J UNE 2022 | FREE
A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR
COME TOGETHER
with Mark and Anne O'Reilly of Mill Farm Studios
sherbornetimes.co.uk
WELCOME
S
‘
acrifice and reward’ was a mantra in our house when I was a boy. Good things are earned. If proof was ever in the pudding, then Mark and Anne O’Reilly are the proof and Mill Farm is their pudding. I remember walking past Mill Farm in Bradford Abbas with some friends a few years ago and noticing it was for sale. What was once no doubt a busy farm then sat forlorn and ramshackle but brimming with promise. We trailed off into daydreams of rural adventures and bid good luck to whoever might be lucky enough to one day own it. It’s in safe hands. Mark and Anne have painstakingly renovated the buildings, creating a wonderful home but also a unique destination for recording artists, a dining and entertainment venue, a festival site, a wellstocked smallholding and the genuine makings of a nature reserve. All the while somehow running a successful and highly specialised defence sector training company. Sitting by their stretch of the River Yeo, marvelling at the kingfishers, while an up-and-coming young band record a demo in the barn – these are good things, well earned. Have a great month. Glen Cheyne, Editor glen@homegrown-media.co.uk @sherbornetimes
CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard Photography Katharine Davies Feature writer Jo Denbury Editorial assistant Helen Brown Social media Jenny Dickinson Illustrations Elizabeth Watson Print Stephens & George Distribution team Barbara and David Elsmore The Jackson Family David and Susan Joby Mary and Roger Napper Mark and Miranda Pender Claire Pilley Joyce Sturgess Ionas Tsetikas Paul Whybrew
Daniel Baker Sherborne Cricket Club
Andy Hastie Cinematheque
Laurence Belbin
Julie Hatcher Dorset Wildlife Trust
Elisabeth Bletsoe Sherborne Museum Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers Mike Burks The Gardens Group David Burnett The Dovecote Press Rob Bygrave Sherborne Science Cafe Paula Carnell Cindy Chant
Mike Hewitson MPharm FFRPS FRSPH MRPharmS The Abbey Pharmacy Zoe Hobson Sozo Silver James Hull The Story Pig Annabelle Hunt Bridport Timber and Flooring John Jenkins Sherborne Girls Lucy Lewis Dorset Mind
Michela Chiappa Emma Coate Mogers Drewett Solicitors
Peter Littlewood BA (Hons), FRSA, Cert Mgmt (Open) Young People’s Trust for the Environment
David Copp
Chris Loder MP
Rosie Cunningham
Paul Maskell The Beat and Track
Cate Dixon James Flynn Milborne Port Computers
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 | June 2022
Mat Follas Bramble Restaurant
Sasha Matkevich The Green Restaurant Mark Milbank Sherborne Scribblers Gillian Nash
Simon Ford Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS Fort Financial Planning
Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership Mark Pender
Reverend Duncan Goldie Cheap Street Church
Ed Smith The Gryphon School
Nico & Chrystall Goodden Val Stones Hester Greenstock & Richard Hopton Sherborne Literary Society
Emma Tabor & Paul Newman
David Guy Sherborne School
Ryan Terren Lifehouse Feng Shui
Craig Hardaker Communifit
Julia Witherspoon Julia Nutrition
Briony Harris Sherborne Prep School
80 6
Art & Culture
JUNE 2022 70 Antiques
130 Legal
18 What’s On
72 Gardening
132 Finance
24 Community
80 Mill Farm Studios
136 Tech
34 Family
88 Food & Drink
140 Short Story
48 Science & Nature
102 Animal Care
142 Literature
60 On Foot
110 Body & Mind
144 Crossword
64 History
122 Home
146 Pause for Thought
We are looking to expand our portfolio
With a local and enthusiastic team, Dorset Hideaways are well placed to make the process of sharing your holiday home easy and enjoyable. We are dedicated to managing your property with the same care and attention you would and with tailored services to suit your needs, you can be involved as much or as little as you like.
01929 448 708 newowners@dorsethideaways.co.uk dorsethideaways.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5
Art & Culture
ARTIST AT WORK
No.43 Mark Pender, Snakes and Ladders, 80 x 50 cm, Oil on Canvas, £350
I
sometimes wonder where my work fits in the whole broad spectrum of two-dimensional art. I particularly struggle when, for example, I have to categorise it, faced with that dreadful drop-down thing demanding ‘genre’ or ‘description’. Well, it certainly isn’t abstract. It isn’t still life or landscape (mostly). What does ‘figurative’ mean (no-one seems to agree)? There’s rarely a box for ‘rather eccentric big oil painting’! It amuses me if I can tick ‘Fine Art’. My work commonly tells a story but it isn’t illustration in the usual sense, although I have done the odd book piece. I rather dislike ‘fantasy’ as a description. Dark humour creeps into my paintings and, yes I 6 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
know, occasionally they take on a rather cartoonish edge (strangely, more so after I spent lockdown studying the techniques of Rubens, Da Vinci, Vermeer…). I paint to please myself more than others - I sometimes refer to my ‘stupid art’ but if you’re gonna paint stupid you’d better take it seriously. Anyway, here is Snakes and Ladders which acquired layers of complexity as I painted. It draws on the journey of life, good and evil, luck, fortune and, for good measure, has a bit of religion thrown in as well. Plus Daisy the cow. @markpender.art
Write your story at Sherborne Girls
To find out more, please contact admissions@sherborne.com
Girls 11-18 • Boarding and day
01935 818224 • sherborne.com
Art & Culture
ON FILM Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque
First Cow (2021)
I
t’s a great feeling when one has decided it’s time to write the reviews for June’s films at Cinematheque, then sitting down with pen and paper to hand, and, on checking which films are to be shown, suddenly realising that both are absolute classics, and probably the best of the season so far. We have managed to pull together a fine season of films this year I feel, given the initial lockdown uncertainty and Covid threat hanging over all entertainment venues. However, the desire to collectively watch intelligent and thoughtful films is strong in our membership, and I thank them all for supporting the society, enabling us to keep going. Kelly Reichardt is an independent American director and screenwriter whose films are described as minimalist and realist, allowing the viewer to pause for contemplation along the way, in contrast to more mainstream films. Reichardt is quoted in an interview ‘When I go to the movies and I sit through the previews (trailers), I literally feel assaulted.’ Her films 8 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
quietly show people living on the margins of society, often women, who are not usually represented in commercial cinema. Her characters are said to appear ‘caught between a mythology of greatness and the limitations that govern their reality.’ It’s not surprising therefore, multi-award-winning Reichardt is one of the best chroniclers of the American experience. In 2016 at Cinematheque we showed, to much praise, her film Certain Women an often heart-breaking, present day portmanteau portrait of independent women, and on 8th June we are pleased to screen First Cow (2021), set in 1820’s Oregon. It tells a glorious story of friendship, petty crime and the doomed pursuit of the American dream. Two loners team up to make their fortune by stealing milk from a wealthy landowner’s prized Jersey cow, in order to make cakes to sell. This true masterpiece playfully subverts the western film with its laconic anti-macho mood and gentle humour. Kelly Reichardt’s filmmaking can be summarised by her quote ‘You can take your time. It’s the difference
Martin Eden (2019)
between showing an audience something, and letting an audience see something.’ Unmissable. On 22nd June we show Martin Eden (2019), an original, stylistically dazzling Italian adaption of Jack London’s 1909 autobiographical novel, about a selftaught working-class writer, desperate to climb through the ranks of society, and achieve a place among the literary elite. His artistic and political journey through Italian middle-class life is prompted by a chance meeting with a beautiful young woman, who inspires him to become an accomplished writer, and then resolve to marry her. This bold adaption, transposing the story from America to Naples, mixes drama with genuine (and faked!) archive footage to create director Pietro Marcello’s sweeping vision of 20th century Italy; a cautionary tale of the corrupting power of wealth and success.
‘Spellbinding. One of the best films of the last decade.’ Sight and Sound.
‘This is a work of passionate, polemic beauty from a director who is a genuine original.’ Jonathan Romney, Uncut.
Cinematheque, Swan Theatre, 138 Park St, Yeovil BA20 1QT
I cannot recommend these two films more highly. Come as a guest to the Swan Theatre to see what Cinematheque has to offer. All details are on the website below. We look forward to meeting you. cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk
___________________________________________ Wednesday 8th June 7.30pm First Cow (2021) 12A Wednesday 22nd June 7.30pm Martin Eden (2019) 15
Members £1, guests £5
___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 9
Art & Culture
Mark Rylance (Johnny “Rooster” Byron) 10 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Image: Simon Annand
CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT
R
Rosie Cunningham
alph Fiennes is doing some amazing work in the theatre, with Antony & Cleopatra at The National opposite Sophie Okonedo and recently T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. This time I saw him perform in Straight Line Crazy, written by David Hare and directed by Nicholas Hytner, at The Bridge Theatre. It is a biographical drama about fanatical and arrogant New York city planner Bob Moses, who flattens many of the city communities from the 1920s to 1950s to make way for expressways that shape the grid system of New York today. He is not a very likeable character however his motivation is not money but ideals. Fiennes is magnetic and sweeps up the audience with his vision. Prima Facie starring Jodie Comer, was a one-woman, one-act play divided nominally into two halves. Barrister Tessa Ensler, who had risen from a working-class background, up the hierarchy of an immensely competitive, male-dominated legal world, energises the first half with a confident, swaggering, ‘I can rule the world’ personality, at home with the finer nuances of law and glorying at the cases she has won. Then she is raped by a fellow barrister, who she knows and previously had consensual sex with, and she becomes the victim. Her whole world crumbles but she remains angry and defiant, and reports the violation to the police. She fights back and won’t let the incident define her. Comer put everything into her performance and by the end, she was exhausted but emerged triumphant. The audience, as one, swept to their feet. She accepted the applause with tears in her eyes. Truly a five-star actor. If you have never visited The Wallace Collection, just north of Oxford Street, it is a must. Allow enough time to see their many treasures including The Laughing Cavalier and Fragonard’s The Swing, a prolific collection of Canaletto’s and incredible pieces of Sèvres. Currently, there is an interesting exhibition entitled ‘Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts’ on, in collaboration with New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, until 16th October. The museum is free and open every day of the week from 10am-5pm. The guides are genuinely helpful and love to answer questions. I particularly loved the collection of miniature portraits. There is an excellent French-style brasserie and café on-site, with space to sit outside. Finally, I saw Mark Rylance in Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, playing Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron, a role that he last played just over a decade ago and he was magnificent. This is a three-hour performance with two intervals, but the energy and entertainment meant that the time passed in sheer enjoyment. The audience laughed a lot throughout. The action takes place on St. George’s Day, the morning of the local village fair. Johnny lives alone in a ramshackle dilapidated Airstream trailer in a field surrounded by discarded furniture and rubbish, he sells drugs and drinks hard spirits throughout the day, and attracts a motley crowd of hangers-ons. The council have served papers on him and wants him gone because the sprawl of newly built houses has almost reached his front door and he is an unwanted eyesore. This is a story however, of many twists and turns. There are several heart-breaking moments, particularly with Byron’s interaction with his young son, and some home truths to do with the nature of friendship. Rylance has perfected his characterisation of the ‘Rooster’ as he puffs up his chest, and struts around with a limping gait, giving the appearance of someone permanently drunk and stoned but he has a keen brain and misses nothing. The source of his apparent wealth is a complete surprise, and he has undoubtedly the last laugh. On until 7th August 2022. There are a few £15 single tickets to be bought on the day. Do not miss this one. wallacecollection.org theapollotheatre.co.uk/tickets/jerusalem
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 11
Art & Culture
AN ARTIST’S VIEW
T
Laurence Belbin
he phrase ‘keep things in perspective’ is common enough but to an artist, it conjures up a different meaning. I pass, most days, two buildings in Sherborne that always catch me out even though I know why. Whenever I look at them from a particular angle the perspective looks wrong. They look twisted, as though some great force has gotten hold of the end and dragged it around so it’s in line with the front. Buildings, on the whole, are built with the walls at 90 degrees to each other, forming squares or rectangles. The perspective of roofs and gable ends look right from wherever you view them. The two I have drawn here don’t! The first is ‘The Corner House’ situated opposite the Alms Houses, on the corner of Half Moon Street and Westbury. It is one of those shops which seem to have always been there. Frequented by generations of boys from the local school stocking up on ‘tuck’ and a steady flow of customers for papers, sandwiches and the desperately needed pint of milk, it should have a blue plaque! I have drawn it from Trendle Street where I leant against the railings which are beautifully topped off
12 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
with Bishops Mitres – the sort of street furniture we must treasure and preserve. The portion of building which makes it look askew is the small section that borders Westbury. The walls converge to a bit of a point from the chimney stack down, making the ridge longer than the eaves at the front. The small window, once a door by the look of it, is square-on to me where normally that would be a similar angle to the front and vanishing off to my right! The second is ‘Jills’ in Trendle Street – a hair-dresser of the traditional kind where ladies can sit and be looked after and have a good old natter, leaving with both a spring in their step and in their hair. The way this building is laid out is similar to the previous one but the end wall does not end in a point. The ridge and eaves are the same on the front but although I can’t see the other side (the back) they will be different there, I’m sure. The walls are not 90 degrees, giving the impression of a slightly flattened look that when drawn, looks totally wrong. It feels like you are seeing more of the end than you should from where I was sat on the bench. No doubt there are other such buildings in Sherborne but these two are particularly noticeable. So, go and have a look, get a paper or a hair cut and ponder! laurencebelbin.com
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 13
THE DORSET OPERA
MMXXII
The home of Country House opera in South West England featuring renowned soloists and full orchestra
Marquee bar | Picnics | Formal Dining Giacomo Puccini
MANON LESCAUT 25, 28, 30 July at 19:00 | Matinée 27 July at 14:00 Sung in Italian with English surtitles
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
THE MAGIC FLUTE 26, 27, 29 July at 19:00 | Matinée 30 July at 14:00 Sung in English with surtitles
Coade Theatre, Bryanston, Blandford Forum
Box Office: dorsetopera.com 07570 366 186
Art & Culture
COUNTER CULTURE Paul Maskell, The Beat and Track
No.10 The KLF: A Career Gone Up in Smoke?
A
band? An art movement? A statement? A manifesto? A joke? Some would say all of the above. The KLF started off life as a band but immediately sought to stir things up within the music industry and cause controversy within the establishment – an establishment they saw as outdated and somewhat generic. The two members, Bill Drummond (ex-WEA employee and short-time manager of Echo and the Bunnymen) and Jimmy Cauty (ex-member of the band Brilliant) got together when Drummond, aged 33 and ⅓ decided he was ready for a personal ‘Revolution’. They began making music together under the name The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and instantly caused controversy by using samples of the Beatles All You Need is Love and Samantha Fox’s Touch Me for their first single. Due to the potential legal wranglings that would no doubt ensue, the single was declined by all labels and distributors. A one-sided promo 12" found its way to the music press and quickly became single of the 16 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
week in several publications as well as the band being heralded as ‘the hottest, most exhilarating band of the year’. The blue touchpaper had been lit. They followed this single with its own re-release minus the antagonistic samples and managed to make enough money to fund their first album entitled 1987. What The **** is Going On?. The album’s release was short-lived as it was recalled due to the use of samples from ABBA’s Dancing Queen. The band travelled to Sweden to gain an agreement to allow the band to proceed with the album’s sale. Once it was realised that ABBA would not be allowing the use of their music, the band took the remaining stock of the new album and disposed of it by throwing it into the North Sea on the ferry trip back to the UK. Two more sample ladened singles were shortly followed by a more house music-inspired album Who killed the JAMS? which instantly gained rave reviews in the press. 1988 saw the band begin to mess with the industry
further as they released a novelty pop song under the name of The Timelords. The single mashed up elements of the Doctor Who theme and Blockbuster by the Sweet. It went to number one in the UK charts and shortly after, the band published a book entitled The Manual (How to Have a Number One The Easy Way). The book explained step-by-step how to achieve a number one single with little money or talent. Now functioning under the name The KLF, the band took a different approach to their output and produced a more dance-orientated sound. Such singles as What Time is Love?, 3am Eternal and Last Train to Trancentral were released and made a wave in the underground club scene. During this period Jimmy Cauty formed an ambient side project with friend Alex Paterson called The Orb. During the year of 1990 things took off for both bands as The KLF re-mixed their singles for rerelease gaining numerous top 10 positions in both the UK and the States. They then released their White Room album in March of 1991 to a great reception. So, what next for a band on top of their game and on top of the industry they had fought so hard to subvert? Why, self-destruct obviously. The 12th February 1992 saw the band win Best British Group at the Brit Awards and perform a live version of 3am Eternal with the grindcore band Extreme Noise Terror. They intended to end the performance by disembowelling a dead sheep on stage. This plan was thwarted by the organisers but didn’t stop a kilted Bill Drummond limping centre stage when the song finished and firing blanks from an automatic machine gun over the heads of a startled crowd. The PA system then announced that “The KLF have now left the music business.” The dead sheep was later dumped on the steps of one of the ceremonies’ aftershow parties with a note tied to it saying ‘I died for
EM_ST.qxp_Layout 1 18/05/2022 11:48 Page 1
you – bon appetit’. Shortly afterwards the band’s whole back catalogue was deleted. Their Brit award was later found buried in a field near Stonehenge. During the next year, Drummond and Cauty formed The K Foundation an arts foundation which would engage in art projects and media campaigns including the K Foundation Art Award given for the ‘worst’ artist of the year. This was awarded to Rachael Whiteread, who, on the eve of her receiving the Turner Prize award and £20,000 in the Tate Gallery, was presented with the K Foundation award and £40,000 on the street outside. A big statement maybe but a bigger one was to follow. On 23rd August 1994, Drummond, Cauty and longtime friend and cohort Gimpo travelled to the Scottish isle of Jura. Within a disused boathouse, they proceeded to be filmed burning the remaining funds of the K Foundation which amounted to £1 million cash. The band then vowed to take a 23-year moratorium. On the 23rd August 2017, the duo returned, back under the name of The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. They published a novel 2023: A Trilogy, staged a three-day festival called Welcome to The Dark Ages and vowed to build a ‘people’s pyramid’ as part of the Toxteth Day of the Dead. Over the last 5 years, the band have remastered 8 previous singles and released them as a 30-minute mix on streaming services. They later produced a second volume of 12” extended versions and in 2021 saw the release of a documentary directed by Chris Atkins entitled Who Killed the KLF?. So what on earth is next for The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The JAMS, The KLF, The K Foundation… who knows? I’m off to hacksaw a £1 coin in half – my revolution will be slightly less prolific. thebeatandtrack.co.uk
The Electric Broom Cupboard presents
Orchard Popfest
South Somerset The Monochrome Set • The June Brides • The Chesterfields Helen McCookerybook • The Rhynes • Palooka 5 • Special Guests Saturday 16 July 2022 DJ Johnny Dee • DJ Alan Flint • DJ Andrew Perry
North Down Farm, Crewkerne, TA18 7PL • Gates 12noon, live music from 2pm, curfew 11pm Bar and food • Tickets from Eventbrite: £20 / under 16s free / camping £10 sherbornetimes.co.uk | 17
WHAT'S ON ____________________________
Saturday 4th 10am-4pm
Tuesdays 10am-11am
Jubilee Street Market
and 6pm-7pm
Cheap St and Digby Road. Street
The Heart of Yoga Classes
fair, entertainment, food and drink.
All welcome. Visitors £2. Information: Richard Newcombe 01935 389375 ____________________________ Friday 10th 7pm
sherbornechamber.co.uk
The Festival Players –
____________________________
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
for details. aristos.org.uk
Saturday 4th 2pm-10pm
____________________________
Jubilee Party in the Park
Halstock Village Hall field, BA22 9SG.
Wednesdays 10am-11am
Pageant Gardens. Live music,
7 Sheeplands Lane, Sherborne
Contact aristos.tropos@gmail.com
Tai Chi for Wellbeing 7 Sheeplands Lane, Sherborne
food and drink. sherbornechamber.co.uk
____________________________
Contact aristos.tropos@gmail.com
Wednesday 8th 10.30am
Open-air Shakespeare. Share in the
colour, poetry, and magical mayhem of Shakespeare’s wonderful fantasy
comedy. £12 / £8 / £35 01935 891744 artsreach.co.uk
for details. aristos.org.uk
The Probus Club of Sherborne
____________________________
– Custer’s Last Stand with
Sunday 12th 10am-4pm
Wednesday 1st 3pm and 7pm
speaker James Porter
The Story Pig –
Sherborne Arts Society –
The Grange Hotel, Oborne. New
Open Farm Sunday
John Hutchings (Club Secretary) 01935
Sandford Orcas DT9 4FG. Live music,
Modern Architecture, a talk by Colin Davies Digby Hall, Hound Street
New members and visitors (£7)
____________________________
members always welcome. Contact
Lavender Keepers, Great Pitt Lane,
813448. probus-sherborne.org.uk
trailer rides, hog roast, face-painting,
____________________________
cider bar and more! 07802 443905,
welcome theartssocietysherborne.org
Wednesday 8th 7pm
____________________________
Sherborne Literary Society –
Thursday 2nd 7pm-11pm
Taking Stock: A Journey
Sunday 12th 6pm
BBQ and Cadbury Castle
Among Cows
John Osborne -
Jubilee Beacon Lighting
Digby Memorial Church Hall, Digby
A Supermarket Love Story
speaking about his new book. Tickets
Newton. A night of poignant,
South Cadbury Playing Fields
Yeovilton Military Wives Choir and piper. Parking sign-posted.
____________________________ Thursday 2nd 9.45pm Jubilee Lighting of the Beacon
info@thestorypig.co.uk
____________________________
Road. Roger Morgan-Grenville will be
The Gaggle of Geese, Buckland
available Winstone’s Bookshop and
enchanting and heart-warming
sherborneliterarysociety.com Members £9, non-members £10.
____________________________
The Terraces. The Sherborne beacon will
Wednesday 8th 7.30pm
poetic tales with Radio 4 regular
John Osborne. £5. 01300 345249 artsreach.co.uk
____________________________
be lit along with 1,500 others around
Yeovil Cinematheque –
Thursday 16th 7pm
the country.
First Cow (2021) 12A
Sherborne and Castleton
____________________________
Community Land Trust -
Friday 3rd 12pm-4pm
Swan Theatre, 138 Park St, Yeovil. Members £1, guests £5
Public Meeting
(see preview page 8)
____________________________
The Digby Hall, Hound St. A public
The Eastbury Hotel, Long Street. The
Thursday 9th 7.30pm
meeting to discuss the provision of
low-cost housing for people of the town.
cocktails and live music! 01935 813131
Gardeners’ Association –
Afternoon Tea Jubilee Garden Party Queen’s favourite treats, garden games,
Sherborne and District
____________________________
Gardening in the
Friday 3rd 3pm
Goldilocks Period
Jubilee Abbey Service
Digby Hall, Hound Street. Brian
Sherborne Abbey
____________________________ 18 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Hesketh will give a talk on the effects of climate change on our gardening.
A chance to become a voting member
of the CLT and influence future plans. Also, an opportunity to participate in
a survey of housing need in Sherborne. All welcome.
____________________________ Thursday 16th 7.45pm
JUNE 2022 Swan Theatre, 138 Park St, Yeovil.
Sunday 3rd July 2pm-5.30pm
(see preview page 8)
Gardens and Plant Sale
entry. Bar available. Please contact
Wednesday 22nd 7.30pm
Poyntington gardens. Tickets £5
061335 for further information.
Test Pilot
____________________________
Road. A talk with author, instructor
(doors open 7.30pm) Leigh Talks! Presents: Farming, Food and Community Leigh Village Hall DT9 6HL. Free
Members £1, guests £5
Poyntington Open
____________________________
The Manor House and 6 other
cate.m.dixon@gmail.com / 07971
Sherborne Science Cafe –
(see article page 28)
The Digby Memorial Hall, Digby
Saturday 18th 10am-1pm
and test pilot Chris Taylor.
(last repair 12.15pm) Repair Cafe
sherbornesciencecafe.com
____________________________
Cheap Street Church Hall, Sherborne.
Sunday 26th 2pm-4pm
and avoid landfill. Volunteers and repaircafesherborne@gmail.com
(cash only) on the day with free
parking. Tea and cakes available in the village hall. Sorry, no dogs and sadly
wheelchair access to some gardens is
limited. In aid of Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and Village Church.
____________________________
Bring household items to be repaired
Singing Bowl Soundbath
Sport ____________________________
repairers needed please contact
Oborne Village Hall. Quieten the
mind, calm the emotions, relax and
Sherborne Cricket Club
detox the body. £15 advance bookings only 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com
The Terrace Playing Fields, Dancing Hill
or
@repaircafesherborne
____________________________
____________________________
Saturday 18th 12pm-10pm
Thursday 30th
Sherborne Summer Festival
6.30pm for 7pm start
Purlieu Meadow, Sherborne.
A Talk and Signing with
and performances by our schools. ____________________________
Join us for a glass of wine and hear
Men’s Senior
Saturday 4th 1pm v Martinstown (A)
Great bands, stalls, raffle prizes
Author Polly Morland A Fortunate Woman
Saturday 11th 1pm
Admission free.
Winstone’s Bookshop, Cheap St.
v Wimborne (H)
Sunday 19th
about the compelling true story of
Saturday 18th 1pm
The Sherborne Market
a tireless country doctor working in
v Dorchester (A)
from Winstone’s.
Saturday 25th 1pm
____________________________
v Christchurch (A)
thesherbornemarket.com
Thursday 30th 7pm
____________________________
____________________________
Bristol Old Vic Theatre
Wednesday 22nd 10.30am
School – Vanity Fair
Women’s Senior
The Probus Club of
The Exchange, Sturminster Newton,
v Blandford (H)
Declan Donnellan and directed by Paul
Sunday 19th 1pm
School’s BA Acting cohort showcase
____________________________
hilarious satire. £12 / £8 / £34
To include your event in our FREE
____________________________
time/title/venue/description/price/
Cheap St, Half Moon St, Digby Road
and Pageant Gardens. Local producers, suppliers, amazing food and crafts
Sherborne – The History of Blandford Camp with speaker Col. Bob Brannigan The Grange Hotel, Oborne. New
members always welcome. Contact John Hutchings (Club Secretary)
01935 813448. probus-sherborne.org.uk
____________________________ Wednesday 22nd 7.30pm
the community she loves. Tickets £2
DT10 1FH. Adapted for the stage by Chesterton, Bristol Old Vic Theatre
an exuberant production of Thackeray’s 01258 475137 artsreach.co.uk
Yeovil Cinematheque –
Planning ahead
Martin Eden (2019) 15
____________________________
Sunday 5th 1pm
v Buckhorn Weston (H)
listings please email details – date/ contact (max 20 words) – by the 5th of each preceding month to listings@homegrown-media.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 19
THE CLASSIC AND SUPERCAR SHOW 2022
T
he Classic and Supercar Show at Sherborne Castle is a firm fixture on the calendar of events in the town and we are delighted that, after a two-year gap, we are back to the prestigious site for 2022. Regarded as one of the premier classics and supercar shows in the South of England, the 16th show in 2019 displayed upwards of 2,000 cars, from veterans to the latest supercars. The 2019 show was the 6th show run by Rotary as a charity fundraising event, during which time the show grew significantly, and had distributed in excess of £233,000 to local charities. For all of us, life has been on hold for the past two years, and now we can look forward again we find that the world has changed. But our show has a history of re-inventing itself, and we are delighted to announce our new organising team comprising not only Rotary members from Somerset and Dorset but also Lions and Round Table members bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to the event, with a focus on working with local businesses and on environmental sustainability. We welcome our new sponsor, Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management, who have come on board as our headline sponsor. Having recently opened an office in Sherborne, they are a perfect fit. This year we are celebrating 100 years of Jaguar and are delighted that the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club, the largest Jaguar club in the world, are helping us feature a breath-taking timeline of over 60 models. They aim to showcase every era of Jaguar’s incredible history over the past century, from early pre-war SS models, through to the XKs of the 1950s, E-types and Mark 2 saloons of the 1960s together with the more recent models we all know and love. In the past two years, electric vehicles have become a significant part of the motoring scene so we have included an Electric Village. Working with a variety of local dealerships we will highlight the latest models, and provide information on the evolution and the future of electric cars. Expect an array of plug-in and hybrid models from Nissan, Fiat, Kia, BMW, Porsche, 20 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Mr.Nikon/Shutterstock
Vauxhall, VW, Skoda and more. Our show would not be complete without the special vehicle exhibits our visitors bring along, providing a great day out and a fascinating mix of vehicles to entertain us all. To be part of the show, you can prebook a private vehicle entry ticket on our website. As always there will be craft stalls, trade stands and charity stalls, and our new skills activity area will feature professionals at work demonstrating engine rebuilding, upholstery restoration, car detailing and more. This year’s new-look show of course maintains the traditional values that we all love, so join us for a fun-packed day with a variety of parades and displays (as well as the much loved ‘rev off ’!). And should you need a rest, our catering village will provide a choice of interesting foods, and a place to relax and listen to a fantastic array of local music
acts, or you can picnic by the lake. As always, surplus income will be distributed to local charities by Sherborne Classic Cars CIO. Since the event is run entirely by volunteers, and thanks to our generous sponsors, we can minimise costs and maximise charity funding. The main beneficiary this year will be Children’s Hospice South West, who have been caring for children with life-threatening conditions for over 30 years. The last couple of years have been incredibly tough on all charities but the support that they are able to provide to the children and their families has remained their focus and drive. The remaining funds will go to local charities within a 30-mile radius of Sherborne. We encourage you to buy advance tickets online from our website classic-supercars.co.uk. All prebooked entries will benefit from early access of 9.30am – the main gates will open to the rest of the
public at 10am. Look for ‘fast track’ entry points at the approaches to the castle. There are still a limited number of spaces available for you to bring along your cherished cars to display for visitors to view. If your car would be suitable, please book your entry via our website – we can’t wait to see what you all bring! classic-supercars.co.uk
___________________________________________ Sunday 17th July 10am-4.30pm The Classic and Supercar Show Sherborne Castle. Tickets: Adult £15 (advance) £20 (on the gate). Child (accompanied under 16 yrs) FREE. Advance
tickets available online at classic-supercars.co.uk Price includes 1 x show guide. Parking FREE. Dogs on leads welcome.
___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 21
West Country Cars – your five-star, family-run, friendly and independent used car dealer We offer a large selection of premium used cars and also pay good prices for quality vehicles. Why not pop along to say a West Country hello!
Barrows Hill Garage, East Chinnock, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9ER
Monday-Friday 8.30am - 5pm Saturday 8.30am - 1pm
01935 863538 or 01935 862986
www.westcountrycarsyeovil.co.uk
CHARTERHOUSE Auctioneers & Valuers
Forthcoming Auction Programme
Coins, Medals & Stamps 9th June Model Trains, Cars & Toys 10th June Classic & Vintage Motorcycles 29th June Classic & Vintage Cars 6th July Further entries invited
22 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
1950 Vincent Rapide £20,000-30,000
Contact Richard Bromell for advice on single items and complete collections Valuations for Probate and Insurance
The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne DT9 3BS 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.com
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 23
Community
MARKET KNOWLEDGE ZOE HOBSON, SOZO SILVER
Image: Robert Craig
Welcome to The Sherborne Market! What brings you here? I was a regular trader at Bridport Market throughout 2021 and my fellow traders, who have become great friends, recommended Sherborne – Steve and Graham from the Compton Candle Company, Tim at Miggles and the team at Fruit Bodhi Organics. Where have you travelled from? I live in Honiton but the magic all happens in my container workshop I call the ‘Spooniverse’ in Bishops Court Gardens just outside of Exeter. Tell us about what you’re selling? A range of useable, reclaimed vintage cutlery that is hand-stamped with words and witty puns. Also, jewellery and accessories that have been upcycled from silverware and affirmation bands/rings with uplifting messages to inspire and empower. Where and when did it all begin? I began my creative journey when I was 9-years-old, selling my jewellery designs in my parent’s shop. I taught myself to hand-stamp whilst living and working 24 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
in New Zealand in 2016. It was at this time my love affair with silverware began. Sozo was established from a bedroom start-up in 2019. What do you enjoy most about selling at markets? I love to meet my customers face-to-face. It makes me feel good when I catch them laughing and they leave with a smile on their face. To be around so many creative stallholders is also very uplifting. If you get the chance, which fellow stallholders here at Sherborne would you like to visit? Unfortunately, I don’t get to leave my stall but I have been lucky enough to be placed next to Colin, the Vintage Salvager, which is right up my street and he is already working on a commissioned ring display for my stand. Where can people find you on market day? On Half Moon Street, opposite the Plume of Feathers, under an unmissable orange gazebo. sozoshop.com @sozosilverdesigns
Hand picked & selected artisan market featuring local producers, suppliers, amazing food, arts and crafts.
2022 dates
June 19th July 17th Aug 21st Sept 18th
Oct 9th Nov 20th Dec 18th Flying the flag for local
Community
SHERBORNE CRICKET CLUB Daniel Baker ‘There can be no summer in this land without cricket.’ Neville Cardus
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orset has many picturesque cricket grounds, none more so than our own town’s club, where the outfield is bordered by mature trees and well-kept hedges. Sherborne Cricket Club has been a part of the community since its founding in 1837. As one of the oldest cricket clubs in Dorset, it can trace its roots back to the early days of playing in the grounds of Sherborne Castle, relocating in the early 20th century to our current home on The Terrace Playing Fields, found on the outskirts of town. Together with the rugby, football, and tennis clubs, the town band and dog walkers, the cricket club makes up part of a lively hub of activities for all the community in this beautiful green space just off Dancing Hill. Throughout the cricket club’s history, we have striven to provide cricket for the people of Sherborne and the surrounding area to play and watch, with the occasional appearances from some surprising international stars over the years, most notably world cup winner Aravinda de Silva of Sri Lanka and South African opening batsman Gary Kirsten as a junior cricketer. The 2022 season is set to be a particularly exciting season for the club as it promises to be the first full season of competitive cricket since 2019, following the challenges COVID 19 created for team sports. We have a total of 36 league fixtures, together with midweek games and friendlies across junior and adult teams this 26 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
season which go on until early September. The club currently competes in the Dorset Cricket League, fielding two men’s teams each Saturday during the season. The 1st XI plays in the top division of the Dorset league and were most recently champions in 2015. We are always on the lookout for new players and welcome anyone to club nets on a Wednesday evening at The Terraces at 6pm. The Sherborne Silks is the club’s Women’s and Girl’s section. They play regular matches against local teams and compete in regular tournaments throughout the season. The Terraces has also played host to several of these competitions. They train regularly during the season and everyone is welcome to join the sessions at 7.30pm on Friday evenings at The Terraces. Many of our current first and second-team players began as juniors, learning through regular practice sessions on Friday evenings and Kwik Cricket, then progressing on to matches against other clubs’ junior teams. Aside from the cricket, we formed great friendships which have continued well into our adult years. Today our youth section comprises under 9s, 11s and 13s teams, playing competitive cricket in the Dorset league and fostering a love of the game from an early age. They train on a Friday evening on The Terraces starting at 4.30pm. Boys and girls of all ages are welcome. The sessions are run to a high standard by ECB qualified coaches, with no more than 12 children per coach. In addition to the regular sessions, there are a
number of cricket camps run in the school holidays. The club also runs two ECB coaching programmes: All-Stars for 5-8-year-olds and Dynamos for 8-11-year-olds. Details of these courses and online bookings can be made at ecb.co.uk After the last two years, we are all excited to be back to playing cricket, maintaining the facilities and meeting together regularly and are eager to move onward in improving the club still further. To secure the future of the club we urgently need to refurbish our practice facilities. Central to this is the construction of a new two-bay, fully enclosed practice net facility. The current artificial nets that many of us spent significant parts of our childhood using date back over 30 years and have reached the stage where they need to be replaced with modern nets. Our goal is to increase the off-field coaching and practice facilities to ensure that we can deliver better and more diverse cricket for young people, schools and club members. Having access to these facilities is essential in order to maintain our adult teams and continue to develop and build on our youth cricket offering. To enable these nets to be built we are launching a Crowdfunding page, going live in early June 2022. Our fundraising target is £13,500. If we are able to hit this target Sport England will offer us a further grant of up to 50% of the money raised. The £20,250 total, together with existing funds raised by the club will be sufficient to build good quality and hard-wearing facilities which
will foster the next generation of cricketers. In addition to the Crowdfunding which will be heavily publicised and going live early this month, we are organising a number of events including a charity golf day at Folke Golf Centre (the date is to be confirmed) and a beer and gin festival at The Terraces on 9th July 2022. There will be a large selection of beers, ciders, wines and gins on offer and live music. Tickets will go on sale in the weeks prior. To discover more about this wonderful local club do come up to the playing fields to watch a game or join one of the training sessions for all ages. sherborne.play-cricket.com
___________________________________________ Sherborne Cricket Club Training Sessions The Terrace Playing Fields Men Wednesdays 6pm Women and Girls Fridays 7.30pm Boys and Girls Dynamos (aged 8-11) – Fridays 4.30pm Under 9s – Fridays 5.30pm Under 11s and 13s – Fridays 6.30pm ___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 27
Community
LEIGH TALKS! PRESENTS
FARMING, FOOD AND COMMUNITY Cate Dixon Valentin Valkov/Shutterstock
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armers are central to our community and farming is key to the local economy here in Leigh and the surrounding area. Farmers, more than most, are faced with the very real challenges of climate change. Their methods and land-use features significantly in discussions on how to curb greenhouse gases and mitigate rising temperatures. Farmers are already making changes in response to these challenges and their voices must be heard. On Thursday 16th June, a panel of local farmers will discuss these issues in the 2nd instalment of Leigh Talks! – a 10-month programme of community events, supported by the Lottery Community Fund, featuring a presentation by an expert or celebrity speaker on themes relevant to climate change and biodiversity. The talks are followed by a discussion and an opportunity for the audience to share positive ideas on how to reduce our impact on the climate and improve biodiversity. The programme has been initiated by Leigh Climate Group and aided by the parish council following their successful National Lottery grant application.Over the coming 10 months Leigh Talks! will engage people on a wide range of topics and offer a rare opportunity to pose questions and suggestions to the experts. Let’s consider how these issues relate to us all and find ways to reduce our carbon footprint. The talks 28 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
won’t blind you with science but aim to be entertaining and present issues that everyone can respond to on an individual and community level. Future events will be posted in the Sherborne Times, on the Leigh Village website and on both Leigh Climate Group and Leigh Life Facebook pages. leighvillage.org.uk @LeighClimateGroup @LeighLifeDorset Leigh Talks! is a Leigh Climate Group initiative, supported by Leigh Parish Council and The National Lottery Community Fund.
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Thursday 16th June 7.45pm (doors open 7.30pm) Leigh Talks! Presents: Farming, Food and Community Leigh Village Hall DT9 6HL. Free entry. Bar available.
Please contact cate.m.dixon@gmail.com / 07971 061335 for further information.
___________________________________________
ENJOY A TRADITIONAL BRITISH AFTERNOON TEA GARDEN PARTY Friday 3rd June, 12pm – 4pm
The Queen’s favourite treats, garden games, cocktails and live music!
Winner “Restaurant Category” Taste of the West Awards 2022
“… a friendly team of staff, delicious food and walled garden” Sawdays 2019
The Eastbury Hotel & Spa, Long Street, Sherborne www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk Tel: 01935 813131 Open to non-residents, 7 days a week Call us or book online
Community
TOWN COUNCIL NEWS
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he Annual Parish Meeting took place in April and was a great opportunity for the Town Clerk to present the latest annual report, which is available on our website and summarises achievements made over the past twelve months. The meeting was well attended by local organisations and the public. Sherborne Town Councillors and staff were present to answer any questions from the 30 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
community. Amongst other things, the Town Clerk spoke about the new benches around the bandstand in Pageant Gardens, the installed water features including a waterfall and secret pond, wood carvings and owl and insect boxes to help increase biodiversity in the town. Highlights included the path and maze enhancements in Paddock Garden which used the
equivalent of 2,364,000 plastic straws within the subbase and continued path improvements at the Quarr, including the creation of a new bench and steps, along with the introduction of a new access gate. The past year has seen plenty of tree planting across Sherborne with more on the way. The Town Council was awarded 15 cherry trees from the Sakura Cherry Tree Project as a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the UK and Japan. These trees have been planted in two locations in the town – at the new cemetery, as a place to reflect, and in Pageant Gardens with a view to eventually having a cherry blossom avenue of arching trees, as a space of contemplation. In honour of the Queen’s Accession Day in February a Liquidambar tree was planted in the newly named Platinum Reserve, adjacent to the Westbridge Park allotments site, which has been extended to include newly sized and easier-tomanage plots. Young trees have been planted at Lambsfield, through Granville Way to Albany Close. Saplings have also been planted in hedgerows at the Terrace Playing Fields. Many of these trees were awarded to the Town Council by the Woodland Trust, as part of the Woodland Trust Queen’s Canopy Project. Prior to the Remembrance Day in 2021, the War Memorial was cleaned and shortly the Conduit will undergo a similar cleaning process. The telephone kiosk located on Half Moon Street was recently adopted by the Town Council and will house various visitor information leaflets soon. Cllr Anne Hall, also spoke about her mayoral year and said, ‘As Mayor of Sherborne I would like to say it’s been a privilege to represent the town in the various civic duties I have carried out on your behalf and the several volunteering activities I have undertaken with the accolade of being called the ‘People’s Mayor’ on several occasions. Cllr Anne Hall also presented a cheque at the meeting to The Rendezvous for £2,000, donated from her mayoral funds. With the Platinum Jubilee extended weekend imminent, activities are now being finalised and will be publicised across various channels. The Town Council is planning to utilise Instagram to help promote the event as well as provide content for the newly published Visit Sherborne Microsite. Activities include the lighting of the Sherborne
Beacon, at 9.45pm on Thursday 2nd June with music played by the Sherborne Town Band beforehand. Those lighting beacons are also being encouraged to plant a circle of seven trees at an appropriate time, in a bid to assist with the sustainability of our planet. Each tree planted will represent a decade of the Queen’s seventy-year reign. Sherborne Town Council is working closely with Sherborne Area Schools Trust (SAST) to provide and plant each of the seven trees within the grounds of seven schools in and around Sherborne, forming a figurative circle with trees that will reach maturity within the school children’s lifetime and form part of a legacy for the area. On Friday 3rd June there will be a Dorset Council Civic Service from 3pm at Sherborne Abbey. From 10am-4pm on Saturday 4th June, Cheap Street will host market stalls, food and drink and street entertainment. A primary school children’s fancy dress parade along Cheap Street, commences at 3pm, with prizes for the winners. From 2pm-10pm everything moves to Pageant Gardens where everyone is invited to have a family picnic in the gardens with a red, white and blue optional dress code. Food and drink will be for sale from some of Sherborne’s finest pubs, shops and cafes. Music during the afternoon and evening will include Sherborne Town Band, Wiggle Jazz Band, Livewire and a DJ. Merlin Cadogan, Escapologist and Entertainer, who made it through to the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent will be in Pageant Gardens during the afternoon and evening hosting a series of afternoon shows and circus skills as well as fire and glow performances during the evening. Free parking will be available all day in the town on Saturday. Sunday 5th June is the day for any planned resident street parties arranged with Dorset Council. Having received funding from Dorset Council’s ‘Welcome Back Fund’, Sherborne Town Council purchased bunting and flags for Cheap Street, publicity banners, new planters and picnic benches which will be in place prior to the celebrations. Sherborne Town Council has been working in partnership with the Sherborne Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Sherborne Indies and Abbey FM to put this programme of events together. We hope the town celebrates and enjoys this remarkable occasion. sherborne-tc.gov.uk @SherborneTownCl sherbornetimes.co.uk | 31
Community
OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER Chris Loder MP, Member of Parliament for West Dorset
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his June, we celebrate the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch in history. The amount the world has changed in every single aspect over the past 70 years is incredible to consider, and there are so many of us alive today who have never known life without her in it. Her Majesty is, without doubt, the most constant and reliable stalwart of our country. When we celebrate the Queen, we are celebrating so much more than one person. Of her personally, we are remembering seventy years of sacrifice on our behalf, of doing what needed to be done and going where required with no complaints, of sacrificing much 32 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
personal privacy and freedom for the sake of duty. We are also celebrating the magnificent progress of the United Kingdom during one of the most rapidly changing eras of human history. To celebrate the Queen, to my mind, is to celebrate Britain – and we have much to be proud of. When she was born, the then Princess Elizabeth was never supposed to be Queen. The then Duke and Duchess of York were known to be a loving couple who adored their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, and created a close-knit and generally private family life. When the abdication disrupted this and her father became King, Elizabeth was the heir-apparent to the
Alessia Pierdomenico/Shutterstock
throne. She took on this task aged just 25 and has continued ceaselessly ever since. During that time she has visited West Dorset on a number of occasions, most often to visit Poundbury which is built on Duchy of Cornwall land and with which Prince Charles has had much involvement. She first came to Poundbury in May of 1998 when it was a new town to see the architecture designed by Léon Krier in the New Urbanist style and to support the Duke of Cornwall. Her Majesty returned in 2016 to unveil a statue of her mother, in what is now Queen Mother Square, opposite the Duchess of Cornwall pub.
The Queen opened Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester in 1998 and afterwards travelled up to Sherborne where she took part in the dedication of the Abbey’s new Great West Window. Dorset has been a popular destination for members of the Royal Family since George III started going on holiday to Weymouth in the late 1700s. Since then, we have been honoured to host Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, over the centuries. I hope that the four days of the Jubilee bank holiday weekend will allow time for people to come together, especially after years of lockdown rules and restrictions, in appreciation for the life of service the Queen has given so far and her continuing commitment to our country. Many people close to the Royal Family have described their lives as like living in a gilded cage – and it seems understandable why. For every privilege – living in palaces, households of staff, not needing to worry about such normal things as the rent or mortgage, or doing the shopping – there are also numerous sacrifices. A monarch cannot make mistakes for in doing so they shame the country they represent. They cannot go anywhere alone, without protection and permission and planning. Some have said even that it is difficult to know which people are real friends, and who are looking for influence. They must always appear impeccably, not allowed to be seen to be tired or under the weather. The pressure must be considerable. Imagine taking on that pressure at just 25 when, not too long before, you had been a minor royal with plenty of privacy. It is widely believed that one thing which has helped Queen Elizabeth through any difficulties over the last 70 years has been her Christian faith. She is not only head of the Church of England, but she is also a committed member of the Church. This makes many people feel more connected with her, knowing that she hears the word of God as we do. Many consider that her sense of duty is closely connected with her faith, and over her reign, it certainly seems as though she has imbued her work with Christian values. We owe a lot to Her Majesty and other members of the Royal Family. Even those among us who are of more republican views would rarely disagree that the Queen’s years of service make her one of the greatest Britons ever to live. I hope there are many more years of her reign to come. God Save the Queen. chrisloder.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 33
elizabethwatsonillustration.com
Summer Holiday Camps Open to all 5-14 year olds From £45 per day *Discounts Available
25 July - 19 August www.sherborneprep.org
www.activatecamps.co.uk/venues/sherborne-preparatory-school/
34 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
• Four days of professional tennis coaching • Open to players aged 10-17
• Run by a team of LTA-qualified, professional tennis coaches • Improve technically and tactically • Train and play on grass tennis courts
SUMMER TENNIS CAMP
Are your children tennis enthusiasts? Book a four-day summer camp this July and August to receive over 22 hours of professional coaching at Sherborne Girls School.
24 – 28 July 2022 14 – 18 August 2022 Stay with us! We are offering a residential and a day nonresidential package. If your children wish to stay in a modern boarding house at Sherborne Girls School, they will enjoy a full programme of day and evening activities (including swimming, indoor football, hockey, and karaoke disco in addition to tennis coaching), as well as all meals provided and a fun group accommodation.
To book please go to www.sherbornetenniscoaching.co.uk
UNEARTHED Lily Yeatman, aged 14 The Gryphon School
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s a young child, Lily was frequently dragged along to her brother’s football practice and matches. Not a lot of girls were playing football then, but Lily was inspired and wanted to give it a go, and she’s been playing ever since! From barely being able to kick a ball when she started, to now training six times a week, Lily is a real force to be reckoned with in her role as a defender. As well as playing for The Gryphon School, Lily also plays for Dorset Schools U14s and has now been put forward for the England Schools U15s trials next year. She has also represented her local team, Pen Mill, for several years but now travels to Bridgwater each week to play for their hugely successful academy. Dan Burleigh, PE teacher at The Gryphon, who coaches Lily says ‘Lily was an integral part of our U15s team who made it to the last 16 in the entire country, losing to the eventual winners! She was also Player of the Tournament at the U18s 6-a-side county competition that we won in April. Her attitude in every game is superb. She is supportive and a brilliant role model for younger players at school, and she has represented the school in a whole range of sports – not just football!’ Lily’s dream is to pursue football as a career, and one day play in the Women’s Super League. We can’t wait to see how she gets on! gryphon.dorset.sch.uk
KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY
Portrait, lifestyle, PR and editorial commissions 07808 400083 info@katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk www.katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk
36 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Children’s Book Review Molly Broadley, Aged 11, Leweston Prep
Magicborn by Peter Bunzl (Usborne Publishing £11.99)
Sherborne Times reader offer of £9.99 from Winstone’s Books
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agicborn is the thrilling adventure story of two children (Tempest and Peter) with magical powers who find themselves in England 1726, where magic and sorcerers are completely normal. Tempest is a bit shy but she shares everything with her best friend Coriel (a little red robin). Peter is a bit more outgoing and prefers to shape-shift with the wolves instead. The children have no recollection of their past and have to pick up the broken pieces as they go along. Then, the royal sorcerer
of England captures them and steals their magical necklaces. They need to find them again and get out of there – but how? During their adventures Tempest and Peter make some new friends and bump into some very familiar people! This story is absolutely fantastic and there are many different plots that unfold during its exciting read with many twists, including an attempted escape. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone from 8 to 15 as it really has something for everyone. I would easily give it a 10/10!
Little Elizabeth Celebrating 10 Years as Sherborne’s Independent Bookseller 2012-2022 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX www.winstonebooks.co.uk Tel: 01935 816 128
by Valerie Wilding Illustrated by Pauline Gregory
The incredible true story of a young and brilliant Princess who grew up to become our Queen
Family
Image: Danielle Wood 38 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
AT THE TABLE Michela Chiappa
FRITTATA FINGERS
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hese Frittata Fingers are one of my all time favourite recipes! Such a crowd pleaser and perfect for multiple lunchboxes or picnics. So simple to make as you throw in all the ingredients into one bowl and no pre-cooking is needed – just one bake! My kids love it in a lunch box but the whole family devours this any time of the day and there are never leftovers which is ironic as they keep brilliantly in the fridge for several days. Prep: 5 minutes Cooking: 40 minutes Difficulty: easy Serves: 4 - 6 Ingredients
1 cup grated courgette 1 cup grated mature cheddar cheese 1 cup of lardons (or finely diced bacon or ham) approx. 250g 1 cup of self-raising flour (approx. 140g) 1 cup of sweetcorn and peas, frozen or tinned ½ cup of sunflower oil 5 eggs, whisked 1 cup of diced onions Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180ºc. 2 Line a high-sided baking tray with baking paper (approx. 23cm x 13cm) and set aside. 3 Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl making sure well combined (no need to pre-cook the onions or lardons). 4 Empty the mix into the lined baking tray. 5 Cook in the oven for approximately 30-40 mins until golden and cooked through. 6 Set aside to cool then turn out onto a chopping board. 7 Slice into fingers or squares once completely cooled. @michela.chiappa TheChiappaSisters thechiappas.com Baby at the Table: A 3-Step Guide to Weaning the Italian Way (Michael Joseph) £16.99 Sherborne Times reader offer price of £14.99 from Winstone’s Books Simply Italian: Cooking at Home with the Chiappa Sisters (Michael Joseph) £22 (hardcover) Sherborne Times reader offer price of £20 from Winstone’s Books
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 39
Family
ADDING VALUE MEASURING PROGRESS THROUGH CHILDHOOD Briony Harris, Director of Teaching and Learning, Sherborne Prep
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t Sherborne Prep, we focus on the holistic development and progress of our pupils. This means specifically developing the individual in their wellbeing, independence, creativity, confidence, and curiosity for learning. A crucial part of this journey is to encourage and nurture the individual’s understanding of how to learn, the desire to learn and to apply that learning. Sherborne Prep is a non-selective school and so we have a wonderful, broad and colourful collection of pupils with different abilities, passions and personalities. We are rightly very proud of the Common Entrance and scholarship successes that our pupils achieve. 40 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
We have, for example, recently celebrated 50% of our Year 8 pupils achieving scholarships to senior schools, including Sherborne School, Sherborne Girls, Cheltenham Ladies College, King’s Bruton, Canford, Leweston and Clayesmore. We are also proud to see how this early grounding translates to continued success at GCSE, A level and beyond. But, a good set of exam results only paints a small part of the picture. It could be argued, therefore, that one of the key questions we should be asking ourselves as educators is, ‘Are we adding value?’. If we are adding value, then how do we know we are adding value? Some value is evident
in watching our children come to life on stage, on the sports pitch, at the easel, presenting to peers or playing their part in a choir or orchestra. But, how do we know we are also adding value to their academic progress? Children progress and develop at different stages of their education and at different times to their peers. Ultimately, measuring richness and speed of progress can only ever be a mixture of art and science: the data is important and helpful but gives a partial view of the whole. To come full circle, to see a child’s holistic development we need both this data and a clear sense of a child’s friendships, extracurricular interests and
achievements and overall joie de vivre. We are justifiably focussed on, and proud of, our pupils’ academic achievements, but this is only one important part of their exciting progress through childhood. Our role as educators is to support every part of their journey to ensure our children become the best version of themselves that they can possibly be. There is no doubt that their journey will be a rollercoaster of learning and grasping opportunities, whilst having fun and building friendships for life, along the way. sherborneprep.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41
Family
THE TEN TORS CHALLENGE – 1960S STYLE Ed Smith, aged 17, The Gryphon School
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en Tors is one of the greatest challenges offered to young people in the South West. Over 2,400 teenagers take part in walking 35, 45 or 55-mile routes in under two days, whilst being entirely self-sufficient. The challenge pushes the teenagers in teams of six to the limit. It is run across the north of Dartmoor providing rough and boggy terrain, and the teams each visit ten ‘tors’ or checkpoints along their routes. The challenge originally started in 1960 and this year marks the 60th event as well as the first since 2019 due to the pandemic. This year my team walked the 45-mile route having trained for 35 miles in 2020 before the event was cancelled. To add to the challenge, we completed the challenge dressed in, and carrying authentic kit almost identical to that used in the first event in 1960. Our goal was to recreate one of the original teams and discover how different it was completing the challenge 60 years ago. Compared to modern-day kit the difference was significantly noticeable – the empty bags alone weighed twice the weight of a modern-day bag but lacked the padding and clips found on modern rucksacks. Our team leader, Mr Cooke, spent countless hours researching and collecting the equipment for us to use. Our outfits consisted of lightweight pale green trousers, black boots, puttees/gaiters, base t-shirts, army shirts and smocks, and an authentic headdress. The clothes proved to be surprisingly comfortable as well as practical, and we all enjoyed looking the part as well as walking in the gear. However, the rucksacks proved to be painful and incredibly hard work. Two members in my team; Louie and Leon, carried frame carriers which were by far the hardest to pack and carry, as they required endless adjusting and were susceptible to breaking. Despite the rucksacks, we had the time of our lives 42 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Image: Tim Clark
doing Ten Tors and felt over-the-moon to cross the finish line after the endless hours of training and planning. It is a moment that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. We were honoured at the end of the challenge to be greeted by six veterans who took part in the original Ten Tors having just experienced what they had 60 years earlier. Alongside the ‘1960s team,’ there were four
other teams from The Gryphon School – making us the biggest school at the event – all of which made it to all ten tors before the end of the challenge. It felt incredible to share the experience with these and so many other teams all going through the same ordeal. The challenge had pushed every one of us to our physical and mental limits, but it all became worthwhile when we crossed the line. We are
incredibly grateful for all the effort that went into organising the event, especially from Mr Cooke our team leader, who provided us with the incredible opportunity, and we now look forward to returning next year for the 55-mile challenge – although hopefully this time in modern kit. gryphon.dorset.sch.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43
Family
44 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
THE LAST WORD
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John Jenkins, Director of Music, Sherborne Girls
he last thirty of my forty years in teaching have been spent at Sherborne Girls. It has been a huge privilege to work with several generations of girls and my colleagues in the Music Department, teaching and administrative, past, and present. Alongside all their academic and sporting endeavours, the girls manage to achieve a rich variety of music at an impressively high standard. The close musical collaboration we enjoy with Sherborne School, such as in the joint orchestras and the Choral Society, was a factor which greatly appealed to me when I moved here. This pooling of talent and resources enables us to embrace vastly more than if we were just a singlesex school, and I have loved seeing the links develop even more successfully over the years. Given all these challenges and rewards, the bedrock of our Christian foundation and the inspiring tradition of the Senior Choir’s role in our school and Abbey services, I have never really thought about moving anywhere else. The building of our new performing arts centre, The Merritt Centre, in 2019, has been transformational. It is a wonderful place to work in and has been a huge boost for the School and girls. It has provided a space for them to perform on a professional platform and has raised the standard of our concerts and recitals to an even higher level. There have been so many standout performances over the years, there are too many to list; however, I have always been inspired by the large-scale concerts with the Choral Society: Elijah, the Mozart Requiem, Elgar’s The Music Makers and Bach’s St John Passion (with Sherborne Old Girl Lucy Cox’s divine singing of the soprano arias) in Sherborne Abbey, and great works like Messiah and the Verdi Requiem (which I had been longing to conduct since I first heard it in Bristol Cathedral at the age of thirteen) in Wells Cathedral. Musical stage productions have been great fun, too. I have enjoyed directing Dido and Aeneas, Coram Boy, Guys and Dolls and Evita (which cajoled me from my comfort zone!). On a more intimate platform, we have given countless Madrigal Society and chamber music concerts in churches in Dorset and London. I always tell the girls what a very special role they have to play in providing music for the all-important occasions in
people’s lives, and it has been a privilege to do that for numerous weddings, funerals and memorial services. I eventually got used to Sherborne Old Girls texting me on their wedding night to say how much they had loved the girls’ singing at their marriage service! The overseas musical tours we have done have been memorable – the Symphony Orchestra to the Czech Republic in 2001, with Cloe Loo playing the Schumann Piano Concerto, and, more recently, fabulous Madrigal Society trips to Malta, Italy, Budapest and Vienna. I have loved seeing the girls singing in The Bach Choir’s annual St Matthew Passion in the Royal Festival Hall over the last twenty-five years, and playing in the major national orchestras such as the NYO and NCO. I am so pleased to be passing on to my successor a current cohort of fine instrumentalists who have done so well in recent competitions and festivals. It has been very rewarding to see several girls leaving the School to embark upon musical careers, winning choral scholarships to universities. However, I think the main aim is to give all our pupils the opportunity and encouragement to have music as a vibrant part of their lives, regardless of their chosen careers. I believe that music, in one or more of its many forms, is a vital ingredient in a complete education. Having been passionately involved in music for some sixty years, the best part of which has been sharing its joy and power with children, young people and grown-ups, I can’t see myself existing without it in some practical way. I have been offered some orchestral conducting engagements and I will continue to run summer school courses and play the organ occasionally. Since 2008, I have been working with a choir and orchestra in the Dordogne, giving two major concerts at Easter each year. After two years of unavoidable lockdown, I hope that they will restart their activities next year. I am looking forward to spending more time with my family – I have ten great-nephews and -nieces whom I have seen little of during the past few years and family in New York who are long overdue a visit. European travel is a favourite pastime, and I am thinking about learning to cook properly as death by food poisoning remains a constant threat. sherborne.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45
Family
‘IT’S NOT THE TAKING PART, IT’S THE WINNING THAT COUNTS!’ David Guy, Director of Sport, Sherborne School
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opefully the title will have raised a few eyebrows and caused some confusion, leading to questioning why an all-boys boarding school in the South West of England would dare to suggest that sport should be about an outcome rather than the process. So cards on the table, we are not obsessed with 46 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
winning and do not see the result of our extensive fixture list as the key performance indicator of success. But winning can be viewed in different ways and my title refers to the challenge of winning in the battle to promote a life-long love of sport and a healthy lifestyle. According to government statistics, less than
"The long-term impacts on health are obvious and as educators, it is a topic we cannot ignore"
half of the children and young people in the UK meet the guidelines for taking part in physical activity which are currently set at 60 minutes per day. The figure (44.9%) is lower now than in 2017 with no clear sign of a turnaround. Regionally the South West (49.4%) fares slightly better than other areas such as London (41.9%) and there are significant differences among ethnic groups. The long-term impacts on health, welfare and wellbeing are obvious and as educators, it is a topic we cannot ignore. At Sherborne, our mission is to find a sport or recreational activity that our boys are passionate about and will hopefully continue through university and adult life. A focus for us is enjoyment; in PE lessons, games sessions, practices, recreational play and competitive events we want our pupils to be engaged, challenged, enthusiastic and happy. Our programme is based on variety and whilst it remains compulsory to participate, we provide a wide choice for the boys who select their options each term. Many boys still favour the hugely successful major games such as hockey, rugby, football or cricket but there are others who for various reasons have decided that sailing floats their boat or that clay shooting hits the spot. We facilitate their participation, support, encourage and yes, we do enter into competitive fixtures and tournaments with the intention of performing as well as possible and that can and often does lead to success on the regional and national stage. But our definition of ‘winning’ is for the long-term. And the taking part aspect? For us, even that simple term requires clarification, about how our boys take part. The fundamental point is to participate and perform in the right way, with humility, dignity and respect for others including officials, opponents and spectators. In line with the schools’ values, expectations and standards we promote and encourage fair play, sportsmanship and collaboration above the natural and obvious desire to be victorious. Of course boys want to win and we do have a wish to see every boy fulfil their potential and commit fully to giving their very best, but as coaches, parents and supporters we have a responsibility to ensure that the really important benefits of sport and exercise are not lost to ‘winning at all costs’. sherborne.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 47
elizabethwatsonillustration.com 48 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
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Science & Nature
DRAWN TO THE LIGHT Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae) Gillian Nash
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he vivid red and black wing colour of the cinnabar moth serves as a deterrent to any would-be predator and in flight, the solid red hindwings are also revealed. This colour combination gave rise to the colloquial name of ‘Pillar Box’ moth, certainly in this area and perhaps elsewhere. Its most familiar common name ‘cinnabar moth’ refers to the colour of a red mineral ore of mercury. A rare yellow form is also sometimes seen. The adult moth is easily disturbed from vegetation and sometimes flies in daylight. A rare aberrant form of the moth (f.coneyi), lacking any black markings, was reared by the lepidopterist P. Watson using selective breeding and named after his good friend and fellow naturalist Alan Coney. The form is occasionally still found to this day. Mr Coney taught at Sherborne County Primary school in the 1960s and is fondly remembered by many including myself, particularly as 50 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Marek R. Swadzba/Shutterstock
an inspiration for interest in natural history. The larvae feed on groundsel and ragwort from July to September, having hatched from eggs laid on the foodplants during the adult moth’s May to August flight season. As they feed, toxins from the food plants build up in their striking yellow and black banded bodies – a clear warning that they would be harmful if consumed. In certain parts of the world, they are used as control for these plant species among crops as both leaves and flowers are devoured leaving the plant unable to produce seed. In its final stage of growth, the larva forms a pupa just below ground level where it will remain until the emergence of the adult moth the following year. Common throughout most of the UK wherever its foodplants grow, habitat is varied, so the species may therefore be encountered in almost any situation, including both town and country gardens, well-grazed grassland, wild undisturbed places and wasteland.
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Science & Nature
DORSET’S GREY SEALS Julie Hatcher, Marine Awareness Officer, Dorset Wildlife Trust
52 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
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n Dorset, we are lucky to find both British species of seal – the grey seal and the common (or harbour) seal. The grey seal is the larger of the two. Male greys can reach over 3 metres long and tend to have a darker coat and a large, Roman nose, unlike the paler, smaller females. Like all seals, greys have a dense coat of fur, which along with blubber beneath their skin, helps keep them warm in the cold sea. Grey seals’ fur, especially that of females, tends to be pale grey or silver in colour with dark blotches. The pattern of marks on each seal is unique and enables individuals to be identified. In Britain, we have just under 40% of the entire world population of grey seals. The majority of these are found in Scotland, with large colonies in Cornwall and on the east coast of England. In Dorset, individual grey seals are regularly spotted along the coast although there is no known breeding colony. However, these seals can travel large distances and it is probable that most of the seals spotted in Dorset are travelling through. In 2014, Dorset Wildlife Trust initiated the Dorset Seal Project, to find out if any of the seals recorded in the county were regular visitors. In fact, several individuals have been seen here a number of times, including one female which is recorded at the same place every year. Despite this, most of the seals in our photo ID catalogue have only been recorded once. We have also identified seals in Dorset which have been recorded in Devon, Cornwall or Hampshire, showing that these animals are widely travelled. To find out more about the Dorset Seal Project and how you can help, go to dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/seals where you can record a seal sighting, download the ‘Watch Seals Well’ leaflet, and discover more about Dorset’s seals. • Although seals spend a lot of their time in the sea they regularly haul out onto land where unfortunately they are very sensitive to human disturbance. • They need to come out of the sea to rest, warm up and digest their food, to moult, give birth and suckle their young. • If seals are not able to relax safely on land, it can have a detrimental effect on their health and reduce their chance of survival
Image: Sarah Hodgson
dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 53
Science & Nature
TURN YOUR GARDEN INTO A HAVEN FOR WILDLIFE Peter Littlewood, Young Peoples Trust for the Environment
Image: Nico Goodden 54 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
W
ith the summer now upon us, it’s a great time to be able to use your garden. With insect numbers dwindling and lots of other species under pressure too, there are lots of things you can do to give wildlife a bit of a helping hand. Here are a few ideas: Mow your lawn less often
So your first action could actually be choosing to be inactive! You can help wildlife by not mowing the lawn. This is because longer grass gives animals more space to live in and more food to eat. By leaving more time between cuts and by adjusting your lawnmower’s cutting height so that the grass is left longer when you do mow it, you can really help wildlife to thrive. With the heat of the summer and the possibility of a drought on the way, especially with climate change, a lawn that’s mown less often is also more resistant to dying back, which means you’ll need to water it less often too! Cut down on the chemicals
Try to avoid weed killers and pesticides which can damage the balance of the soil as well as killing wildlife. In a lot of cases, what constitutes a ‘weed’ is a question of perspective: dandelions, for example, provide an important food source for bees, especially in the early spring. The same can be said for lots of other wildflowers too, so let them grow if you can. Try some companion planting
Companion planting means that you grow plants that benefit each other close together. For example, you might plant something with deep roots next to something with shallow roots, so that they can share different areas of soil. Comfrey has deep tap roots that help bring vital minerals to the surface, so it can really help your plants to thrive if you plant it in vegetable plots and flower beds. Nettles will attract ladybirds (and peacock butterflies, whose caterpillars love nettle leaves!) early in the growing season, so it might be good to have a patch somewhere in your garden. Be careful though, because nettles can spread quickly! You’ll be glad of the ladybirds because they will eat aphids, that otherwise might enjoy feasting on your roses and other plants. Or, by growing garlic or chives under roses, you can help keep both black spot and aphids away from your prize flowers! You could also head-off a slug attack by planting a row of lettuces along a border, especially for the slugs to eat. The sacrificial lettuces can enable you to keep slugs away from other plants and spot when they are coming!
Make a slug-proof barrier
The sale or use of slug pellets was banned in the UK on 1st April 2022, but there are natural deterrents that you can try instead. Crushing up eggshells and placing them around plants has an effect akin to broken glass for slugs, creating a sharp surface they can’t crawl over. Eggshells are also fully biodegradable. Or you could spread coffee grounds around your plants, as slugs don’t like to travel over them. The coffee grounds make a good compost that will rot down and enrich the soil too. Copper is supposed to help deter slugs too. You can buy special copper strips from garden centres, but you could also try winding copper wire around the tops of plant pots, or even putting copper coins around the plants! Encourage natural predators
Just as encouraging ladybirds into the garden can help cut down on aphids, you can try to encourage animals that eat slugs and snails into your garden. Hedgehogs love them and are losing a lot of their natural habitat, which means that they need places to live. Building hedgehog houses and making tunnels for them to access your garden is a way to help reduce pests and it helps protect hedgehogs at the same time! Leave your leaves
Not quite as good for the lazy gardener as not mowing the lawn, you could gather up fallen leaves and create a pile of them to rot down in a corner of your garden. Leaf litter is an important sanctuary for insects which in turn are essential food for birds and other wildlife, like frogs and toads. The leaf pile can also provide a great hibernation spot for toads, newts and queen bumblebees. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving the following year, with the rotted-down leaves making great worm food and compost into the bargain. If you don’t have space to have a leaf pile in the garden, use a green garden waste bin so that you can turn fallen leaves into compost that way. Grow a wide range of plants
Biodiversity is important in nature, but the same principle applies to your garden too. The more different plants you have, the more resilient your garden becomes to different problems like pests, diseases and drought. So this summer, maybe try to do your bit for wildlife in your garden… ypte.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 55
Science & Nature
THE PLEASURES OF NECTAR Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer and Speaker
Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
I
was very grateful to have one of my naturopathic beekeeping students send me a recent article from Science magazine about how dopamine in bees generates a ‘wanting-like’ behaviour and perhaps even happy memories. Before I go any further, I shall share a little about what exactly dopamine is. As a neural transmitter, dopamine is made in the brain through a process where the amino acid tyrosine is made into a substance called dopa, and then into dopamine. It 56 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
affects many of our functions, including sleep, moods, pain processing, and importantly motivation. When highly motivated, we are happy! It was timely, as we observe an increasing number of bees making the most of nectar and pollen around our gardens and orchards. Co-author of the study, Martin Giurfa, a neuroscientist at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France, said that ‘to show there is a wanting system in insects is generally new’. I found that an odd
comment as there have been many studies showing that bees are very particular about selecting their nectar and pollen sources, even self-medicating, selecting specific plants for the medicinal properties that that colony may need. Interestingly, organisms need phenylalanine to produce tyrosine, and one of the richest sources is mustard seed. Many other herbs and spices, including poppies, dill and mints are also a rich source. When bees find a rich nectar source they return to the hive and perform a series of dances, famously observed by Karl von Frisch for over 50 years from the 1920s. The dances and ‘language’ of the bees was even used to construct the ‘bee algorithm’ for computer search engines. We know that bees communicate with each other. We also know that bees recognise faces, and wouldn’t those recognitions be based on emotional memories? Beekeepers certainly can confirm that bees have temperaments, and so is it such a surprise that they may experience happy memories? The same day I received this article, I also listened to a podcast with TEDx speaker Dominic Price about human happiness. He has spent a time contemplating happiness, following his sister’s death, and a couple of weeks in Covid quarantine. Inspired by big corporations ‘quadruple bottom line’, which looks at a more holistic balance sheet of a business’s success, and a training exercise used by elite military personnel, he has come up with four aspects that we need to assess, in his opinion, to gauge, and then manage our happiness. He reflected on a habit that I myself established during my early bed- and wheelchair-bound years, focussing on what you can do rather than what you can’t. This was an important factor in my letting go of my career as an artist and embracing chronic illness, whilst also finding something positive in my life that I was able to enjoy right then, despite my disabilities. It was this mindset that started me with keeping bees. Dominic lists four areas which can be measured to learn where our happiness is lacking or overflowing. For a balanced happy life measure Productivity and Profit, with People, Planet and Purpose on a scale of -1 = terrible, 0 = could be better and 1= perfect. If a colony of bees were to do this exercise, then ‘Productivity and Profit’ would be their honey production, and any surplus would be their profit. ‘People’ would be their fellow bees, how they get on with each other and as bees are they all working and living together as a supportive team. ‘Planet’, how does the colony interact with their environment? It’s easy to suggest that for a colony of
honey bees to be in existence they must be scoring a +1 in each of those. (Ignoring the forced behaviours that humans inflict on honey bees, such as transportation and controlled breeding.) Then we come to ‘Purpose’. This area is where the scientist who was studying dopamine levels in bees may have come unstuck. Karen Mesce from University of Minnesota who had collaborated with the study says: ‘Most of us don’t associate emotion with insects. Many neuroscientists are not convinced that bees are self-reflecting and have pleasurable states’. This, I believe, is a reflection of the foundations of modern western science. This science is based on a ‘no creator’ foundation. The Big Bang Theory. If we are to remove a God, mother nature, or nature spirit, we are left with a big bang and a whole series of random occurrences. Life on earth becomes a series of machines that when broken down to their component parts can be fixed, replaced or simply thrown away. There is no consequence, therefore, for our actions whilst alive. No karma or purgatory, let alone hell. Perhaps this method of seeing the world is what has helped accelerate its destruction. Then coming back to bees, so many ancient texts including the bible and Quran, discuss bees with their special relationship between them and God. The Buddhist monks in Bhutan, as I have mentioned before, see the bee as the highest level of reincarnation. The Quran has an entire chapter called ‘The Bee’ and the readers are taught that God gave his wisdom to the bees to pass on to humans. With several thousand years of humans ‘knowing’ that bees express emotion and communicate with humans, flowers and other creatures, why would bees feeling pleasure or happiness be anything other than expected? The details of the study experimented with depriving bees of food and measuring their dopamine levels, as well as introducing a false dopamine to see what happens. The bees were tested as a colony (may have been sharing dopamine) and as individuals. All experienced high dopamine levels when seeking something to eat. I wonder if anyone has studied the happiness of bees used in such trials? Returning to the month of June, when bees are at their peak, and most motivated to find nectar and pollen, William Blake reminds us that ‘The busy bee has no time for sorrow’. paulacarnell.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57
Science & Nature
Sherborne Science Cafe Lectures Rob Bygrave, Chair, Sherborne Science Cafe
THE HYDROLOGY OF SHERBORNE Speaker: Dr Paul Webster
South Street following the storm of 30th-31st May 1979
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r Paul Webster, a hydrologist, discussed the challenges of natural water systems and water resource management, highlighting features of particular interest within the Sherborne area. Paul’s expertise is within the fields of Physical Geography and Engineering Hydrology. He studied at Bristol, Imperial and Birmingham Universities and has extensive professional experience overseas, including in Africa, Pakistan, China, and Singapore. In addition, more recently, he has been a volunteer hydrologist for Dorset Wildlife Trust and the National Flood Forum. He has written numerous articles and published many papers on water resources and flood management and is Principal Hydrologist at Corylus (planning environmental consultancy). Hydrometry is the monitoring of elements of the 58 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
hydrological cycle such as rainfall, flow, evaporation etc. Monitoring is done mainly by the Environment Agency and data is available in real-time. The Met Office is another significant source, as are many individuals with private weather stations. The explosion in freely available data needs careful assessment; not all data is of high quality and care must be taken when considering its use in investigations. Some data is of considerable historical interest. A recent article in The Times noted that UK rain records back to the 1800s had been consolidated by a group of volunteers during the COVID lockdown to better inform of past rainfall. Hydrometric data also includes chemical analysis of water sources. Sherborne water, for example, is very hard (360.73 CaCO3mg/litre). Wessex Water looks at various solutes, such as Al and Cl, in its water and
Image courtesy of Sherborne Museum
publishes solute concentrations for various sites on its web pages. To the north of Sherborne is the Coombe catchment area, drained by Coombe stream originating near to the golf course, which passes beneath the road at Newell. It once visibly flowed along the western side of Sherborne School and Abbey with sufficient flow to power a water mill. The Coombe catchment occupies an area of 3.7km2. In May 1709 a prolonged, very heavy hail shower, blocked Coombe, adjacent to the Abbey, causing not inconsequential flooding in the building itself. Monuments and flood levels placed on buildings after extreme events provide items of useful historical data. Adjacent is another catchment area draining into the lake at Sherborne Castle, representing a catchment
area of 40km2 which flows into the River Yeo. Lake levels are monitored by the Environment Agency and provide another source of data which is accessible in (almost) realtime. The Agency maintains a large number of river level monitoring stations throughout the country providing 5 days of data and, in some cases a prediction of future flow. As the Yeo flows downstream, contributory catchments become progressively larger. At Yeovil Pen Mill the catchment is 216km2, the next, the Yeovil/Ilchester catchment, is 319km2, the following Langport catchment is 764km2, and finally the Parrett (Bridgwater) catchment, being the largest, has an area of 1,200km2. A comparison of catchment areas shows an upward progression in area looking downstream. From a resource management point of view, the connectivity between land and sea provides not only an indication of water flow but a hydrological pathway for transmission of pollutants. Phosphate pollution is of particular concern at the moment with planning requirements for new developments to counter this to slow contamination of the Somerset Levels. Husbandry of freshwater is only part of the job of a hydrologist. Also of importance is flooding, of which there are several categories. Surface water flooding caused by a sudden downpour can be concentrated in particular areas, for example, near to the old Antelope pub in Coldharbour where surface water, during a heavy downpour, can deluge down Bristol Road. The good news is that generalised modelling is very good at capturing such flooding events, therefore, permitting better management of the problem. There was significant flooding in the town and its environs in 1979. A response to this can be seen in the Sherborne flood scheme by the railway close to the station. River flooding is another category of flooding which can be severe when a catchment area is primed by previous rainfall. sherbornesciencecafe.com In June and July, Sherborne Science Cafe is organising two one-day trips to Ryewater Farm to learn more about their re-wilding project. For details, please email sherborne.scafe@gmail.com
___________________________________________ Wednesday 22nd June 7.30pm Test Pilot A talk with author, instructor and test pilot Chris Taylor The Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne
___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59
On Foot
60 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
On Foot
PILGRIMS, FUGITIVES AND MONARCHS Emma Tabor and Paul Newman
Distance: 4 1/2 miles Time: Approx. 2 1/2 hours Park: Car park at Shave Cross Inn Walk Features: A walk with few gradients, which loops through the farmland in this corner of the Marshwood Vale, nestling under the shoulders of Pilsdon Pen and Lewesdon Hill. There are views across the vale and south towards Copper Hill and Denhay Hill. Although a relatively easy walk, there are some challenging segments where footpaths cross crop fields or fields with stock and electric fences. In summer there are some overgrown areas which may make following the footpaths and finding wayside markers difficult. Some of the stiles and footbridges are in poor repair so please take care. Refreshments: Shave Cross Inn >
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E
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 June we follow the routes of pilgrims, fugitives and monarchs. Folklore says that Shave Cross Inn was a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St Wite in the church at Whitchurch Canonicorum. The Monarch’s Way is based on the route taken by King Charles II during his escape from Cromwell in the Battle of Worcester in 1651. It is now the longest inland trail in England. The Jubilee Trail is a 90-mile trail stretching between Dorset’s east and west borders which was created by the Dorset Area Rambler’s Association in 1995 to celebrate 60 years of the founding of the Association. Directions
Start: SY 415 980 1 Out of the car park entrance, head straight across the road to the junction, then turn left and continue up the road in front of the red brick cottage on your right. Walk up this road for 200 yards and then just past Gillins Head cottage, turn right, over a stile with a footpath sign, into a field. Walk across the field, keeping the hedge on your left, with views of Lewesdon Hill now straight ahead. Keep along the hedge until you reach a metal gate at the far end of the field. Go through this into a paddock, again keep the hedge on your left and follow this to the far left-hand corner of 62 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
the field and another metal gate. Pass through this into another field and aim diagonally across this field towards a metal gate to the right hand side of Black Cross coppice (there is a small area of scrub in the middle of this field- keep to the right of it). Cross a small brook on a track/bridge to reach the gate to the right of the coppice and into another field, now walking along the right hand edge of Black Cross coppice, keeping this on your left. There are views to the right and behind of Colmer’s Hill, Denhay Hill and Copper Hill. At the top left hand corner of this field, head down into a small dip and through the remains of a stile, then up into the next field. Again, keep to the left of the field along the edge of the coppice. To your right, across the field, is Gerrard’s Farm but keep towards the left corner of the field. Pass over a wooden stile marked the Monarch’s Way and into the coppice. Cross over a small footbridge, go to the right then fork left over another wooden footbridge. Make your way steeply up out of the coppice and cross a stile into a large open field. 2 Head diagonally across the field towards the summit of Pilsdon Pen and the right-hand corner of the field. Here, you meet a dirt farm track. Turn right onto this, through a metal gate to leave the field. Stay on the track (don’t bear right) and keep following it round. You soon meet a drive coming from a farm, with a barn conversion and cottages on your right. Follow the drive until you meet the road. Here, turn left by a postbox and pass St Mary’s church on your right. Keep straight ahead on the
road until you come to a junction. Turn right here, by a cottage and walk for another 200 yards until you see a sign on your right for Pilsdon Dairy. 3 Turn right down this track, marked with a bridleway sign, and after a few yards turn left into a field (leaving the track as it bends round to the right). Head straight across the field – on the far side you will reach a metal gate and a Jubilee Trail sign. Through this, keep straight ahead with a hedge on your right. There are views of Lewesdon Hill now ahead of you and Pilsdon Hill on your left. Keep going until you descend to a small wooden gate and a footbridge over a stream. The footpath then goes around to the right and through another small wooden gate. You emerge into another field. Follow the right-hand edge of this field keeping the hedge and tree line on your right. In the far right hand corner of this field you will come to a large metal gate. Go through this and cross Yard Lane onto an inviting path that starts to descend between trees. Head along this pleasant little path for 150 yards until you reach a large metal gate. Pass through this, by a beautiful large ash tree, to enter a field which forms part of the Laverstock Estate, by a four-point signpost. Head right, following the bridleway sign for Venn Farm ½ mile, keeping the hedge and trees on your right. 4 You soon reach a large wooden gate leading onto the drive coming from Laverstock House. Through this, you then turn immediately right through another large wooden gate, with the sign
‘Langhams’ on it. Go into this field and head straight across (there are two paths leading from here so you need to go straight ahead from the gate rather than to your left). On reaching the far side of the field you will find a footbridge, in summer quite overgrown. Cross the footbridge into the corner of a field, which you then head across aiming to the left of Venn Farm. After going through a gate in the middle of this field, pass Venn Farm on your right to then exit the field through a large metal gate, onto a road. 5 Turn right and follow the road for 400 yards until you reach a sharp bend to the right. Turn left through a large metal gate and head diagonally across the field towards the left hand corner. At the corner, go through an opening into the next field, now following a hedge and brook on your left. Keeping the hedge on your left, head for the left-hand corner of this field and then leave via a stile (at the time of writing this had a metal hurdle in front of it). This takes you into a thicket. Turn immediately left and then up to your right to leave the thicket into another field, via a stile. Turn left into this field and follow the hedge on your left. After 200 yards, keep straight on through a metal gate and after another 200 yards, go through a metal gate onto the road, near a small brick building, just before Monkwood Farm. 6 Turn sharp right onto the road and in half a mile you will reach the road coming from Broadoak and Atrim. Turn right onto this road to take you back to Shave Cross. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 63
History
LOST DORSET
NO. 24 WIMBORNE MINSTER
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David Burnett, The Dovecote Press
owns and villages throughout Dorset will be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over the four-day holiday weekend this month. 125 years ago, in June 1897, Dorset dressed its streets with flags and bunting for another Jubilee, that of the Queen’s greatgreat-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Those in East Street, Wimborne, were modest compared to many. Sherborne’s streets, ‘presented an appearance the equal of which has never before been seen in the town.’ Typical, in even the humblest village, were processions, a funfair and sports, as well as a celebratory lunch or tea – both washed down with copious quantities of beer and cider. Sturminster Newton’s procession included a flotilla of boats on the Stour, Wareham’s was led by cyclists in fancy dress, whilst at Stoke Abbott in the Marshwood Vale the village fiddle band scratched away from a hay-laden farm wagon. One permanent memorial, and the grandest, is the clock tower in the centre of Thornford, complete with a weathervane by Albert Gabe, the local blacksmith. Lost Dorset: The Towns 1880-1920, the companion volume to Lost Dorset: The Villages and Countryside, is a 220-page large format hardback, price £20, and is available locally from Winstone’s Books or directly from the publishers. dovecotepress.com
64 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
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History OBJECT OF THE MONTH
THE ‘CORONATION’ MUG Elisabeth Bletsoe, Curator, Sherborne Museum
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he museum holds many items related to royalty as our collections reflect those events of national importance which have an impact on the town and local area. We have a strong grouping of commemorative china, including this striking earthenware mug with its vivid printed and painted pattern. The mug is cylindrical, widening slightly towards its base, 8cm high and with a beast form handle in the shape of a lion with protruding tongue. It was designed by Dame Laura Knight in 1936 for the ‘Coronation that never was’, that of Edward VIII which was projected for May 12th 1937. Compared with the Ravilious design for Wedgewood at the Coronation of Elizabeth II, this one has been somewhat overlooked but it shares a similar strength of design and idiosyncratic quality. The artist threw aside conventions, so that instead of the usual royal tropes, she portrayed a circus elephant and a depiction of St. George and the Dragon alongside her portrait of a youthful and somewhat reflective Edward. The elephant was drawn from Knight’s extensive sketching and painting backstage at circuses though it was not meant as a comment on the pomp and circumstance of the occasion. A Royal Coat of Arms, with a flamboyant lion and unicorn, is positioned on the opposite side. Dame Laura Knight (nee Johnson) 1877-1970 was an English artist who belonged to the figurative realist tradition but who also embraced Impressionist techniques. Fascinated and inspired by marginalised communities and individuals, including Romani peoples and circus performers, she painted amidst London’s theatrical world but later also became a Second World War artist. Her success in what was then a male-dominated establishment paved the way for greater status and recognition for women artists. Many souvenirs were created and celebrations planned across the country in readiness for the 66 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
occasion. Sherborne’s Urban District Council formed a committee to arrange the details for an event that was intended to represent all sections of the community, with Colonel F.J.B. Wingfield Digby DSO as its President. Subcommittees were delegated to arrange decorations, sports, entertainments and fireworks; the activities to take place in the meadow east of the Old Castle grounds. A decision was taken that all schoolchildren under the age of 14 would receive the Coronation mug as a keepsake. After less than one year on the throne, however, Edward became the first British monarch to voluntarily abdicate, in a speech broadcast on the evening of 11th December 1936. He chose this course of action after the British Government and the Church of England condemned his decision to marry the American divorcee Wallace Warfield Simpson. It stunned the nation who had largely been kept in the dark about his relationship by the British media, but it has been suggested that this was a convenient hook by which the establishment could remove the King. Although Edward was popular and appeared to have genuine concern for the unemployed and war veterans, he had expressed right-wing authoritarian sympathies and was deemed to be a security risk. Knight was forced to adapt her original design to accommodate the Coronation of George VI, Edward’s brother, to include a portrait of him and his wife Elizabeth. The day went ahead on the original date as planned with minimal disruption, although with more pageantry than Edward had wanted. The mug remains as a quirky reminder of an anomaly in British history. sherbornemuseum.co.uk Sherborne Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10.30am–4.30pm. Admission is free.
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History
George III Jubilee statue, Weymouth
THE PUDDLETOWN SCANDAL
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Cindy Chant
ow everyone loves a scandal. So I am going to tell you a story that involves a big scandal, and a royal one too! Here in Dorset, about 300 years ago, the little village of Puddletown guarded a secret that would have scandalised the royal family at that time. For a brief period at the end of the eighteenth century, Weymouth took on the appearance of a fashionable spa, as sea-bathing was becoming popular. Each summer George III would visit Weymouth for calm, rest and bathing, which was said to help his condition, porphyria. The royal residence, Gloucester Lodge, became too small for the many courtiers who accompanied him and his family on these trips, therefore many houses in the area were either bought or leased so that they could attend the King. General Garth, the King’s senior equerry, rented Islington House, in nearby Puddletown, to ensure that he had a suitable residence to entertain the royal family. The King’s condition caused him to become very eccentric. The first attack was at the age of 25, but 68 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
gradually it became more serious, and his behaviour and the symptoms became impossible to hide from the court and the people. ‘The King is mad!’ they whispered. George had a large family – fifteen children, of whom six were daughters and this story is about one of them – Princess Sophia. George became very obsessive about his daughters, denying them the right to move freely in society and banning them from marrying men of their choice – although the princesses did occasionally enjoy secret romantic liaisons with the men of the royal household and Princess Sophia was no exception. General Garth, who was a plain man with a large birthmark on his face, was thirty-three years older than Princess Sophia and had been in the King’s service since she was a young girl. One day he found himself alone with her as she had been unwell for some time and stayed in a bedroom beneath Garth’s room. On 8th August 1800, she gave birth to a baby boy. Now, no matter what it cost to those involved, this secret had to be kept from the king for fear it may have brought on an attack of madness.
News of both pregnancy and the birth were kept from the king who was told that his daughter had ‘dropsy’, but had made a remarkable recovery! The king was told that she had been ‘cured by eating roast beef !’ He often commented on this, saying that it ‘was a very strange thing’. But many in the royal court needed to know the truth, and of course, did. So arrangements had to be made for Sophia and her baby, and this proved more than enough gossip for the day. Mrs Sharland, a tailor’s wife from Weymouth, was expecting a baby at about the same time. The baby had just been delivered, when she received a surprise visit from the princess’s doctor. The midwife was told to leave and come back later. When she returned there were two babies! And she was told that Mrs Sharland had given birth to a twin. The midwife, of course, was surprised and questioned Mrs Sharland who eventually revealed that the second baby had been brought in from a carriage, and placed by her side with a purse containing money, and instructions to say it was her own baby. The infant spent his first two years with the Sharlands, but then was taken by Garth to Islington House in Puddletown to be brought up as his son, and became known as Tom Garth. Many suspected that the general was the real father, and rumours abounded that Sophia was passionately in love with him and that they had married in secret. Officially she remained a spinster for the rest of her life. There was also some suggestion that Tom Garth was the result of an incestuous relationship between Sophia and her brother Ernest, the Duke of Cumberland, as the royal siblings were often spotted arm-in-arm in Weymouth. But Tom was threatening to make his parentage public, which made the royal family nervous, so an agreement was decided. All of his debts were settled, and young Tom was allowed £3,000 a year for life (a huge amount) on the understanding that he live a life of obscurity. On leaving the army he went to live in Yorkshire, and true to his word, he never mentioned his parents again. General Garth died on 17th November 1829, aged 83. His son was the chief mourner. Princess Sophia eventually became totally blind and spent her final years in Kensington Palace. Now, we do not know Sophia’s secret, whether she loved the father of her son, or not. She may have had his name locked in her heart. ‘Sophia’ marks the solitary grave in Kensal Green. To the side is the text ‘Come unto me all who are heavily laden, and I will give you rest’.
FREE HOME VISITS Specialist Matthew Denney will be in the Sherborne area on Thursday 30th June to value your objects & antiques
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lawrences.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 69
Antiques
ROCKING RENAULT Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers
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s I have rambled on here before I am a complete petrol-head despite running an electric car. One of my responsibilities at Charterhouse is being head honcho of the classic and vintage car and motorcycle departments. There is nothing more I like than to visit clients to help and advise on their precious vehicles, hearing about their travels and adventures they have had with them or hearing about the trials and tribulations they have had restoring their motors along with the time and effort it took to find that last missing piece of trim. Many of the purchases made at our vehicle auctions are driven by nostalgia. It was the car or bike you had when you were younger or could not afford, one your mum, dad, uncle or aunt owned which brought back memories or even one you crashed. Entered into our next classic car auction at Haynes International Motor Museum on 6th July is a car which has brought some memories flooding back. For many years, my dad was a fan of Renault cars. My first memory of the family car was in the late 1960s with a Renault 8. This was a somewhat strange car even to me back then with its engine in the boot. Dad then progressed to a Renault 16 in about 1971. A much larger car, dad liked the idea of the bench seat to keep all the kids under control. Sadly this was written off 70 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
1977 Renault 4 £7,000-£9,000 being sold by Charterhouse on 6th July
in an accident by Skipper’s pub on Horsecastles in the mid-70s (not his fault I must add!) and was replaced by another hatchback – a VW Golf. He kept the Golf for a few years but Renault brought out a new model – the 18 – and he was tempted back. Not a great family car for us as it was a four-door saloon. Fine for the kids but Leo the Springer Spaniel bounced around wet and muddy on the cloth upholstery, so dad bought another Renault just to take the dog out on walkies, a hatchback Renault 4. This Renault 4 was easily spotted in and around Sherborne due to its bright yellow paintwork and was affectionately known as the Yellow Peril, and it is a Renault 4 in the classic car auction which has brought back happy memories for me. The 4 was a good seller for Renault with some 8 million sold. Despite this, they are rarely seen on the roads today, probably due to being attacked by tinworm (or rust). The Renault 4 we have in the auction is from 1977, painted in metallic bronze with a tan interior and has travelled just 45,000 miles in 45 years. Estimated at £7,000-£9,000 I’m not too sure Mrs B will want me to buy this to carry my Spaniel around in though! charterhouse-auction.com
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Savour the summer
As summer brings a wave of colour and interest to our gardens, it’s time to make the most of your outdoor space.
Summer bedding plants, such as Begonias, Sweet Peas and Petunias, can add scent and colour to your flower beds and borders, while pots and hanging baskets can bring the best of the season to your patio or decking area. Pick up your plants, pots and fertiliser 7 days a week: Monday to Saturday: 9am – 6pm Sunday: 10am – 4:30pm
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Gardening
BIG BEDDING Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group
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une can be a glorious month in the garden – the risk of frost should be over and once planting is done there may even be time to enjoy the rewards of your earlier efforts. Sometimes, though, you spot a gap in your summer displays and there is a need for an instant splash of colour to complete the season’s show. I like to call on what I describe as big bedding and the following are favourites of mine as they can be really quite dramatic. I love the name of the Begonia Dragon Wings and these are a stately begonia admirable for their foliage and then a superb display of red flowers for the rest of the summer. As impressive for their foliage as their flowers, are the Nicotiana sylvestris with their white tubular flowers. This variety grows up to four or five feet and really is a talking point particularly after the scent is experienced, which is best at night. More scent is provided by the Heliotrope or Cherry Pie. It only takes one whiff of the flower to understand where the name comes from, as the fragrance is very distinct. I often plant this in a pot underplanted with Nemesia Wisley Vanilla. I was told by a group of schoolchildren that the nemesia reminded them of custard, and they will therefore go well with the Cherry Pie! The range of petunias is quite extraordinary and is ever-growing. One to look out for is the Easy Wave collection which includes blues and whites. These varieties are spreaders and produce an extraordinary number of flowers – they are great spreading over the side of a large pot or in a hanging basket. A really interesting plant is the Cuphea sometimes called Tiny Mice because the small red flowers have large outer petals looking like ears. They grow up to around 18 inches and are a delight. This year we have the variety Torpedo. Many people have discovered Cosmos in recent years and these feathery foliaged plants produce a 74 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
fabulous show of large daisy flowers in various colours including whites, pinks and reds. I like to pinch the growing tips of young plants out to make them branch from lower down. This makes the plants grow in a bushier, more compact fashion and also means that more flowers are created. Lantanas too give a great show of flower which is loved by a number of butterflies and insects. Anyone who has lived a colonial life turns their nose up at
Heliotropium arborescens Marine
Lantanas as they apparently grow like weeds in parts of Africa. However, they are a great summer bedding feature plant and also a useful conservatory plant too. Some varieties are yellow, orange and red whereas there is a great white flowering form too. And finally, not for the subtle and sophisticated amongst you are the Coleus. These foliage plants were fashionable in the 70s and 80s but lost their way until recent years. The change came with the Kong varieties –
the name inspired, I guess, by King Kong. The leaves are huge and powerful colours of purples and reds. All of the above are very pleasing at this time of year as they will create an immediate wow! I love choosing a pot, or a series of pots and planting them up for an instant impact – a good feeling before the return to the deckchair. thegardensgroup.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 75
Gardening
UMBRELLA FLOWERS Simon Ford, Land and Nature Adviser and Gardener
Common Blue butterfly (Polyommantus icarus) on cow parsley
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s the year progresses, the hedgebanks turn from the vibrant yellows of primroses and cowslips, studded with bluebells, red campion and stitchwort to a froth of white cow parsley. Cow parsley is part of a large group of flowers called umbellifers, with an umbrella-like lattice and mostly (but not entirely) panicles of white flowers. They are a real sign of summer, with their delicate scent and often line footpaths and verges, where cows like to take a passing nibble. It is tempting to group all of the umbellifers together, but they are actually surprisingly different in 76 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
many ways. Some are edible, including wild carrot, from where our vegetables originate. The wild version has a white root and the flower starts as being concave, but as it develops, it becomes convex with a tiny pink flower in the centre to attract pollinators. If crushed, the carrot smell is quite evident. Wild parsnip is another plant which has been domesticated and this flower head is one of the few yellow umbellifers. Both of these can be found on chalk downland. Parsley is another in this group and if you allow it to set seed, then you will see the umbrella-shaped flower. Gardeners will be all too aware of ground elder,
which spreads at an alarming rate in the beds and vegetable patch, but was actually brought to Britain as a food plant by the Romans. It can be steamed like spinach. On the coast where there are few frosts, an early flowering glossy green leaf and yellow flower is Alexanders, which is another plant brought to our shores from the Mediterranean. It can be cooked as a vegetable but has an aniseed taste. In lawns and unimproved grassland, yarrow has a feathery leaf and white flower and has been cultivated in a variety of colours as a garden plant or for cut flowers.
Follow a hedgerow, particularly next to an arable field and you might see a very tall umbellifer, maybe 8 or 9ft (2.5 to 3 metres) tall, with long red blotches on the stem. This is the famously deadly poisonous hemlock and has been used as a poison by Socrates, as well as inadvertently killing some people who foolishly mistook it for parsley! Along riverbanks and marshy areas, hemlock-waterdropwort is quite common and can form dense stands. However, like its relative, it is also extremely toxic and can be eaten by cattle, especially after ditching work exposes the roots. In the steam itself, you may be lucky enough to find peppery watercress, especially if you are on a chalk stream, like the Sydling, Wylye, Chalke or Cerne valleys. However, far more common, especially in muddy streams is a species which looks similar, but is not related (and you don’t want to put it in your salad), is the aptly named fool’s watercress! Hogweed is a common hedgerow plant and is more robust than cow parsley. There is also a much larger cousin, known as giant hogweed, which can grow to 4 or 5 metres tall and was popular as an architectural garden plant until it was realised that it could be dangerous. It has highly caustic sap, particularly during sunny weather, which can cause bad blistering of the skin. Those people who use a strimmer without protective clothing can suffer severe burns or even be blinded. One of my favourite umbellifers, which is a rare plant nationally, but is a speciality of wet grasslands in Dorset and Somerset, is the wonderfully named corkyfruited-water-dropwort! To be fair, it is not very big or spectacular (and is also poisonous), but with a name like that, what is not to like?! Also growing in similar areas is another small umbellifer, which is a favourite food of pigs, called the pignut. If rooted up, there is a small round brown corm, which wild boar love (as I saw recently in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire). Like mushrooms, please don’t go eating anything unless you are absolutely sure of its identity! Insects absolutely love umbellifers though. The nectar is very rich and may attract 20 or 30 insects to a single panicle. Additionally, the hollow stems of species like hogweed and angelica make a wonderful place to hibernate. Even in the autumn and winter, plants like cow parsley and hogweed in their skeletal form can make beautiful flower arrangements. A pretty versatile umbrella, even though it doesn’t keep you dry! simonfordgardening.wordpress.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 77
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DESIGNERS AND MAKERS OF BEAUTIFUL FINE BESPOKE JOINERY SINCE 1897
MILL FARM STUDIOS Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies
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t is a sunny kind of day in Bradford Abbas as I bounce my way along the track to Mill Farm. To my right, alpacas watch idly from lush meadows, willow trees are in first flush and a shepherd’s hut encircled by dandelions stands on the bank of the Yeo. Idyllic. But it wasn’t always like this. When Anne and Mark O’Reilly first decided to look for a place they expected to end up in Wales. Mark didn’t really mind where he lived provided it gave him an opportunity to keep animals and encourage wildlife, while Anne was more interested in a home’s history. When Mill Farm came onto the market they snapped it up and began to renovate the farmhouse and buildings as funds allowed. Today, a large, solid gate slides open and Mark, jolly and bearded, beckons me in. I am greeted by a pristine farmhouse built of Sherborne stone and an array of outbuildings that have evolved into an exciting mix of recording studio, dining venue and cottages that provide accommodation to visiting musicians. Mark leads me into the studio (once the barn) and we head upstairs to the bar (yes, bar) for a coffee – it’s still early after all. >
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Mark, it soon becomes clear, is a collector. The walls of the studio bar are adorned by limited edition signature guitars, co-designed and built to the specifications of artists the likes of David Gilmour, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Eric Clapton, Crosby Stills, John Lennon… The list goes on. ‘The musicians who record here are welcome to play them,’ says Mark. It must be tempting to think, as a guitarist looking to pull off a dizzying Gilmour-esque solo, that you might stand a better chance if using the same instrument. Mark left school in the 70s and without a plan. ‘I’m dyslexic, which posed a challenge and I floated about a bit,’ he says. ‘I used to hang out at the offices of Queen’s record label. I’ll never forget the day I met Marc Bolan,’ he reminisces. In 1976, after a couple of years in search of himself, Mark attended Sandhurst Military Academy and joined the Irish Hussars. ‘I enjoyed the army enormously,’ he says, recalling tours in Iraq and Northern Ireland among others. Coffees finished, we head downstairs past more guitars and into the recording studio. It’s a homely space, made all the more welcoming by studio manager and producer Tom Jobling. Interestingly, Tom chooses to work from his mixing desk in the live room alongside
the artists, rather than in a booth behind a glass screen. ‘I can be a part of the band in here,’ explains Tom. ‘And the recording process becomes a lot more organic.’ Mark first met Tom after seeing him perform with his band Sorry About Shaun at Larmer Tree Festival.‘We got talking and had a natural synergy,’ explains Mark. ‘I asked him to come here and run the studio!’ Now, surrounded by all the bells and whistles a sound engineer could ask for, Tom is in his element. As well as the visiting bands who utilise the charming accommodation available, Tom and Mark are keen to invite local artists to record here as well as encourage schools to use the facilities. Hosting comes naturally to Mark, thanks in part to his French maternal grandmother, Germaine Caillaud. ‘She left Marseille during the Second World War,’ explains Mark. ‘She brought her daughter (my mother) but had to leave her son behind because he was poorly. Three ships left but only one made it, two went down. My grandmother and my mother made it to England but they never saw her son again,’ he recounts. After the war and an association with the legendary Les Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair, Germaine went on to create the Omelette Club and La Clairière > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 83
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restaurant in Hertfordshire – a hangout for writers, artists and other creative types. From there Germaine opened the Lou Pescadou in Padstow, a wellknown fish restaurant (the premises of which were subsequently purchased by Rick Stein), before retiring with her husband to Carcassonne in southern France. ‘This is where we host our own Omelette Club,’ says Mark leading me into their dining room next to the recording studio. A hand-painted sign in honour of his grandmother’s enterprises hangs on the wall. They host regular dinners, tastings and wine pairings with chef Oli Kahan through the Mill Farm Dining Society, a platform that champions independent local producers and suppliers. The dining room looks out over a menagerie of exotic wildfowl, chickens and sheep. We head outside to explore and are joined by Anne (she’s been delayed at Sainsbury’s – it can happen to the best of us). Anne too has a military background and served with the WRNS. In 2004 Mark and Anne formed Mabway, a company providing specialist training, role-play and casualty simulation to the defence, maritime and railway sectors. It’s fascinating work and often on a scale worthy of a blockbuster movie set. It also plays perfectly to the couple’s collective strengths – Anne serving as filter and facilitator to Mark’s tireless and occasionally wayward imagination. ‘Anne’s first response is usually “no”,’ says Mark, with a twinkle in his eye. ‘When Mark left the world of defence he had hair down to his waist, which for a cavalry officer was quite a thing. We were in the Cavalry and Guards Club, and he had a ponytail!’ Anne whispers. ‘We both love music and wildlife,’ she continues. ‘Coming from a typically uncreative military career, this is a fantastic outlet for us.’ ‘I was a shy child with a lisp, so my mum sent me to drama lessons. I joined the choirs at school and then had a band at university – it went from there really,’ Anne explains. She and Mark now perform as The Ducks with Tom and fellow musicians. ‘I had always sung a bit. I like the community of musicians. It is so strong – old or young.’ Their shared love of music, community and playing the host has almost inevitably led to them organising a series of festivals – Mill Farm Folk Festival in May, Mill Farm Party in July and Summer’s End in September. The festivals are now in their fourth year and even continued (on an imaginatively socially distanced scale) during the pandemic. We’re walking among the animals now and I
have fallen completely in love with the Ouessant sheep and their lambs. Originating from the island of Ouessant, off the Brittany coast, they are one of the world’s smallest breeds. Mark tells me he initially bought them to keep the grass down but is clearly smitten. ‘He is an animal person,’ adds Anne, ‘I suggested we get a bit of land and it’s turned into this.’ We head off to meet the alpacas via the millpond and its hidden kingfishers. From across the meadow, we look back towards the house and barns. ‘When we first looked at this house, we sat on the bank of the Yeo, near where the shepherd’s hut is now located, took in the view and decided to go for it,’ explains Anne. We chat facing the festival stage – raised to a height safe from the area’s winter floods – where Mark, Anne and friends will be performing this summer. ‘There are so many good bands around here,’ says Mark. ‘It’s important to us that we give them a chance to come and record and perform.’ ‘We just want people to come and have fun, bring the family, have a picnic and enjoy the music,’ adds Anne. ‘Fun’ is the operative word at Mill Farm. Mark and Anne have worked very long and hard building their company, riding out the inevitable peaks and troughs and making all the sacrifices that come with running a business. They are now, to a degree, liberated and have earned the right to enjoy themselves. The fact that we are invited to enjoy it with them makes it all the more rewarding. See you at the cider tent! millfarmdorset.com
___________________________________________ Saturday 30th July 12pm-11pm Mill Farm Party Live music from The Charlie Cole Band, Mighty One, Rebecca Chambers & The New Tricks Jazz Trio, The Ducks, Dream
Robbery. Festival bar, food, local cider, ales and picnic hampers. Saturday 3rd September 12pm-11pm Summer’s End Festival Live music from Rip It Up, The Intercepters, Dark Alley, Who Let The Ducks Out and more… Festival bar, food, local cider, ales and picnic hampers.
Mill Farm, Bradford Abbas, Dorset DT9 6RE Tickets available via millfarmdorset.com/events Enquiries: events@millfarmdorset.com
___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87
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88 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
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Food and Drink
LIVING THE GOODDEN LIFE Nico and Chrystall Goodden Image: Nico Goodden
J
une is a wonderful month in the garden. The threat of frost is behind us and we have the whole of the summer to look forward to. Starting the month with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee long weekend provides a fabulous opportunity to celebrate and share the best of what we’re growing. Strawberries are coming thick and fast and right on cue. Juicy, sweet and sun-ripened, there is nothing that 90 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
compares. They’re finding their way into almost every meal, atop french toast for breakfast, thrown into our leafy green salads, floating around in the jug of Pimms with ‘Granny Goodden’s mint’ and, of course, the British classic, Eton Mess. We propagated 50 strawberry plants this year but can a garden ever have too many? We wish we could say that we will have a surplus to turn into jam and
compote however, it’s looking unlikely! We’re learning that most things are best enjoyed simply, as nature intended, plucked from the plant and gobbled up immediately while still warm from the sun. For the first year, we’re harvesting rhubarb from the crowns we planted a little over two years ago. They’ve taken their time to establish themselves and this year they’re finally thriving. The ‘Polish Raspberry’ variety is doing especially well here. We’re trying to resist the temptation to over-harvest and allow the plants to strengthen for the years to come, but it isn’t easy - rhubarb compote can be whipped up in minutes and disappear just as quickly. It makes for a delicious breakfast treat when swirled into yoghurt and topped with granola. Little gem salads and radishes pepper the garden beds. They’ve been filling any gaps between slowergrowing crops but with the longest day of the year approaching, they’re beginning to bolt. Replacements sown in April are waiting in the ranks of the potting shed to replace them but we’re using this as a reminder to sow another batch. These will then be planted out in the shadier, cooler areas of the garden. Some we’ll eventually let flower, and go to seed to collect for next year. It’s a beautiful thing to observe the full life-cycle of a plant; something you’ve grown from seed to return to seed once more. For the first time this year, we’ll be growing melons and lemongrass. We like to find a balance between growing fruit and veg varieties that are tried and true tasty producers in our garden but it’s important to shake things up and provide some fresh culinary inspiration. We’re podding the first of our appropriately named ‘Champion of England’ peas, from seeds we saved last year. A favourite of Charles Darwin himself, they’re a highly productive variety, each pod bursting with 8-10 large peas. We’re combining them with our broad beans to make one of our favourite early-summer dishes, pea and broad bean risotto. The picking and podding is a lengthy process but a rather meditative one and oh so worth it. Tender plants sheltering in the greenhouse have been planted out into the big, scary world, while we hope we’ve given them the best possible start in life - the nurturing continues until they find their feet. We’ve learned the hard way the importance of solid structural supports for tomatoes, peas and beans from the beginning and keeping a close eye on pests. The ‘three sisters’; climbing beans, sweet corn and
squash, will grow together this year. We’re trying more and more to resist the habit of traditional planting in rows. With organised crop rotation this method is effective and yields well, however, it’s not the only way. We’re focussing our efforts on companion planting - a more sustainable gardening method that groups plants that grow and thrive together while promoting long-term soil fertility and maximising growing space. Getting the timing just right can be tricky - the corn needs to be mature enough not to be smothered by the fast-growing beans and squash. The space left by our tender plants in the greenhouse has made way for our tomatoes and chillies. Our greenhouse is unheated so these VIPs were ferried back inside the house every evening until mid-May to keep them above the desired 10C. But our efforts are now being rewarded. We’re already enjoying the fruits from an overwintered piri piri (don’t let their size fool you, big things come in small packages and these chillies come with a kick!) and the first ‘Hungarian Black’ chillies as well as jalapenos, a favourite for turning into jalapeno poppers. The tomatoes are the size of large cherries already and the bets are on as to when we’ll enjoy our first succulent bite. While we’re enjoying so much from the garden already, the surrounding woodland is also providing generously, without any help from us. It’s such a joy to be able to supplement our harvest with wild food and flavours. This time of year the garden fills with the scent of elderflower. We use the flowers for flavouring gin, making cordial, vinegar and refreshing summer gelato. Its delicate flavouring pairs well with the ingredients we’re harvesting right now, like mint and strawberries. This combination lends itself well to salads and desserts but for our Jubilee garden party, it will come together in the punch bowl, scattered with our edible flowers. There is something about adding the pop of boldcoloured blooms of dianthus, borage or a viola that can make a dish pop. Each year we tend to think, why grow flowers that aren’t edible when there are so many beautiful edible varieties?! Calendula, nasturtium, lavender, chive flowers, rose petals - all edible and in abundance right now, each bringing their own personality to the plate. They provide a feast for both the eyes and the tastebuds! Nico: @nicholasgoodden Chrystall: @thegooddenlife creativebritishgarden.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 91
Food and Drink
PORK BELLY WITH BRAISED PEAS, FENNEL AND MINT Sasha Matkevich, The Green
F
resh peas are a great ingredient and this is my take on an old English classic. I like this dish with plain mashed potatoes on the side.
Ingredients Serves 4
1kg pork belly, skin on and boneless 70g Dorset sea salt 70g caster sugar 3 bay leaves 1 tsp green peppercorns 1/2 tsp allspice 1 bulb garlic, crushed 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 tbsp olive oil 1 small fennel bulb 400g fresh peas 100g unsalted butter 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped Juice of 1/2 lemon Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1
Method
To make a brine for the pork bring 700ml of water to the boil. 2 Add the salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns and allspice. As soon as the salt has dissolved, remove from the heat and cool. 3 Place the pork belly in a large ceramic dish and cover it with the cold brine Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. 92 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Image: Clint Randall
4 Take the pork from the marinade and put it in a large pan of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes on moderate heat. 5 In a meantime preheat the oven to 160C. In a deep roasting tray place the garlic and thyme and top with the pork belly. Pour 300g of cold brine into the tray and place in the oven. 6 Roast for 2 hours, basting with the liquid now and again to stop it from drying out. 7 When the pork is cooked pour off the juices and reserve. 8 Place a tray on top of the pork and apply a small weight to press and reshape the meat. 9 Cut the pork belly into 4 portions and, skin-side down, place into a large frying pan with olive oil over a medium heat. 10 Slowly cook for 5-7 minutes or until the meat is crisp and golden. Set aside and keep warm. 11 Cut the fennel bulb into wafer-thin slices using a very sharp knife. Set aside the fennel leaves. 12 Cook the peas in boiled, salted water until just cooked and then refresh in iced water. 13 In a large saucepan on a medium heat cook the peas with butter and a small splash of reserved juices. 14 Add the fennel and lemon juice and stir for 1 minute. Check the seasoning and add the mint. 15 Serve in warmed bowls with the pork belly on top of the peas and a good grind of black pepper. greenrestaurant.co.uk
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Food and Drink
Image: Steve Painter 94 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL
W
Mat Follas, Bramble Restaurant
e are heading into elderflower season and they make the most delicious wine and cordial. If you are new to using elderflowers then use this recipe to make a cordial. If you want to learn about making wine using wild yeasts then come along on one of our foraging days. Elderflower blooms don’t last long, even on the tree. Pick elderflowers on a day when they smell sweet and freeze them if you are not ready to make the cordial within a few hours. If they are not frozen or used quickly they will take on the aroma of cats’ pee! You need about a carrier bag full to make this recipe. Remember to ask the tree owner’s permission before taking the flowers and never take more than about 1/4 of the flowers from any tree or the bees won’t have enough to gather for honey or pollinate to make wonderful elderberries for the autumn. A lot of recipes use lemon juice but I prefer citric acid as it gives a better elderflower flavour. Do use it sparingly – you may well not need as much as in the recipe ingredient list. You can buy it online or locally from Sherborne Market Store. This cordial is great for baking, desserts, sparkling water and, of course, sparkling wine cocktails. Ingredients Makes about 4 litres
Approx 20 flower heads 2 tsp citric acid Zest of 2 lemons 1kg sugar Method
1
2 3 4 5
Place the elderflower heads and lemon zest in a bucket-sized container. Pour 1 gallon/4.5l of just-boiled water into the container, covering them. Use a saucepan lid to hold the flower heads underwater. Leave to infuse for at least two hours. Line a sieve with fine muslin or a spotlessly clean cotton cloth. Pour the mixture through the lined sieve into another saucepan. Do this in batches if you don’t have a big enough pan. When it has finished draining, bring the saucepan to a simmer and add the sugar, dissolving it all to make the cordial. Check the flavour and add the citric acid a teaspoon at a time, tasting until the flavour is balanced, before decanting into pasteurised bottles. Once opened store in a refrigerator and use within two weeks.
Use about 35ml with a glass of sparkling wine to make a wonderful elderflower fizz. bramblerestaurant.com Recipe from Afternoon Tea at Bramble Cafe by Mat Follas (Ryland Peters & Small), £16.99 (hardcover). Sherborne Times reader offer price of £14.99 from Winstone’s Books.
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Food and Drink
THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones
CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART
Immage: Katharine Davies 96 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
I
am a dark chocolate lover and this dessert is rich with dark chocolate. If you wish, you can use half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate. Use chocolate chips as they melt more easily in the heated cream. You may wish to decorate with Chantilly cream or simply dust with cocoa powder. Adding fresh edible flowers makes a lovely summer dessert. You can also decorate with seasonal fruits such as raspberries, strawberries or cherries. What you will need - a plastic bag and rolling pin for crushing the biscuits, a 23cm tart tin (9 in) greased with a little butter, saucepan and bowl, bowls and a spatula Time - for the crust: 10 minutes to make and 30 minutes to chill, for the ganache: 15 minutes to make and cool a little, 15 minutes to assemble. Ingredients Serves 8
For the crust 300g chocolate biscuits 160g unsalted butter 1 tablespoon golden syrup 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract For the ganache 200g dark chocolate chips (at least 54% cocoa butter) 300ml double cream 50g icing sugar 50g unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract For the Chantilly cream 150ml double cream 1 dessert spoon icing sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cocoa powder for dusting Method
1
To make the crust, place the biscuits in the plastic bag and beat the biscuits with a rolling pin until the crumbs are fine and place in a bowl 2 Put the butter and golden syrup in a microwaveable bowl and place in the microwave and heat on full for 1 minute to melt 3 Pour the butter mixture over the biscuit crumbs, add the vanilla extract and stir well. Press firmly into the greased tart tin and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and become set
4 To make the ganache, place the chocolate in a bowl 5 Place the cream and icing sugar in the saucepan and stir in the sugar to dissolve, bring gently to the boil. When bubbles appear around the edge of the cream remove from the heat and stir in the butter, chopped, until melted. 6 Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate chips and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Using a spatula stir in the vanilla extract and continue stirring until all the chocolate is incorporated with the cream and the mixture is glossy and smooth 7 Allow the ganache to stand for 10 minutes before pouring onto the biscuit crust then tap the tart tin on the counter top to disperse and bubbles in the chocolate. Place in the fridge for an hour 8 To prepare the Chantilly cream, place the double cream in a bowl, add the icing sugar and beat the cream slowly to allow the sugar to dissolve. Increase the speed and beat until soft peak is reached, add the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate. 9 Place the cream in a piping bag fitted with a 12 point star nozzle. Pipe 8 star rosettes around the tart and dust with cocoa powder then add seasonal decorations of your choice before serving with a little creme fraîche or pouring cream. The tart will keep fresh in the fridge for one week and it can also be open frozen then wrapped in cling film and kept frozen for one month. bakerval.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 97
Food and Drink
A MONTH ON THE PIG FARM James Hull, The Story Pig
Image: Katharine Davies
W
e are into late spring now. The garden, as I look out, abounds with flowers – its lushness amazes many of you and me too if I’m honest. In gardening terms, we are still a new garden and this is the first year that I am truly happy with how it looks. We always wanted that cottage garden feel, you know, the tumbling from one plant to the next with no gaps, the Monty sort of garden, a fullness that is overflowing with froth and promise. The bees have started to come, gently humming from bloom to bloom. We have the biggest, fattest chives in the district – I think we are going to win the big chive competition this year! We are busy farrowing again and somehow we have 13, yes 13, sows ready to drop all at the same time. So far 5 have farrowed, with, as usual in life, some ups and downs. This morning at feeding time I ran the usual gauntlet of trying to not be knocked over by 13 hungry mums and started my daily hunt around the paddock to 98 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
see who has decided to farrow outside and make their own nest. One mother has again used the huge bonfire pile as her birthing place. As I approached, all was quiet and then I saw one little piglet all on its own. My heart sank, only one left – for starters that’s a huge financial loss, but also yesterday she had 10 little newborns and how sad that she had lost all but one. However, as I went to pick up the one left I heard a sound, a little snortle. I knelt down and peeked into the hole where the noise had come from and there, deep inside the huge pile of twisted sticks, were the other little piglets, all safe and sound. Actually, I couldn’t count them as they were too far in, but I could see a few small bottoms so hopefully, they are all there. The pigs are as contented as I can ever remember them. The long spell of dry weather, but not too hot has made them a happy lot and many of them are sleeping outside as they always do in the summer. They are growing well and if it wasn’t for the sky-rocketing
feed costs hitting us on a monthly basis, outdoor pig farming would be easy – there is always a spanner in the works somewhere! Looking forward, we are hurtling towards our Open Farm Sunday event here at the farm. Last year surpassed our wildest imaginations. Only a few weeks after we had opened the cafe and with a terrible weather forecast, we had scaled back our expectations. At the last moment, the weather swerved away from us to give us instead a dry, gloomy day that was perfect for visiting a farm. We were visited by about a thousand people and it was a very busy day – it completely caught us by surprise. I remember serving our hog roast listening to our lovely singer, Theya, performing Jolene by the side of me with so many people everywhere and feeling completely overwhelmed with emotion. Tears filled my eyes as I caught Charlotte’s eye. The day before, because of the forecast, we had discussed cancelling our event last minute because we thought no one would come, but in the end, it was amazing. So with damp eyes as I reminisce, here we are again – 12th June is the date, Sunday is the day. Whatever the weather we will be
having our celebration of all things Story Pig. There will be music, trailer rides to see the pigs all around the fields, our own hog roast, face-painting, a cider bar and Charlotte’s homemade delights. We are thinking of other last-minute ideas too. If it’s wet we have the barn ready and if it’s dry we will spread out! So, please come along and enjoy learning about how the tiniest percentage of pigs are grown to provide us all with the highest quality meat and welfare available. Time for a little nag…We are getting an increasing number of first-time visitors who are calling on us outside of opening hours. While we appreciate people taking the trouble to find us, please do understand that we are a working farm with lots going on. Out of hours visits can be disruptive and dangerous so please adhere to the opening hours shown on the signs and you’ll be greeted with open arms! These hours are ThursdaySunday, 10am-4pm every week (closed Bank Holiday Mondays). Charlotte, the pigs and I look forward to seeing you all at Open Farm Sunday on the 12th June. thestorypig.co.uk
Our Tamworth pigs are bred for quality and flavour. They are outdoor-reared and home-butchered to the highest welfare standards here at our farm in Sandford Orcas, just outside Sherborne. Sausages, joints, bacon and burgers available to buy online for home delivery, click-and-collect or direct from the farm every weekend. BUY LOCAL!
Open Farm Sunday Sunday 12th June, 10am - 4pm
Live music, trailer rides, hog roast, face-painting, cider bar and 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
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 99
Food and Drink
REVISITING CHARDONNAY AND BORDEAUX DRY WHITE WINES David Copp
Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux
C
hardonnay and Bordeaux were the first two white wines I got to know because they were well established in France and popular in Britain. But we then got submerged in ‘sunshine in a bottle’, inexpensive Australian chardonnay that introduced itself to the British market in no uncertain style. It was successful because it represented excellent value, but it was not long before more sophisticated growers in Margaret River, South Australia and Tasmania showed just how close they were to challenging the Burgundians. My good friend Paul Bouchard, who sold his Burgundies in Australia, recommended me to go and 100 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
see for myself what the Australians were doing with chardonnay in their finest vineyards. ‘In a few decades, they will be producing top quality chardonnays to compete with our best wines.’ I took his advice and went to South Australia and Tasmania to see how Australian producers were using their marvellous soils, climate and innovative winemaking techniques to produce world-class chardonnay. They proved that this universal and sophisticated variety lent itself easily to their different soil and climatic conditions. Hugely talented and skilful winemakers of both sexes began to produce very sophisticated wines.
Stephen Bridger/Shutterstock
The quality of chardonnay made by producers around the world continues to impress. Countries like Greece and Turkey who have never before been considered great chardonnay producers are making truly delightful wines with their own character. Chardonnay at its best has a mixture of stone fruit and citrus flavours which deliver rich flavours and crisp refreshment. It is the ripeness and brightness that appeals most to me. Superb wines are being made at different price points (under £10, £10-15, £15-25, and £25 plus) in South Australia, San Antonio Valley in Chile, Dealu Mare in Romania, Marlborough New Zealand, South
Africa, California, Mendoza, and Trentino Alto Adige. The huge array of flavours available make chardonnay really worth exploring. In Bordeaux, the majority of fine dry white wines are made from sémillon and sauvignon blanc. Although Bordeaux is rightly famous for its classic red wines, I maintain that they taste even better when they follow a classic dry white Bordeaux wine. When I started in the wine trade in the late 1950s, nearly half of the wine produced in Bordeaux was white. Today, the quality of white Bordeaux wines has never been better, and a huge amount of credit for this is due to the great Professors Emile Peynaud and Denis Dubourdieu, who, between them, acted as advisors for most of the leading producers. The changes they recommended in both vinicultural and viticultural practice led to an explosion in quality for white Bordeaux, referred to locally as Bordeaux Blanc. The most famous dry white Bordeaux wines are produced in the Pessac Leognan appellation. In my humble opinion, they can be compared with many of the world’s best dry white wines because of their distinctive character and age-worthiness. The Pessac Leognan terroir encourages different grape varieties to express themselves. There is a large amount of forest land, and soils are essentially clay, gravel, and limestone. The region is quite cool and encourages the production of sublimely refreshing white wines. The varieties most used are sémillon (57%), sauvignon blanc (36%) and muscadelle (7%). The appellation laws demand that a minimum of 25% sauvignon blanc be included in the blend. The grapes have a citrus character and are noted for their freshness. When drunk young they offer a pronounced sensation of flowers, citrus, vanilla, lemon, crushed rocks, grapefruit, and lime. The most famous of the dry white Bordeaux white wines is Château Haut Brion Blanc which commands a very high price. Many famous red wine chateaux have also been successful with their whites. However, good wine merchants will direct you to excellent but rather less expensive examples. If you are not familiar with dry white Bordeaux, I highly recommend you seek advice and try some in your own time. The wines pair well with a wide variety of dishes and cuisines. Due to their fresh, citrus profile, along with sweet fruits, spice, and mineral characteristics, most seafood dishes are happy partners. Chicken, veal, pork, sushi, crudo, and semi-spicy dishes are also great matches for white Bordeaux wine. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 101
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www.newtonclarkevet.com 102 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
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Animal Care
COLD FEET
Mark Newton-Clarke MAVetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons
B
ack in April, the hot sun but cold wind tempted Tracey and me away for a couple of nights by the sea. When I suggested this as a treat for a birthday, bags were packed for exotic Southern European sun until I admitted we were going to Weymouth. Well, it all turned out well as the weather was fantastic and with relatively few people around, the Dorset coast rivals anywhere in the world. Snuggled down in bed on the first morning away, I was informed that a sea swim was the first thing on the day’s agenda. Without wet suits. Or dry suits. Just swimsuits. Checked the water temperature…10ºC. Hmm. But off we went, towels in hand to Preston beach where a brisk easterly was coming in off the sea. Oh I know cold water swimming is the thing but you really have to harden yourself off gradually. ‘Bit like seedlings…’ I thought as the water rose to my neck and created a hyperventilation response. Quite involuntarily, I gasped for breath just like Gabi Roslin in the ice with Wim 104 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Hof and, had my head been under the water, I would certainly have aspirated a lung full. Careful to stay in my depth, there was no problem. Certainly not for Tracey who was breast-stroking for England through the surf and shouting at me to “GET IN!”. Luckily I couldn’t answer, the effort of breathing taking away any power of speech. Eventually, I regained control over my respiration and felt proud of my 5 minutes spent in the water. Not going to discuss Tracey’s 13 minutes but I must stress she regularly practises cold water immersion and so did I up until last October. (The Outdoor Swimming Society gives good advice on the important safety aspects of cold water immersion). This episode got me thinking about two really interesting physiological topics that affect our pets (and us); control of respiration and body temperature. We take both for granted, along with other automatic bodily functions, until something goes wrong. Breathing hard and rapidly is obviously a normal
Tsveta Nesheva/Shutterstock
response to muscular exertion, caused not by a reduction in oxygen levels in the blood but by an increase in carbon dioxide as a by-product of energy production. Terrestrial mammals are exquisitely sensitive to increases in CO2 that causes acid to increase (lowering pH) leading to respiratory stimulation via a brain centre. In the lungs, the acid is converted back into CO2 and expired, allowing recovery. The system works well providing lungs and circulation are all hunky-dory but dogs and especially cats can accumulate fluid around or inside the lungs due to heart failure, infection or trauma and this can severely compromise function. CO2 levels increase, O2 decreases and unless lung function improves, the situation can become rapidly life-threatening. Immediate treatment is oxygen therapy and urgent attempts to reduce the fluid, either with a diuretic or by a chest drain, depending on its location. Longterm, there are effective treatments that can work in
some cases for months or even years, depending on the underlying cause. So what happened to me in the cold water? Very little muscular effort was involved so why the hyperventilation? Well, an initial gasp followed by uncontrolled rapid breathing is part of the cold water shock response. We think it’s due to skin temperature sensors sending a barrage of signals to the respiratory centre, by-passing the normal acid-sensitive control system. This response is not to be underestimated as it almost certainly causes many human and animal deaths by drowning. As I said, if my head had been under the water, I would have inhaled enough sea to be in serious trouble. Happily, we see very few drowning cases among dogs and cats although very old animals that fall into garden ponds or swimming pools is not unknown. My dear departed Border Terrier, Trilby, did exactly that about a year ago. Luckily, I had placed an inclined stone slab in the pond that gave him just enough purchase to keep his head above water until I came to the rescue. He wasn’t allowed out unsupervised again! Coldwater immersion has obvious effects on thermoregulation and control of body temperature is another critical element for all warm-blooded animals. For dogs, hypothermia is much less common than hyperthermia unless there is a specific medical problem. Why? I guess they are covered in fur that water often fails to penetrate and working dogs are habituated to throwing themselves into cold water. For the healthy adult dog, low temperatures are not usually a problem although toy breeds with sparse fur coats and little fat certainly can get cold as can newborn puppies and kittens. If denied a regular supply of mum’s milk, the neonate’s body temperature falls quickly, making them weak and unwilling to feed. Here’s a vicious circle that will take the lives of young animals in a few hours, hence our advice to weigh newborn puppies and kittens daily and keep them very warm. Hyperthermia is always a summertime issue and although I have never seen a heat-struck cat, I have seen plenty of dogs with heatstroke. Why is this? Well, cats are very rarely locked in cars and are not exercised in the midday sun. Clearly blessed with far more intelligence, on hot days cats seek a cool corner and go to sleep. They do have their evolutionary background of hot climates but all the same, they modify their behaviour to suit the conditions. Very wise and a lesson for us all. newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 105
Animal Care
DAY IN THE LIFE OF A VET SILAGE TIME ON THE FARM John Walsh, Friars Moor Vets
Juice Flair/Shutterstock
106 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
A
t the time of writing this article, we were just starting to cut and bring in our grass to make silage on the dairy farm at home. I thought it would be interesting to tell you all about the process of making silage. Silage is the main reason you will see tractors and trailers on the roads at this time of year and is a very busy time of year for farmers. In the UK we make different types of silages. Silage is the name given to a forage that has been preserved by ‘pickling’ using a natural fermentative process. Silage can be made from grass, maize or other conserved forages such as whole crop wheat or barley. Another way of preserving grass is to make hay. This is preserved by drying in the sun and regularly turning. Due to our climate, it is much easier and quicker to make silage, which doesn’t rely on lots of sunny days to dry out the grass. Farmers aim to cut the grass at the optimum time of its growth, so it contains the highest amount of energy and protein to feed to the cows. Higher energy and protein levels in this younger grass means farmers do not have buy-in as much feed to support the cow’s nutrient requirements to produce milk. If the grass gets too mature, it will lose much of its nutrient quality, resulting in bigger yields but of a much lower quality. The grass is best cut in the afternoon, so it contains as much sugars as possible which have been made by photosynthesis during the day. The grass is left to wilt in the field for about 12 to 24 hours, to reduce the moisture content to around 60-75%. This moisture level will allow for optimum fermentation. If the grass is left out longer, it may get too dry, or it may get rained on – and both these will reduce proper fermentation. Also, the longer the grass is left uncut, the higher the loss of nutrients. The cut grass is gathered in using a forage harvester. These machines can be either selfpropelled or pulled along and powered by tractors. The machine gathers in the grass and then chops into smaller pieces of about 1-2 inches and then spouts it out via a chute into the waiting trailers. The grass is then taken back to the farm and emptied in piles where it is pushed into a silage pit in thin layers which are compacted using heavy tractors to force out all the oxygen. If the silage is stored as bales, the baling machines will compact the grass as they work to force out the oxygen. The next step is to seal the compacted grass with plastic to keep oxygen out. Mounds of silage are covered with huge polythene (plastic) sheets and weighted down; bales are covered with a plastic wrapping. Removing and keeping out oxygen is a key part of making silage. This is because fermentation has to occur under anaerobic (oxygen-free) conditions, or the correct type of microorganisms won’t grow. While oxygen remains, plant enzymes and other bacteria and microorganisms react with the plant sugars and proteins to make energy, reducing the amounts of these nutrients in the grass. Once all the oxygen is used up, lactic acid bacteria start to multiply. These are bacteria that are needed to make the silage, and they turn the plant sugars into lactic acid. This causes the pH to drop (the mixture because more acidic). Once the pH is around 4-5, the sugars stop breaking down and the grass is preserved until the silage is opened and exposed to oxygen. If the pH isn’t low enough, a different kind of bacteria will start fermenting the silage, producing by-products (like ammonia) making the grass less edible to the cows. Once made and if the silage remains sealed, it will keep for several years. It can then be fed to the cows when needed to help farmers keep producing delicious milk during the winter months. friarsmoorvets.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 107
Independent veterinary services for livestock in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire Collection points for livestock medicines and supplies at Sherborne, Sturminster Newton, Blandford and Shaftesbury Please call the office on 01258 472314
www.friarsmoorvets.co.uk
Pet, Equine & Farm Animals
• Operating theatres • Digital x-ray • Nurse clinics • Separate dog and cat wards • Laboratory Kingston House Veterinary Clinic Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3DB
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Tel: 01935 813288 (24 hours) Email: sherborne@kingstonvets.co.uk
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Body & Mind
SLEEP TIGHT
Mike Hewitson MPharm FFRPS FRSPH IP MRPharmS, Pharmacist, The Abbey Pharmacy
V
irtually every day in the pharmacy I have someone come in who is having trouble sleeping. It is something that we take for granted when it is working well, but when it goes wrong, it can have an enormous impact on our physical health, as well as mental health and wellbeing. Sleep isn’t just about quantity, it is also about the quality of the sleep that you have. The health benefits of enough, good quality sleep are overwhelming: better mood, less risk of heart attacks and strokes, better immune system, 112 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
and better control of blood sugar and weight, to name but a few. So what can you do to help yourself ? Firstly sleep is about habits, once you get into good ones they can be quite long-standing, but once you get into bad habits they can be equally difficult to shift. The very first step for anyone experiencing sleep problems is to begin to look at their routines before going to bed. These measures are called ‘sleep hygiene’, and are designed to help reduce the activity in the brain in the run-up to going to sleep. Keeping
regular sleep hours is really important. That might not be that helpful for shift-workers, but if you are feeling tired, the advice generally is to go to bed – if you can do this regularly each day at the same time your body will begin to adapt to this pattern. The environment is really important, your bedroom should be dark, quiet, not too warm and not too cold, and everything there should be designed to help reduce sensory input in order to lull the brain into winding down its activity. This is one of the reasons that looking at an electronic device immediately before bed is not a good idea. This will stimulate the brain and encourage more activity which will help to keep you awake. Moving more is also really important to help get you off to sleep. Gentle exercise can help to produce chemicals called endorphins which will help to improve the quality of your sleep. Stimulants such as tea and coffee which contain caffeine are also a bad idea just before you go to bed because they will keep you awake. A simple swap would be to a warm milky drink such as hot chocolate which will not have the same impact on your sleep. Something else that I found quite surprising was the suggestion that if you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night, one of the worst things you can do is to fight it – get up and do something until you feel sleepy. This sounds completely counterintuitive, but it might help you to stop wrestling the 3am demons. This could also be achieved by writing down things that are worrying you as this has equally been shown to help put the mind at rest. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that sleep is integrally linked with mental health and that conditions such as depression and anxiety can have a direct impact on sleep. Sometimes problems sleeping can be the first sign of mental health problems – depression is, for example, linked to people waking up early. I would encourage anyone that is having problems sleeping that are long-term or persistent, if they have any history of mental health problems, or if they have experienced a life event such as a bereavement, to get in touch with their GP. Sleeping tablets are probably not the answer in the short-term, and they are definitely not the answer in the long-term. Addressing the underlying causes is likely to lead to a much more sustainable improvement in sleep. Our brain has different levels of sleep, and it is only during the deepest level of sleep which is called REM (rapid eye movement) that our bodies are able to recharge and make sense of the day. Often medicines can produce a type of drowsiness which leads to low
"Sleep can have a transformative effect on patients and their families once bad habits are broken" quality sleep which never quite gets us to REM sleep. So in the long-term, we can feel more tired and less refreshed even after a long sleep. Again, adopting the sleep hygiene measures I’ve set out above is likely to help improve what is called your ‘sleep architecture’ i.e. the pattern of sleep and how deeply your brain is relaxed. One of the other problems with long-term use of hypnotics (‘sleeping tablets’) is that apart from not giving us good quality sleep they can lead to a psychological reliance. The patient isn’t sleeping so they take a sleeping tablet, they then begin to worry that they can’t sleep without taking their sleeping tablet, and thus the anxiety produces the insomnia, and so it goes on. They also carry an increased risk of falls which for older people can be really serious as this can lead to broken bones and hospitalisations. Patients who have been using sleeping tablets in the long-term shouldn’t just stop them cold as this could lead to other problems. Speak to your GP, although to be honest they’ve probably already been trying to contact you to reduce your use of these medicines because it isn’t good to go on prescribing them in the long-term. Over-the-counter sleep treatments are essentially just antihistamines which cause a lot of sedation. They can be useful short-term for some patients to help them get back into a good habit, but I generally don’t recommend them. The use of these products generally peaks in the 7th decade of life, with people in their 60s. I would only ever recommend using them for a few days at a time. Sleep is an utterly fascinating area and can have a transformative effect on patients and their families once bad habits are broken, mood can improve, as can physical symptoms such as pain. I can’t stress enough that this is best achieved with behaviour change, and not medicines, and would encourage you to seek help if you are struggling. theabbeypharmacy.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 113
Body and Mind
MINDFULNESS
A TOOL FOR WELLBEING Lucy Lewis, Dorset Mind Ambassador
Nadia Bormotova/iStock
114 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
W
hat is mindfulness? Mindfulness has gained more attention in recent years due to the many benefits it can have on wellbeing. Mindfulness is the practice of being truly present and in the moment. Many of us constantly think about what’s next – what will I make for dinner tonight? What shall I buy for my sister’s birthday? Will my meeting at work go well? Other people may habitually ruminate over events from their past, such as previous emotive events and actions they regret. Mindfulness offers a respite from intrusive thoughts of the past and future, and the uncomfortable emotions they induce. Mindfulness offers the opportunity to be truly present in our lives and focus on the ‘now’. What does mindfulness involve?
Mindfulness does not involve blocking our thoughts or emotions. The opposite is true; to be mindful, you need to observe everything that’s happening in the present moment, including your own thoughts, emotions, and senses, as they occur. This awareness should be non-judgemental and accepting. For example, you can notice that you feel anxious without assigning further judgment to it. When you first begin to practice mindfulness, you are likely to find yourself getting distracted, but this is normal. You just need to note the distraction and bring yourself back to your practice. Over time, it will become easier to remain in a mindful state, providing a wellbeing tool for you to use when needed. Benefits of mindfulness
Mindfulness is associated with a whole host of benefits. It can be used to reduce symptoms associated with many mental health difficulties, such as anxiety and depression. One way mindfulness achieves this is by increasing our ability to regulate our emotions and prevent distressing rumination. Additionally, practising mindfulness can lead to cognitive benefits, such as improved focus and memory. Physical benefits can include reduced chronic pain, improved sleep, lowered blood pressure, and alleviated digestive issues. Ways to practice mindfulness
There are many techniques that can be used in mindfulness practice. For example, mindfulness meditation involves sitting in a comfortable position and observing your internal experience. This might look like noting any thoughts that cross your mind non-judgementally, any physical sensations, or external sensory information. Alternatively, some people prefer to do routine activities in a mindful state, such as eating, walking, or brushing their teeth. To do this, they need to notice and mentally note each sensation. For teeth brushing, this can involve noticing the minty taste and smell of the toothbrush, the sound and physical feel of the brush against their teeth, and the colours of the toothbrush. With all mindfulness practice, it is fine to become distracted – you just need to pull yourself back to the practice. There are hundreds of ways to practice mindfulness that can be found with a quick online search, so don’t worry if one doesn’t feel right for you. Try different techniques and remember that mindfulness is a skill that can take some practice to develop, but the potential benefits are immeasurable. For resources, real-life blogs, and further information about the 1-2-1 and group support services offered across Dorset for mental health and wellbeing, head to dorsetmind.uk If you need further support with your mental health, the first step is to talk to your GP, or if in a crisis, call 999. If you need emotional support, call The Samaritans FREE on 116 123. 24/7. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 115
Body and Mind
NAVIGATING THE MENOPAUSE
BRAIN HEALTH Julia Witherspoon, Nutritional Therapist
Image: Barbara Leatham
T
he huge changes women go through during the perimenopause years can have quite an impact on our brains. So this, my final article of the series, explains what’s going on and what we might do about it. In 2013 The Alzheimer’s Association reported that two-thirds of clinically diagnosed cases of dementia 116 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
and Alzheimer’s Disease occur in women (both in the US and Europe). The primary reason proposed for this gender difference is women’s greater longevity, as the risk of dementia increases with age, however, this statistic is worrying. Alzheimer’s Disease is mostly seen as a disease that is non-preventable, non-treatable and non-reversible, but since 2014 it has been shown that
this need not necessarily be the case. A therapeutic programme of diet and lifestyle interventions has been shown to reverse cognitive decline in some people and, if cognitive decline can be reversed, then it is believed it absolutely can be prevented in the first place. The slow development of Alzheimer’s Disease starts decades before signs of cognitive impairment are apparent, so if we make the appropriate diet and lifestyle changes now and really support our brain health in our 40s, 50s and 60s then we may be able to prevent its onset completely. The physiological changes women go through during menopause transition means this is a key time in our lives to really start being mindful of brain health. Adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle may dictate whether we do or do not succumb to dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease decades down the line. Most perimenopausal symptoms experienced by women are neurological in nature and this is because of a massive re-wiring and re-calibration of the brain at this time of life. As we begin to permanently lose oestrogen, the brain undergoes what has been described as a temporary ‘energy crisis’ due to the reduced ability of our energy-producing cells (the mitochondria) to turn the sugar from our food into energy. Our mitochondria love oestradiol (our main type of oestrogen) and the high levels we have in our bodies during our reproductive years improves insulin sensitivity and helps the mitochondria burn glucose for energy. The energy crisis the brain undergoes has been studied and results measured in brain scans. It has been shown that there can be up to a 25% drop in brain energy activity in women going through perimenopause. Fortunately, this is temporary but does go some way towards explaining why we experience such mood swings, anxiety, poor sleep, overwhelm, irritability etc as we go through our forties. To recalibrate, adapt and enable us to get through menopause transition, our mitochondria need to learn to use ketones instead of (and as well as) glucose. Ketones are chemicals that the liver produces when it breaks down fats and these can be used for making energy. The mitochondria need to become what is called ‘metabolically flexible’ and be able to burn both types of fuel for energy. Burning ketones is harder to do, particularly if there is a constant influx of sugar from our diets or in those who are insulin-resistant. So, it’s really important to support our brains during menopause transition and onwards, to not only help
reduce symptoms but also to optimise cognition in later life and minimise, where possible, our risk of developing dementia 20-40 years down the line. It’s not just about feeling better now but protecting our brains long-term. Also worth noting is that during this time of life, our brains may be having to deal with increased exposure to toxic metals, particularly lead (it’s not that long ago since we had leaded petrol, lead paint and lead pencils) that may have been stored in our bones for decades but is now being liberated as our bone density starts to decrease and there is increased bone turnover. This is another symptom of declining oestrogen levels in the body and another reason to really think about our brain health post 40. So what can we do about all this? What is quite handy is that many of the diet and lifestyle approaches below mirror those for supporting menopause transition and good health generally, so it doesn’t require a totally separate strategy! This is a very basic action plan to help the brain re-calibrate during this time which is suitable for all: • Work to reduce insulin resistance if necessary / cut right back on simple sugars and carbs • Eat protein, healthy fat and lots of fibrous veggies at every meal • Reduce alcohol intake (the menopausal brain does not like alcohol) • Build muscle (shown to benefit our brains at a cellular level) • Soothe the nervous system (perimenopause is NOT a time to be super busy – self-care is vital) • Supplements to consider are magnesium and taurine (both can act to calm the brain and support energy production) I lost my dad to Lewy Body Dementia and have a particular gene which puts me at higher risk of developing an age-related neurodegenerative disease. I am determined not to succumb and am passionate about supporting our very precious brains during the second half of our lives. Please don’t worry about the brain fog you might be experiencing during perimenopause – forgetting names, where the car keys are or taking a while to find the right word etc are quite normal and are not indicative of a disease process. julianutrition.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 117
1:1 PROGRAMMES FOR MANAGING THE MENOPAUSE MAYHEM Struggling with low energy and exhaustion? Fed up with feeling anxious and over-whelmed? Had enough of feeling irritable and moody? Drenched by hot flushes and night sweats? If you are wondering where the ‘you’ of your late thirties has gone, I can help you find her. I’m Julia, I’m a BANT registered nutritional therapist and I specialise in women’s health, supporting those in their forties onwards transition through menopause with ease, so they can embrace the rest of their lives with renewed vitality, energy and confidence. Visit my website to find out more about me and the support I can give. You will also be able to download my Perimenopause Top Ten – ten steps you can start taking TODAY to get on top of symptoms. julia@julianutrition.co.uk | 07709 317458
julianutrition.co.uk
I want the rest of our lives to be the best of our lives! And they really can be. Contact me via email or phone, or book a free introductory consultation via my website. On-line and in person consultations available. @julianutrition
@juliawitherspoon_nutrition
Choice of Hearses available including our Land Rover Hearse
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Independent Family Funeral Directors – 24 Hour Service –
Helping the bereaved of Sherborne and Yeovil for over 30 years
Sherborne 01935 816 817 ˙ Yeovil 01935 479 913 Pre-payment plans available www.ajwakely.com Please contact Clive Wakely, or a member of our dedicated team for any advice or guidance. 118 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
TRANSFORMATION
Respecting the past, embracing the future In the 231 years since we were established, The Abbey Pharmacy has seen many changes in our society. We continue to evolve and are now, more than ever, committed to meeting the changing needs of our customers. Our vision for the transformation of The Abbey Pharmacy invests not only in the health of our community but also our high street – we need your support in making this a reality. To find out more about our exciting plans and to register your support, please visit www.theabbeypharmacytransformation.com
Established 1790
HYDRATION
Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit
I
t’s June and let’s hope we experience a hot, sunny month! If so, it will certainly be a time to remember that it is important to drink lots of water and stay fully hydrated. Did you know we are supposed to drink approximately two litres (6-8 glasses) each day? That may seem a lot and indeed for some can be quite difficult to do. However, different people need different amounts – you could in fact need more. The amount needed also increases with strenuous activity – those who have attended a hot and sweaty bootcamp will know exactly what I mean! As well as being temperature and activity-driven amongst other things, one constant is the fact that on average approximately 60% of our body is water! The exact amount is primarily age and gender-specific. The brain contains one of the highest percentages – between 70% and 80%. So it seems obvious we must stay hydrated and drink lots, but what are some of the benefits? Boosting mental performance Research suggests that losing as little as 1% of your body weight in fluid may reduce mental performance. This mild level of dehydration can easily occur during a busy day of activities. This amount may not even equate to feeling thirsty with some evidence suggesting that thirst may occur when we lose 2-3% of our body water. So in fact, if we feel thirsty we may already be slightly dehydrated. Boosting physical performance Research suggests that as little as a 2% loss in your body’s water content may impact how well you perform physically. With time for many being so precious, we need to maximise performance every time we exercise. Boosting mood If we are hydrated, we are happier! Drink more, smile more – stay hydrated! If like me you find staying hydrated challenging, why not try these four tips to help you succeed. 120 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Image: Stuart Brill
Body and Mind
• Keep a bottle with you throughout the day. It will remind you to keep drinking. The bottles sold on our website would be perfect! *wink* • So many people don’t particularly like the taste of water. So why not add a slice of lemon or lime for added taste? • Drink before, during and after exercise – even if you don’t feel like it! • If you have trouble remembering to drink water, then drink on schedule – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or drink on the hour, every hour! If you don’t drink enough water, you will become dehydrated. There are many symptoms but some of the common ones include a dry mouth, headache, and in more severe situations, confusion, dizziness and fatigue. We are all at risk of becoming dehydrated but some are of higher risk. Those who exercise strenuously, are sick, pregnant or those who are in the older generation can be more prone to the issues connected to dehydration. Putting delicacy aside for a moment, I suspect the number of people who don’t drink enough water because they are worried about being ‘caught short’ is far too high. Particularly us men! If that is an issue then It is best to drink little and often. This will help to train the bladder and give us more confidence, encouraging us to drink more and reducing the chances of dehydration. Take a reusable water bottle with you each and every day. You’ll hopefully find that many places in Sherborne will be happy to fill it up for you, free of charge. If you happen to walk through Pageant Gardens you’ll notice the water tap next to the water feature. Fill up next time you pass! We hope everyone has the most wonderful, hydrated June. communifit.co.uk
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elizabethwatsonillustration.com 122 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Jackson-Stops recently brought to market this handsome, 18th Century former dairyman’s house, bristling with character, in a quiet village close to Sherborne at a guide price of £1,300,000. An enormously appealing house with delightful grounds and rural views, it typifies the quality of property that Jackson-Stops sells. It is no surprise therefore, that given our strength in this market and our national and local reputation, we received multiple bids and agreed a sale in little over a week. If you are thinking about selling and would like to get an updated market appraisal, we would be delighted to help. As we move into what is typically the busiest time of the year, it might just pay to do so.
Please contact me, Anthony Pears, or any of the team here in our Sherborne office on the details below.
SH E R B O RN E
01935 810141
sherborne@jackson-stops.co.uk jackson-stops.co.uk
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124 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
CONNECTING WITH NATURE
T
Annabelle Hunt, Colour Consultant, Bridport Timber & Flooring
he shift from spring to summer is marked by one of the most quintessentially British events of the year. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a celebration of all things horticultural, but it isn’t just for the green-fingered among us. Goodness knows, whilst I love the idea of an herbaceous border in full beautiful bloom, I know my limits. Over the last couple of years, we have all become so much more aware of the powerful effects of nature on our wellbeing. The link between the natural world and our designed environment is ancient and intricate, with natural plant-based pigments and mineral elements being the basis for paint colours and dyes for millennia. Many design styles have their roots firmly planted in nature, from the sinuous lines of Art Nouveau to the more restrained organic shapes and natural materials used in more contemporary styles. It doesn’t matter how large or small your outside space is, if you have a garden, a small balcony or even just a window box, making a connection between inside and out will help to create a happy, relaxing home. Make the most of whatever space you have by bringing the inside out and creating an ‘outdoor room’. Climbing plants can be used to enclose spaces creating intimacy, and a parasol will act as a ‘ceiling’, offering protection from the less desirable elements of an English summer. The aim is to make the outdoors feel like an extension of your home, and a space that you want to spend time in. Add accessories and lighting and introduce colour and pattern with soft furnishings to your outdoor room, just as you would your living room. Many companies offer outdoor cushions, throws and rugs in a multitude of styles, colours and materials which look just as good inside as out. Clever use of colour can completely transform how both your home and garden look and feel. It can be the simplest way to create a smooth transition from inside to outside spaces, whether that is through planting, accessories, or paint. By choosing colours, shapes, and styles similar to what you have inside, the shift between in and out feels harmonious and intentional. Fence panels or a patio set can be given a new lease of life with a fresh coat of paint in a fabulous shade which ties in with your planting scheme. The soft, dusty tones of Farrow & Ball’s Cinder Rose perfectly mirror pink hydrangeas whilst the deep purple tones of Pelt compliment lavender beautifully. By using colours that you have used throughout your home outside too, you will create a seamless connection between house and garden. Bear in mind though that all colours will look a couple of shades brighter in full daylight, so you can afford to be brave and go bold. Consider a stronger accent or complementary shade which links with your interior colour scheme. Bright sunny shades of strong yellow or hot orange for example India Yellow, Babouche and Charlotte’s Locks, combined with lush foliage in a sunny courtyard, would create a tropical haven. For lovers of soft, changeable colours that shift from blue to green to grey depending on the light, F&B’s gentle Blue Gray and the darker, more dramatic Inchyra Blue are both ideally suited to British skies and look beautiful whatever the weather. bridporttimber.co.uk
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Home
GOING WITH THE FLOW Ryan Terren BA FSSA, Feng Shui Consultant
126 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
A
ccording to the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui, the main entrance is the most important part of your home. It is where Qi, or energy, is said to flow into and out of the building, and, accordingly, the lives of its inhabitants. The main door is a building’s Na Qi, or mouth of Qi. Metaphorical and literal thinking are not separated in traditional Chinese thought, so let’s treat this as poetic fact. A mouth is a portal to what sustains us (food, air), and to the expression of our thoughts and emotions (sounds, speech). Our diet and emotional/intellectual expression are closely related to the quality of our Qi, which in turn affects our spirit and the manifest reality of our lives. In a similar way, the main entrance of a house is an interface for incoming and outgoing Qi. By association, it relates to financial income and outgoings; opportunities and relationships; our expression and contribution to society; our ability to nourish ourselves. In this way, the entrance of our homes is key to our prosperity and wellbeing. As per the age-old Feng Shui principle – and via Winston Churchill’s old adage – as we shape our buildings they in turn shape us. An oversimplification of course, but the magic of Feng Shui is that by adjusting our spaces we can bring significant changes to our lives. The core of Feng Shui is deep inquiry and the process might go something like this: First, do something that clears your head. Having created space for insight, go to your main entrance (this may not be your front door) and notice – as much as possible without judgment or interpretation – what you see and feel. What is your attention drawn to first? What is your immediate impression? What jars? What pleases? What do you see as soon as you enter, and as you leave? Immediate and obvious fixes might spring to mind, but there may also be lingering puzzles. Remain open to solutions and in time, they will make themselves known. Here are some time-tested Feng Shui principles to consider: • The door and frame should be free of rot. The door frame is said to be analogous to your family support structure. Repair damage or weakness here and you strengthen the emotional and/or financial help available to you. • The door should be well-hinged and open at least ninety degrees without impediment. Passage into and out of the house should be unobstructed. Sounds obvious but it’s revolutionary, and often overlooked. This point is
especially relevant for shop or business premises. • Entrances should be kept clean and clear of clutter. Little and often is better than binge cleaning! Doesn’t have to be minimalist, just get rid of stagnant stuff. Coats and shoes should not be immediately visible as you enter. • Mirrors are good next to the door, but not opposite. Especially useful when hallways are dark or narrow. • Hang images that radiate and attract beauty, abundance, flow, peaceful travel and personal achievement. Images of flowing water are generally helpful, especially if the door is located in the north. • Qi is attracted to moving water. Consider a small fountain or water feature either outside your door (to the right, as you look out) or in the entrance hallway. • As you leave your house you want something tall and upright to your left (a tree or plant), and something low and decorative to your right. This reflects the correct movements of Qi within the meridians and organs of the body, as understood within Chinese medicine. • If you have outside lights make sure they are working, and consider installing them if you do not. • Corners, straight lines and sharp objects should be softened and masked. If your front path is straight, use careful planting to break it up. Once you have made some changes, repeat the noticing exercise. Over the following days you might reflect on the following questions: • Do you notice any differences in the way you are expressing yourself ? • Are you finally managing to say or do things that you have been putting off ? • Is there a difference in how you are sustaining yourself? • Has your diet changed? • What new opportunities are emerging? This short article is of course not supposed to be a checklist of easy cures. In a full survey, I take into account many other factors including the surrounding landscape, the construction date and orientation of the buildings and the birthdates of the occupants. This allows me to make specific interventions that are tailored to each person, building and situation. Nevertheless, I hope you are able to draw some insights from the general guidelines offered here and to participate more deeply in the unique relationship you have with your home. lifehousefengshui.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 127
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128 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Sherborne
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Three-bedroom barn conversion, full of character and well presented, offered fully furnished, to be let as a second home/holiday house only. Three-bedroom bungalow, rural location, more information to follow.
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www.thehomemover.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 129
Legal
HAVE YOU REGISTERED YOUR TRUST? Emma Coate, Associate Solicitor, Private Client Team, Mogers Drewett
H
istorically only tax-paying trusts needed to formally register with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) using their online Trust Registration Service (TRS). As part of the continuing global effort to enhance tax transparency, the Fifth Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD) significantly extends the scope of the TRS. From 1st September 2022, it is estimated that up to ten times as many trusts including small or non-tax-paying trusts will now need to register who previously hadn’t or risk penalties being imposed on the trustees. What needs to be done?
The online TRS system, accessed via the Government Gateway, now requires trustees or their agent to enter basic details about the trust, including the persons involved (settlors, trustees and beneficiaries). The TRS must also be updated regularly with any changes to the trust, for example, a change of trustees. Exemptions
There are some trusts that will continue to be exempt from registration, but the list is small. It includes life policies that are held in trust, charitable trusts which 130 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
are registered as a charity in the UK, or which are not required to register as a charity, and co-ownership trusts set up to hold shares of property or other assets which are jointly owned by 2 or more people for themselves as ‘tenants in common’ (but not where anyone else owns an interest in that property). Trustee responsibilities
If you are a trustee, you are responsible for registering the trust with the TRS. Failure to do so is likely to result in penalties being charged by HMRC, so it is important that you are aware of your obligations and make sure you have complied by the deadline of 1st September 2022. New trusts will have 90 days in which to register with the TRS. Once registered, trustees will have 90 days from when they are made aware of any changes to update the details. Next steps
If you are unsure whether you need to register a trust or you would like assistance in registering the trust with the TRS then please contact your solicitor. mogersdrewett.com
PLANNING A SMOOTH TRANSITION Our team of experts will help guide you through every stage of life.
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mogersdrewett.com | 01935 813691 | enquiries@mogersdrewett.com
Finance
LEARNING BY MISTAKES
Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS, Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, Fort Financial Planning “Sometimes on the way to your dream, you get lost and find a better one.” – Lisa Hammond, Permission to Dream: Stepping Stones to Create a Life of Passion and Purpose
T
here’s a lot of bad news around at the moment. The war in Ukraine, inflation set to hit 10%, a recession around the corner, misbehaving politicians… Bad news is everywhere. Man’s inhumanity to man seems to be a common strand throughout history. One of the most important aspects of real financial planning is to accept that there is always bad news somewhere. One of the most important financial planning decisions is not to make the mistakes that other people make. In particular, by not responding to bad news without thoroughly understanding the consequences. One of the most important aspects of real financial planning is the need for an annual review meeting with your financial planner. Financial planning is much like keeping fit and healthy. You can’t go to the gym once and then be fit for the rest of your life. You have to keep going. Financial planning is an ongoing process, year after year after year. It’s a bit like sailing a yacht from one port to the next. Most of the time you will be off course, blown by the wind or pulled by the current in the wrong direction. The only reason you end up at your destination is that you are constantly correcting course, pulling the yacht back on track so that it finally gets to its destination. It’s the same with financial planning. It’s an ongoing process precisely because bad news happens. Things change – a lot. Over time, making little tweaks here, and little tweaks there will help you keep on track so that you eventually hit your target. With just a little awareness in your day-to-day thinking about your choices and actions – and their effect on your financial bucket – you may even stop wasting money on unnecessary expenditure. We also change as individuals and our goals may also change. ‘Sometimes on the way to your dream you get lost and find a better one.’ ffp.org.uk
132 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
Your Life, Your Money, Your Future Trusted, professional, fee based advice We live in a complex world. At FFP we aim to remove complexity, replacing it with simplicity and clarity so that our clients can enjoy their lives without worry
FFP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Telephone: 01935 813322 Email: info@ffp.org.uk Website: www.ffp.org.uk
ON YOUR BIKE Your daily commute doesn’t have to be as sweaty or costly as you think. By using a Cycle to Work scheme, employers can reclaim the VAT on e-bikes and employees can hire their new wheels as a pre-tax deduction from their salary. It’s time to change gear! 01935 815 008 | huntsaccountants.co.uk
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 133
CGI drawing in conjunction with consented shop front alterations
FOR SALE BY AUCTION 50 Cheap Street, Sherborne
Commercial/Residential development opportunity in the heart of town Interactive live stream auction sale 14th June 2022 Guide price £385,000 + Contact the joint auctioneers:
David Foot 01935 415454 david.foot@chestersharcourt.com
Christopher Coleman-Smith 020 7824 9036 CCSmith@savills.com
Commercial Development Management Sales
B E FO AM R S I N AL ST E ER SH T ER O L BO ET RN E
FO YE R S OV AL IL E
Chesters Harcourt have been managing commercial property in Sherborne for well over 30 years. If you have an interest in commercial property or land do give us a call or visit our website.
01935 415 454 info@chestersharcourt.com www.chestersharcourt.com
Tech
HOW OLD IS TOO OLD? James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers
A
question we are regularly asked is, ‘My computer/laptop is so slow, is it too old?’, to which the answer is invariably the same… It’s too old when you wake up one morning and say to yourself, ‘It’s time for a change!’ However, there are several considerations. Your computer is still running at the same speed as it did when it was new, but several things are conspiring to make it appear slower. All those updates that happen are bigger than the bits they replace so are making your PC do more work. File sizes get bigger for both internet pages and pictures as the internet gets faster but your PC is still the same, so it appears to be slower. Your computer may also have more software on it that you have had installed since it was new, much of this may be running in the background thus slowing it down. Strangely, one thing you wouldn’t consider is ‘you’. As you get used to your PC you begin to anticipate what it’s going to do next and therefore you appear to be waiting for it. The longer it goes on, the slower it seems… It’s not! You’re just anticipating. Lastly, on an older computer (3+), the hard disk bearings may be wearing, causing it to operate less efficiently. The longer this goes on over the years, the worse it’ll get. Most newer computers are now sold with a solid-state drive, which rarely slow down unless they are close to being 100% full. Other equipment like screens, keyboards, mouse and 136 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
printers just go on working until they die and there is no need to change them or replace them unless they fail or become temperamental. So, you’ll see that there really is not a time at which your computer is too old… if it works for you and you are happy with it, then just carry on. If you are frustrated by it and it’s causing you stress, change it. It doesn’t cost a fortune these days although prices have slowly crept up since the pandemic, but a fair laptop will cost you about £450 and a new desktop a little less than that. Everything is transferrable; you just have to bite the bullet and do it! There are, however, some steps you can take to make sure that your computer is working at its best: 1 Re-start it regularly if you generally keep it running all the time 2 Uninstall any unwanted software that may be cluttering up your system or stop them running at startup 3 Consider upgrading your hard disk to a new style solid-state one 4 Consider increasing the amount of memory in your PC All of the above can help if your machine really is slow and, as always, if you need help you know where to come! computing-mp.co.uk
UNDERSTANDING LEASE EXTENSIONS If you own leasehold property, it’s important that you understand when and why you may need to extend your lease.
Give one of our experts a call to arrange a chat about your lease Katharine Jones
At Humphries Kirk solicitors, we give advice in plain English...
Senior Partner / Head of Land Law
01305 252570
Read our FAQs on lease extensions.
Sarah Khamis Carson Solicitor
01202 421111
…that’s refreshing | www.hklaw.uk Get in touch with our experts. Bournemouth 01202 421111 Cranborne Chase 01258 840507 Crewkerne 01460 279100 Dorchester 01305 251007
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• Exercise classes • Running groups • Personal training • Events All age groups and abilities Call 07791 308773 Email info@communifit.co.uk
Muntanya is an independent trekking and outdoors shop offering clothing and equipment from major suppliers. 7 Cheap St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PT david@muntanya.co.uk 01935 389484 • 07875 465218 www.muntanya.co.uk
Covering South Somerset & North Dorset Small Business Support
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Award-Winning Dog Behaviour Specialists covering Dorset, Somerset & Wiltshire • New Puppy Training Package • Dog Behaviour Packages • Online Video Classes • Advice Line • Pack Walks
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01935 872007 / 07715 867145 waynesbusiness@aol.com 138 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
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Enjoy a two course lunch for just £5 Competitively Priced, High Quality Carpets, Vinyls, Woods & Rugs SHERBORNE SHOWROOM NOW OPEN Unit 12, Old Yarn Mills, Westbury, Sherborne, DT9 3RQ A family run business established in 1998, we promise a highly professional level of service Tel: 07733 101064 or 01935 817885 www.lsflooring.co.uk
This month if you are able, please consider visiting the Just Giving website to donate money, which you can gift aid. Your cash donations are valuable and enable us to buy items for babies, children and people with special dietary needs. www.justgiving.com/sherborne-foodbank Thank you.
Supporting Sherborne’s most vulnerable Enjoy a delicious 2 course lunch delivered fresh to your door
(Provided in microwavable containers to reheat at home)
Call our team on 07561 067381 or email communitykitchenteam@gmail.com to find out more
A big Thank You to our partners
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Sherborne Community Kitchen is a charitable incorporated organisation. Charity number 1190451
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 139
Short Story
AIMING HIGH
Mark Milbank, Sherborne Scribblers The crowd in the White City stadium was so quiet it was eerie; no one dared move as their favourite combination of the great Harry Llewellyn entered the arena riding the ageing showjumper ‘Foxhunter’. They were last to go in the jump-off for the King George V Gold cup – Britain’s premier and most coveted jumping prize. The only other competitor left in the competition was the Italian combination of Piero D’Inzeo on ‘The Rock’ and they had just had one jump down costing them 4 faults, so Harry and Foxhunter had to go clear to win. The announcer, when introducing them to the silent crowd, ended the introduction by whispering, ‘So let’s hear a pin drop but not a pole!’ In breathless silence the ageing pair scraped over the twisting, difficult, high course of painted show jumps until finally clearing the last triple bar and registering a clear round! The vast crowd erupted as one, in thunderous applause as Harry bent down in his saddle and patted his old friend by way of thanks for this great victory. Sitting in a ring-side seat with her parents, six-year-old Sarah burst into tears and leapt up and down on her seat screaming with joy at the triumph of her heroes, while her parents made no effort to restrain her. What excitement for a ‘pony mad’ little girl! Sarah could not stop talking all the way back to their flat in Knightsbridge – ‘I want to be like Harry Llewelyn when I grow up – will you please buy me a horse like Foxhunter if I am always very, very good?’ Laughing, her father, Patrick, said, ‘I would if I could darling, but horses like old Foxhunter don’t grow on trees!’ So it was nearly 18 months before Patrick beckoned his daughter to the closed front door of their cottage in Buckland Newton. Silently he opened it and there, standing in their small garden and held by Sarah’s mother, Sue, was a beautiful little cross-bred pony with an immaculately plaited mane. ‘Happy 8th birthday, darling,’ they both said. Sarah just stood there for a few moments with her mouth open and tears flowing down her cheek. Then slowly she tip-toed towards this vision. Cautiously she extended her arm to stroke its velvety nose. The pony emitted a little wicker and nuzzled her hand. Patrick quickly put a carrot into his daughter’s hand which was immediately transferred into the pony’s mouth. ‘What’s her name?’ whispered Sarah when at last she could speak. ‘You have got to give her one,’ said Sue.
140 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
‘I’ll call her ‘Spring Hare’ after the African ‘Jumpy’ because she is going to JUMP like Foxhunter!’ ‘Spring Hare, it is then. Come on, let’s take her to the stable which we have leased from Jim next door.’ The next two years passed in a blur of pony club camps, country shows, rides with friends and jumping lessons from old Pat Smythe. Spring Hare’s name was soon shortened to ‘Springy’ as it was not long before it was obvious that she really could jump. The collection of red rosettes hanging from a beam in the saddle room grew longer and longer, even extending to a few which were a multi-coloured purple with the word CHAMPION inscribed in the middle. But Sarah’s main aspiration still eluded her – the Junior Show Jumping Championship of Great Britain which was held every year at Hickstead for under 16-year-olds. Sarah and Springy had been second twice and this was now their last year as she would be too old next year. Springy was only just 12 so actually still in her prime and jumping better than ever. Her big rival was a young fellow called Wilf and his lovely 15.3 hh pony called ‘Nice Guy’ and it was they who had the only other clear round in the first round of the championship. So Wilf had gone first in the jump-off and knocked the gate down and received 4 faults. Sarah entered the ring with visions of Harry Llewellyn and Foxhunter flooding into her mind. ‘They did it, so can I’, she thought as she approached the easy first fence. No trouble with that one and all clear until the last big triple bar loomed in front of them. ‘One more jump Springy and we’ve done it,’ she whispered. She would never really know what happened next but spectators said that Springy slipped on a bit of mud just as he was about to take off and the result was that she crashed through all three rails and ended up in a heap on the ground. One of the bars smashed into the back of Sarah’s head and knocked her out cold. St John ambulance helpers and the show vet rushed out to the motionless horse and rider. Sarah was put on a stretcher and rushed to hospital. Patrick and Sue were at her bedside as she recovered consciousness an hour or so later. She looked up at them and shook her head, smiled briefly and then gasped ‘What happened to Springy? Is she alright?’ Sue stretched out her hand and held her daughter’s for a moment before saying, ‘Springy is fine, she was just winded and we left her in the stable munching a warm bran mash.’ ‘Oh! Thank goodness. That is all that really matters, isn’t it?’ said Sarah with a sigh of relief.
sherbornetimes.co.uk | 141
Literature
ALISON WEIR
Elizabeth of York: The Last White Rose Richard Hopton, Sherborne Literary Society
E
lizabeth of York is an important figure in the history of late medieval and early modern England. Daughter of one king, Edward IV, wife of another, Henry VII, and mother of a third, Henry VIII, she is the ancestor of every English monarch since 1509, every Scottish monarch since 1513 and every British monarch since 1603. Alison Weir’s latest book is a fictionalised account of her life. Alison Weir is the United Kingdom’s best-selling 142 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
female historian who has written extensively about the English monarchy in the medieval and Tudor periods, including biographies of all six of Henry VIII’s queens. She is equally adept at fiction and nonfiction; this novel complements her earlier biography of Elizabeth of York, making it an interesting example of the interplay between history and historical fiction. There is, Weir writes, ‘a wealth of source material for Elizabeth’s story’ but history doesn’t always record ‘her
thoughts, emotions, motives, hopes and fears’ and once she became Queen ‘her voice was silent’. So Weir uses the imaginative power of fiction to put flesh on the bare bones of the historical record, thereby providing a more vivid portrait of the long-dead Queen. This enables her, for example, to recreate the ebbs and flows of her relationships with her siblings, her husband, and her own children – aspects of her life otherwise lost in the fog of history. The Last White Rose succeeds triumphantly in bringing the turbulent years of Elizabeth’s life (14661503) to life. When it opens in 1470, England is convulsed by the Wars of the Roses. When her father, Edward IV, is deposed by the Lancastrian Henry VI, her mother is forced to seek refuge with her children in St Margaret’s, Westminster. Elizabeth - Bessy - is only four-years-old but already exposed to the dangerous currents of war and dynastic strife. In the following year, Edward recovers the throne and Henry VI is murdered. In 1483, Edward IV dies prematurely aged only forty-one, allowing his unscrupulous brother Richard of Gloucester to force his way onto the throne, murdering Edward’s sons - and Bessy’s brothers - the Princes in the Tower in the process. Two years later, Henry Tudor invades England to claim the crown, kills Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and ascends the throne. Elizabeth then married Henry, thereby uniting the rival houses of York and Lancaster and ushering in a new age of peace and stability. In Weir’s capable hands, Elizabeth’s character develops from childish innocence and youthful ambition to the complexities of adulthood. We hear, for example, that Edward IV kept three mistresses and that the nineyear-old Bessy ‘understood that a mistress was a lady worshipped by a knight from afar, but that did not chime with the disapproving tone of the gossips’. Likewise, she is portrayed as being politically aware, even acute, from an early age: ‘Elizabeth noticed royal councillors murmuring in corners and falling silent when she passed by. She feared that something ominous was afoot’. Above all, a medieval princess was expected to marry. As her grandmother tells Elizabeth at the age of thirteen, ‘You, Bessy, are destined to marry. You can serve God by loving your husband and your children. That is a holy way of life too.’ But Elizabeth’s marriage was also a question of great dynastic and political importance. At the age of nine, she was betrothed to the Dauphin, son of King Louis of France, but a few years later Louis repudiated Elizabeth in favour of
another, more diplomatically advantageous princess. It was then that the idea that she might marry Henry Tudor - then a landless exile - was first mooted but much water had to flow under the bridge before this came to pass. First, her uncle, Richard, having claimed the throne, announced his wish to marry her but then changed his mind in favour of marrying her off to a Portuguese prince. Elizabeth and Henry married a few months after his victory at Bosworth thereby uniting the houses of York and Lancaster. Their marriage may have brought a long and bitter dynastic conflict to an end but it didn’t entirely remove Elizabeth’s qualms about her status. She felt that Henry owed his title to the throne to her, that it was their marriage which legitimated his title; Henry, by contrast, justified his title as the God-given reward for victory over Richard III at Bosworth. Nor, despite their marriage, did Henry feel secure on his throne; he was forced to confront the Yorkist pretenders, Lambert Simnel, Perkin Warbeck, and Ralph Wilford while his suspicious nature inclined him to see disloyalty in every shadow. Weir marshals an enormous cast of characters, the majority of them historical figures, adroitly and, for the most part, imbues the dialogue with sufficient period feel to lend it authenticity without it becoming irritating and obscure to the modern reader. There are moments when modern argot slips into the dialogue: at one point Elizabeth enjoins Henry to ‘Stay safe!’ which sounds more of a Covid-era injunction than a medieval valediction. Later, she says, ‘I think Henry was in denial.’ And later still admits that, ‘I was in a bad place,’ both of which phrases sound decidedly modern on the tongue of a medieval queen. Overall, The Last White Rose offers an imaginative, enjoyable, and plausible account of Elizabeth’s life and personality, vividly recreating her turbulent times for the modern reader. sherborneliterarysociety.com
___________________________________________ Wednesday 6th July 7pm-9pm Alison Weir - Elizabeth of York: The Last White Rose The Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne DT9 3NL Tickets £9-£10 from sherborneliterarysociety.com/events
___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 143
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MAY SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Utters repeatedly (8) 5. Mineral powder (4) 9. Extravagant meal (5) 10. Stir up trouble (7) 11. Brother's children (7) 12. Loud resonant noise (5) 13. Special rewards (6) 14. Secure a boat (6) 17. Indifferent to emotions (5) 19. Stupid (7) 20. Make damp (7) 21. Urge into action (5) 22. Opposite of short (4) 23. Cornerstone (8) 144 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
DOWN 1. Extremely small (13) 2. Something showing a general rule (7) 3. Establish as genuine (12) 4. Exude (6) 6. Sporting stadium (5) 7. Unconditionally (13) 8. Prerequisite (12) 15. Active part of a fire (7) 16. Yellowish-brown pigment (6) 18. The Hunter (constellation) (5)
Literature
LITERARY REVIEW Hester Greenstock, Sherborne Literary Society
The Year of Miracles: Recipes About Love + Grief + Growing Things by Ella Risbridger (Bloomsbury Publishing) £22 (hardcover)
Y
Sherborne Times reader offer price of £20 from Winstone’s Books
ou do not usually read cookbooks from cover to cover, and recipes are not usually prefaced with the circumstances which led to them being cooked in the first place, but this is how it is here. Ella Risbridger is an experienced writer and journalist living in London and the context for each of the recipes is allimportant because it traces her state of mind as she navigates the year of Covid and the ongoing grief which she has experienced since the death of her partner in 2018. It is in no way a sad book; it is a book about living, eating and growing things, surrounded by her wonderful group of friends. As she says at the end of the book, ‘This has looked like a story about grief, but really it’s been a story about change. Grief transforms you, as cooking transforms, as writing transforms, as reading transforms. As love transforms.’ For someone who has had to cope with personal loss at an early age, she is fortunate to be so articulate and open in her writing and to have such a network of friends. She reflects on the fact that when someone is dying you think a lot about miracles, the surprisingly good things that do happen in an otherwise bleak existence. The Year of Miracles traces the month-by-month development of 2020, evoking the atmosphere of each month in the light of the weather and of Covid, and inserting recipes which suit either the mood, the produce available, or both. One moment she is
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describing the bleakness of the pigeons in January, the next the looming catastrophe that is Covid. But this is all with a light touch and with the help of delightful pen-and-wash illustrations. Recipes from far and near are cooked in a laidback way with ingredients from many parts of the world. It is very readable, unthreatening, often moving – and fun. There are set-piece pies and puddings, and comfort food in the shape of fish pie and chocolate brownies. There are plenty of snacks; some require exotic ingredients which you might have heard of, like burrata cheese, or you can make something strange and new, like zhong (which turns out to be a Yemeni relish). There are useful culinary discoveries to be made as you read the narrative. What can you do with surplus egg whites other than make meringues? You can make ‘friands’. Ella Risbridger’s first book, Midnight Chicken, received much critical acclaim for both its stream-ofconsciousness style and her love of cooking. The Year of Miracles takes us a stage further. She continues to come to terms with her grief and to acknowledge the importance of food and friends – and we can all relate to her allusions to Covid. Her philosophy of life is simple: ‘it’s the moment that matters, and life – maybe always – is just a series of moments worth living for. A series of moments and a series of miracles.’ sherborneliterarysociety.com
A Talk and Signing with Polly Morland
Thursday 30th June, 6.30pm for 7pm start Winstone’s Bookshop
Join us for a glass of wine and hear about the compelling true story of a tireless country doctor working in the community she loves Tickets £2 from Winstone’s
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
T
Reverend Duncan Goldie, United Reformed Church & Methodist Minister, Cheap Street Church
his month we will as a country be celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It promises to be a weekend of street parties, concerts and events which hopefully everyone will find a way of joining in, whether in person or simply watching the celebrations on television. The Queen is our longest ever serving monarch and most people living in our country today have not known any other. On the Queen’s 21st birthday, the then Princess Elizabeth said in a radio broadcast from Cape Town: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.’ That sense of dedication has remained a guiding principle throughout her reign. The world today is very different in many ways from the one in which the Queen acceded to the throne but her principles of love and service endure. The Queen has always clearly expressed her Christian faith while respecting the faiths of others. What the world will be like in another 50 or 70 years’ time is hard to imagine. It was not so long ago that we lived without computers, social media, sat-nav and e-mail, when the alternative to a telephone call was to post a letter. Whether modern communications are a blessing or a curse, depends not on the technology, but on the principles upon which it is based. God envisioned a year-long Jubilee every 50th year. It was to be a time of rest and remission. Slaves were freed and land that had changed hands was returned to the original owners. The idea being, that life was to be fair and just, and that no one should be permanently disadvantaged. In our ever-changing world, it is important that we seek to build our lives as individuals and as a society, on fairness, justice and respect if we are to make the most of our God-given talents for the benefit of others. So enjoy the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – together we celebrate a remarkable 70-year reign based on love, service, and respect. cheapstreetchurch.co.uk
146 | Sherborne Times | June 2022
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