Letters to the Editor

Want to reply? Read something you feel needs commenting on? Our postbag is open! Please send emails to letters@theblackmorevale.co.uk.

When writing, please include your full name and address; we will not print this, but do require it.

On Ramblers

This weekend I passed a group of what I took to be a group of ramblers - 12 or so people of retirement age, all in stout boots, wearing sensible waterproofs and carrying backpacks. However – I was driving, and I slowly passed them on a narrrow single track lane. The issue was that most scattered before me to both sides of the lane. Surely it is a hikers basic 101 knowledge that on a road you walk in single file, and keep to the right? By scattering on both sides they made it far harder for me to pass them all safely. Somen had unnecessarily launched into the hedge, others stood to the side of the ride, others, busy chatting, edged over but stayed side-by-side. Please walkers - by all means fill a quiet lane when there is no traffic, but do us careful drivers the courtesy of moving to just one side, in single file, when you allow us to pass!

Alan Moreton Shaftesbury

On the politics

Great to have Simon Hoare back in your politics pages again - I, like Dr Mathews in your September issue, had noticed his absence. His column (p.22 The BV, Oct 22) was apposite as the Westminster Circus continues to play out this month (as I write Liz Truss is still PM, but will she be tomorrow? By the time this is printed I suspect she will not be). I did feel that perhaps Ken Huggins column from the Green’s this month was unusually underwhelming - his is usually one of my favourite viewpoints to read, and I wonder if perhaps his actual views on the current Tory Mess may have been a little too strong for The BV’s pages?

Tony Barratt Nr Verwood

(I couldn’t possibly comment either way on that - Ed)

Farm cruelty

I have been horrified to learn of the case of farm cruelty in West Dorset recently. The cruelty and suffering appear to have been bad enough, when it came to light in the court case. But what is worse is that this was a Red Tractor certified farm - which had been visited repeatedly by Trading Standards due to concrns over the animal welfare for six years! Quite why it took so long for the situation to be resolved and the animals properly cared for is beyond me. How can a farm with such ongoing and longstanding animal welfare issues still retain its red tractor status? And more importantly, how are we supposed to now trust this alleged beacon of shopper security? Once earned, do red tractor not return and check up on its certified badge wearers? Once again we are fooled by the marketing. How lucky we are in Dorset to have such a wealth of local options to buy direct form producers, and not have to trust that the blurb we read is actually true.

Alan Pinman Dorchester

(Andrew Livingston’s Farm Tales column this month discusses this very case - Ed)

Are Warm Hubs being set up in Dorset for the vulnerable th is winter? I can thus far find no mention of an organised, infied project to do so, though i am awar eof certain individual businesses and community organisations who are offering a warm space to those who find themelves alone and cold and probably hugry through the coldest months. Obviously a collective effort is most effective, but if there are numerous disparate groups setting up indivdiual hubs, then a central resource to know whwre, when and what is available would be incredibly useful to share among those who may well need it. I fear the coming winter will prove difficult and long for many many of us.

A Harding Shaftesbury

Thank you for your feature on Mike Howe the thatcher. I always enjoy the craftsmen and women fetured in Tracie Beardsleys excellent articles, but this one particularly struck a chord as my grandfather was a thatcher. I remember being in his dusty shed, playing with the very ladders and tools you showed! It’s also very encouraging to see such an emphasis on apprenticeships and true training - the old skills aren’t just a nice bit of history, they’re essential for so many things and I fear that every year we lose so much knowledge before it has been passed on to future generations as the young people are driven to university, bypassing fulfilling crafts and trades.

Anne Ryman Chalke Valley

Neighbourhood priorities

The autumn has seen the local policing teams concentrating on the issues which the public have said are their biggest concerns, says PC Tom Harness

With a busy summer now behind us and much to reflect on over the last few months, policing in North Dorset continues to work at driving down our three priorities, which were decided by our neighbourhood priority surveys: • Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) and anti-social driving. • Drug Dealing and County lines. • Reducing rural crime and acquisitive crime, with particular focus on burglaries. Back in July we saw an intensification week in Blandford. As well as effective and targeted use of stop search powers we also executed a warrant at an address which was publicised by local news and the BBC. This was as a result of Operation Viper – Dorset Police’s coordinated response to drug dealing and county line activity. To reduce anti-social behaviour in Blandford, we have utilised Community Protection Notices (CPN’s) – these were formerly referred to as ASBO’s, a term many will be familiar with. We have identified key and persistent anti-social behaviour offenders, such as prolific drug users, shop lifters and those that have continually disrupted the peace and vibrancy of the town. In conjunction with the council ASB team, these individuals have been served with conditions designed to rehabilitate and reduce their offending.

Drop in clinic

On the last Tuesday of every month we have been joining up with Blandford Group Practice for a drop-in clinic at the Corn Exchange in Blandford. While there we aim to answer any questions the public may have and, importantly, offer an opportunity for people to fill out our neighbourhood priority surveys – these survey answers

PC 2186 Dave Mullins on the left and his colleague PCSO 7309 Mike Sinnick

are key in deciding what the local policing teams focus on each quarter, so please do come and have a chat.

PC Mullins

Lastly we are saying goodbye to one of Dorset’s longest continually serving neighbourhood PC’s, Dave Mullins. He has covered rural North Dorset and Blandford for nearly 18 years and has finally decided the time is right to retire. We wish him all the best.

For details on your local team’s future engagements please refer to our website. As always, if you wish to contact us follow the links. You can report non urgent matters via 101, and remember if you see a crime in progress or a person in danger call 999.