a perfect stranger. Ruby, an 80-year-old amputee, was delighted when my friend and I knocked on her door asking her if we could retrieve our ball from her daffodils – she promptly invited us to stay for a lemonade. I continued to visit Ruby as often as I could, naively believing that my visits benefitted her alone. With retrospect, I see that this experience was huge. It led to me volunteering in an old people’s home for two years when I was a student at Millfield, which then led me to help students read at a local special needs school. Working with these amazing and special children encouraged me to volunteer as a Special Needs Camp Counsellor in America when an undergraduate, which in turn helped me find work as an English Camp Co-ordinator in impoverished areas of Thailand. From here, I found opportunities as a volunteer youth worker in Australia when I had graduated from university. It is perhaps no wonder that I find myself where I am now. I wonder, where your encounters will take you? Interviewing Lower Sixth Form students who have applied to be either an Environment Prefect or a Community Outreach Prefect, I feel very privileged to be asked to help in this process. The overwhelming feeling I have is that young people care. They have been caring for years and they want to lead others in the same direction, see change and make the world a nicer, fairer and safer place. So, it is a great honour to be able to help facilitate the changes that so many students want to see, and I hope, create a positive impact within our local community and further afield. sherborne.org

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 42 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

NEVER MISS A COPY If you enjoy reading the Sherborne Times but live outside our free distribution areas you can now receive your very own copy by post 12 editions delivered to your door for just £30.00 To subscribe, please call 01935 315556 or visit www.sherbornetimes.co.uk/subscriptions

Science & Nature

WAVE-PARTICLE DUALITY AND THE FRIGHTENING CONSEQUENCES CAN WE REALLY BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE? Percy Seymour, Sherborne Science Cafe

odern quantum mechanics represents one of the most surprising and intriguing aspects of twentieth century physics. Perhaps the most puzzling is the wave-particle duality – waves can sometimes behave as if they are particles and particles can sometimes behave like waves. On 25th June, back in 2014, Professor J Roy Sambles, from the University of Exeter, introduced us to some of the more bizarre consequences of this ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ character of the subatomic world. He started by discussing, in historical terms, the work of Isaac Newton, Thomas Young, Max Planck and Albert Einstein on the nature of light. Newton proposed the corpuscular theory of light, Young supported the wave theory, Planck showed that light came in packets of energy and Einstein showed that these packets of energy could interact with matter as if they were particles. Prof Sambles used the wave theory to explain how the colours seen in soap films arose, and went on to discuss the diffraction and interference of light. To clarify further the nature of light waves, he did some demonstrations with elastic bands, and used this to illustrate transverse waves and polarisation, both linear and circular. This led him on to discuss how some special types of crystal could give rise to two images of a single object.

44 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Ezphoto/Shutterstock

He showed us how Young’s double slit experiment gave rise to constructive and destructive interference, thus producing an interference pattern, and how this could be used to measure the wavelength of light. He then showed that the same experiment could be done with electrons, in an electron microscope, thus confirming the wave nature of electrons. We were then introduced to an aspect of quantum theory, which Einstein called the ‘spooky action at a distance principal’ which means that two particles seem to be instantaneously connected to each other, even if they are a great distance apart. In recent years this quantum entanglement has been tested experimentally, providing yet further evidence about this weird nature of quantum mechanics. sherbornesciencecafe.com

__________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday 21st September 7.30pm The Science of Plant Diseases – A Talk by Prof. Geoff Dixon Raleigh Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne DT9 3NL. sherborne.scafe@gmail.com

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45

Science & Nature

FAMILIAR SHORES

Peter Littlewood, Director, Young People’s Trust for the Environment

Kimmeridge Bay

his summer, increasing numbers of Britons have chosen to take their holidays in the UK. ‘Chosen’ might not be the right word, given the constant changes there have been to the UK’s list of countries that it’s safe to travel to, not to mention the costs of Covid testing and quarantining before and after an international trip. For some, the idea of a holiday in the UK is possibly a challenging or unfamiliar one. We certainly can’t guarantee a whole day of sunshine, let alone a fortnight of endless blue skies. But is being ‘stuck’ in the UK for your holidays such an awful prospect? As someone who hasn’t flown anywhere since 2003, I certainly don’t think so! We have so many amazing places to visit and areas of natural beauty to rival anywhere else on the planet. As residents of Dorset, we take for granted living in an area that many people are only able to visit during their holidays. It took me until I was 40 to finally move 46 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

to Dorset, but I’ve loved Purbeck since I first stayed in Swanage as a six-year-old boy. It’s a truly magical area, with great contrasts within a few miles. There are the magnificently faulted rock strata of Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, the rockpools teeming with life at Kimmeridge with its black shales. Or you can explore the limestone cliffs of Dancing Ledge and the disused quarry caves at Winspit and Durlston. There’s the rolling chalk landscape of the Purbeck Hills themselves, punctuated by the ruins of Corfe Castle and ending at the Old Harry Rocks; you can find all six British reptiles on Godlingston and Studland Heaths; and then there are the stunning bays at Swanage and Studland, with three miles of sand, backed by dunes. Whilst we’re spoilt by the beauty of our own countryside and coast here in Dorset, there are so many other fantastic places to visit. Starting at the top, you

Blackbeck/iStock

find the ruggedly beautiful Highlands of Scotland, a place where you can find a wildness unparalleled in the UK. The possibilities for adventure there are huge, from climbing peaks like Ben Nevis to speeding across a loch on a RIB ride, or perhaps searching for dolphins in the Moray Firth, or for monsters on Loch Ness! Then there are the flawless white sand beaches and dunes of the Northumberland coast, steeped in history with sites like Bamburgh Castle, or the castle and monastic ruins at Lindisfarne - an island only accessible from the mainland via a causeway that floods twice a day at high tides. Or the Farne Islands themselves, with their seals and seabirds. And of course the remains of Hadrian’s Wall, stretching east to west and marking the northern boundary of the Roman Empire some 900 years ago. Travelling westwards, you reach the magical lakes and mountains of the Lake District, where you can still

manage to find a sense of peace and remoteness, despite the crowds of tourists in the popular towns. Go south and east from there and you’ll reach the brooding splendour of the North York Moors and the dramatic cliffs of the Yorkshire Coast, along with tourist havens like Whitby and Scarborough. As you head south and westward from there, you can cross the border into Wales, where you can choose to explore the dramatic peaks of Snowdonia or the glorious sandy beaches of Anglesey – once the last bastion of the Druids before their extermination by the Romans. Head south along the coast to the truly stunning beaches of the Gower Peninsula – rivals to sandy beaches anywhere in the world. From here, you could travel south again, hitting the Southwest Peninsula Coast Path, taking you 600 miles or so around the coastline of northwest Somerset, north Devon, around Cornwall, back along south Devon and into Dorset, ending up on the shores of Poole Harbour – the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney, Australia. There is so much beauty to see around this coastline that it’s impossible to list it all here. Having recently returned from a family holiday on the south Cornish coast, I find myself longing for seaside villages and lively harbours, abuzz with boats from dawn into the night. Or you could opt to head east, until you reach the long, sandy beaches of the Norfolk coast, and perhaps spend time afloat on the Broads. Whilst these are often crowded waterways, there are still places where you can find tranquility. Some thirty years ago, I remember being woken early in the morning by the calls of Canada geese and watching marsh harriers spin in their mid-air dance as they swooped low over the reeds in search of prey. If you prefer your seaside holiday to have more of an urban feel, you could choose the resorts of Sussex, Essex and Kent – places like Brighton, Margate or Southend. And we’ve not even touched on the inland areas in this brief tour of our island. With such diverse landscapes available to us, we really should appreciate the wonder of our own countryside more. Yes, we live on a crowded island, but there are still so many options for finding peace, beauty and adventure. Maybe it’s something lockdown will enable more of us to appreciate, so that when we’re in need of a change of scene, we can find one on our own shores, rather than looking further afield. ypte.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 47

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Science & Nature

DRAWN TO THE LIGHT

IN SEARCH OF MOTHS Gillian Nash

Poplar hawk moth

keen interest searching for these fascinating insects around my mother’s flower garden by torchlight was galvanised at the age of ten by a gift of a death’s head hawk-moth, quickly released. I have not seen another of that species to this day and it remains one of the rarest larger moths to be seen in the UK. Throughout the British Isles around 2,500 species have been recorded, which includes in excess of eighty larger or macro moths. The smaller or micro moths account for the additional several hundred species, fascinating and beautiful under magnification, some with a wing length of just 3mm, identification of the majority possible only by experts in that field. From both groups a total of approaching seven hundred species have been photographed here in my Leigh village garden. This will provide a visual record for the future at a time when many are in rapid decline due to 50 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

factors such as habitat loss, herbicides, pesticides, light pollution and climate change. Studies indicate that this decline may be as great as 40% in southern England since the late 1960s. These records, made possible by the use of a light trap, are included in Butterfly Conservation’s National Moth Recording Scheme database, and as sensitive indicators of environmental change moths provide valuable information for land management that may affect us all. To have this privilege, welfare of the moths must be of the upmost importance, with all safely protected from predators in shade during daylight hours and free to fly away in their own time at dusk. Although predominately nocturnal and resident, some moths are day flying and those may also fly at night. Members of the fragile Geometridae group such as the frequently-seen magpie moth are easily disturbed

Member/Shutterstock

from their hiding places concealed in vegetation during the daytime, as are many micro moths. Among our more colourful and exotic-looking species, tiger moths are occasionally seen in town and country gardens, often with strikingly blotched or spotted wings serving as a deterrent to predators. The garden tiger with its familiar furry caterpillar has suffered a particularly devastating decline in numbers over the past several decades. You may have seen one or two of the large hawk-moth species fly into your house through open windows during summer evenings. Poplar and elephant hawk-moths are the most likely visitors. There are nine resident and several migratory species within that family. I have been fortunate enough to see eleven of those spectacular and robust fast-flying species. One of the largest, the convolvulus hawk-

moth, is unable to over-winter here in the UK but is a fairly regular late summer or autumn migrant species, travelling from southern Europe and North Africa. Unlike most other insects its long proboscis enables it to feed on tubular flowers whilst hovering. Nicotiana was often planted in Victorian gardens to attract this dusk-feeding moth – a more general interest in insects having become popular at that time. Depending on species, moths may be seen in any month of the year, the majority from May to November. Most of the migrant species arrive on our shores throughout the summer and autumn with many coastal sightings, others regularly appearing further inland and occasionally in large numbers, boosting resident populations. Together with other insects, moths are very important members of the food chain, their flight seasons and larval stages coinciding with the needs of nesting birds to feed their young. Bats are also reliant on moths and other insect populations to provide a nocturnal food source. If you would like to attract these and other insects into your garden, many of our well-known trees, shrubs and flowering plants are important both as larval food-plants and nectar sources for adult moths. A walk around any park, well-stocked garden or hedgerow on a warm summer evening will almost certainly reward with the amazing sight of nectar seeking moths visiting scented flowering plants. At a local garden centre you will see day-flying moths nectaring on plants you may wish to include in your borders for the following year. As we all know, Buddleia is a magnet for butterflies, but at night many moths also feed on its nectar. Decaying wood stacks and those undisturbed areas of gardens can be vital for many insects and other wildlife to complete their life cycles and provide sheltered corridors for them to inhabit and disperse along. Incorporating just one or two wildflower species in garden planting schemes will be beneficial to species that can often be reliant on just one native plant type. For some, the association with damage to clothes and other fabrics has created an undeserved reputation for all moths. There are in fact only two species, both micro moths, that would be responsible, most others requiring plant material in outdoor environments. Not all find these mysterious insects appealing, although I have yet to meet a child who has not been mesmerised by the experience of a close encounter with a moth in its quiet daytime state, and quite happy, under supervision, to handle large impressive hawk-moths. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

Science & Nature

HOUSE OF STRAW

Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer and Speaker

Peter Turner Photography/Shutterstock

s autumn approaches we should be feeling refreshed after relaxing through the summer months. The bees will have collected the nectar and be busy reducing its water content and capping the honey ready to store for the winter months. If they’ve been lucky enough to keep their honey, the bees relax and make the most of this quieter time practising their grooming, defending against wasp attacks, and removing the male drone bees as they will not be 52 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

needed through the coming months. We’ve observed bees using propolis to reduce the entrances of their hives. This protects them from predators, wasps and even beekeepers who find lifting sticky propolised frames from the hives tricky. I’ve written much about propolis and its importance for bees to provide them with an anti-bacterial, antifungal, anti-septic, anti-viral ‘envelope’ which has been observed in wild colonies in trees and in woven straw

skeps. This year I am spending more time weaving skeps to improve my skills, as well as teaching those who are drawn to these beekeeping baskets, for swarm collection, and more frequently to keep bees in. The rough woven interior of a skep is ideal for the bees to attach their comb, also to line with propolis. Skeps were used in the UK for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and are still used around the world. The return to this traditional craft is a wonderful way to connect with your bees, creating your own hive using sustainable materials often from your locality. Grasses, wheats and rye straws are most often used. Thatching straw is grown using traditional varieties, longer than the modern wheats. Traditionally thatching straw was a by-product of the cereal production. Now it is expertly grown and harvested to make longstraw or combed wheat reed or Devon reed. Thatchers need the length. Skep makers also like the longer lengths, however it is important that the straw used for skeps hasn’t been treated with any toxic chemicals. Unfortunately, modern agricultural practices use a drenching of glyphosate on wheat prior to harvesting. This kills the plant rapidly enabling it to be harvested in what can be a narrow window of fine weather. Bees living in a chemicaldrenched skep with their constant warm temperature of 35 degrees, and storage of honey would not benefit from the toxic fumes. It does beg the question of how humans fare eating products made from conventionally harvested wheat… The premium modern varieties of thatching straw have names. Such as Maris Huntsman (makes me think of large spiders lurking in my bundles), Maris Widgeon, and Aquilla. Before the 1970s, thatching straws were named ‘Squareheads Master’, ‘Little Joss’, ‘N59’ and ‘Victor’. These are now extremely rare with seed storage and sharing under stricter regulations. How I’d love to name my skeps after some of these straw varieties! The most tricky part of making a skep is the start. My first skep was given a helping hand from my skep teacher Diana Robertson. She’s been weaving skeps for many years and is included in local artist and author, Kate Lynch’s books on bees. Whilst I was still in a wheelchair, my husband would wheel me into the bee tent at The Bath and West Show, next to Diana, where I could sit and watch her weaving away. She gave me a starter (a circle of woven straw held together with lapping cane) and the details of a thatching straw supplier, and so I was then put on track to start weaving!

When I was well enough, I attended a workshop in her garden with a group of other enthusiastic beekeepers. Many people only ever make one – that is all a beekeeper needs. They take time, which is at a premium for everyone these days. For me I found a medium to express my creativity. After years working as an artist, I found a way to still create. Instead of painting, I could weave and each skep I make, I find a new way to improve them. Altering the width of the bundles of straw, soaking, or weaving dry, fewer or more stitches. All of these aspects influence the final result. I am lucky to be able to source lapping cane from Somerset Willow and when some of my students objected to using cow horns and turkey bones for weaving and guides, I reverted to rope making fids and napkin rings! Each year the Heritage Crafts association contact me to see if I am still making skeps, and if I’m running courses. Skep-making is classed as a dying skill and records are kept to see who is actually continuing with it. A trip to the Natural Beekeeping Trust conference in the Netherlands in 2017 allowed me to meet Ferry Schutzelaars, a true master in the skep-making world. His pale sturdy skeps are woven dry using rye straw. I have ordered one for myself – they truly are beautiful creations. Rachel from the Natural Beekeeping Trust taught me how to weave a sunhive, using dry rye and special formas to ensure the baskets fit the size formulated by sunhive designer Gunther Mancke. The European skep-makers have a formality to them, unlike the more rustic and darker British-made ones. Chris Park, one of my skep masters, keeps many colonies in skeps, topped with straw hackles like Matt Somerville’s log hive roofs. The mark of a well-made skep is that it should hold the full weight of its maker when completed. I love seeing my students standing on their completed skeps after a course. The other insight I received on my skep journey is the odd phrase in the nursery rhyme ‘There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza’… ‘then mend it with straw’ always puzzled me, until I learned that skeps (when well-made) are water tight, so a perfect bucket! This year I received an extra call from the Heritage Crafts Association. An exhibition in London in October is being set up in my favourite shop of all, Fortnum and Mason’s, climaxing in a demonstration day and a tea reception – of course I accepted! paulacarnell.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 53

On Foot

54 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

On Foot

KIMBERLINS AND SLINGERS – PART I Emma Tabor and Paul Newman

ach month we devise a walk for you to try with your family and friends (including four-legged members) pointing out a few interesting things along the way, be it flora, fauna, architecture, history, the unusual and sometimes the unfamiliar. For September and October, we venture a little further with a walk which reveals the fascinating timeline etched throughout the Isle of Portland, famous for its stone used in buildings around the world. Some of its numerous quarries are now abandoned, providing a refuge for wildlife. There are military remains all around including The Verne Citadel and High Angle Battery. Part of the route also follows the Weymouth to Easton railway. Thomas Hardy’s Isle of Slingers remains enigmatic and its idiosyncratic charm is now celebrated by the return of b-side festival, which takes place from 9th-12th September.

Distance: 13 miles Time: Allow a full day Park: Ferrybridge car park Walk Features: An exposed walk following the South West Coast Path around the defiant wind and waveworn outcrop of this limestone isle. The route takes in Tout Quarry Sculpture Park, three lighthouses at Portland Bill and a detour to the wonderfully-secluded Church Ope Cove - overlooked by Rufus Castle and the unusual graveyard at St Andrew’s church – with wonderful views along Chesil Beach and The Fleet, Portland Harbour and along the Purbeck Coast. There are a couple of steep sections: from Chesil Cove to Tout Quarry and from the railway path to reconnect with the coast path by the Young Offender’s Institute. Refreshments: The Lobster Pot café at Portland Bill is a good halfway stop and you could take a picnic for a stop at Church Ope Cove. There’s the Chesil Chippie for when you’ve finished the walk! >

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Directions

Start: SY 669 754 The walk starts at the Dorset Wildlife Trust car park and Fine Foundation Centre at Ferrybridge but you can miss out the initial section along the causeway by starting at the Masonic car park in Victoria Square. 1 From the Ferrybridge car park, cross the road and make for the inner edge of Portland Harbour. Turn right and follow the line of the old Weymouth to Easton railway heading towards Portland. In ⅔ mile, you will reach a roundabout. Keep right following the main road along the footpath on the right-hand side of the road. After just over ½ mile you will then reach Victoria Square and the Masonic car park. 2 Keep right past the Little Ship Inn and head along Chiswell; after 280 yards you will see signs for Chesil Cove at Chesil Cove Inn. Turn right into Big Ope to head up a short drive and then left to emerge on the promenade above Chesil Cove. Follow this for 225 yards; the coast path then switches back before a café, first to your left and then right as the path starts its ascent towards Tout Quarry. As you climb there are some good views across the Chiswell Earthworks, a sculpture of five terraces by Richard Maine RA, which echo the strip lynchets found in this part of Dorset as well as the rhythm of the sea. It’s a significant monument to the human and physical forces which have shaped the Isle and was commissioned in 1986 by Common Ground and 56 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

other project partners. Keeping dwellings on your left and, after a short, steep climb, you will reach the top to be rewarded with fine views over Chesil Beach, Fortuneswell and Portland Harbour. 3 Turn right and, after a few yards, turn right again to the entrance of Tout Quarry Sculpture Park. Turn left to explore the park, which includes many sculptures including Falling by Anthony Gormley. After exploring the park, you would normally retrace your steps to follow the coast path but a recent landslide means it is now necessary to divert along the main track through the middle of the quarry to meet the car park by Trade Croft. Keep right through the car park, turn left onto Trade Croft and follow this to turn right onto the main road to Weston. After a short while, you will pass St George’s church, a fine-looking building, consecrated in 1766 and built as a replacement to St Andrew’s church on the eastern side of the Isle. Keep following the road to Weston; after the cemetery there is a footpath sign to the right to take you back to the coast path. Follow this, which zig zags alongside a housing estate, ignoring a footpath sign to the left and head straight for Blacknor Fort. Immediately before the fort, which is now a house, bear left and follow the perimeter fence to rejoin the coast path. 4 Turn left onto the coast path and follow this for 2¾ miles to Portland Bill. This is a fairly straightforward, level stretch, a great spot to see kestrels and maybe a peregrine falcon. You pass Old Higher lighthouse before descending down to the Bill. From here, you will see the dramatic shape of Pulpit Rock, an outcrop left from quarrying activity. Further round, behind the Ministry of Defence Magnetic Site, is West Portland Raised Beach, formed around 200,000 years ago in the Pleistocene Epoch. The lighthouse on the southernmost tip was built in 1905. You can now climb it to see its 3½ ton lens which floats on over ½ ton of mercury. Despite the obvious tourist appeal of Portland Bill, there is still a sense of wildness and danger as you look out into the channel and watch white horses formed by the Portland Tidal Race. Time for a break… join us in October to complete the walk. b-side.org.uk commonground.org.uk

D I S C O V E R | E AT | S H O P | S TAY | C E L E B R AT E

Welcome to Symondsbury Estate, set in the beautiful Dorset countryside just a stone’s throw from the Jurassic Coast. Join us for lunch. Browse our shops. Visit the gallery. Explore our fabulous walks and bike trails. Relax and unwind in our holiday accommodation. Celebrate your wedding day... DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Inside Out Dorset Friday 24th - Sunday 26th September 2021 +44 (0)1308 424116 symondsburyestate.co.uk Symondsbury Estate, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG

History

SAINTS AND MIRACLES Cindy Chant & John Drabik

Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

t is not surprising to hear there is a saint associated with almost every town or village in Dorset. In our little settlement we are blessed with several, with no less than eight being former bishops of Sherborne. These include St. Osmund (ref. May edition) and centuries earlier, St. Heahmund who astonishingly, donned his helmet and joined the Saxon Army of Wessex to defend these lands against the marauding vikings. Under the leadership of King Aethelred, and his younger brother Prince Alfred, Heahmund was slain at the battle of Meretun in AD871. As well as being canonised a saint, he was the inspiration for one of the characters in the popular TV historical drama series, ‘Vikings’. We are all familiar with St Aldhelm, the first bishop and founder of Sherborne Abbey, AD705. But how many know that on a lonely outcrop in Purbeck, just South of Corfe Castle, there is a chapel dedicated to him? The origins of this small square building, with a Norman-style vaulted ceiling, are obscure. One legend suggests that from this headland, in 1140, a distraught father witnessed the tragic drowning of his newly-wed daughter and her husband – their boat having capsized in a sudden raging storm. The grieving 58 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

man had the chapel built to honour their memory and a light was kept burning within to warn sailors of impending danger. However, some historians suggest it may possibly have been built as a lookout, or part of a defence system, before being converted to a chapel. During Whitsun there is a custom of decorating the chapel with flags and flowers, followed by processions, from nearby Worth Matravers, accompanied by music, dancing and merriment. There is also evidence that it was used as a ‘wishing’ chapel by young women who would drop a pin or hair-grip into a hole in the central pillar, and wish –perhaps for a suitable husband! Suitable suitors were in demand, as always, as there is a similar custom associated with the beautiful St Catherine’s Chapel, magnificently displaying itself high on a hill above Abbotsbury. Being the patron saint of spinsters, young women would drink from her dedicated well then, after climbing the hill, kneel and place their hands into little niches seemingly made for the job, and recite the following invocation: ‘A husband, St. Catherine. A handsome one, St. Catherine.

A rich one, St. Catherine. A nice one, St. Catherine And soon, St. Catherine.’ In the lavishly decorated Sherborne Missal, now housed in the British Library, there is reference to St Juthwara, a pious 6th Century virgin saint, whose relics once resided in the Abbey. The legend states that she had a wicked and jealous stepmother who operated a boarding establishment for travelling pilgrims, in Halstock. As a cure for Juthwara’s chest pains, which were probably as a result of bereavement for her recently deceased father, the mother suggested applying soft cheeses to her breasts beneath her garments. She then told her son Bana, that Juthwara was pregnant. He immediately went to her room and, after feeling her underclothes, found them to be moist from the cheeses. Misinterpreting, he accused her of having illicit liaisons with one of the guests and immediately decapitated her with his sword. She miraculously picked up her head and solemnly carried it to the church. Full of remorse, Bana repented and became a devout monk, later founding a monastery in Breton. As for the village of Halstock, there was once a coaching inn there known as the ‘Quiet Woman’. Since we are on the subject of murdering stepmothers, our last story, set at Corfe Castle, is that of the young King Edward AD 978 and his stepmother Elfthryth. After an exhausting hunting trip, he bade his friends farewell and went to visit his younger step brother, Ethelred (the Unready). But instead he was greeted by Elfthryth, who was intent on having her own son on the Throne. She lashed out and violently stabbed him, causing his horse to bolt. The poor Edward, whose foot was tightly jammed in the stirrup, was dragged a considerable distance. By the time her men had caught up, they found only his battered, bloody and dishevelled body. Not wanting anything to interfere with her plans Elfthryth ordered the body to be thrown down the well. Miraculously the water drawn from the well remained pure, and a year later the body was brought up and found to be preserved. He became St Edward the Martyr and was eventually taken to Shaftesbury Abbey where his remains became sacred relics attracting pilgrims from far and wide, making the Abbey very rich. The casket containing the bones were hidden during the Dissolution, and eventually surfaced during excavations in 1931. They were donated to and currently enshrined in the Orthodox Church of Edward the Martyr in Brookwood, Surrey.

FREE HOME VISITS Specialist Matthew Denney will be in the Sherborne area on Thursday 30th September to value your objects & antiques

FREE VALUATIONS ALSO AVAILABLE

Online | Phone | Email | Whatsapp To make an appointment call or email 01460 73041 matthew.denney@lawrences.co.uk Professional Valuations Available for Probate & Insurance Complete House Contents & Attic Clearances Arranged

lawrences.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59

History

LOST DORSET

NO. 15 ASHMORE

David Burnett, The Dovecote Press

here seems little chance of a similar scene this September, but during the long Edwardian summer of 1911 Ashmore pond completely dried out, and the village policeman stands in the bottom. The pond is high on Cranborne Chase, at least 300 years old, and 16 feet deep in the centre. There was hardly a drop of rain from May, and the drought finally broke on September 12th, within days of this photograph being taken. The villagers traditionally hold a feast when the pond dries. Cakes are baked and eaten in its bed. In the old days local farmers used to haul out the cartloads of mud that gathered on the bottom for manuring their land. These days the pond is the scene of the annual Filly Loo, held near the Summer Solstice, which ends with a traditional Horn Dance at dusk. Lost Dorset: The Towns 1880-1920, the companion volume to Lost Dorset: The Villages and Countryside, is being published in October as a 220 page large format hardback, price £20, and will be available locally from Winstone’s Books or directly from the publishers. dovecotepress.com

60 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

OBJECT OF THE MONTH

THE WAR SAVINGS CAMPAIGN PANEL Elisabeth Bletsoe, Curator, Sherborne Museum

sually displayed at the end of The Link gallery, on the ground floor of the museum, this panel, 37cm x 58.5cm x 2cm, is composed of ivory-coloured, moulded Bakelite manufactured by De La Rue Plastics, specialists in novolak phenolic resin, at the Avenue Works, Walthamstow Avenue, London. It features the image of a soldier, facing to the viewer’s right, wearing battledress with a tin helmet and holding a rifle with a fixed bayonet. He advances with his left foot on a small mound. In the background is some wreckage, from which smoke is billowing after an explosion, and coils of barbed wire. Above are seven small planes and a smoke trail. Above the image, raised capitals read FOR FREEDOM flanked by horizontal laurel sprigs. Below is the inscription: WAR SAVINGS CAMPAIGN 1944/PRESENTED BY THE WAR OFFICE/IN RECOGNITION OF/SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENT IN/SALUTE THE SOLDIER WEEK. Below this is the British Army insignia, a crowned lion on the Tudor Crown before two crossed swords. Unfortunately, the donor is not recorded, but it was probably very kindly given to us by Sherborne Town Council. The panel specifically commemorates support for the ‘For Freedom War Savings Campaign’ of 1944 which was an extension of the National Savings Campaign run for the government by Sir Robert Kindersley. Panels were presented by the War Office to the Local Savings Committee in appreciation of their success in Salute the Soldier Week. Each county in Britain was set a target for the amount of money it should raise and districts within each county were set individual targets

to make up the total. Sherborne and District’s Salute the Soldier Week ran from 20th27th May with a target of £100,000 which represented the cost of moving a division from Sherborne to Berlin. The opening ceremony commenced with a six aircraft flyover and a procession through the main streets to Pageant Gardens. The salute was taken at the War Memorial by Brigadier W.H. A. Bishop, OBE, who inspected a Guard of Honour. Throughout the week there was a full programme of entertainments including a review by army entertainers, a Church Parade, youth sports, a funfair, country dancing in Pageant Gardens, whist and bridge drives, an exhibition of war weapons, photographs and paintings, and performances by the Band of the Dorsetshire Regiment throughout the town and villages. The final achievement by the urban district was £192,335. Lord Kindersley presented the plaque in Dorchester on 28th November 1944 to C.J.F. Greenham, chair of the Sherborne Urban District Council; another was presented to Mr. C. Chester on behalf of the Rural District Council and a third to Mr. A. R. Rawlence, Chair of Sherborne and District Savings Committee. The town has always pulled together as a community in difficult times, and needless to say, Sherborne won the County Championship Flag for its total of £8 per head of the population, and also the Day Cup for the highest percentage of the population working as savers. sherbornemuseum.co.uk Sherborne Museum remains closed to the public for a while longer, to allow essential building repairs to be carried out. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 61

CHARTERHOUSE Auctioneers & Valuers

Forthcoming Auction Programme

Coins, Medals & Stamps 9th September Model Cars, Trains, Toys & Dolls 10th September Medals awarded to Farrier Staff-Sergeant S W Layzell

Classic & Vintage Motorcars 5th October at Haynes Museum

Contact Richard Bromell for advice on single items and complete collections Valuations for Probate and Insurance

Classic & Vintage Motorcycles 14th October at Haynes Musem

The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne DT9 3BS 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.com

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Antiques

HOME JAMES

Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

ollowing on from our record-breaking classic and vintage motorcycle auction held at the Haynes International Motor Museum in June, which totalled over £410,000, work is now well under way with entries for our next such specialist auction in October. The bikes we are asked to look at come in all shapes, sizes, conditions and locations. Currently, we are dealing with a client in Japan looking to enter one of his bikes into the auction. With Covid-19 restrictions we are all happy emailing information and whilst I am willing to travel far and wide advising customers, Japan is a tad far even for me! Most of our vendors are UK-based. Collecting and moving bikes around the country is straightforward and cost effective today with a network of specialist shippers whizzing around in their vans on the motorways, A and B roads. As well as offering a complete house clearance service we too whizz around the countryside collecting motorcycles. Following on from a home visit, we were instructed to collect a motorbike from a client in Somerset. Whilst there is nothing unusual in this, the bike certainly was. Registered in Somerset in 1927, it is a James Model 11. Fitted with a 350cc engine, it was a powerful machine in its day and capable of attaching a sidecar to the frame for carrying passengers. It was used by its first owner for just two years. He then kept the James at his property until 1984 when it was sold. Remaining in Somerset, it was used for occasional vintage rallies,

64 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

completing just 500 miles until the second owner passed away in 1994. At this point, the James continued its stay in Somerset as it passed to the late owner’s brother and he kept it in dry storage until now. With just three owners, all Somerset people, it is estimated the James has not completed more than a few thousand miles during its 94 years. It is also estimated that it was not ridden further than the surrounding counties of Devon and Dorset. But this, for me, is not the most remarkable feature of the James. For me, it is the originality of the machine. With just three owners who treasured the bike, safely storing it in dry conditions for many decades rather than letting it rust away, it is a rare survivor. Most of the motorbikes of this period, and many much later, have been restored and this is where our one will score points. In addition, we understand the only parts to have ever been fitted to the bike are a set of points and a pair of tyres – quite remarkable really. Now, with the third owner’s advancing years, he has taken the tough decision to let a new owner take over custodianship. As I do not have a crystal ball, I cannot predict whether the next owner, who buys the 1927 James Model 11 in our classic and vintage motorcycle auction at the Haynes International Motor Museum on Thursday 14th October, will be another Somerset resident, continuing the bike’s long history with the county, but one thing I do hope is the latest owner will leave it in its oily rag original condition and not restore it. charterhouse-auction.com

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elizabethwatsonillustration.com

garden & planting design | expert gardening wildflower meadows Contact Stephen & Claire: 01963 441454 | hello@manyberries.co.uk manyberries.co.uk

66 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

White Hart Garden and Property Maintenance Marcus Smith

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Planning for autumn planting As the leaves begin to fall and the autumn harvest gets underway, now is the time to look ahead to spring and establish new plants before the winter sets in.

Whether planting shrubs, perennials, bulbs, bare-root trees or even turf, the warm and moist soil will give them all a great head start. Planning is everything at this time of year, so our team are on hand to help you choose the right plants for your outdoor space and the best time to plant them. With our social distancing measures in place, you can pick up your bulbs, plants, trees and tools any day of the week: Monday to Saturday: 9am – 6pm Sunday: 10am – 4:30pm

Castle Gardens, New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR www.thegardensgroup.co.uk

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 67

Gardening

Common spindle (Euonymus europaeus) 68 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Petr Ganaj/Shutterstock

NATURE’S FINEST HOUR

Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

eptember is often a spectacular time in the garden. There can be some glorious weather that seems a bit like a forgotten season. Nature is also starting its finest hour, where the efforts of the whole year are now coming together. Changes in the way the countryside and the garden look are subtle but relentless, so that every day there is something new, such as a contrast of colours not noticed before. These colours are often in plant foliage, but also in stems, berries and of course flowers. The autumn sun, as it becomes lower in the sky, seems to be the perfect lighting system for these features. Fruit and berries are starting to ripen and change colour every day. By late in the month, so there is the start of autumnal colours in the foliage too, driven by a reduction in night temperatures. And it’s not necessarily exotic plants that have the best show of berries. Some of my favourites are quite ordinary, including hawthorns, rowans, cotoneaster, spindleberry and pyracantha. There are some really good varieties of pyracantha grown not just for their great fruit, but also because of their natural disease resistance. These are the sapphyr range and include sapphyr orange, red and yellow. Pyracantha or firethorn is best grown against a wall or fence, not because it needs the support or protection but because it is then easier to keep the plants under control using pruning and tying techniques. Equally, cotoneaster are often seen against the wall, but with the vast range of habits and sizes, this is a very useful genus of plants and can be used in just about every situation in the garden. Some are evergreen, others lose their leaves and some sit in between the two as semi-evergreens, losing their leaves in tough winters or at the end of the winter as new leaves form. Varieties range in growth from prostrate ground hugging forms, such as Queen of Carpets, through semi-prostrate forms with arching branches (cotoneaster Coral Beauty), up to large shrubs or small trees, including cotoneaster cornubia, a large grower with red berries. There is also a similar sized yellow-berried form cotoneaster rothchildianus. Another very useful variety, which will happily act as a low growing wall shrub, is cotoneaster horizontalis. There is also a remarkable range in the Euonymus commonly known as spindleberries, because of the shape of their stems in profile. There are many low growing evergreen Euonymus, but those with good berries tend to be tall, upright and deciduous and are also grown for their autumn colour and also stem interest. The latter include varieties such as Red Cascade that has a mass of pinky red fruit in the autumn. For autumn colour though, the Euonymus alatus is superb with fiery red colours in the leaves which when fallen reveal a strange bark with winged edges, giving interest throughout the winter. One of my favourites is Euonymus phellomanus, which combines the best of both varieties. It has winged bark, great autumn colours, though butter yellow not red, and lots of fruit. And if these others are in the wrong scale range for you, then berries can be found on a number of lower growing plants, some of which are great for winter tubs. The berries of Gaultheria procumbens, commonly known as wintergreen, are red and will last through the winter months. This is an acid lover, but will sit through the winter very happily with autumn and winter bedding before needing to be moved into a pot with some ericaceous compost, should your soil not be suitable. The berry, if squashed, smells of wintergreen (hence the common name) or muscle rub and in fact was used by native Americans for that very purpose. Nature has worked hard to get to this stage of its cycle and deserves the accolades for its finest hour. thegardensgroup.co.uk

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Gardening

ORCHARDS Simon Ford, Gardener and Land and Nature Adviser

Image: Katharine Davies

here is something rather special about orchards. Whatever the season, they have a lot to offer, both for people as well as for wildlife. While Sherborne does not have many orchards, just down the road at Longburton, there are a large number of cider orchards, including the one where Twisted Cider is produced – a favourite at the monthly Sherborne Market. East Lambrook, Glastonbury, Montacute, Tintinhull and South Petherton in Somerset are great places to see traditional orchards and of course, one of the largest cider producers in the country is based at Shepton Mallet. Traditional apple and pear orchards have much larger trees, which need quite a lot of space and long ladders to harvest. The trees can live for over a century and often have large hollows which are ideal for nesting birds, bats and rare insects. Modern orchards tend to use dwarfing rootstock, meaning the fruit can be picked 70 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

with ease and they take up less space, but sadly are not quite as attractive for nature. Unfortunately, supermarkets only stock a few varieties of apple such as Braeburn, Cox, Granny Smith, Bramley, Conference pear and in my opinion the mis-named Golden Delicious! Many of these are imported from across the world, even when our fruit is in season and we have some of the best growing conditions possible. There are hundreds of wonderful varieties of apple, many of them now exceptionally rare. Some of the names are wonderful and in some cases quite rude! Slap m’ Girdle, Pigs Snout, Bloody Ploughman, Cornish Gilliflower, Devonshire Quarrendon, Peasgood Nonsuch and Yellow Ingestrie are just a few examples I can include without using lots of *****! Looking at old maps, it is clear just how many orchards covered the length and breadth of the country.

Unfortunately, a great number have been grubbed up for development or agriculture and some have been subsumed by woodland, with relict pears or apples still visible. Others are felled when it is considered production has declined and re-planted with vigorous cultivars. This has had a negative impact on wildlife, in particular those specialist species that rely on fruit trees and orchards to survive. I was proud to be involved with the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and Henry May in bringing the national cider apple collection to the National Trust when I worked there and it is now hosted at a variety of local sites including Montacute, Barrington Court, Tintinhull, Killerton and Tyntesfield. September and October is where all the hard work comes to ‘fruition’, in apple and pear (perry) orchards, with fruit being picked for eating, or shaken off the trees and collected into large trailers to make cider, apple juice or perry. Walking through a mixed orchard in late summer or early autumn is the best time to observe the multitude of colours and shapes that can be found in the genus Malus. During the winter, many orchards are pruned, but it is also a time for birds such as blackbirds and thrushes to feast on fallen fruit. Mistletoe is often found on older trees (in additionto hawthorn and poplar), and as well as being such a key part of Christmas, is host to some very rare species. This includes the mistletoe bug and the mistletoe moth, both recently discovered at Montacute and Tintinhull, as well as some orchards in Herefordshire. Mistletoe is parasitic on these trees and is often spread by mistle and song thrushes, which deposit the sticky berries in crevices to grow. In some cases if it is not managed, mistletoe can unfortunately overwhelm the tree and kill it. Deepest winter is also the time for wassailing, where people visit an orchard and sing or recite poems to promote a good harvest – although it also seems like a good excuse for drinking lots of cider! Apple logs are also considered to be one of the best woods to burn on an open fire, providing a lovely fruit-infused scent to the room. In the spring, fruit trees in the garden and orchards are a sight to behold. Every bit as beautiful as the better known cherry blossom, it is really worth seeking out an orchard to visit. In some areas of the country, such as Kent and Herefordshire, there are way-marked blossom trails, although I am not aware of one in this part of South West England – perhaps an opportunity for the

tourism industry? However, there are certainly walks such as East Lambrook to Burrow Hill which take you through lots of different orchards and there is also an excuse to have a taster at the beautiful Normandylooking Burrow Hill Farm. Nearer to home, there are some lovely footpaths around Longburton and Leweston which go through apple orchards. The spring and summer are also time to look out for the dramatic bright red-breasted bullfinch, with its penchant for fruit buds, which has sadly meant it has been badly persecuted and is now quite uncommon. Nuthatches, treecreeper, blue tit, blackbird and wren can often be observed, particularly in older orchards where there are lots of hollows to nest. Less well known are insects, such as those which live in dead wood, such as the emerald green noble chafer and the spectacular stag beetle. It is also a fantastic place for pollinators such as bumblebees and various moths. Also, many traditional orchards have carpets of wildflowers, such as cow parsley, primrose, cowslip, violet and campion. These are often grazed by sheep or even geese. From an ecologist’s point of view, an old orchard can be really exciting as you get two habitats (traditional orchard and unimproved grassland) for the price of one! Although this article has focussed on orchards, there are similar principles if you only have one or two trees in a garden: Choose interesting varieties of fruit from a nursery such as Castle Gardens or look at the national fruit collection at Brogdale in West Malling in Kent. Avoid using pesticides or fertilisers, even if it means you don’t get quite as many perfect apples. Allow your trees to grow old gracefully, because this is the time when most wildlife will value them. Plant new trees to provide continuity, but if you have stock (or rabbits), you should protect them as they will strip the bark. Allow the grass underneath to develop into a wildflower meadow and do not cut it until at least mid-July. Leave some fruit for the birds and insects as it will help sustain them over winter. I would love to see a community orchard planted in Sherborne and feel it would be a great asset and something which I am sure people would volunteer to help plant and manage. simonfordgardening.wordpress.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 71

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THE STORY PIG Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

t’s a beautiful bright summer’s morning when we arrive at the gates of The Story Pig farm in the rolling hills of Sandford Orcas. The rising heat of the day hangs in the air and the sky is so blue you could drink it. The first thing that catches my eye is the view which stretches across the flat basin of fields towards Cadbury Castle and Glastonbury Tor. Acres of ancient lands shimmer in anticipation of what is going to turn out to be one of the hottest days of the year. You couldn’t wish for a better setting or home to the Tamworth pigs which are central to life on this farm. Husband and wife team Charlotte and James Hull keep the wheels turning here. Today James is running late delivering a pig to a customer, so it’s Charlotte who comes out to greet me, still marvelling at the surroundings. We meander our way slowly through their newly planted herbaceous raised beds and beyond the barn I’m treated to more of that ‘view’. Gardening is one of the couple’s passions and the borders are filled with a wide range of perennials and annuals. Beyond the flower garden lie row upon row of lavender that is so reminiscent of Provence. ‘We both love lavender and at one point we dreamt of having a lavender farm,’ she smiles, ‘but for now we are harvesting what we have to make soaps.’ >

74 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

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76 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

By now James has arrived back and we meet on the forecourt before making our way back up the hill to find the pigs. ‘Some people might be squeamish about seeing the pigs that become their meat,’ Charlotte tells me as we walk, ‘but what you are really seeing is how good a life the pigs have.’ As we approach the first paddock, the noisy piglets are charging around squabbling over food. ‘These have just been weaned,’ James points out. ‘We don’t wean until 8 weeks which is when the piglets are on hard food and the mum has tired of them.’ Judging by their high-energy antics, none of the piglets are missing mum. ‘The difference we have here is that the pigs really do get a full life,’ James says sincerely. ‘In an intensive farm the piglets would be weaned at three weeks.’ Further up the hill live the older pigs which have matured from the piglet stage, their red-gold hair marking them out as one of the most traditional pig breeds. On this hottest of days, they’re having a great time wallowing in the mud. Clearly, there have been a few disputes over who gets priority access to the deepest hollows but they’re loving every moment. Once coated, each pig heads off for a lie-down where they let the muddy blanket slowly dry out and cool their skin. ‘Pigs are naturally hierarchal,’ says James, ‘and these disputes would become quite vicious in a small space but here they can run off and get out of a scrap. Tamworths are a native breed. I chose them because I love their look with their distinctive coloured skin but also for the flavour of the meat. It is one of the most difficult breeds of pig – they’re very feisty. You see how

their ears are pricked up? They are always looking for a way out of their field,’ he smiles. ‘Which is why I have crossed some of them with the Duroc, a much calmer pig. The problem is that these native breeds are a small gene pool – there’re only 300 registered breeding Tamworth sows in the UK.’ James has been involved with farming all his life. He grew up on the family farm in Devon and went on to become a contract farmer with a sideline in property development. Business was good until the 2008 financial crash when he lost everything and had to start again. In 2016 he managed to buy 15 acres of land in Sandford Orcas and so began Lavender Keepers. Two pigs and a hired boar soon became 18, and five years on the herd has grown to 350. Over time James has rented a further 35 acres to accommodate them. ‘This is what you would call extensive farming, not intensive,’ James tells me. When the couple met in 2017, Charlotte was living in her homeland of Sweden following a 12-year stint running a catering business in Paris. Her son from a previous relationship had grown and flown, so she returned to Gotland. ‘I had a bakery there and helped run a farm and charcuterie with my cousin.’ And that’s when she met James online. After talking across the North Sea, they agreed to meet in London. ‘We were going to have a picnic in a park there,’ says Charlotte. ‘But the Beast from the East interfered,’ adds James, ‘everything was frozen, and I was working as a builder and looking after the pigs.’ Refusing to be beaten, there was only one thing for it, > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 77

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‘So, I came to Sherborne,’ triumphs Charlotte. And the rest, as they say, is history. Only it’s not, because they’re far from finished and are continuing to grow their fledgling business. ‘I love to learn new skills, where different cuts of meat come from, so I help with the butchery, while James makes the sausages,’ explains Charlotte. Making the most of the stunning location, they’ve expanded their focus to include a cafe. ‘We love bringing people onto the farm,’ Charlotte continues, ‘and now with the tepee café I make the breads and focaccia, cakes, scotch eggs and sausage rolls. Time is always short,’ she laughs, ‘but I try to use as much garden produce as possible – even the lavender goes into the biscuits.’ By now we’ve come to the paddock where two sows are in with the boar. ‘Pigs have two litters a year,’ says James. ‘We have approximately 30 breeding sows and farrow in small groups of six to eight. Pregnancy lasts three months, three weeks and three days. The difference with our pigs and many ‘free-range’ pigs is that ours really do spend their life outdoors among the grass and flowers, whereas much of the ‘free-range’ pork from pigs that you see in supermarkets have only been outdoors for the first three weeks of their life.’ This commitment

and dedication have won them many local fans and, more importantly, regular customers who value the provenance of their meat. ‘It’s not just what you are eating that’s important, but how it’s produced,’ James adds. They supply, amongst others, the likes of Durslade Farm shop, The Newt and The Queen’s Arms in Corton Denham. And, after the arrival of Covid, they began a box scheme and introduced online sales to their website. As it is for all farmers, this couple have a long day. From the 5.30am feed until dusk, they are intensely busy. But they try to make sure they find even just a little time to savour this spot, having breakfast outside once the pigs are fed. ‘We sip our smoothies while looking at the view,’ says Charlotte. The pair talk in unison about their plans for the future. They are building a polytunnel to sell the herbaceous plants they grow in the courtyard gardens – they’d love lavender as far as the eye can see. There is even an idea for a pop-up restaurant in the evenings to take advantage of the beautiful setting. But it has been a long year and a half and for now they are just glad to be back open serving meals in their tepee and giving their muddy, glorious pigs the time of their life. thestorypig.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 81

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FROM

Order our homegrown Tamworth produce from the fields outside Sherborne - Buy Local!

TABLE

The finest Tamworth quality and flavour, a taste of the past!

FIELD TO

Lavender Cafe & Shop Now Open At The Farm Every Thursday - Sunday 10 am - 4 pm

Here you can sit and enjoy our beautiful views, lavender field, garden and animals together with our homemade cakes, sausage rolls, scotch eggs and much more! Please contact James and Charlotte | Tel 07802 443905 | info@thestorypig.co.uk The Story Pig, Lavender Keepers, Great Pitt Lane, Sandford Orcas, Sherborne DT9 4FG See more at www.thestorypig.co.uk 82 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

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Food and Drink

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones

LEMON POPPY SEED CELEBRATION CAKE

Image: Katharine Davies

his cake is light and the tangy lemon curd comes through well with the lemonflavoured Chantilly cream. If you are going to make your own lemon curd, do it a few days ahead of making the cake. The lemon drizzle can also be made ahead of time. Preparation 30 minutes, baking time 30-35 minutes, cooling time 30 minutes, decorating time 15-20 minutes What you will need

• Grease and flour • 4 x 23cm cake tins • Hand-held electric mixer or stand mixer 84 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Ingredients Serves 12

For the cake 30g blue poppy seeds 100ml whole milk 220g eggs out of shells 50g softened, unsalted butter 170g soft margarine 220g caster sugar 220g self-raising flour (this can be substituted with gluten-free self raising flour) 5g baking powder 1 teaspoon of lemon extract Zest of an unwaxed lemon

For the filling 500ml double cream 1 tablespoon dried milk powder (I use whole milk powder as it helps stabilise the cream) 1-2 heaped tablespoons sifted icing sugar 450g jar of good quality lemon curd 1 teaspoon lemon extract 2 tablespoons limoncello liqueur (optional) For the lemon drizzle Zest and juice of 2 lemons 75g caster sugar 4 drops of lemon extract Method - Cake

Set the oven for 160C fan,180C, 350F, gas mark 4 1 Pour the milk into a pan with the poppy seeds and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. 2 Once boiled, remove from the heat and cover the pan with a lid for 25 minutes – this allows the seeds to soften and will bring out their flavour during baking. 3 Sift the flour and baking powder. 4 Place the eggs, sugar, butter and margarine into the mixer and combine, add the flour and beat for two minutes on full – do not over beat. 5 Pour the poppy seeds through a sieve discarding the milk and fold them into the cake mixture with the lemon extract and zest until well combined. 6 Pour the mixture equally into the 4 pans. 7 Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Listen to them – they are ready when they have stopped singing (only slight crackles will be heard from the mixture). 8 Let the cakes stand for 5 minutes then turn them out onto a cooling rack, cover with a clean tea cloth until you are ready to assemble the cake. Lemon Drizzle

1 Place the zest, juice and sugar in a pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. 2 Let the pan come up to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes to allow the drizzle to thicken slightly, add the lemon extract. 3 When stored in a sterilised jar in the fridge the drizzle will keep for 4 weeks. Filling

1 Place the cream in the mixer bowl and add the milk powder. Stir until combined, leave for 2

minutes, add the icing sugar and gradually beat the cream to combine. 2 Beat the cream on moderate until it thickens and reaches ‘stiff peak’. 3 Fold in the lemon extract and 8-10 tablespoons of lemon curd until completely combined, then slowly fold in the liqueur 4 Place in the fridge to firm up a little before assembling the cake. To assemble the cake

1 Place a dessert spoon of the filling on a serving board and place one of the cakes on the board (invert the cake so the top will be level). 2 Brush the top of the cake with the lemon drizzle then spread 2 tablespoons of lemon curd on the cake (don’t allow it to get too near the edge of the cake and drip down the sides). 3 Place 3 tablespoons of the cream filling on the cake and spread evenly and as level as possible. Repeat with the next cakes. 4 Place the last cake, base side up on top uppermost. 5 Half fill a piping bag fitted with a 12 point star to decorate the top of the cake then spread the remainder of the cream evenly around the sides and top of the cake. 6 Pipe rosettes around the top of the cake and decorate with fresh flowers just before serving. Allow the cake to chill for 30 minutes before serving, this cake will keep if covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. The cakes can also be frozen individually before filling for up to a month. bakerval.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

Food and Drink

WHOLE BAKED TROUT (NORTH CAUCASUS STYLE) Sasha Matkevich, The Green

his is a recipe from my childhood and a wonderfully simple and effective way to cook brown trout. Do try to get hold of purple basil for this one.

Ingredients Serves 4

4 small brown trout, descaled, gutted and cleaned 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 large banana shallots, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon brown sugar 2 whole lemons, sliced 4 tablespoons chopped basil 1 tablespoon chopped parsley Cornish sea salt black pepper 1kg small new potatoes, washed 50g unsalted butter 1 bunch dill 200g crème fraiche Method

1 Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and lightly oil four large sheets of baking parchment. 2 Place the olive oil and shallots in a large frying pan 86 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Image: Clint Randall

over a medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until soft and just golden (about seven minutes). Add garlic and sugar to the pan, stir to combine and set aside to cool. Place the new potatoes in a large pan of salted water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat. Chop the stalks off the dill and add to the potatoes. Add butter and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes just cooked, strain and set aside to cool down. Add sliced lemons to the shallots, together with basil and parsley, season to taste with Cornish sea salt and black pepper and use it to stuff the trout. Place the trout in the centre of the parchment paper and fold the edges to enclose the fish and form a nice neat parcel. Transfer to a baking tray and place it into the pre-heated oven for 14 minutes then open the paper with scissors and return trout to the oven for another 6 minutes to allow the skin to crisp up. Finely chop the tops of the dill and combine with the potatoes and crème fraiche, season to taste and serve with the trout immediately. Enjoy!

greenrestaurant.co.uk

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH BLACK CHERRIES Johnny Jones, Head Chef, The Queen’s Arms

his has been a real hit at the pub. We serve ours with chocolate biscuit crumb, cherries in syrup, and on a circle of genoise cake. It invokes memories of black forest gateau. Ingredients Makes 8-10

– use a stand mixer which means you can leave it beating while carrying out next steps Using a bain-marie (by placing a pyrex or ceramic bowl, with the chocolate in it, over a pan of simmering water – make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water), gently melt the chocolate Whip the cream to soft peaks (stir in mascarpone if using) Gently fold the cream into the chocolate and then fold the eggs into the cream and chocolate Place in moulds and then place in fridge to allow to chill for 3 hours Once set serve by spooning over preserved cherries

4 large eggs 100g sugar 420ml double cream or you can make it half double cream and half mascarpone 25g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

Method

1 Whip the sugar and eggs for approximately 10-15 minutes until white, frothy and almost triple in size

thequeensarms.com

4 5

Image: Tory McTernan

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87

Food and Drink

TASMANIA David Copp

t is salutary to remember that when I first entered the wine trade Tasmania did not even register a blip on the wine radar screen. A small island in the Southern Ocean, 150 miles south of mainland Australia, it was known as the wet and windy home of the Tasmanian Devil, a smelly carnivorous marsupial with a stronger bite than any other living mammal. Sixty-five years on, Tasmania is one of the hotspots of Australian viticulture recognised for the quality of its sparkling wines and the promise of its pinot noirs. Does it bring to mind another island in the northern hemisphere where the sparkling wines have won world renown and pinot noir is coming on very well indeed? The great thing about island weather is that ocean breezes keep very hot temperatures in check while cool nights and mild autumn days encourage the development of fruit flavour. Old soils provide the minerals from which vines derive their good health. As the current cycle of global warming develops the extra flavour of the pinot noir in particular will produce interesting wines in sheltered south-facing sites as in the Camel Valley. The man who first attracted others to the potential of Tasmania was Dr Andrew Pirie, the first Australian to earn a PhD in Viticulture. Pirie recognised Tasmania’s potential to produce the classic north European varieties of chardonnay and pinot noir which 88 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

now account for 70% of vineyard plantings. In 1974 he planted the Pipers Brook estate now owned by the Belgian woollen merchants Kreglinger. Several mainland wineries followed his example, notably Yalumba which owns Jansz, their start-up encouraged by Louis Roederer one of the very finest of champagne houses. Tasmania is a small producer responsible for only 1% of the total Australian crush, but the quality of its wines is notable. Some of the finest Australian chardonnays such as Eileen Hardy and Penfolds Yattarna are produced from Tasmanian fruit: Freycinet produces some of the finest rieslings I have tasted outside their homeland. The focus on quality has attracted fine wine growers from the mainland. Yalumba, owners of Jansz sparkling wine, bought the Dalrymple vineyard to produce topquality pinot noir. Brown Bros of Victoria acquired Tamar Ridge while leading Adelaide Hills producers Shaw + Smith acquired the Tolpuddle Vineyard in the Coal River Valley. Tolpuddle, established by Dr Tony Jordan and friends in 1988, was planted exclusively to pinot noir and chardonnay. Named after the six brave Dorset trade unionists transported to Tasmania in the mid-1830s for the ‘crime’ of setting up an agricultural union, Hill Smith considers it one of the most impressive vineyard

crbellette/Shutterstock

sites on the island. Fine complex chardonnays already abound in Australia but really fine, complex pinot noir is more difficult to find however Tasmania has already shown it is the region to answer that shortcoming. If you like great fizz, fine chardonnay and outstanding pinot noir Tasmania is well worth exploring. Good wine merchants know all about their best wines because once tasted they are hard to forget. I last visited the island ten years ago and was so impressed I promised myself to keep informed about the progress of Andrew Pirie, Ed Carr (House of Arras), Natalie Fryar (formerly with Jansz now making her own Bellebonne), Fran Austin, Lindy Bull and Claudio Radenti at Freycinet, Peter Althaus at Domaine A and Stefano Lubiana. All of them have enhanced their reputations and newcomers like Shaw + Smith add to the reputation of Tasmanian fine wines. I have another reason for remembering Tasmania. I had a highly entertaining half hour discussion with Richard Smart, the world famous Australian viticulturalist and global consultant often referred to as ‘the flying vine-doctor’ about his work on the effect of canopy management techniques on vineyard yield and quality. His book Sunlight into Wine has made a substantial contribution to our understanding of how to

make better wine. Andrew Pirie was shrewd enough to get him involved in Tasmania. Tasmania has shown us what we have to do to match them.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Jansz Cuvée NV £18 Vineyards of Sherborne A great sparkling wine from Tasmania, which, dare we say, rivals French

Champagne. Made from Pinot Noir,

with its thin skin that is tricky to take care of in most climates, and classic

Chardonnay grapes, this wine is a real stand-out. It’s incredible to think that it’s produced in the ‘wild Tasmanian

environment’, which even Jansz themselves claim

is a brave move. Fine mousse in the glass that has a

lively citrus backbone with aromas of nougat — it’s simply delicious. Produced, like Champagne, using the ‘traditional method’ which in this instance is affectionately dubbed ‘Méthode Tasmanoise’. vineyardsofsherborne.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 89

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www.newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 91

Animal Care

MIND THE GAP

Mark Newton-Clarke, MAVetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeon

Kachalkina Veronika/Shutterstock

92 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

here are very few things in life about which we can be absolutely certain, especially true in both human and veterinary medicine. All of us live with uncertainty to a degree, although I feel we are all becoming less tolerant of it. It may be that life in the 21st century is so much more predictable (the last 18 months aside) than the majority of the preceding hundred years, that we all expect to know what the future holds with a high degree of accuracy. Uncertainty is not acceptable. So this can be a problem, especially in the veterinary world where decisions are still based on clinical judgement rather than evidence-base most of the time. Technology has helped us out in recent years – our in-house diagnostic laboratory providing while-you-wait information, backed up by external labs that send overnight couriers to collect samples for analysis, often with next day results. Endoscopy, x-ray and ultrasound allow us a peep at the hidden inside world but the images do not come with labels and so have to be subjectively interpreted. The digital age helps again here as a radiology expert can be sent the information by email for their opinion, where only a few years ago it meant a walk to the Post Office to send x-ray films in the mail. I call the space between what is really true and what we think is true the ‘uncertainty gap’. This exists in almost all clinical situations to varying degrees. Clinicians spend most of their time trying to make the gap as small as possible, improving diagnostic precision and therefore prognostic accuracy. Most animal owners care less about the fancy name given to their pet’s condition and are far more interested in what the future holds. One of the first vets I worked for advised me to always be cautious with a prognosis, so that if all turns out well, the owner is doubly delighted. Well, I tell it how I see it but always pay reference to the uncertainty gap, which possibly amounts to the same thing! The issue of uncertainty is of particular concern when a young puppy is involved. Apart from the usual growing pains of digestive upsets and muscle strains, nobody expects their new puppy to become ill. So when it happens, anxiety levels rise rapidly in both owner and vet. Uncertainty is as unwelcome as the illness. One recent example, called Liv, suddenly started showing signs of pain. Having been under constant watch by her dedicated owners, the cause

of Liv’s discomfort was completely unknown. Without any other symptoms, no signs of trauma or infection, poor Liv was a mystery but clearly had a problem. Instead of the wild-child tearing up the garden, we had a sickly puppy reluctant to even get up. It still amazes me how fast dogs learn to communicate with humans, as Liv’s facial expression and body language were very clear – I’m hurting! So, no help with the history in this case but the physical examination, carefully conducted by Matt, identified pain at the base of the neck and lower down the spine. Liv had also become reluctant to lower her head to eat and so needed feeding from a height, preferably by hand. As in many cases, blood tests failed to provide a diagnosis but they did help us to rule out an infectious cause, not that this was likely as Liv had been fully vaccinated and was protected against ticks and fleas. So what could be going on? In this case, it was more about what Liv didn’t have than what she did, leaving us with only two main possibilities for a diagnosis and only two options for treatment. That was a relief as I wanted the uncertainty gap to be as small as possible! So, this was either a case of spinal trauma which was not witnessed by the vigilant owners (unlikely) or a sterile (i.e. non-infectious) meningitis, which is relatively uncommon. Hmm, not very helpful. The word meningitis means, literally, inflammation of the meninges, which most people know as one of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (also the optic nerve). In humans, viral and bacterial meningitis are well known and feared but these are rare in our pet dogs. The cause of sterile meningitis is inflammation generated by the immune system, inappropriately reacting against internal proteins. This condition is also known as steroid-responsive meningitis and is closely related to an immune-mediated arthritis with the same underlying cause. In fact, meningitis and arthritis often coincide in dogs with this condition, making for one hell of a body-ache. Back to Liv, the jury is still out and although analgesics produced significant improvement, I’m not sure yet which diagnosis is correct. There’s clearly a gap in my knowledge....Hopefully to be closed by next month. But then again, some uncertainty gaps always remain. I’ll keep you posted. newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 93

Animal Care

COUNTRYSIDE PREDICAMENTS Jenny Gibson BVMSci MRCVS, Kingston Vets

t is not uncommon to be out enjoying the countryside and come across an animal that may be in need of some assistance. Therefore, this month I thought it would be good to discuss the best thing to do when you find yourself in this type of situation with livestock or wildlife. I have chosen a few of the most common scenarios that you may find yourself in. Finding a sheep on its back

This usually happens around lambing time when the ewe is heavily pregnant. Therefore, when out walking between the months of November to April you may come across a sheep lying on its back with its legs in the air. They struggle to get up because their back becomes flat and tabletop-like as they get closer to lambing. They become too large and heavy and in addition, if their wool is wet, it makes it even harder for them to right themselves. So, when you spot a ewe on her back, the first thing to do is ensure all dogs are kept on their leads away from the ewe, then slowly approach her. Gently push/roll her by holding onto her legs and fleece until she is upright and if you can, hold onto her for a minute before letting her go. This is because when they get up too quickly, and have been on their backs for a while, they can become quite wobbly on their feet. If you are struggling to get the ewe back onto her feet then the best thing to do is get someone else to help you or call the local farmer. A ewe being stuck on their back can be fatal to both the ewe and her unborn lambs. The gas in their stomach ferments and builds up, causing pressure to build up which will eventually lead to suffocation. In this position they also are unable to eat or drink sufficiently to sustain themselves and they are open to any predators that may be lurking nearby. Therefore, by spotting and helping a ewe on her back you are saving more than one life. 94 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Finding a cow in a river

Depending on the river, the cow and time of year, the severity of the situation varies. The most important thing is that you remain safe and contact the correct professionals. Do not get into the river with the cow and do not allow your dogs to get in either as this could lead to injury to all involved. If you can keep the cow calm by simply staying at a safe distance, then this is sufficient. A lot of the time the cow will manage to get out themselves so it is worth watching them for a minute to assess the situation. Cows are good swimmers and do float well but they can become tired quickly. Sometimes the river is too strong, the banks are too steep or the cow is too tired or even stuck to get out on their own. Therefore, at this point, you will need to contact the farmer and fire brigade on 999. Whilst you wait you can try to look for points along the river where the cow may be able to exit the river. Finding injured wildlife

If the animal appears injured the best thing to do

Ysbrand Cosijn/Shutterstock

is contact a vet, RSPCA or a wildlife centre to get treatment. Always be careful when approaching wild animals especially if they are injured or stressed. If possible, keep the animal quiet, cool and in a dark environment to reduce stress in the meantime. The animal may just be in shock and will possibly improve after some time. Ensure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling wildlife. If you find a fledging on the ground and on its own, the best thing to do is leave them well alone, unless there is obvious injury to it. It is not uncommon for them to be on the ground and usually the parents are nearby, even if they can’t be seen. This is because the flight feathers can take a couple days to come through. Therefore, if you have cats it might be worth keeping them indoors until the fledgling is able to fly and to keep dogs on the lead. Removing a fledgling from its home area is always a last resort. It should be noted that if there are no feathers on the baby bird, then it is classed as a nestling and will not survive long outside of the nest. Therefore, it is best to place them back into their nest but it is important to make sure that you are

putting them back into the correct nest. Finding a deer in the road

First thing is to try and remain calm and stay as safe as possible. Remembering to put your hazard lights on and place your red triangle down the road to warn other traffic, if safe to do so. If you or anyone in the vehicle is hurt then call 999 for an ambulance immediately. If no one is injured but the road is obstructed by the deer then contact the police notifying them of the incident and obstruction to the road. Do not approach an injured deer alone and ensure to signal to other road users to slow down and stop if appropriate. It is worth noting that if you see one deer go across the road there is likely a second one following close behind so be aware. Also, deer will freeze in headlights therefore, dim full beam if they freeze. Every situation varies but hopefully this gives some information to guide you on what to do when you find yourself in one of these situations. kingstonvets.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 95

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 96 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

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Body & Mind

FADING LIGHT

Mike Hewitson MPharm FFRPS FRSPH MRPharmS, Chief Pharmacist, The Abbey Pharmacy

s we reach September we often enjoy a last hurrah of summer before the long slide towards Christmas. It might seem like an odd time of the year to talk about a healthy relationship with the sun, but then again so is the British summer! Sunlight is essential for normal human health, and can have wondrous effects on skin conditions such as psoriasis. It plays an important role in regulating our sleep-wake patterns, keeping our bones strong, can impact on our mood and there is scientific debate as to whether it may be of benefit against Covid. We spend a lot of time concerned about the impacts of too much sun, but we need to balance that against the negative effects of too little sun. So, like Goldilocks, we should aim to get our sun exposure ‘just right’. Starting with the positive effects of sunlight, the most obvious is to activate vitamin D in our skin, helping us to maintain our teeth and bones, and keep muscles healthy. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which can be obtained from foods such as oily fish, meat and egg yolks – as these are all animal-derived, vegans and vegetarians should pay particular attention to supplementation. To add to the complexity not all vitamin D supplements are vegan-friendly as they can be manufactured from animal sources – check with your supplier who should be able to advise you on a suitable supplement. For most people over the age of 5 a supplement of 400units of vitamin D per day is probably a good idea, especially between October and March as we do not get enough UVB radiation in the winter. If in doubt speak to a healthcare professional who should be able to advise you. Sunlight is a factor for some, but not all skin cancers, and if you have fair skin that burns and does not tan, 98 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Martin-DM/iStock

have more than 50 moles across your entire body or have a history or family history of skin cancers, it is very important to protect your skin. High factor sun-protection (minimum SPF30), clothing e.g. hats, or staying out of strong sunlight can help to protect from the harmful effects of UV radiation. There is now scientific evidence to suggest that sun exposure as a adolescent (before your 20th birthday) matters most when it comes to skin cancer risk, so making sure to keep children or grandchildren topped up with their sun cream is even more important. Most people will have moles, and it is important to note that moles can change over time, but we should know what changes to be concerned about. The golden rule is if you are in any doubt, get your moles checked. Examining your own moles is as easy as ABCD - Asymmetry (if your mole was a pizza would all of the slices look similar?), Border (are the edges blurred or irregular shapes?), Colour (are your moles more than one colour? Pink moles in people with light skin can be just as significant), Diameter (are your moles bigger than 6mm?). If a mole is bleeding, changing size or shape – get it checked. How much sun is too much sun? There is no easy way to answer this question. The exact amount of sun exposure needed will vary depending on your skin type (how dark it is), how much skin is exposed, the time of year, and even the time of day. The most important thing is to avoid sunburn. It is also worth pointing out that some medicines can make you more prone to sunburn, such as doxycycline, which is a commonly used antibiotic, and even ibuprofen in some people. theabbeypharmacy.com

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Body & Mind

THE GOLDEN TREASURE OF DANDELION Kim Creswell Dip.Herb.Med. MNIMH, Goldberry Herbs

ultures in every part of the world have a tradition of using their native plants as medicine. Trade routes provide novelties from far-off climes and some plant parts are more valuable than gold. With access to such exotic materia medica, it is easy to ignore the herbs under our feet – plants which are common, yet have a vital role in maintaining health. 100 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

One such plant, a jewel in the treasure box of any Western Medical Herbalist, is the humble dandelion. I would be surprised if anyone in the Sherborne area wasn’t familiar with the cheery golden head of the dandelion in sunshine, which closes, to resemble a swine’s snout, in gloomy weather. This precious herb can be found equally at home in meadow, garden, or

squeezing through pavement cracks. Every part of dandelion could be used medicinally. The skill is to know what part of the plant to harvest and when; which active compounds that part contains; and how to make those constituents available within the body. If you can correlate that information with an individual’s needs, every day plants can become invaluable! A general rule of thumb is that the part of the plant which is seasonally energising is the part which has the greatest power - sounds obvious doesn’t it? For example, dandelion root can contain 40% ‘inulin’ in the autumn and only 2% in spring. Inulin, one of the many helpful gifts of the plant world, is a carbohydrate which supports a healthy gut microbiome and helps to balance blood sugars and fats. I choose to harvest the root in autumn or winter, when packed full of the energy needed for the plant to sleep the winter and wake in spring. Dandelion root has many talents – it would be unwise to see one constituent in isolation. Compounds are often found to work together to create an action greater than the sum of their parts. This team work is known as ‘synergy’. Unknown constituents are found as research progresses. The root has been used for hundreds of years as a liver herb and modern research has concluded that it can indeed protect the liver from damage. Other benefits which science has attributed to the root include the suppression of human gastric cancer cells, without toxicity to healthy cells, which indicates a valid use as an adjunct to some modern oncology treatment. I could continue on the many more benefits of ‘Tarax. rad.’, as it forms an intrinsic part of so many herbal formulations – but the rest of the plant also deserves discussion! Let us rise up to the rosette of leaves, which when tender in spring, before they get bitter, make an excellent addition to salads or sandwiches. Herbalists may prescribe ‘Tarax. fol.’ as a diuretic, with an action comparable to the pharmaceutical ‘furosemide’. Diuretics basically make you pee more, hence the plant’s rather disparaging folk name of ‘wet-the-bed’ or ‘pissy-beds’. However, this quality can be helpful when dealing with conditions that lead to water retention, including oedema related to heart problems. Kidney stimulating pharmaceuticals may lead to depletion of potassium in the body, but dandelion leaf is naturally packed full of that mineral. Another (and again, there are many) virtue of

dandelion leaf is its ability to inhibit the formation of kidney stones, or ‘gravel’, in the urinary tract. Usually formed from calcium oxalate, urinary calculi is a growing problem in the British Isles. A study, published in 2018, concluded that the synergistic action of whole dandelion leaves significantly reduced calcium oxalate crystallisation in urine. Although the root and leaves of dandelion are the parts most commonly used by medical herbalists, the stem may also be used - or more precisely the latex in the stem. When you break the hollow stalk you will see a milky sap ooze out… this is not to be used internally, but can be applied topically in the treatment of warts. It has been estimated that the decorative crown of the plant is frequented by no less than 93 different kinds of insects, providing considerable amounts of nectar in early spring. The single, golden head, as the colour would suggest, is super high in carotenoids – anti-oxidants which the plant can use to protect itself from UV rays and which are also essential to human beings for maintaining health. It would appear that the carotenoids have immune-modulating and cardioprotective properties, as well as preventing cellular damage from pollutants. To easily include in your diet, rinse freshly-opened blooms, dust in seasoned flour, then gently fry in butter. Perfect to serve with a dandelion leaf salad. When the florets turn to fruit, each one with its parachute to aid dispersal, you have a ‘dandelion clock’, a children’s game from times gone by - although the one I blew last week was certainly not on GMT. Little research has been conducted on the fruit of the dandelion but new information shows high flavonoid content which offers potential for use in cardio-vascular disease… and surely the little birds benefit as they forage the seeds as a valuable part of their diet. There is so much more to say about this humble herb, a plant so entwined in our environmental web of life. For those who would like to include this gem in their diet, just a word of caution…ensure that you select plants from ground which is not contaminated by pollutants, as toxins may accumulate in this tap-rooting plant. Personally, I like to organically cultivate this plant for use… it’s hard to weed the garden when you are a herbalist! For inclusion as part of a health care regime, please consult a medical herbalist who will be knowledgeable about potential side effects, drug interactions and allergies. Full list of references available at goldberryherbs.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 101

Body and Mind

75 YEARS OF SUPPORT Lucy Lewis, Dorset Mind Ambassador

e are proud to announce that Dorset Mind is celebrating 75 years of supporting Dorset’s mental health! To honour this sensational milestone, we’re looking back at Dorset Mind’s history, exploring recent challenges and achievements, and sharing our exciting celebration plans. Read on to learn more about your local mental health charity and ways that you can get involved in our celebrations. Established in November 1946, Dorset Mind was initially known as the Bournemouth Association for Mental Health (BAMH). Doris Odlum, a local 102 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

psychiatrist, founded the association to provide a space for mental health professionals to meet and discuss mental health. In 1971, the BAMH opened a group home for those with mental health problems. Unfortunately, this home was sold in 1977 due to low demand. Later in the 1980s, the closure of large mental health institutions triggered a rise in demand for community and volunteer mental health services. In 1987, the BAMH provided a befriending service, shortly followed by a charity shop, a women’s group, and other services. In the 2000s, the BAMH became a local Mind

Sky Antonio/shutterstock

under the standards and branding of national Mind; since then, the BAMH became known as Dorset Mind as it is today. Only in recent years has the reach of Dorset Mind grown exponentially to support people all over Dorset. We have no plans of slowing this progress; we will continue to work hard every day to provide support for people in Dorset who are experiencing mental health difficulties. This last year has been tough for everyone. Due to Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns, Dorset Mind was faced with a sudden funding emergency; most

funding decreased dramatically, while some funding sources ceased entirely. Many events and fundraising opportunities had to be postponed or cancelled. Despite these challenges, our wonderful staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to continue supporting the people of Dorset. It was important to us not to let anyone feel that they were alone. Our first challenge was moving our face-to-face support services to online or telephone delivery – this was managed in a matter of weeks. It was no mean feat mobilising our teams of facilitators to ensure they were confident working online from home. We also ensured that our service-users were supported by contacting them regularly to check in. Our Adult and Young People’s Teams were awarded a High Sheriff Award to recognise the dedication and determination of both teams during lockdown. Additionally, we supported the wellbeing of our staff and volunteers, by offering wellbeing resources and services, as well as advice for keeping them safe. Further achievements included launching our low-cost Adult Counselling and surviving our funding crisis. While the last 75 years have not been without their setbacks, especially the last eighteen months, Dorset Mind has grown and achieved a considerable amount. This calls for a notable celebration! We have multiple celebratory challenges that you can get involved in to help support mental health in Dorset throughout our anniversary year. We plan to start this important year by having 75 people skydive for Dorset Mind on the same day! We are offering a discounted fundraising target to encourage people to take part in this bucket-list challenge. Visit bit.ly/75forskydive to take advantage of this offer. And for our corporate partners, we have ‘The Accumulator’ challenge. This involves raising as much money as you can from an initial kitty of £75 – will your team be crowned the winners? Visit dorsetmind.uk and search ‘The Accumulator’ to find out more. All fundraising for Dorset Mind stays within Dorset to support local people with their mental health. All donations help to protect the future of Dorset Mind as we work hard to meet the increased demand for our services in these uncertain times. Help us to transform lives and ensure that no one in Dorset has to face a mental health problem alone. If you would like to learn more about our services, visit dorsetmind.uk (adults) or dorsetmindyourhead.co.uk/ services/ (young people). In a crisis, call 999 or The Samaritans on 116 123. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 103

Body & Mind

STRONGER FOR LONGER Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit

Image: Stuart Brill

s we age our body weakens. Without a conscious effort to address this natural process we will become weaker than we need be, and this in turn can affect the quality of life, even ultimately preventing us from doing the things we love. In order to slow down the ageing process we need to put time aside and be determined to do what we can to ensure we stay strong and healthy. There are many areas we need to focus on to achieve this. Strengthening

The most obvious is strengthening. Putting resistance through our bodies to help strengthen our muscles, bones and joints will undoubtedly be beneficial. We must of course be sensible and not push ourselves beyond our capabilities but we can however increase the intensity of our activity if we feel fitter and it is safe to do so. Strengthening can be achieved through using equipment such as dumbbells, kettlebells, ankle weights and elastic bands, or through utilising our own body weight – an example could be a squat or press-up. It is very important to have structured and specific strengthening exercises targeting all areas of the body. Key areas to target are hips, knees and shoulders. The stronger we are, the easier everything becomes! Mobility

Linked to strengthening is mobility – the ability to move your entire body freely and normally. Although you undeniably need strength to be able to move easily, you also need flexible joints. In order to have the mobility to enjoy the activities you love, both strength and good movement are crucial. 104 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

There are some fantastic mobility exercises that we use in all our classes that not only identify restrictions caused by ageing but also help alleviate them. In short, you need strong muscles to be mobile and you need to be mobile to be strong! Cardio fitness

Having a strong, healthy heart and lungs is incredibly important. A combination of the two helps alleviate tiredness, giving you the energy to feel sharp, alert and enjoy life. This combination is also important in ensuring you remain generally healthy. It is important to be safe and exercising within heart rate zones is a great way to ensure this. We all have our own individual capabilities so building gradually is essential in building our cardio fitness. Core strength

There isn’t a single activity we do every day that doesn’t include our core muscles. They help us to stand up straight, twist and turn. Without good core strength we wouldn’t be able to function. Pilates, yoga and other strengthening exercises are all fantastic ways to strengthen our core muscles. Make sure you add these exercises to your routines! There are then a variety of areas that can be targeted to ensure we try and slow down the ageing process, and finding the correct combination of strengthening, mobility and cardio-fitness for each individual is crucial. This correct combination can be achieved separately, or ideally together in one single exercise class. communifit.co.uk

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CAN YOU DO A PULL-UP? Simon Partridge BSc (Sports Science), Personal Trainer SPFit

he pull-up is such a great exercise because it is fantastic for improving upper body strength, muscle definition and lumbo-pelvic stability (the ability for the body to maintain proper support around the lower spine and pelvis during movement). Many clients have walked through our door saying ‘I can’t do a pull-up’ – a few months later they can. Pre-lockdown one such client, Rachel, was able to do a full unassisted pull-up. Then, like many people her training was derailed. She has been progressing using increasing smaller resistance bands that give her less assistance. Rachel is going to try a full unassisted 106 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

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Body & Mind

chin-up tomorrow – the day after I sit here writing this article. Will she do it? The difference between a pull-up and chin-up you ask? A pull-up your palms face away, while a chin-up your palms face toward you. Pull-ups are challenging but they are FUN, and exercise should be fun! Clients often cannot perform a pull-up or as many as they want to due to poor technique. Here are some reasons for this and the solutions. Overusing your arms

Try not to initiate the movement by pulling with your arms, use the larger and more powerful muscles

in your back. Initiate the movement by drawing the shoulder blades in toward the spine and down toward the opposite hip. Solution: Scapula Pull-Ups It is a full body movement

A ‘perfect’ pull-up involves the whole body working as a synchronised unit. This includes the anterior core, glutes, and even the lower body. When your whole body works as one, you can propel your body to and from the bar with more ease and efficiency. Solution: Before each rep, make sure that your body is set in either a straight line from your head to your heels, or a slight hollow body position. You need enough tension to keep the body from swinging

In order to maintain a proper body position for the duration of the exercise, you need to generate sufficient tension in certain muscle groups, particularly the abdominal muscles and glutes. You can then pull a rigid object, rather than a limp and floppy object, which is much less prone to swinging, resulting in a much shorter and more efficient path to the bar. Solution: Dead Bugs

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Weak grip strength

If your grip strength prevents you from hanging from the bar, performing one or more pull-ups is bound to be difficult. Solution: Plate Pinches and Loaded Carries Band-assisted pull-ups

The key when using bands is not to let your form deteriorate. Ensure you maintain proper body positioning and generate enough tension around your hips, spine and legs. Solution: Master form first and use other regressions such as barbell pull-up progressions. Pull-ups can generate an enormous sense of achievement and raise your self-confidence. Just ask Rachel, I cannot wait to see how far she progresses this month. Set yourself a goal and take a step-by-step approach to progress. I firmly believe everyone can do some form of pull-up. Give them a go – good luck. spfit-sherborne.co.uk

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 107

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 Teresa or Daniel on 01935 812647 100 Lenthay Road, Sherborne DT9 6AG Email: info@wsbrister.com www.wsbrister.com

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THE HOUSE OF THESEUS Andy Foster, Raise Architects

he farmhouse was not much more than a small Victorian cottage. It was constructed of red brick with a slate roof pulled down low over the first-floor windows and the central front door was approached via a path of cracked quarry tiles. There should have been a small front flower garden but this had long been obliterated and the ground compacted by the movement of farm vehicles. All of the windows were open, as was the front door, and the early morning sun slanted down the hallway. There wasn’t a sound except, that is, from the cluck and scratch of a couple of hens that had found their way into the rear porch. I inched inside. From a glimpse of the sitting room, I could see possessions strewn everywhere and a quick scan of the kitchen revealed dishes piled high around the sink and 112 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

cupboards spilling their contents onto the floor. I wandered around to the farm buildings and found Ash in a barn tending to some cows. We chatted for a few minutes about the recent flooding and how difficult it had been for him to keep the animals outside. All the time I was conscious of being eyed by an unfeasibly large Charolais bull. ‘Oh, don’t mind him,’ Ash said. ‘He’s only interested to see if you have any food.’ I wasn’t so sure. Then Wendy arrived at speed from the school run. She introduced herself briefly and beckoned me towards the house. ‘Come and have a look at what we’ve got for you.’ As we toured the house Wendy explained, ‘This was Ash’s mother’s place. We’ve been living here for six months but as you can see it’s not big enough for us.’ I already knew this was something

Annie Spratt/Unsplash

of an understatement. We talked for an hour and a half about their ambitions for the house, or rather, Wendy did. Periodically, she pulled books from a pile and flicked through a file of magazine clippings. ‘These are the kind of things we like, don’t we Ash?’ Ash was included in everything but said very little, giving mostly smiles and nods at appropriate moments. As I drove away that morning my head was full of everything I’d learnt but I was intrigued by one particular aspect. ‘The thing is,’ Wendy had said, ‘we want a new house but we don’t want it to be new.’ We want a new house but we don’t want it to be new? I pondered that statement-cum-question for some considerable time. What did she mean? The existing house transformed but retaining the qualities

of the original? Or perhaps, a completely new house designed to look as if it had always been there? How would you do that? How would I respond? Wendy’s challenge reminded me of the philosophical conundrum posed by the Ship of Theseus. The story goes that when Theseus returned from Crete, the Athenians decided to preserve his ship as a monument to his exploits. Over time the rigging and the spars and the planking decayed and every component of the ship was eventually replaced anew. The question that arises then is whether the preserved ship is still the Ship of Theseus or whether it is a new or different ship? If the latter, at what point did it become a new ship and is it in some way a lesser ship as a consequence? At the heart of the question is the issue of authenticity and the fact that most of us tend to prefer anything original over the artificial or the fake. A new building designed to be ‘of its time’ is straightforward in this context but a new building designed to look old or one that adopts a historic style is more questionable. There is a danger, though, in being too dogmatic over such things, after all, everything made by humans is by definition artificial. And, in any case, all retained buildings eventually suffer the same fate as Theseus’s ship. From the examples that Wendy and Ash had shown me it was obvious that a fashionable contemporary design would not suffice. The solution would lie elsewhere but where, exactly, I didn’t know. I would have to rely on the design process as a means of exploration that we could all share. And as an architect, I would have to take care to look beyond the norms that my profession often demands. I suspected that we would know the right solution when we found it. I resolved not to over-intellectualise things. As an example, take this internal door (pictured). What does it matter if it is original to the house or if it has been re-cycled from another house or if it is a new door made to look old? It is still the same door. We judge the quality of something based on our immediate, unthinking response to it. How it fits with any preconceived philosophy is less important. We value the door primarily for what it says to us aesthetically and emotionally and for how it makes us feel. I think I’m going to enjoy working with Wendy and Ash. No, delete that. I don’t think it, I feel it. raisearchitects.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 113

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Legal

BUYING A LISTED BUILDING THE DOS AND DON’TS YOU NEED TO KNOW Alison Treble, Mogers Drewett, Residential Property Partner

isted buildings account for approximately 2% of England’s built heritage. When a building is ‘listed’ it is included on the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. The list status is intended to protect buildings from alterations that may negatively impact their character or historical context. In practical terms for the owner, it means you need listed-building consent in addition to planning consent for any changes. In the majority of cases the classification protects the entire building, along with any structures attached to the building, including outbuildings, garden walls and even garden statues. This may sound daunting but don’t let it put you off. The uniqueness of a listed building is probably what made you fall in love with it in the first place. Here are my top points to consider before embarking on a listed project. Identify which grade the property falls into

A check on the National Heritage List of England website will provide a copy of the entry particular to the property you are buying. There are three grades: • Grade I (2.5% of listed buildings) – buildings of exceptional interest • Grade II* (5.5% of listed buildings) – buildings of particular importance 116 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

• Grade II (92% of listed buildings) – buildings of special architectural or historic interest Do your homework

It is extremely important to check that any alterations have been authorised prior to purchasing a property as the cost of rectifying any non-approved alterations can be expensive. The most common alterations and therefore areas to look out for are: • Double glazing/plastic guttering • En-suite bathrooms • Changes to layout • Removal of fireplaces • Opening up of rooms/removal of internal walls Your solicitor will carry out the appropriate checks for you so choosing a solicitor who specialises in listed buildings is recommended. If in doubt, check

Once you have purchased a listed property remember that it is a criminal offence to make unauthorised changes to a Listed Building. The penalties include an unlimited fine and up to two years imprisonment. mogersdrewett.com

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Finance

WINNING WAYS

Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS, Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, Fort Financial Planning

adly, the Tokyo Olympics have finished. After 17 months of living with Covid, 17 days of sporting endeavour have come to a close. Luckily, we only have to wait three years for the next one! I am fascinated by sport and often marvel at the wise words that are spoken by many of the athletes. Much of what athletes do and say has a direct relevance to financial planning. In this article I would like to concentrate on two aspects – marginal gains and focus. Adam Peaty at the age of only 26 holds the world record for the 100m breaststroke. He also holds the top 20 fastest times ever recorded. He explains that much of his training is focused on striving to find ‘the extra 1%’. He is open to new ideas to achieve these marginal gains. British cycling, once again successful at the Olympics, worked on the philosophy that lots of marginal gains (a 5g weight reduction here and there) would translate into a margin big enough to win consistently. Another area of an athlete’s winning mentality is that of focus. Jessica Ennis-Hill advises not getting caught up in what everyone else is doing. Instead, she says, focus on yourself and controlling what you’re capable of. It’s very easy to worry about what your rivals are doing, but you can’t control any of that. These are but two examples of how sporting success can be used to deliver successful financial planning. To have a successful financial planning experience you have to do more than become financially fit, you have to remain financially fit. One of the most important ways of achieving this is to partner with a real financial planner for the rest of your life. Adam Peaty and Jessica Ennis-Hill would not have achieved their successes without a coach to introduce them to new ideas and to impose a degree of discipline to their training. A real financial planner fulfils a similar function. A real financial planner, providing ongoing advice, can help you to identify the things that matter and the things that you can control. The key is concentrating on those areas where these two priorities overlap. As an example, we can’t control the rate of inflation or when the next stock-market downturn will occur. However we can control (to a degree) our expenditure so that we can react sensibly to adverse events. It’s a bit like sailing, you have to continually adjust your steering to reach the destination. One final point. Successful athletes concentrate on the value that their coach can bring, not solely the cost of employing them. ffp.org.uk

118 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 119

Tech

2FA, OTP & RECOVERY ACCOUNTS

James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

s always, I will try and explain what these mean in the easiest way whilst giving you as much information as possible. I don’t always mean to be Mr Doom and Gloom but sadly in the current climate we hear so many times of people’s online accounts being broken into because they don’t have these new methods of authentication. As annoying as these systems are at times (even for me) they basically protect your account, and therefore you, when it comes to making a payment for goods, accessing accounts from different locations, or changing security information. It is a good idea to check if your online accounts have got up-to-date recovery information like a mobile phone number or email address. I also wouldn’t recommend using a landline number as your recovery phone number if possible as some of the services use text messages to send codes which landlines cannot receive. So, what are they? 2FA – Two Factor Authentication – this is a security system that requires two separate, distinct forms of identification and is an extra layer of protection used to ensure the security of online accounts beyond just a username and password. e.g. when you log into an account using your password (one form of security), it will then send a text to your mobile (second form of security) and ask you to enter the code on the screen. Recovery Account - A recovery email helps you get back into your account which is different from your main email or account login e.g. if you forget your email password, you can ask to have a link sent to your recovery email address to reset it. Please ensure that the recovery email address is accessible for you, and if you no longer have access to the recovery email address, update your records! When setting up an email address (e.g. Gmail or 120 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

Microsoft) or an account for online shopping (e.g. Amazon or eBay) you’ll be asked to provide a mobile number or an alternate email address so the company can verify that you have access to these recovery methods if your account becomes compromised or someone tries hack into them. To complete the set-up of these accounts you’ll need to enter a code that has been sent to your email or mobile. This code generally lasts for 15 minutes and if you get sent another code, the first one won’t work. Therefore if, 2 years down the line, you decide to change anything on your account (email address, bank card, address), the company will send you a text with a code to confirm you made this change, so again make sure that mobile numbers and email addresses are kept up-to-date on accounts that require this security. OTP – One time passcode - is an automaticallygenerated numeric or alphanumeric string of characters that authenticates the user for a single transaction or login session e.g. when logging into online banking or to make a purchase online you’ll sometimes receive a code that you’ll need to enter into the login page or payment window to complete the transaction. There will be instructions in the text message about not giving the code to anyone else, even banking staff. If you receive a text with an OTP but you’re not logging into your bank or making a purchase, then log into the bank or the website from where the text has come from to check but never reply to the text or telephone the number it has come from. The advice I will leave you with, and can’t stress enough, is to always update your recovery information! As ever, if you need any help or advice, you know where to come. computing-mp.co.uk

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Short Story

A NEW LIFE Jan Garner, Sherborne Scribblers

WichitS/Shutterstock

Casa Salama, Italy, September 2000 Dear Sophia The happiness I felt at the news of your safe arrival was tinged with sadness; for I am at the end of my journey and will miss seeing you grow. You will be twenty-one by the time you receive this letter, quite a young lady and if anything like your mother, a real beauty. Although sadly we will never meet, I want you to know a little about my life. A life lived in two parts. My family, mother, father, and two sisters were good honest people. We lived in a country of harsh arid land surrounded by majestic mountains that glowed under a relentless sun. I loved those glorious giants – in spring they shone with jewel-like colours and in the harsh winters, their peaks glistened with snow. My earliest memories as a young Muslim boy growing up were of the fear and hardships my family endured under the strict rules of those that governed our lives. The Middle East, then, as it is now, was a place of constant upheaval. Our towns and villages were left in ruins and many lives were lost over the years in the conflicts caused by a raft of obsessive religious orders. It was during one of those battles that my father, a shoemaker, and my two older sisters were killed; their bodies tossed aside among the rubble that was all that remained of our home. By some miracle, my mother and I were pulled out from the debris unscathed. I was fourteen. We were taken in by Samia, a distant cousin who owned a shop in the local bazaar. One night as I lay on a makeshift bed behind a curtain, I heard him whisper to my mother. ‘You know you must send Amal away before they come for him.’ As much as I didn’t want to hear it, I knew he spoke the truth, for I had witnessed many young boys rounded up and taken off to fight. Protests were futile.

124 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

It was a few weeks later, heartsick and with my best friend Haani at my side that we left our village. ‘Don’t be frightened Amal,’ my mother pleaded as she hugged me to her. ‘Be brave, find a better life. Give me hope and let me believe that one child of mine is alive somewhere in this world.’ I never saw her or my homeland again. We were smuggled across the mountains and through many countries on a long and dangerous journey. It was many months before we reached Italy’s shores and my new life began. Sophia’s dark-lashed eyes looked up from the faded unevenly spaced handwriting scrawled across the flimsy sheet of paper. She glanced briefly at the many cards of good wishes that she had received that morning and then continued reading. It was hard at first, we were sent to a centre overflowing with others like ourselves. But because of our age, Haani and I were placed with foster families and eventually received refugee status. I went to school, learned the language and, even though I missed my mother, I settled down. I was just seventeen when I met your grandmother. She was beautiful and kind and I loved her with all my heart. We married a few years later and very soon I became a father. A truly wonderful blessing. I thought of my mother then and gave thanks for her courage and unselfish love in sending me, her only remaining child away. For without her sacrifice who knows what my life would have become. We had a good life, Italy treated me well. I became a shoemaker just like my father. The three of us lived in a bustling urban town but I dreamed of open spaces and mountains like the ones of my childhood. It was shortly after I retired that we took a trip to the Dolomites. During a walk down an overgrown path, we found a derelict house. It took many months of hard work and love to restore the old place. I named it Casa Salama - my mother’s name. It means ‘peaceful’. It lived up to its name and your grandmother and I enjoyed our life there. I have left the house in your mother’s care and I expect that you have visited for holidays. But now on your birthday she will, with my love, hand you the keys. I hope dearest Sophia that you have a long and happy life lived without fear or prejudice and that you enjoy spending time in this special place in the mountains where after all these years I found a sense of contentment and a real joy of living. Love, Grandpa Amal

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Literature

SHERBORNE LITERARY SOCIETY AUTUMN PROGRAMME

Richard Hopton, Sherborne Literary Society

Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor by Andrew Lownie

ndrew Lownie, author and historian, will be talking to the Sherborne Literary Society on Friday 1st October about his new book, Traitor King. Lownie’s book follows his 2019 biography of Lord and Lady Mountbatten and is in many ways its companion volume in that the subjects were cousins and close friends and are in both cases depicted in a less than flattering light. Traitor King appears at a time when the story of a Windsor marrying an American divorcée and disappearing into exile is big news. Traitor King tells the unedifying tale of the lives of 126 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in the years after the abdication of December 1936. The abdication was a constitutional trauma for the British state, which has been picked over incessantly ever since, but Lownie’s story begins with the former King Emperor boarding a Royal Navy destroyer at Portsmouth on a winter’s night to be taken into exile. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor have always had a mixed historical reputation: the late Duke of Devonshire used to shelve his copy of the Duke’s biography with other books on disasters moving it in alternate years to the shelf housing

Image: Nina Hollington

"The Duke was obsessed with his status and the refusal of the royal family to accord his wife the rank and respect to which he felt she was entitled."

biographies of our monarchs and prime ministers. The picture Lownie paints of the Windsors is not an attractive one; they emerge as shallow, self-indulgent, spoiled and feckless. The Duke was obsessed with his status and the refusal of the royal family to accord his wife the rank and respect to which he felt she was entitled. Much has been made over the years of the Duke’s Nazi sympathies and his ill-judged visit to Germany in 1937 but Lownie reveals that at the height of the Battle of Britain he sent a telegram to a known enemy agent – in time of war, an act of treason. Indeed, the Duke was, it seems, deeply involved in defeatist, pro-Nazi activity at that time, a fact subsequently hushed up by the British government to spare him further embarrassment. In August 1940, the Duke and Duchess arrived in the Bahamas as Governor, an appointment made by the government to get the Duke out of the way during the war. In 1943, Sir Harry Oakes, the richest man in the Bahamas and a close associate of the Duke’s, was murdered. His son-in-law, Alfred de Marigny, was tried for the crime but acquitted. The investigation of Oakes’s murder and the indictment of de Marigny reflected poorly on the Duke’s judgement and the suspicion lingers that there is more to this case than meets the eye. This engaging book is Andrew Lownie’s fourth: before the Mountbatten biography he wrote the wellreceived Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess and John Buchan: The Presbyterian Cavalier. Educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, he was elected President of the Union and since 1988 has run his own literary agency. As anyone who has heard him will know, Andrew is a fluent and engaging speaker who brings his subjects vividly to life. His evening with the Sherborne Literary Society on 1st October promises to be fascinating and should not be missed. sherborneliterarysociety.com

___________________________________________ Friday 1st October 7pm-9pm Sherborne Literary Society Autumn Programme: An evening with author Andrew Lownie The Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne DT9 3AA Members £9, Non-members £10 (+ booking fee) sherborneliterarysociety.com/events

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 127

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AUGUST SOLUTIONS

ACROSS 1. Portfolio (4) 3. Reverse somersault (8) 9. Sailor (7) 10. Sudden movement (5) 11. Extreme displeasure (5) 12. Copy; mimic (7) 13. Crazy (6) 15. Opposite of highest (6) 17. Open-meshed material (7) 18. Brief appearance (5) 20. Divide in two (5) 21. Sells abroad (7) 22. Type of employment (4-4) 23. Dairy product (4) 128 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

DOWN 1. Friendship (13) 2. Small branch (5) 4. Scared (6) 5. Children's toy (12) 6. Ancestry (7) 7. Affectedly (13) 8. Inflexible (12) 14. Letters (anag) (7) 16. Shining (6) 19. Merriment (5)

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW Richard Hopton, Sherborne Literary Society

The Late Train to Gipsy Hill by Alan Johnson (Wildfire, £16.99) Sherborne Times Reader Offer of £14.99 from Winstone’s Books

any politicians fancy themselves as authors but few succeed. Most books written by politicians are plodding, exculpatory, selfaggrandising volumes of memoirs which are as tedious to read as they must have been to write. There are, of course, exceptions: from opposite sides of the House of Commons, Alan Clark and Chris Mullin both succeeded triumphantly as diarists and the latter wrote an enjoyable novel, A Very British Coup, which was made into a television series. Clark was also a considerable historian. Alan Johnson, a Labour MP for twenty years who held high office in the Blair and Brown governments, is another exception to the general rule. The author of three much-garlanded volumes of memoirs published between 2013 and 2016, he has now produced a novel. The Late Train to Gipsy Hill is a pacey thriller about a young Englishman, Gary Nelson, who becomes embroiled in a life-and-death struggle on the streets of London between the Russian state security services and that country’s brutal criminal gangs. The story fuses the mundane and the newsworthy to good effect. Gary Nelson’s very ordinary existence is shattered by a malevolent chance which pitches him into a world of criminal violence and police corruption. The novel begins with the poisoning of Denis Smolnikov, a Russian television documentary maker, at a meeting in a London hotel. That Smolnikov is poisoned with polonium-210 gives the story obvious parallels with the murder of the Russian dissident

Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 and echoes of the Skripal poisonings in Salisbury in 2018. Thereafter, events are controlled by a cabal of Russian gangsters whose wealth and influence are matched only by their careless disregard for human life. The story marches briskly along to the tune of Johnson’s lively prose. He has a good ear for dialogue, capturing perfectly, for example, the way in which a Russian with reasonable but not fluent English would speak. As a former Home Secretary, Johnson has experience of policing in this country at the highest level which he deploys to good effect. His portrayal of the workings of the upper echelons of the Metropolitan Police has a convincing ring to it. Indeed, the corruption of a senior Met officer plays an important part in the novel. Given Johnson’s political experience, the reader is left wondering how much this owes to real life and how much to Line of Duty? The Late Train To Gipsy Hill is an enjoyable debut novel by an accomplished writer. My only criticism, and it’s a mild one, is that the plot becomes so complicated that it requires a lengthy explanatory coda to tie up the loose ends. If Johnson has a wider point it might be to ask why we tolerate the Russian security services and gangsters fighting out their differences on the streets of London. As he gets one of the more unpleasant Russian thugs to say early in the novel: ‘Sometimes I think we can do anything we like in London. It is ours – we own it.’ sherborneliterarysociety.com

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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

Michael Thorner, ReBorne Church

s we go about our daily lives whether it be going to work, dropping the kids off at childcare, doing the shopping, looking after the grandchildren, playing bowls or football, going to the pub etc it’s so easy to take our lifestyle for granted. We get up and, depending on the day, just go through the motions. Different things on certain days, we call it ‘routine’. Our mood is very often dictated by what lies ahead of us. For example, today as I write this article, I’m not feeling particularly happy due to my forthcoming appointment with the dentist: pain and expense at the same time is never a good combination! What I find helpful is to `look up` and I do this in two ways: I enjoy looking up at the night sky. Orion the Hunter, over 700 light years away; or a bit to the right – The Pleiades; or the 7 sisters – a little white fuzz to the naked eye, about 10 light years across, set against the blackness of space, a magnificent sight! 100 years ago we didn’t know for sure if the Milky Way was the only galaxy. Now we know there are hundreds of billions of galaxies! As an avid reader of the bible, this is another way I `look up`. Psalms 139 declares ‘marvellous are Your works O Lord’ I believe I’m right in saying, to date, that us humans still haven’t figured out a way of producing a blade of grass. I suppose it’s a sore point at this time of year when those of us with lawns to cut all too frequently don’t really want to be reminded of grass until we’re forced to get the lawn mower out, but a blade of grass is impossible to make. Just as we can’t manufacture grass so we can’t manufacture peace with God. We all like to take it easy but physical rest isn’t enough. We’ve all experienced rest in our physical frame, but are not at peace in our minds. Jesus said, ‘Take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ Matthew 11:30. It’s strange isn’t it – by putting something on you’d expect to be carrying extra weight, a heavier load. But in my experience, being yoked with Jesus has lightened my load – my anxieties, my cares... even the dreaded dentist chair! May this also be your experience. rebornechurch.org

130 | Sherborne Times | September 2021

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