34 minute read
News
Tiger in the Sky
If you’re fortunate enough to see a yellow Tiger Month bi-plane 2,000 feet above you in the Blackmore Vale performing deathdefying stunts then you are probably watching local hero David Morgan DSC testing his flying skills to the limit.
And his life is as colourful as his plane.
The familiar and much-complained-about ‘orange railings’ lining the A357 approaching bridge in Sturminster Newton. Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Shaftesbury resident David was the most successful RAF pilot during the Falklands conflict, destroying four Argentine aircraft, including two Skyhawks which were attacking British landing craft.
The son of a Fleet Air Arm Seafire (the Royal Navy’s Spitfire) pilot, David trained with the RN as a helicopter pilot before moving to the RAF flying Wessex helicopters. He then passed the highly-demanding course to fly supersonic Harrier GR3s and became one of the first Electronic Warfare instructors.
During the Falkland’s conflict David flew more than 50 sorties both ground attack and air combat patrol.
His Sea Harrier was damaged by anti-aircraft fire over Stanley Airfield on the first raid but he
David Morgan during the Falklands conflict, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
skillfully nursed the stricken £20 million jet back to the unsteady deck of the carrier HMS Hermes, plunging in heavy seas.
He was credited with the destruction of two Argentine helicopters and two A4 Skyhawks which were attacking British landing craft, saving hundreds of lives.
For this skilled and dangerous attack David, known as Mog, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, only the second such award given to a RAF pilot since WWII – and making him the last RAF pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft.
He also joined an attack sinking an Argentine intelligencegathering ship, and flew several
After the conflict he was appointed to senior instructor roles, flying in 200 airshows, and became unit test pilot at Yeovilton, flying from the carriers Hermes, Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal.
David wrote a highly-regarded memoir of his Falklands service ‘Hostile Skies’, published by Orion, which is being translated in Spanish due to high demand in Argentina. It is also available as an audio-book. David is married with two grown children and five grandchildren and now lives near Shaftesbury, in Dorset.
He flew a total of 4,700 hours in the forces (2,500 on Harriers) and has recently retired from commercial flying as a Boeing 747-400 captain, with a total of over 16,400 hours in the air.
He is now a private pilot, teaching aerobatics in his vintage Tiger Moth from Compton Abbas airfield, the UK’s highest private aerodrome, which welcomes visitors to its smart restaurant/ viewing gallery and bar (Covid restrictions applying).
David Morgan’s vivid memoir Hostile Skies dramatically recalls what it was really like to fight, live and love during the Falklands War, and includes David’s heartfelt letters sent to loved ones back in England.
David with three of his grandchildren in his yellow Tiger Moth at Compton Abbas Airfield
Cameron Farquharson sharing a moment with Gladys, recently attacked by two uncontrolled dogs - Gladys was due to calve in the next few weeks, but her unborn calf died with her.
Gladys and Unborn Calf ‘Chased to Death’
Dorset farmer Cameron Farquharson and family were devastated when their much-loved pregnant hairy highland cow Gladys was found dead.
Five year old Gladys is believed to have been ‘chased to death’ by dogs as she and her unborn calf died after falling over a 30 foot embankment on Eggardon Hill.
The uniquely beautiful bovine had been grazing on National Trust land near Bridport when she was attacked,’ said Mr Farquharson, National Trust tenant of Redlands Coppice Farm, near Bridport.
Gladys was more than just livestock to the family She belonged to his daughter Charlotte, 17. “Gladys was hers from a calf. They have grown up together. I have four children and they are all devastated. We are all devastated,” he said.
Hairy highland cows are particularly attractive with an unusual double coat of rich auburn hair. On the outside is the oily outer hair – the longest of any cattle breed - which covers a downy undercoat. This makes them well-suited to the strong, cold winds and high rainfall of the Scottish highlands.
‘We should have a blanket rule for dogs being on leads when it comes to livestock in fields. It is simple,’ Mr Farquharson said ‘we get it all the time: ‘My dog doesn’t chase sheep or cows.’ But they do. Whether it is sheep, cows, horses, alpacas, whatever — to let your dog run free is irresponsible.’
Dorset Police are investigating the attack, and their message to dog owners is clear; ‘Keep a close eye on your dogs. Livestock worrying is unacceptable, farmers’ animals are their livelihood and Gladys was more than just a cow.
In the video below the family share an insight into their affectionate ‘hairy coos’, and thank the public for the overwhelming flood of kindness.
Anyone For Cow’s Head & Iced Prosecco?
Sturminster Newton councillor Carole Jones promises a glass of chilled fizz to locals welcoming the town’s new sculpture that was paid for by voluntary donations following action roused by the town’s Facebook community page.
Recently a horse’s head sculpture was loaned to the town by Martin & Cllr Carole Jones, and placed on the plinth in the Railways Gardens which until recently supported the Elisabeth Frink artwork. Town Facebook group members were admiring of the new artwork - but many questioned why a second horse (the town already boasts one horse sculpture, also gifted by Martin Jones) was to be featured in a town made famous for holding the oldest calf market in Europe.
Questions were raised around the statue, with many feeling that a publically-placed piece ought to represent the town. Perhaps misunderstanding a simple philanthropic gesture by Cllr & Mr Jones to fill the empty plinth, many were vocal in their belief that a cow or calf would be much more fitting to the old market town.
Elm Yard Gallery stepped into the Facebook fray and took the opportunity to share some of Mark Galbavy’s more bovine previous commissions. Cllr Jones took on the local comments - and asked the community to put their money where their opinions were, starting a fundraiser for a £3,000 cow’s head sculpture also by local artist Mark Galbavy out of Chris Hannam’s Dorset forge near Sherborne. that’ll be down to the town council.’
A generous local resident saw the fundraiser and offered matched funding if the community could raise the first £1500. A decision on where it will be shown will be made by the town council early June, so watch Sturminster Newton News for news of the date and location.
‘And we did it!’ says Cllr Jones,
In under two weeks the fundraiser currently stands at £1,595, raised by 45 supporters - enough with the promise of the matched funding.
The cow’s head sculpture has been widely loved by the community, and agreed to be a more suitable way to celebrate Stur’s agricultural heritage as a 700 year old cattle market – and the biggest calf market in the country.
‘I’m hoping ‘Our Cow’s Head’ will be placed in the Railway Gardens’ says Cllr Jones ‘but
And with what can only be viewed as a shameless bribe to attract a welcoming party for the unveiling, Carole adds, ‘I shall take a few bottles of iced Prosecco and hope you can all come and raise a glass.’
The sculpture itself is made by Mark Galbavy from Dorset Forge & Fabrication in North Wootton, near Sherborne. Elm Yard Gallery, run by Chris Hannam, also has an airy art gallery. Alongside Mark’s metal sculpture sit local featured artist works.
The Australian Trade Deal – What Does It Really Mean to Our Farmers?
With over 30 years’ experience in hospitality, food and drink at The Langton Arms, a successful butchery in the form of Rawston Farm Butchery and having hailed from a fifth-generation farming family, I’ve been invited to talk about the Australian trade deal, and what it means to the UK farming community.
We did a casual survey, and when asked, even fellow farmers did not know the ins and outs of the Australian trade deal our government are not-soquietly making on our behalf as a nation. In fact, when you investigate more closely, there really is not a lot of information available in the public domain, which raises eyebrows, considering the implicit effect it will unarguably have on our UK based farmers, growers and producers.
In an article featured over at BBC online, Liz Truss, Trade Secretary tells MPs “I am always looking to make sure British farmers will not be undercut by unfair practices from elsewhere,”. However, the UK are known to have among the highest standards in hygiene and animal welfare. As Tanya Steele, Chief Executive of WWF-UK critically states, “A rushed trade deal with Australia could drive a coach and horses through those efforts and provide a gateway into the UK for foods produced in ways that harm the environment.”
British farmers have such high welfare farming standards compared to any other country. We’ve seen countless examples of how cheap imported meat makes its way into our food chain almost under the radar.
Intensively Cheaper Food.
Australian beef, for example, is produced intensively and more cheaply than can be done in UK. In this deal, Australia’s top beef exporter expects to increase sales to the UK tenfold. It is impossible that our high standards will not be compromised, and once again the consumer could be easily mislead about what they are eating.
Already, mislabelling on cheap meat imports to the UK is a huge problem, with this meat being permitted to use the supposedly trusted Red Tractor label, which suggests on sight that the animal has been reared here in the UK.
We’ve seen cheap pork being imported, which has been made into sausages and labelled with the British flag. Is this ethical? No.
The consumer is led to believe they are buying British produce, raised under the high standards we trust. This potential loophole means those who do not know what to look for are eating meat that has not been raised to such high standards, or in fact, mislabelled meat, which could be something entirely different to what they think they are eating.
Only back in Easter 2021, British supermarkets sold New Zealand lamb wrapped with the British flag. When we ourselves did a price check, British lamb was in fact cheaper than New Zealand lamb. So, why are we letting this happen?
Where Does Your Food Come From?
I founded Love Local Trust Local specifically to help raise awareness. To educate the public on how food labelling really works, and to help the consumer know who to trust. New trade agreements without careful monitoring will providing plenty of space to muddy the waters and make clear food labelling a far greater challenge.
Making Local More Affordable.
Whilst people will always want to buy cheaper produce, and it is a genuine need for many on low incomes and tight budgets, it is important to understand that if we all do our bit to shop locally where we can, those prices for outstanding local produce will be able to come down, making it more accessible for all.
In contrast, if we continue to buy en masse from countries with lower standards, this challenge will always be insurmountable. This new trade agreement potentially means that hundreds Opinion Column by Barbara Cossins of British farmers are destined to have their livelihood cut or destroyed - especially the smaller farmers - as they simply cannot compete.
With the Australian trade deal looming, and the potential US trade deal in our sights, can meat traceability remain possible?
The UK is extremely thorough about traceability, to protect our high standards. I know first hand; Rawston Farm Butchery was established in 2012, at the time when the horse meat scandal was underway; horse meat was being wrapped in beef to disguise it, because it was full of painkillers, and this contaminated meat was therefore allowed to be filtered into our food chain here in the UK.
Farmers are busy people - they do not often have time for confrontation; they are passionate about looking after their animals and growing their crops, and their time is fully occupied with just that.
To coin a bumper sticker phrase, you will have likely seen; “No Farmers, No Food, No Future.”
Sadly, never has a truer phrase been stated. People are always going to want cheap food, we all understand that. But I’d like to feel they want the British farmer to survive as well, given how integral this is to our very being.
To learn more about food labelling, to support local, and to get behind our farmers, growers and producers, do head over to Love Local Trust Local.
As a farmer’s daughter and a farmer’s wife, I cannot emphasise enough that the British farmers need to be protected from the abuse of the food industry. Barbara Cossins, Founder of Love Local Trust Local, The Langton Arms & Rawston Farm Butchery
Your Next Independent Living Chapter Awaits At A Renaissance Community
Renaissance, part of Lifestory, is welcoming those looking to start their next chapter in a brand-new apartment to visit their wonderful later living communities in Wimborne and Poole, both located in beautiful Dorset.
Each location provides homeowners and tenants with a warm and welcoming environment, perfectly suited to those who are looking to stay connected and build lasting friendships within a tight knit group of like-minded individuals. Each community has a friendly and attentive Lifehost, Karen at Poole and Moira at Wimborne, who are always on hand to help with queries or plan activities.
The community in the market town of Wimborne comprises 25 spacious apartments and additional social spaces, including a sumptuously furnished communal lounge and a guest suite for hosting friends and family in style.
Surrounded by beautiful gardens to enjoy, the community also features a central courtyard filled with colourful seasonal flowers, the perfect spot to relax with neighbours.
Close to the seafront, Renaissance Poole is home to a selection of 32 spacious and modern one- and twobedroom apartments, each containing thoughtful features that maximise space and light. The communal areas provide the perfect relaxing backdrop for socialising and hosting. Boasting scenic views of Poole Park and Poole’s Boating Lake, some apartments feature south facing Juliet balconies which enable the fresh coastal breezes to flow into the homes. The independent lifestyle that Renaissance communities offer is ideal for those who seek a healthy and active way of life in an outstanding location.
You’re Invited!
Renaissance is inviting those interested to find out more about the homes available to an open day at Wimborne Bowls Club on Friday 25th June from 1pm.
Guests can enjoy a fun and relaxed atmosphere of free bowls coaching and refreshments whilst discovering more about the new chapter that awaits them at a Renaissance community.
If you’re interested in attending the Open Day, call the Wimborne Bowls Club on 01202 880415.
To discuss available apartments with our sales team, contact 01202 618 552 or email wimborne@lifestory.group / poole@lifestory.group .
A sneak peek into St Mary’s before it transforms into a £10m Centre of Excellence
It’s the sense of calm that is most striking at St Mary’s Shaftesbury. The dinner bell is silent and poignant displays of artwork lie abandoned by pupils and staff who always expected to return to their much loved school.
An old newspaper dated 4 March 2020 gives a sense of time stood still. But behind the scenes there’s a new energy at St Marys as the campus undergoes an ambitious transformation into a school and centre of excellence for children with special needs. the buildings. A cloakroom is set to become a sensory area and classrooms will on average have around ten pupils at a time. Some areas like the catering department will require minimal change. Dorset Council spent £10m to acquire the buildings and grounds and have allocated a further £5 million to adapt the campus. So why did the council spend so much money? Many children with special needs are unable to access the support they require to develop and are placed in schools outside Dorset.
Each out-of-county place costs £60,000 a year but placements within Dorset are a third of that, making it more economical in the long term.
Student’s artwork is still decorating the walls at St Mary’s School, Shaftesbury. Image: Rachael Rowe
“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to buy a purpose built school,” says Dorset Council’s Director of Education Vick Verma as I’m shown round
A third of the children currently needing a SEND (‘special educational needs and disability’) place live within a 45 minute drive of Shaftesbury. However, Dorset Council’s plans go far beyond money. Councillor Andrew Parry explained: “We are a bold council, and St Mary’s is a very good example of how we have demonstrated that mantra. This is a fabulous place for children to learn and to gain skills to transition in to adulthood. I want families to have confidence and for young people to go on and thrive.”
Phase one will see 60 children access the facilities from January 2022 as day pupils. Residential places will follow along with professional teaching and training for staff so the school develops a reputation as a centre of excellence.
Vocational training in subjects like agriculture will be available to prepare young people for the workplace.
There are places for 280 pupils when the school runs at full capacity. Existing head teachers are working in partnership with the project as St Mary’s will be one of the wider family of SEND schools in Dorset.
The library is still exactly as the pupils and staff left it in 2020. Image: Rachael Rowe
Redundant Latin textbooks left in a St Mary’s classroom. Image: Rachael Rowe
An interim head teacher will take charge for the first year as it is vital to find the person with the best fit for the substantive role. Appointing an interim team and working in partnership on recruitment will also help avoid a brain drain from other local areas. A charity will be established to support some aspects of the school.
“There’s real warmth within these walls,” says Theresa Levy, Director of Children’s Services at Dorset Council. It was a much respected school where generations studied and has a glittering alumni of former pupils.
It’s that warmth, energy and positivity that stays with me at the end of the visit.
St Mary’s means a lot to people in the area but it is the new chapter in its history that is probably its most exciting. It is an opportunity for some of Dorset’s most vulnerable young people to learn and thrive and ultimately shape the future of special needs education -and inspire all of us as the alumni of the future.
Spectacular new Dorset Museum now open
Artist’s Dorset - a beautiful gallery full of the Museum’s superb collections of paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, textiles, fine and decorative art.
Fancy a new and exciting day out?
Visit the re-opened Dorset Museum with its new attractions, including four new galleries, an exhibition space, restaurant, shop and library.
The £16.4m refurb, which includes a new wing, has so impressed the art world that it’s attracted world-class exhibits, such as sculptures by Elisabeth Frink, donated by her family. The Frink works were created at her home in the hamlet of Woolland, between Sturminster Newton and Blandford. The climate-controlled spaces feature Jurassic Coast fossils (including a ferocious looking jaw of a prehistoric crocodile) and the internationally famous Thomas Hardy archive which includes the author’s handwritten manuscript for The Woodlanders – good luck reading his scrawl!
‘Without the new extension the Frink collection would have left the county because the old museum didn’t have the facilities,’ says executive director Jon Murden, adding that the ambitious scale of the new museum has attracted exciting new artifacts to be attractively displayed. Star of the show is the Roman Fordington mosaic, which has been short-listed for the Restoration Project of the Year at the Museum & Heritage Awards. This 4th century exhibit was part of the original high street in the town of the same name, and has the reputation of causing the premature death of Thomas Hardy. It was discovered, to much celebrity, in 1927 and caused the novelist to leave his sick-bed to see the excavation – it was too much for the old man who popped his clogs a few months later in January 1928. One gallery is devoted to Natural Dorset, which reveals the secrets of Dorset’s geology, landscapes, habitats and wildlife.
The Natural Dorset Gallery - 250 million years of natural history come alive, revealing the secrets of the county’s geology, landscapes, habitats and wildlife.
The 140 year old museum is on Dorchester’s High West Street. Visit website
Opening hours: Daily: 9.00am - 4.30pm Sunday: 10.00am - 4.00pm Pre-booking essential for all visits.
Cllr Paul Harris QGM, retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 32yrs service in the Army, is welcomed as the new mayor of Gillingham Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Gillingham Welcomes New Mayor Paul Harris
Following last week’s formal vote by fellow councillors and mayormaking ceremony, Cllr Paul Harris has been welcomed as the new mayor of Gillingham.
Cllr Harris, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal during his thirty two years Army service, has been a Town Councillor in Gillingham since 2015 and alongside his local work is also a Member of the Board Of Trustees for the Royal British Legion.
He has been Deputy Mayor for the last two years, under Cllr Barry Von Clemens who due to the pandemic served an unusual two year term. Cllr Harris thanked fellow councillors for placing their trust in him during his speech in the online mayormaking ceremony, along with thanking outgoing mayor Cllr Von Clemens for his strong leadership over the last year.
Cllr Harris used his speech to outline his aims for the coming year, including updating Gillingham’s Neighbourhood Plan to ensure that it would ‘contribute to our defence to counter unwanted or unwarranted development’.
He also outlined a continuing green energy focus. ‘Our energy all now comes from green energy suppliers. Roman Court will not have a piped gas supply. We have already changed many of our power tools to electric. We will change to electric vans when we next need vehicles, provided we have been able to install electric charging points, and we have installed solar panels to generate electricity on the large roof area of our workshop,’.
Councillor Von Clemens said it had been a ‘great honour and privilege to once again serve our fabulous town’. He praised the community for its efforts during the COVID crisis, and lauded the progress made throughout the last difficult year.
Surging support for safer shopping in Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a beautiful and historic town and attracts thousands of visitors to shop, eat out and sightwsee. But there’s a problem.
When the town planners in the 11th Century built the high street they hadn’t reckoned on the volume of visitors in the 21st century. The pavements are narrow. The roads are narrow. And there’s road traffic. Big problem for today’s town officials. Their solution is that part of the town centre will become trafficfree.
The move appears to have won popular support, so in late May, by eight votes to three, Shaftesbury Town Council (STC) voted to request the highways authority
extend the scheme which bans traffic on the high street from Angel Square to the Grosvenor Arms.
But STC do not have the authority to make this permanent. The decision will be made by Dorset Council (DC) who could take between three to 18 months to consult local opinion and verify the move, says Councillor Piers Brown, 26. The vote is a victory for Cllr Brown, who says that
For it, against it
Some residents love the freedom of pedestrianiaston, saying it will be safer both in terms of people stepping out of the town’s narrow pavements into the road to overtake other pedestrians without the danger of traffic and, during Covid, keeping socially distanced.
Others object, including some disabled and town centre residents.
Cllr Brown says, ‘Some people with mobility issues say they now find it easier to access the high street as they’re no longer confined to the narrow pavements.
He also proposes to reduce the traffic ban to 10am to 4pm. ‘Delivery vehicles will still be allowed through the pedestrianised area, therefore we have not had complaints about people not receiving deliveries.’
‘This has allowed us and DC to make decisions based on evidence rather than on perception,’ he said.
The digital Blackmore Vale forecasts a sensible compromise between the two opposing camps.
And this is the dilemma for councillors: how to compromise between the locals’ rights and the need to attract shoppers?
As attracting visitors to this ancient hill-top town, this will need to be addressed in order to keep local businesses and staff employed. Councillors are very aware that shops pay local taxes and cannot reasonably be imposed upon. Virginia Edwyn-Jones, Chair of Shaftesbury and District Chamber of Commerce, said, ‘we want to give shoppers the maximum confidence to come back. We want to let everyone know Shaftesbury is open again for business.’
The public view
The case for more consultation:
“What about the people who live on the high street? I work all week up early Mon to Fri.
I’m sick of having to get up early on my weekends off to move my car and spend ages looking for a space somewhere where I don’t get a ticket.”
“Surely the council would issue residents parking permits like they do everywhere else in the country where high streets are pedestrianized.” “There should be dispensation for residents of the high street to be able to load and unload , also some permanent ‘blue badge only’ parking spaces left on the high street.”
The case for trafficfree shopping
“This happened in two high streets where I lived as a child and shops thrived better than before. No one likes change but change is essential if we are to evolve.”
“Brilliant news. It is so much nicer now as no cars to worry about. The high street was so narrow that it makes sense.” “This is the future. High streets
and city centres are vital
community spaces for people to meet and mingle freely. Well done Shaftesbury!”
“Brilliant, so much nicer shopping, Parking needs sorting out though!”
“We need to encourage more visitors and an easy sensible car park so we can grow. More people to have easy access and visit a lovely historic town which I hope will thrive with small independent shops and cafes/ restaurants”
“I love the pedestrian idea and agree. I wish they would think about amenities before they allow more and more homes.”
by Rachael Rowe The Two Ronnies
in the Blackmore Vale
Okeford Fitzpaine, where some of the Two Ronnies ‘Phantom Raspberry Blower’ was filmed, along with a Two Yokels sketch. Image: Rachael Rowe
Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett first broadcast their show fifty years ago in 1971 and continue to make people smile today.
From the Four Candles to Piggy Malone, all of us probably have a favourite and in some cases can even recite the lines. But did you know that several of their classic sketches were filmed in and around North Dorset? Even today, locals remember the comedy duo with fondness.
The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town was partially filmed in the village of Okeford Fitzpaine. One of the oldest residents, Mr Bernard Trowbridge, remembers them:
Residents were not allowed to get too close to the filming at the time but recall shadowy figures filming among the gravestones and running around the area. The village hall was transformed into a dressing room and with typical Dorset hospitality, local residents Mr and Mrs Snell plied the Two Ronnies with tea and cake at the Old Rectory. They had to contend with a long line of children (and adults) looking for autographs.
The film crew and the Two Ronnies used to cycle downhill through the village to the church. Julie Taylor remembers the crew with bikes.
Bernard Trowbridge remembers a scene when Ronnie Barker was riding a large bike. “He wore a black gown and was at the top of the church path with his legs sticking out and came all the way down to the bottom. They filmed the bicycle scene from the church tower.” A two yokels sketch, leaning over the church lychgate was also filmed in the picturesque village. Okeford Fitzpaine served as the location for scenes in Charley Farley and Piggy Malone around the church and adjoining roads. Ronnie Corbett was filmed running after a van on Shillingstone Lane, almost losing his trousers. Kings Stag was also used for the two yokels sketches with the duo leaning over a gate and chewing straw. Naturally, the pair went on to the Green Man pub - still dressed in their rustic outfits - to enjoy a drink.
Gold Hill is famed for the Ridley Scott Hovis advert made in 1973. Ronnie Barker immortalised the hill in a spoof act in 1978 as he was filmed in Shaftesbury carrying a loaf of bread and looking disgruntled with the climb to the top. The Two Ronnies also stayed at the Grosvenor Hotel in town when filming on location in North Dorset.
Because Childhood Can’t Wait.
This June the UK focuses on the wonderful work of those who freely give their time to make a significant difference. As we celebrate Volunteers Week (1- 7 June), the digital Blackmore Vale steps into the world of Home-Start North Dorset.
This amazing local charity is part of one of the nation’s leading family support charities. It is celebrating 10 years of helping 550 families and 1120 vulnerable children across Shaftesbury, Blandford and the Blackmore Vale region through the ups and downs of family life.
Parenthood has many rewards but we all know it’s a tough job.
The usual challenges of looking after little ones become much harder when you add social deprivation, rural locations with no nearby child-support facilities and poor public transport links. ‘Because Childhood Can’t Wait’ is Home-Start’s message, perfectly summing up the importance of those formative years, crucial to the development of a child and its family bonds.
Chelsey Gowen, Scheme Manager for Home-Start North Dorset (HSND) explains:
The successful formula of HomeStart connects people with parenting experience to those with young children (at least one child under five) who are going through a difficult time.
Home-visiting volunteers offer a few hours a week of friendship, practical help, emotional support and – to quote the John Lewis/ Waitrose slogan - “a little love”. The supermarket has an ongoing campaign in support of HomeStart.
One parent told us:
“Home-Start has given my children their mum back”
and another
The mother of a two month-old who had recently fled domestic abuse recalls:
Thanks to weekly support from an HSND volunteer, this young woman got her life back on track and now is a volunteer for the charity herself.
Sometimes the volunteers are grandparent role models to parents whose own family are not local enough to lend a hand - or perhaps are no longer alive. Others become friends and mentors, sharing their own parenting tips built upon years of experience.
As well as home visiting, volunteers run a “Mess and More” toddler group. They also provide a Mothers in Mind group for expectant and new mums who, for various reasons, are finding life tricky. This has also led to the creation of a walking group – exercise and good company being a great healer.
Chelsey Gowen: “The pandemic has brought lots of stresses and difficulties with it, but we’ve managed to continue giving support to the families in a variety of remote ways and we’re so grateful to our lovely volunteers and staff for enabling this to happen.”
She adds: “On our 10th anniversary we’re pleased and proud to announce that Mrs Anthony Pitt-Rivers, CVO, DL, a staunch supporter of ours, has agreed to become our Patron alongside Lady Emma Fellowes, LVO who continues to overwhelm us with her ongoing support as our Patron.”
Home-Start North Dorset, which has to raise all its own funds, currently has 42 volunteers plus eight trustees who manage the scheme. The organisation is
keen to hear from anyone who
wants to play a part and a new training programme for volunteers is scheduled for midJune. Volunteers are welcome from all walks of life. The one essential thing they must have in common is 24 hour parenting experience. There are also opportunities to become a trustee, a fund raiser, or a Friend of HSND with an annual subscription of just £10. “We’ve had wonderful local support over the years and thank everyone for this,” says Chelsey Gowen.
“There are currently two very specific needs. One is for a volunteer to help run our Mess and More group and the other for someone to work towards becoming the Chair of Trustees.”
Please visit www.home-startnorthdorset.co.uk, email Hello@home-start-northdorset. co.uk or call 01258 473038
A National Buzz around Shillingstone’s BeeWayzz
You may have heard Shillingstone’s Bere Marsh Farm and the Countryside Restoration Trust on Radio 4’s Farming Today this month, launching their new ‘Bee Corridor’.
(Don’t worry if you missed it, just click the play button bottom right of this page)
Dorset’s heritage Bere Marsh Farm is the centrepiece of the groundbreaking new project which aims to make the Blackmore Vale a hive of activity for bees and bee enthusiasts. The innovative scheme will utilise little-used lanes, byways, B roads, bridle routes, ancient droves and tracks to create a network of bee-friendly foraging ‘corridors’. This will enable the local bee populations to expand and grow stronger - these natural pathways will be intensively planted up with pollen and nectar laden flowers and plants by local allotment societies, schools, gardening clubs, WIs, parish councils etc.
The plan - suitably unveiled on 20th May, World Bee Day – will start with a corridor from Shillingstone to Durweston, and Hanford to Turnworth.
This will then be the blueprint to replicate four more corridors over the following four years, all radiating from the central hub of Bere Marsh Farm. Key to its success is the extensive planting along the corridors of annual and perennial plants and flowers which will deliver substantial and consistent supplies of pollen and nectar for the roaming bees all summer long.
Elaine Spencer White says
‘In addition, the Hub is promoting the little-known art of ‘natural beekeeping’ – maintaining hives but leaving the honey for the bees themselves so that they grow healthier and stronger and thereby arresting declining populations amongst the various species.
‘We want to encourage greater interest in nurturing bees rather than taking their honey. Natural beekeeping is an ancient craft which has almost died out and we are intent on reviving it,’ she adds.
In time, it is hoped that the pollen rich corridors will not be confined to the Blackmore Vale. It is hoped BeeWayzz will spread across the county and beyond.
The Union Flag flown defiantly by a skeleton Allied force in 1941, displayed above a German swastika flag that was captured during the relief operation. Image: Roger Guttridge.
Flagging up the world’s biggest tank museum
Two giant flags that survived the eightmonth siege of Tobruk in North Africa feature in a major new exhibition at the Tank Museum in Bovington, which reopened to the public on May 17.
They include the Union Flag flown defiantly by a skeleton Allied force after it was cut off in the Libyan port by German and Italian troops from April 1941. Relief operations were carried out by the RAF and Royal Navy but it wasn’t until November 1941 that the 8th Army’s Operation Crusader finally freed the so-called ‘Rats of Tobruk’. In the exhibition, the giant Union Flag is displayed above a German swastika flag that was captured during the relief operation.
Tank Museum curator David Willey told the digital Blackmore Vale: ‘Flags are so important in conflict as symbols and rallying points. ‘For many they are an expression of what you are fighting for, or trying to defend. ‘The swastika flag was probably used to help identify the German gun position to their own Luftwaffe pilots.’
The Bovington attraction dates back to the 1920s and is the world’s biggest tank museum with more than 300 vehicles.
In normal times it attracts 250,000 visitors a year, peaking at 3,000 a day on wet days in summer. Staff have used the lockdown to create the World War Two: War Stories exhibition, which not only features 60 vehicles but tells many of the human stories behind the official history.
One story centres on the museum’s only mascot and one of its smallest exhibits, a china doll called Little Audrey, Abbess of Chantry, who was given to tank commander Bill Bellamy by his girlfriend Audrey before he left for war.
Little Audrey was attached to the turret searchlight on Bellamy’s tank, the Abbot of Chantry, and became a good luck symbol to the whole troop. The tanks were about to go into battle in Holland following D-Day when Little Audrey was knocked off her perch. Bellamy was about to give the signal to move when Sgt Bill Pritchard leapt from his tank, rushed back to rescue Little Audrey from a hedgerow and handed her to the commander.
‘I’m not going without her!’ said Pritchard.
• The museum is now open 9am5pm daily but numbers are limited due to the pandemic and visitors are advised to book via the website tankmuseum.org.
Tank Commander Bill Bellamy’s Little Audrey, Abbess of Chantry, was attached to the turret searchlight and became a good luck symbol to the whole troop.
