The New Blackmore Vale (07/07/2023)

The New Blackmore Vale

Page 17: Meet military history buff and local author Jim Carter

Page 12: The ladies of Shillingstone WI celebrate the group’s centenary

of Whitesheet

Happy 100th birthday Margaret!

Winterborne Houghton’s first centenarian celebrated at home with family and friends

THE oldest and youngest residents of Winterborne Houghton met when Margaret Bolton celebrated her 100th birthday.

Margaret, believed to be the first villager ever to reach the landmark, celebrated with a surprise party at her home on Tuesday, June 13.

It was organised by her son Gareth and daughter Valerie with their respective spouses Malou and Josiah.

Winterborne Houghton’s youngest resident, twoweek-old Max Rastall, went along with his mum Robyn to present a card from the parish council on the village’s behalf.

Pride of place, however, went to the card from King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Margaret was delighted her two nephews, Canon Andrew Loat and his wife Heather, and Timothy Loat and his wife Anne, were able to attend.

Sadly, Margaret’s niece Zoe Keller was unable to make it as she lives in Australia.

Musical entertainment was supplied by Margaret’s son-in-law, Josiah (pictured right), who played a wonderful rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ with a distinct Caribbean twist.

Blooming marvellous!

Shaftesbury’s gardeners are crossing their green fingers in the hope of winning another Britain in Bloom award

GREEN-FINGERED volunteers in Shaftesbury are keeping their fingers crossed judges in this year’s Britain in Bloom competition will look favourably on their efforts.

Shaftesbury won a gold award last year and the judges visited last Wednesday (June 28) to look over the town before giving their verdict on entries around the country later this year.

Shaftesbury entered the South and South East and National in Bloom competitions.

The town has 150 floral troughs and displays grown and made up by the volunteers and team at Employ My Ability @ThornGrove in Gillingham.

Businesses in Shaftesbury have bought them and displayed them on their premises and the Shaftesbury in Bloom (SiB) watering team waters them two or three times a week during hot spells

Volunteers maintain the Ivy Cross and Royal Chase flower beds, Angel Lane and Bell Street car parks, the library garden, war memorial and flower bed at the entrance to Abbey View GP surgery, and the heather bed by the police station.

This year they are maintaining Abbey View GP surgery’s floral and vegetable

beds, working with Ecco in Mind, growing produce for the local community and accepting donations for Dorset in Mind and The BaD Company, which both support people with mental health conditions.

Volunteers have also maintained the Shaftesbury Lido pool flower bed and pots, and recently helped at Shaftesbury Abbey to maintain its crypt.

The judges went on a 1.4km route around Shaftesbury, taking in the Hospital Gardens, Home Grown allotments, Breech Common, Abbey School, Millennium Green, GP gardens and the High Street.

SiB vice-chairman Alison Harding said: “As volunteers, we are always looking for fresh ideas, new areas to incorporate for next year’s 2024 judging.

“Anyone can join SiB, by sponsoring a bed on the roundabout or a window trough/ box, give a few gardening hours to keeping an area tidy, join our working groups.

“We would be happy to assist girl guides, scouts and DofE candidates.

“We aim to keep Shaftesbury town ‘In Bloom’ and ask everyone to help support us, by keeping Shaftesbury clean, tidy, litter free and above all a lovely area to live.”

Kill your speed

Part of the Badbury Rings road has been slowed to 50mph

A REDUCED speed limit of 50mph has been introduced on the B3082 at Badbury Rings.

The change is a response to serious and fatal injury collisions on this road.

It’s intended to improve safety, including at three junctions which give access to Shapwick, Sturminster Marshall and Badbury Rings.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “The Badbury Rings road is important for commuters from Blandford to Wimborne and beyond, but sadly there have been serious and fatal collisions.

“By reducing the speed limit,

Classical concert festival supports children’s hospital

THE Swan Theatre in Yeovil is hosting a series of classical music concerts this summer for the first time, which will also raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Mike Stanley, Swan member and founder, and festival creator, along with the Cirrus Quartet, will perform with guest artists.

Popular chamber music, including Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy and Schubert, will be staged over four days in July.

we aim to make this stretch of road safer for all. Nevertheless, we also urge motorists to drive responsibly and according to the conditions of the road, prioritising the safely of themselves and others.”

A public consultation, where people were able to comment on the proposed speed reduction traffic regulation order, took place in February 2023.

The players are all leading solo and chamber music performers, who have worked with most of the top chamber and symphony orchestras in Great Britain.

Mike had a career as a pianist and musical director in the West End for over 40 years.

His grandson Morris, who died in February this year aged 14 months after contracting Strep A, was treated at Great Ormond Street.

The festival runs from Wednesday to Saturday, July 19-22 – for performance details and tickets visit www.swan-theatre. co.uk or phone the box office on 07500 376031.

Future farmers

Local branch of the Young Farmers Club is celebrating a milestone birthday this July…

MEMBERS of Gillingham and Shaftesbury YFC are getting set to celebrate the group’s 90th anniversary.

The milestone will be marked with a party at Manor Farm, Silton (SP8 5PR) on Saturday, July 22, from 2-7pm with speeches at 6pm.

The club would be delighted to see as many former members as possible and would be grateful for any old memorabilia or photos.

Young farmers clubs – often called the youth movement of the countryside – were founded in the 1930s to promote and improve the quality and welfare of farm livestock, and the skills

Nature’s bounty

of young people in rural areas.

Now clubs are much more inclusive, involving not only farming families but everyone who has an interest in country life.

A host of activities, including everything from paintballing to auctioneering and farm walks and many more, are on offer. National and international activities are also available.

Experiences gained in young farmers such as public speaking and brains trusts have helped many former members become involved in other organisations such as the NFU and Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show Society.

The clubs are also sometimes called unofficially the marriage bureau of the countryside!

For more information and to RSVP to the anniversary party, email gandsyfc@gmail.com or phone 0444 892321.

JAY BLADES X G PLAN

THE talk at Blandford Evening WI’s latest meeting concerned an area close to home – May’s Wood, Bere Regis.

Just over 10 years ago, Sir Brian May, of the rock band Queen, saved the area from being developed for housing by buying the fields, and with local community involvement planted the wood.

The wood has matured for a decade and its growth has been recorded by local photographer Linda Lamon.

Her talk on the wood and its gradual development, providing food and safe haven for wildlife, flora and fauna, birds and butterflies – and as a place of tranquillity for the local community throughout the year – was inspirational and was illustrated with her own photographs.

Her selection of 3D pictures had all the members looking through the green and red-lensed glasses – pictured –reminiscent of post Second World War cinema.

A visit one afternoon to May’s Wood has been proposed for later in the year.

A well-loved TV presenter and personality, Jay Blades has teamed up with G Plan; offering a collaboration that rethinks the way classic furniture design can be crafted. Presenting a diverse range of pieces from a furniture company with a rich design heritage.

Cleaner communities

Local business sweeps away the competition with staff-driven litter pick

TEAM members from Blandford-based independent family brewer Hall & Woodhouse came together to tackle local litter and clean the streets to celebrate the company’s annual Founder’s Day.

More than 200 staff from across the company’s managed pubs collected as much rubbish and litter as possible to help encourage cleaner communities.

The annual event is held to celebrate Hall & Woodhouse’s Founder’s Day, the anniversary of the business’s founding in 1777.

Company chairman Anthony Woodhouse said: “At Hall & Woodhouse, we treasure the relationship we have with local communities… Founders Sweepers is a great day out that delivers our team a real sense of reward and pride.

“We started the annual litter pick over 14 years ago. The team’s competitive nature to dispose of as much litter as possible is a great addition to the tradition.”

Book online: blackmorevale.net

Email: adverts@blackmorevale.net Age

(Sturminster Newton)

Your local charity for all age-related information and advice

Befriending Welfare Advice

Mindful music

MINDFUL, a charity which supports individuals living with dementia or memory loss in north Dorset, is embracing the power of music.

It organises musical entertainment, including sing-songs, and Paula Fleming visited to run a drumming session at Stalbridge which the participants enjoyed.

Trustee Peter Fineman said: “Music and memory have a powerful connector – music lights up emotional memories.

“Everyone remembers songs from their past – and they can have many benefits in the setting of dementia.”

He added: “If you or someone you know lives with memory loss or dementia, a warm welcome awaits you at Mindful Cafes where you can have fun, socialise and benefit from the support of this friendly group.”

Meeting locations have ample parking and transport can be arranged.

For more information or an informal chat contact Barbara on 07910 663393 or email barbara.turnbull@talktalk.net

Balance Classes

01258 475582

& Wednesday. Answerphone Friday

Telephone Support Foot Clinic info@acnorthdorset.org.uk | www.acnorthdorset.org.uk

Family Law Advice

Family Law Advice

Milling around

Water mill welcomes volunteers keen to get their noses to the grindstone

this summer

We realise talking about divorce or separation is very personal and so we are offering virtual appointments by Zoom. As an alternative, we offer a one off FREE telephone appointment for initial advice on Wednesdays 9am – 1pm

We realise talking about divorce or separation is very personal and so we are offering appointments at our offices. For new clients seeking initial advice a FREE appointment can be booked on Wednesdays 9am – 1pm.

To book an appointment please call us on 01747 852377

To book an appointment please call us on 01747 852377

Offices in Shaftesbury – Sturminster Newton – Gillingham

Sturminster Mill is offering children aged 9-12 the chance to learn all about milling.

This summer, children can go behind the scenes and find out what life was like at the historic flour mill.

There will be two sessions at the water mill on July 27, from

11am-1pm or 2pm-4pm. Places are free but limited; call 01258 473178 to secure a space.

Bring an adult; drinks and biscuits will be provided.

For more information contact zillabears@hotmail.co.uk or visit sturminsternewtonmuseum.co.uk/mill

Somerset ciders win at Bath

& West

Show visitors picked the people’s choice in a taste test, with a couple of small, local producers scooping the top awards

TWO local ciders popular with visitors to the Royal Bath and West Show scooped awards.

Alan Berry’s Blackmore Vale Cider from near Templecombe won the medium cider category in the People’s Choice awards.

Alan is a regular prizewinner in the British Cider Championships, winning the Supreme Championship back in 2016, also with a medium cider.

The People’s Choice sweet cider was Southdown Cider’s Festival, made by Rob Whale at Shepton Montague, near Bruton.

Rob’s cider business is relatively small scale but he has won some big prizes, including Supreme Champion in the 2019 British Cider Championships.

The People’s Choice is a popular feature of the Orchards and Cider Exhibition at the show. Visitors are given the chance to judge a selection of prize-winning ciders and choose their favourite.

If you go down to the woods…

FOREST school fun is coming to the woodlands at Stourhead, near Mere, during the summer holidays. The National Trust property will host six weekly sessions for five- to 12-year-olds, enabling them to immerse themselves in the woods and outdoor play. The cost is £15 per child – babies go free – and children must be accompanied by an adult. Find out more and book online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ Stourhead

Photo by Sokmean Nou on Unsplash

Butterfly bikers

From John O’Groats to Land’s End, two dedicated cyclists have raised over £3,400 for butterfly conservation in Dorset by Wren

Franklin

WE did it – we have become ‘End to Enders’! Over 14 days of cycling we travelled 1,036 miles and climbed 16,898 metres. We rode for 74 hours and on our longest cycling day covered 105 miles. We recorded exactly 100 butterflies on the way.

It was a real pleasure to pass through so many landscapes of Britain at cycling pace. After leaving John O’Groats, the first leg of the ride took us along the north coast of Scotland with its stunning white sand beaches and remote villages. We then turned south and rode down through the Highlands. Expansive open upland moors and peat bogs with no shelter from a headwind made us grateful for the areas of regenerating natural woodland. Around Altnaharra and Aviemore these wooded landscapes delivered more wildlife sightings and showed just how denuded much of our uplands have become. The Lake District was another joy to cycle through, despite the hills. Upland hay meadows brim full of meadow buttercup, dry stone walls and dramatic views made this day a real pleasure.

Continuing south, the willow pollards that lined the lanes through the Severn Valley stood out as magnificent trees

mirrored by similar sights as we crossed the Somerset levels. From here on we were into the hills of Devon and Cornwall. The saving grace here was that although these were the days with the most climbing, we spent a lot of miles in sunken lanes, festooned in wildflowers and overtopped by trees – cool and shady as the daytime temperatures climbed. We arrived into Land’s End to a small welcoming party and dodged the crowds of tourists for a photograph where the land runs out.

Our quest to record butterflies as we went was helped no end by the good weather we experienced – only one afternoon of rain during the whole trip. We often saw more butterflies when the route passed through areas with more natural vegetation and shelter from cooling winds (butterflies being good indicators of habitat quality). We recorded 16 species, the most common being orange tip and speckled wood. The effect of last summer’s drought in southern England was in evidence as we got into the South West. Here the weather was sunny and the temperatures high but butterflies were surprisingly hard to come

A walk around…

Milborne St Andrew

Soak up the scenery as you walk with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

PARK on street to the south of the main road, the A354, that runs through the village. Then make your way round to the right uphill towards the church, which will probably be open to visit. There’s a cemetery opposite where, unusually, two of the war graves are dated 1920.

Go back down the hill, eastwards, to a junction where you turn right and head south along a footpath for half a mile to meet a bridleway where you turn left and head north east for a short distance until you come to a junction where you turn right and head south along a footpath.

by – some flower-rich verges offering little more than a solitary common blue. Dartmoor did however treat us to sightings of small pearl-bordered fritillary and green hairstreak.

We could not have done it without Poppy. Moving the motorhome to the next night’s stop, ensuring the kids had stimulating things to visit each day and keeping the carb-rich food forthcoming.

Thank you to all those who offered support and wisdom along the way and the generous people who have donated to the JOGLE for Butterflies fundraising page https://gofund.me/47bba31f. We have raised over £3,400 now, which will be spent conserving butterflies, moths and their habitats (www.dorsetbutterflies.com). The fundraising page will stay active until the end of July for any last donations.

At the next hedgeline the path turns left and takes you uphill to the east and into the wooded hill fort of Weatherby Castle. The path wends its way through the fort, passing the obelisk and then takes you downhill to the east to join a road.

Turn left and head north west until the road is crossed by a bridleway which you join and head right, eastwards for half a mile, curving to the north east to join a road which takes you north west for a quarter of a mile to join a footpath that take you right, east, crossing fields to meet a bridleway which will take you westward for a mile back to your car.

You’ll have walked over 5 miles.

John Lamper / geograph.org.uk

End to Enders Fred and Wren Franklin celebrate finishing JOGLE with their support crew; a common blue butterfly

More time at the bar

An historic local pub has been saved from closure by the efforts of volunteers

THE Alhampton Inn, near Castle Cary and Bruton, is reopening less than nine months after it closed after locals raised more than £100,000.

The money, put up by 100-plus individuals, was enough to obtain a 15-year lease with the new freehold owners. About 30 volunteers – a significant proportion of the local population – have been actively involved in the project.

Plans were drawn up after the pub closed to create and register a not-for-profit community benefit society and develop a business plan with the help of the Plunkett Foundation.

Jeremy Burks, chair of The Alhampton Community Pub Ltd, said: “From the first moment, the whole community piled in to revive ‘The Ally’.

“The closure last year left a yawning gap for all of us, but thanks to this massive effort, we will restore the heart and soul of the village and once again we’re ready to

Platinum Award-Winning Care 2022

We have been awarded this much sought after accolade for our work with Gold Standards Framework

welcome everyone!”

David Miskin, of the Plunkett Foundation, said: “Buying a pub – or taking a long-term lease –isn’t just about saving a building – it’s also about creating a community and a place that gives the people and the area it serves a wealth of benefits.

“Somewhere that future generations will also be able to enjoy thanks to the communityowned pubs’ 96% survival rate.”

The Alhampton Inn has been a gathering place for the residents of the hamlet of Alhampton in the Somerset parish of Ditcheat for over 270 years.

The vestry minutes from 1748 state: “Thomas Chinnock at the sign of the Knave of Clubs Alhampton license to be continued.”

Ample evidence exists that the Chinnock family ran a public house at the site for 75 years before that.

The Knave of Clubs pub sign is being reinstated when the community takes over running the pub.

“Your staff are exemplary in every way. They care for my every need, showing genuine kindness and always go above and beyond the call of duty. The excellent chef caters for my special diet - all cooked to perfection. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Comfort & elegance

Current resident

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Stunning views

Live life better... every day at Spetisbury Manor Bright, airy spaces

Loving Earth

An exhibition of Quaker art aims to spark conversation around climate change and inspire action

TEXTILE panels created by Quakers around the world will be on display at Sherborne Abbey this August.

The Loving Earth project is a global movement, started in 2019, which celebrates aspects of nature threatened by growing environmental breakdown.

The project helps people to engage creatively and constructively with environmental issues, without feeling overwhelmed. The creation of textile panels has been a central feature of Loving Earth, and more than 500 have been created using a variety of techniques, including embroidery, felting, appliqué and knitting, often using recycled or repurposed materials. The panels are supported by a short piece of writing that explains why the subject was chosen, why it is endangered and what can be done about it.

From August 12–20, sixty panels will be exhibited in Sherborne Abbey. The

exhibition invites visitors to explore themselves questions like:

“Is there something or somewhere you know and love that’s threatened by breakdown of the environment?”

“How does your lifestyle contribute to that endangerment?”

“What could you do to help?”

The Loving Earth Textile Exhibition is at Sherborne Abbey from August 12-20, 10am-5pm. Admission is free. For more information visit www.lovingearthsomerset. co.uk, call 07870 192599, email nicolaandnick@gmail.com or connect at www.facebook.com/quakerarts

Protect your home from Care Costs & Inheritance Tax with a Living Trust.

A Living Trust, also known as a revocable trust or inter vivos trust, is a legal arrangement that allows you to protect your assets, including your home, from care costs and potential inheritance tax implications. Here are a few key points to consider:

1.Asset Protection: By transferring ownership of your home and other assets to a living trust, can help protect them from certain creditors and potential claims, including care costs.

2. Care Costs: Placing your main home into a living trust can ring fence the property from any potential future care costs. Thus, protecting your inheritance.

3. Inheritance Tax Planning: A living trust can be part of an estate planning strategy to minimize inheritance tax liability. By placing assets into a trust, they can be excluded from your taxable estate upon your passing, potentially reducing the amount of inheritance tax your beneficiaries would owe.

4. Revocable Nature: One of the advantages of a living trust is that it is revocable, meaning you can make changes to the trust or even revoke it entirely during your lifetime. This flexibility allows you to adapt to changing circumstances or wishes.

5. Trust Administration: When you establish a living trust, you typically designate yourself as the trustee, thus maintaining control over the assets and allowing you to continue using and managing them as you did before. You can also name successor trustees to take over the administration of the trust upon your incapacity or death.

The effectiveness of a living trust in achieving your specific goals will depend on your individual circumstances. Oakwood Wills offer a free consultation in the privacy of our own home. Tel 07832 331594 email: info@oakwoodwills.co.uk

Picnic with an interesting history

LAWRENCE of Arabia – T E Lawrence – is the subject of a talk when Dorset Archive Trust holds its summer gala at Hinton St Mary Tithe Barn, Sturminster Newton.

Speaker Martin Gething is a volunteer guide at Lawrence’s retreat, Clouds Hill, and a member of the T E Lawrence Society.

Visitors to the event at the atmospheric Grade II* listed Tithe Barn on Thursday, July 13, can take their own picnic and enjoy a glass of sparkling wine and bowl of strawberries and cream, included in the ticket price.

The venue at DT10 1NA opens at 6pm with the talk at 7.30pm.

Tickets priced £20 – members £18 – are available by following the links to Eventbrite at www. dorsetarchivestrust.org/events.php

Fern Brook Lodge celebrates summer with an abundance of Food, Fun and Friendship

Fern Brook Lodge, a welcoming care home in the north Dorset countryside town of Gillingham, is welcoming new residents and their families and friends to enjoy lots of Food, Fun and Friendship this summer.

The private, secure garden is a big draw for residents during the summer months. There’s plenty of outdoor seating, perfect for relaxing, socialising and spending time with family and friends. Discover the beautiful settings at Fern Brook Lodge’s Summer Fete, taking place later this month.

Fern Brook Lodge prides itself on providing hearty, nutritious meals, and a wealth of fun activities, ranging from coffee mornings and crafts to day trips and historical adventures. The events and activities are designed to ensure that residents can embrace their golden years, socialising and enjoying the many attractions the area has to offer. The Activities Coordinators arrange recreational activities, from baking and arts and crafts to day trips out.

Fern Brook Lodge is owned by Care South, a not-for-profit charity and leading provider of

residential and home care across the south of England. The home offers high quality residential, respite and dementia care, tailored to the needs of residents in a safe, home-from-home environment. The home boasts 75 welcoming bedrooms and benefits from an abundance of local shops, cafés, restaurants, and other facilities, allowing residents to continue doing what they love, whether that’s coffee with friends or enjoying time with visiting loved ones. Whether you’re looking for a short stay, a change of scenery to give you and your family members a break, or even a new home, Fern Brook Lodge offers it all.

For further information about Fern Brook Lodge call 01202 712410 or visit www.care-south.co.uk

Jaxson the Therapy Dog regularly visits the residents at Fern Brook Lodge

All the fun of the fair

GREAT fun for all the family is promised when Yetminster Fair is held at Yetminster Community Sports Club.

The event includes classic cars, bouncy castle, children’s games and a range of food and drink stalls.

Youngsters can also enjoy the Feathers, Fangs and Furries stall, attending for the first time, and which has a range of interesting animals to see close-up including an owl, snake and rabbits.

Local favourite Joe Jones will provide music and Power of Performance will give a high-energy show.

The sports club bar will also be open all day.

The event is on Saturday, July 15, noon-4.30pm, and all proceeds will support local clubs and charities via grants from fair organisers the Yetminster Fair Association awarded later in the year.

Entry is £1 adults and free for those aged 16 and under.

Centenary celebrations

MEMBERS of Shillingstone WI gathered in the Portman Hall to celebrate the group’s centenary.

A vintage tea with an array of cakes and sandwiches awaited them, served on vintage china and set out beneath strings of bunting.

Speeches were made by the President, Mary Crabb, and a former President, Vicky Thomas, with congratulations being given by the County Chair, Jenny Preston. The wonderful sound of

Jazz filled the hall, played by local duo the New Orleans Joys. Celia Paulley baked a celebration cake, which was iced by her daughter. This was cut by the longest current serving member Pam Glanville and the recently joined Daphne Garrett (pictured left).

Members had the chance to look at old records and scrap books with a plea to identify those present at the 30th and 40th anniversary parties.

Dorset school team reaches finals

Thornford Primary School’s Year 6 football team celebrates reaching the finals of a national competition

YOUNG footballers from Thornford Primary School are celebrating after reaching the national finals of the Pokemon Primary Schools Cup.

The team of Year 6 pupils started their journey to the King Power Stadium by topping the North Dorset Small Schools tournament in January and qualifying for the next stage to represent Dorset in the South-West regionals.

It was the second year running the school had reached this stage and the team then finished top of their group to reach the semi-final, which they went on to win on penalties.

They narrowly lost a very close final but as one of the top teams from the South-

West still made it through to the national finals.

Teacher Sarah Gibbs said: “The boys were incredibly excited about the trip to Leicester and the commitment from the parents was incredible.

“The pupils travelled up the night before, with one family even flying back from their

holiday early so their son wouldn’t miss the match!”

The team faced tough competition as one of the last eight teams from across the country but were delighted to finish a respectable fifth place on the day.

Some 5,000 schools entered the Small School Cup competition at the start of the year.

Sarah added: “The day will be something the boys remember forever. They worked so hard together as a team throughout the season and put everything into training sessions and games in some pretty horrible weather.

“The bond they have as a team is exceptional and they have all developed into enthusiastic, skilled, young sportsmen.”

Jerry Ridout has coached on a volunteer basis at the school for eight years – his youngest son left last year but Jerry agreed to stay on in his role.

High flyers

TWO residents of The Hayes Residential Home in Sherborne had the time of their lives when they took a helicopter flight – and were able to wave to their friends down on the ground!

The home asked all its residents for one wish each and Dan Hodgson, 86, and Eva Brockway, 92, wanted a ride in a helicopter.

The pair boarded their flight at Henstridge Airfield and they both enjoyed every second of it.

Activities officer Vickie Feltham said: “Dan’s words on landing were: ‘that was bloody brilliant’ – and he later told us he had waited 86 years for the best day of his life.”

Eva said: “At my age I never thought I would get a thrill like this again. That was fantastic.”

The Hayes would like to thank Geoff and the crew at Henstridge Airfield for making the flight possible.

Playground makeover Children are celebrating after the big reveal of new village play equipment

THE much-loved children’s playground in Walnut Road, Mere, has been revamped and now boasts new equipment.

Libby Raynes, a Year 5 pupil at Mere Primary School, and children’s author and illustrator Katheryn Lamb officially reopened the park (pictured above). Libby won a competition to design a new sign for the park and Kathryn chose the winning design.

The opening ceremony was followed by a tea party thanks to the Walnut Tree Hotel.

The improvements made by Mere Town Council were made possible in part through a grant from The Hills Group Ltd and made available through the Landfill Communities Fund administered for Hills by Community First, the Rural Community Council for Wiltshire.

Tankfest 2023

THOUSANDS of visitors flocked to the Tank Museum at Bovington for its annual Tankfest event.

The event attracted 24,000 visitors over three days, some coming from as far away as Japan and Australia.

Tankfest showcased a line-up of historic and modern running tanks from the museum’s collection, guest armour and the British Army in a display specially created by curator David Willey to celebrate The Tank Museum’s 100th birthday.

Friday visitors were also able to enjoy a visit from the RAF Red Arrows, who thrilled the crowds with a diamond formation flypast.

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even if the company has stopped trading.

Health and Safety Executive launches Asbestos Awareness Campaign focusing on younger workers.

Battens Solicitors is supporting the Health and Safety Executive in its asbestos awareness campaign ‘Asbestos and You’ which will target all tradespeople with a focus on younger workers in trades such as plastering and joinery. Michelle Green, Batten’s Senior Associate in Personal Injury law reports on the campaign.

The HSE is concerned that there may be a perception amongst younger workers that asbestos is an issue which only impacts older workers who may have been exposed to asbestos before its use was banned in 1999. Working in buildings which were built or refurbished before the year 2000 can still pose a significant risk if the appropriate preventative steps are not taken.

The diseases associated with exposure to asbestos can often take many years to develop. The victims of such exposure can usually take legal action against those who exposed them to dangerous amounts of asbestos even if that exposure took place many years ago and

Battens has a history of making successful claims on behalf of the victims of asbestos related illness. We advise our clients in person and provide a local and sympathetic service.

Many victims of industrial disease are not aware that in some cases, where a Defendant company has been identified, is insured and where negligent exposure has been admitted. It may be possible to obtain private treatment for them, including access to some retroviral medications which can be difficult to obtain on the NHS. Battens can advise you on this aspect of your claim.

If you are suffering from an asbestos related illness, or

any other form of personal injury or industrial disease and you would like to make a claim please do not hesitate to get in touch. There will be no charge to you for this initial discussion. In most cases we can offer clients a ‘no-win, no-fee’ agreement.

Top of the class

Sherborne headteacher wins national award recognising his excellent efforts in and outside of the classroom

THE headteacher of Sherborne Primary School has been recognised as an ‘Unsung Hero’ in the National Teaching Awards.

Ian Bartle, who was nominated by his deputy head and office team, was presented with a certificate of excellence by chair of governors Kate Scorer in his weekly assembly.

He was also given a handwritten note from acclaimed author Michael Morpurgo which said: “For a child to have a great teacher like you is so important. You open doors, shine a light. You spend your working life passing on to children all that you know and love. Your devotion to them, to colleagues, to the school you work in, has been extraordinary.”

Deputy head teacher Felicity Griffiths said: “We nominated Ian for this award as we wanted everyone to know what a truly remarkable headteacher he is.

“The children and staff at school know they can always talk to him. He organises Christmas hampers for families that need support, he ensures that our pupils know the importance of community and giving back, and enjoys teaching the concept of random acts of kindness.

“Most importantly he always puts the children first, he is positive and kind in everything he does, and is a real role model for us all”.

Ian said: “‘I am truly humbled and thankful for this award as it is the hard-working and dedicated people around me that daily try and

change the lives of our children, their families and our wider community.

“Without the co-operation, support and sheer determination of the people I work with – both in my school and our Trust – none of the things we have achieved could have happened.

“I also wish to thank my family who are so tolerant of the work I do and the hours it takes!

“So many of my colleagues do exactly the same things every

From left: Sherborne Primary governor Lou Sandy, chair of governors Kate Scorer, headteacher Ian Bartle, deputy headteacher Felicity Griffiths and administrator Roxy Sharp with Sherborne Primary pupils

Cyclists pay tribute after road death

The Gillingham Wheelers mourn the loss of their much-loved and enthusiastic member Mary Emerson-Reed TRIBUTES have been paid to a dedicated Dorset cyclist who sadly died in a crash after an event.

The Gillingham Wheelers cycling group said Mary Emerson-Reed passed away after an incident at around 11pm on Friday evening (June 23) on the B3081 between Tollard Royal and Shaftesbury.

It is believed Mary was making her way home from the Filly Loo event, at Ashmore Village Hall.

“It is with great sadness that we have heard that Mary was killed on Friday night in a collision with a car on her way home from the Filly Loo in Ashmore,” the group said.

“Our thoughts are with Mary’s family and close friends at this difficult and distressing time.”

As well as cycling, Mary was passionate about music, they said.

“Mary was a long-standing member of

the Gillingham Wheelers who was always happy to help out at our various events,” the group added.

“Anyone who has taken part in our time trials or road races will have benefitted from Mary’s generosity over many years.

“Mary loved riding her bike, and loved her music too. She was regularly spotted riding Robbie, Ruby and Candy on the roads of Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, as well as guiding members around Mallorca where she earnt the nick-name Mary Maps.

“Mary’s death will leave a huge hole in our Club and many people’s lives.

“Rest in Peace Mary.”

Wiltshire Police are appealing for information regarding the incident.

“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time and we request that their privacy is respected,” a

spokesperson said.

Any witnesses to the collision or anyone who may have dash cam footage should contact the serious collision investigation team on 01225 694597 quoting Log number 492. Alternatively, they can contact the team directly by email to SCIT@wiltshire. police.uk

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Mary Emerson-Reed was a passionate cyclist and a generous, long-standing member of the Gillingham Wheelers

Quiz raises funds for much-loved hospice

Business supports hospice fundraiser in memory of much-missed colleague, Katherine Dandridge

QUIZZERS raised hundreds of pounds for a good cause when Blandford-based firm Amberley Labels hosted a quiz night at the town’s Crown Hotel.

The event was in aid of Weldmar Hospicecare, which cared for Katherine Dandridge, who worked at the firm and died of cancer aged 38.

About 100 people from the local community, including colleagues, the local

auction and a heads and tails game, and the Crown donated a prize for the quiz – a free night for two plus breakfast at the hotel. Raffle prizes included hampers, vouchers, tickets to the races, gym passes, chocolates, Champagne, wine and gin. The auction items included a spa voucher

Richards said: “The charity quiz night was a huge success, and we are very proud to have raised so much money to donate to Weldmar Hospicecare, a charity close to our hearts.

“We are enormously grateful to local businesses, our customers and suppliers who helped to make this happen with their generous and amazing prize donations.

“We would like to thank everyone who showed their support and took part in the charity quiz night in memory of Katherine.

“We are hoping to make this an annual event.”

Fiona Hansford, fundraising lead –recruitment and engagement at Weldmar Hospicecare, said: “A huge thank you to the team at Amberley Labels for putting on such a fantastic event. This is such a special way to honour their late colleague Katherine.

“As a charity we rely heavily on the support of our local community and this donation will help us to continue our work

Amberley Labels managing director David Richards (right), presents the donation to Fiona Hansford and Eden Fraser (centre) from Weldmar Hospicecare

40th Birthday Sale!

Leading British bed retailer, Beds Are Uzzz is excited to be celebrating 40 years in business this summer. Over the anniversary period, we’re taking a trip down memory lane as we look back at how the business has grown and changed over the past 40 years, before shedding some light on what exciting new prospects are on the horizon.

From the sales, through to the delivery, Beds Are Uzzz has always been committed to providing excellent customer service. Over the years, they have paid close attention to detail on the customer front, resisting the temptation to open large and impersonal ‘barn’ style showrooms, and instead focusing on smaller boutique stores with well thought out displays that give customers a comfortable and supported shopping experience.

While the in-store shopping experience has always been a key aspect of Beds Are Uzzz success, as retail space and customer

shopping behaviour has evolved, as have Beds Are Uzzz. Over the years, they’ve experienced a shift in customer purchase behaviour, recognising that the majority of customers research the product or brand they’re interested in purchasing online, prior to visiting the store. In 2015, Beds Are Uzzz began trading online, reaching new audiences and supporting customer purchase preferences.

The dotcom boom isn't the only change that Beds Are Uzzz has seen over the past 40 years. The bed retailer recognises that now, more than ever, customers truly appreciate the health and lifestyle benefits of quality sleep. Customers are prepared to spend more time and invest in choosing the right product. And, really this has been a significant contributor to Beds Are Uzzz's continual growth. As a specialist bed retailer with knowledgeable and experienced staff, they are able to provide the level of service that customers really

expect, together with a choice of quality brands and a reliable service that customers can depend on.

So, what next for Beds Are Uzzz? Quality and value have always been, and will continue to be key areas of focus, and therefore the team are always on the lookout for innovative products offering just that. Customers can look forward to shopping from the Enchanted House Beds range, a new brand that will be hitting stores this year, as well as updated Vispring studio displays in all stores. Supporting their commitment to excellent customer service, Beds Are Uzzz is set to develop faster distribution throughout the UK.

And, on top of that, Beds Are Uzzz are celebrating the anniversary year with a revamped new logo, a shiny new website and some fantastic offers and savings for customers, across a great range of brands. Head over to their website to find out more.

Pensioner frightened to leave home

Mystery over callout while elderly man was out for dinner...

AT around 7.05pm on November 14 last year, John Matthews received a phone call that would change his life.

The call came from the South Western Ambulance Service (SWAS) and was received by a friend of Mr Matthews, as he does not own a mobile phone.

In it, the ambulance staff member asked if Mr Matthews was okay, as emergency services had broken into his house in Zeals after a member of the public had called police, concerned for his welfare.

Mr Matthews’ story begins at around 5.45pm that day, when he was picked up from the home he lives in alone by a friend to go for a meal at their house, in Gillingham.

“I’d been here all day, I

hadn’t gone out,” he said.

“But as we went down the road, we saw an ambulance coming the other way.”

The pair thought nothing of it and proceeded to enjoy their meal, until the phone rang.

“They asked if she knew where John Matthews was,” the 77-year-old explained. “She said, ‘Yes, he’s here, do you want to talk to him?’”

“He asked me, ‘Where’s the key to your house?’ and I said it’s here, in my pocket. I thought it was a scam at first.”

Then, another phone call, from a neighbour who was watching the drama unfold.

“She said the fire brigade have been here and the ambulance and they have broken down your door,” he said.

The pair set off to return to Mr Matthews’ home, only to find it deserted and in darkness.

“When we got back, there was nothing here at all, it was pitch black,” he said. “They had broken in through the front doors. They split the door, right down through.”

Mr Matthews said the neighbour had seen the unfolding incident and told the crews where he was – and given them his friend’s phone number.

“I was supposed to be dead in here and it was a neighbour who had contacted the police anonymously,” he went on.

“It was such a shock to come back to.”

However from there, the story only got more confusing for the retired engineer, after he claims he found items had gone missing from the house and has no idea how they were taken.

Wiltshire Police, SWAS and the DWFRS say they know nothing about the claim of missing items.

“They [emergency services] later said they had secured it [the house], but a child could have pushed the door open,” he said. “I was devastated, gutted.”

He went on: “Three necklaces that were my greatgreat-great grandmother’s, four rings, two gold watches and gold chains, two cameras I bought in Salisbury, good ones, £450 in the kitchen was also gone, and a bank card, but thankfully, that had expired.”

He says a phone call to police ended in him being told to ‘take it up with the fire brigade’ – though police have no record of the conversation.

And a call with the fire service in Mere ended in an argument, according to Mr Matthews, another claim denied by DWFRS.

“We didn’t get very far,” he said. “I phoned the fire brigade and they confirmed it was Mere

Fire

Station that came out and he said he hoped I wouldn’t be too hard on them.

“I spoke to a chap at Mere and I said this is wrong, and there’s stuff missing. He used the f-word on me so many times, which was un-called for.

“He said he had been told not to speak to me and put the phone down.”

He also received a letter from the ambulance service, which he replied to with more questions.

The service said it has been unable to investigate the incident further as it had not received vital information and permissions from him.

The pensioner said the incident had left him wary of dealing with the emergency services – and frightened to leave his home.

“My family has been here for 108 years,” he added.

“But after that, everything in my house felt dirty. My whole house felt dirty. It’s your personal space. I was so distressed.”

The mystery around the initial call, and the missing items, persists, leaving an elderly man in a state of confusion and frustration.

He said: “I have been here my whole life. Who would do this, and why?”

What the emergency services said:

A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) spokesperson said: “A crew from Mere fire station attended a property in Zeals on November 14 last year after

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paramedics on scene asked for such assistance.

“After an initial investigation from outside the property to see whether the occupant was inside, the fire crew gained access via the front door.

“Only two people entered the house, a paramedic and a firefighter, and they checked all rooms to see whether there was a casualty.

“Once it was confirmed that there was no casualty, the fire crew secured the door and left the incident with ambulance colleagues. The fire crew was on scene for about an hour.

“Mr Matthews contacted fire control later that evening and the duty group manager called him back. There were further conversations between them, including one three days later, and we believed the matter to be closed. At no time was Mr Matthews told to contact Mere fire station directly, and we strongly rebut any suggestion that a member of staff was

abusive to him.

“As far as we are aware, no complaint has been made to the police about the allegation of theft, and we have received no formal complaint directly to the service.”

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: “We are waiting for Mr Matthews to respond to a letter that we sent to him recorded delivery on February 6, 2023.

“Until we receive a response, we’re unable to investigate his claims. “We have also never received an official complaint from Mr Matthews about any alleged stolen items.”

Wiltshire Police said they had no records of any calls from Mr Matthews.

“We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a burglary to report it to us as soon as possible,” they said.

“If a crime is in progress, always call 999.”

Hearts of Steel

Author Jim Carter has just published his first book, inspired by the Royal Navy career of his great-grandfather

A KEEN interest in military history helped set Jim Carter on the path to publishing success, as he explained when he spoke to your NBVM on the occasion of the launch of his new book, which is steeped in the stories of the Royal Navy’s ships and crew…

“Hearts of Steel uses the Royal Navy service record (between 1918 to 1945) of my great-grandfather, Herbert Leeder, as the backbone to the narrative,” says Jim.

“However, this is not the biography of a single man, it explores the careers of the ships in which he served, their crews and commanding officers during peacetime before the relentless pressure of wartime operations during WW2.

“I was intrigued by the longevity of Herbert’s career and the number of ships on which he served. I decided to research this further for my family soon realising there was a story developing that would have wider

appeal. Naively, I began my research thinking one or two publications would suffice, however the final bibliography stands at some 50 individual books not to mention trips to the National Archives and The Portsmouth Naval Library!

“The majority of the writing was done over the Covid period, in between looking after the animals on our small holding in Fifehead Neville. I would aim to put aside a morning each day to research and write, but life (and sheep!) would inevitably get in the way. Hearts of Steel took about two years to complete.

“I have had a keen interest in Military history since I was a boy, collecting many books on the subject as well as visiting battlefields such as Waterloo, Gettysburg and the Normandy beaches, not to mention museums like the Fleet Air Arm at Yeovilton and the Tank Museum at Bovington.

“I think it has been my passion and inquisitive interest in history, and to tell the tales of some very brave men, that inspired and drove me to complete Hearts of Steel.”

Find out more about Jim on his website jimcarter.online

& LINGERIE

Our loose Canon

On the man-made crisis that is affecting access to the water of life

by Canon Eric Woods

I GREW up in Brighton, famous in those days not least for its amazing Victorian sewage system. The late 19th century understood what we now call “infrastructure”, and didn’t hesitate to invest in it. When I was a boy, tours of the sewers were a major tourist attraction. But, as discharges directly into the sea continue, those tours have been discontinued.

Today, most of Kent and Sussex is under a hosepipe ban – not because the reservoirs are empty (they aren’t) but because the water purifying plants can’t keep up with demand. Apparently, it’s the fault of “people working from home and using so much more drinking water”. But people can only drink a finite amount of water a day. Surely the problem can’t all be blamed on workers drinking water at home rather than getting onto commuter trains and drinking tea and coffee in their London offices? That sounds absurd.

By the time you read this, the financial crisis facing Thames Water (London’s supplier) and at least four other water companies may have been resolved. But the fundamental problems remain. I remember shuddering when Mrs Thatcher’s Government privatised all the water companies in England and Wales in 1989, and muttering to myself “they’ll be privatising air next”. To this day, ours is the only country in the world to have privatised its entire

water system. And what a mess the privatised companies are in. According to newspaper reports (not necessarily reliable) our own Wessex Water (WW) wants to raise prices to customers by 30%, though it’s not clear by when. Its own website admits that on 1 April this year charges went up by 9%. So who owns WW? Well, between 1998 and 2001 it was a US company called Enron, which filed for bankruptcy. WW was then taken over by a Malaysian company called YTL Power International, a subsidiary of YTL Corporation Berhard, also Malaysian. You can draw your own conclusions about the priority given to its (non-UK) shareholders over its English customers. (In fact over 70% of our water industry is now owned by foreign investment firms and businesses lodged in tax havens). The salary of the CEO of WW was apparently £982,000 last year. The company is said to lose 63 million litres of water each day because of leaking pipes. Yet it is not the worst offender. Water is a recurrent theme in all the world’s great religions. In Christianity, the water of baptism is the only way in which anyone – child or adult – can be admitted into citizenship of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ described himself as offering the “water of life”. He was talking of spiritual “water” for those who have woken-up to the fact that they have dry, parched souls. That water is free to all who ask it. How ironic, then, that water for drinking and washing seems set to become more and more expensive, as investors and executives award themselves more and more handsomely, whilst infrastructure is neglected, water is lost and sewage discharges continue at disgusting levels.

Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash

School celebrates

Canford School marks its centenary year with a proms in the park concert, while pupils past and present took a trip down memory lane

MORE than 2,200 past and present pupils, staff, families, members of the local community and other friends of Canford School, Wimborne, gathered for a ‘Proms in the Park’ garden party to mark the school’s centenary year.

Guests arrived in glorious sunshine and enjoyed picnics on the lawns and reminisced – former pupils who attended spanned every decade from the 1940s to the 2020s.

Visitors also had the chance to take tours of the school, sparking old memories, and saw developments including the new boys’ boarding and day houses, new library and Assembly Hall.

The orchestra, wind orchestra, concert band and jazz band, involving more than 80 school musicians, and Friends of Canford Music, played an ambitious and varied two-hour programme ‘Proms in the Park’ style.

Headmaster Ben Vessey made a special

guest appearance on keyboards to start the concert, playing Chariots of Fire by Vangelis.

The wind orchestra and concert band performed a special rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ for the 100-year celebration and ‘A Fifth of Beethoven’ provided the grand finale, ending with a firework flourish.

Centenary merchandise from water bottles and bags through to a special ‘Canford in 100 Objects’ book – compiled by the school archivist – and limited edition Anthony Eyton commissioned prints were on sale for those seeking a permanent reminder of the day.

Headmaster Ben Vessey said: “What a wonderful concert and garden party we all enjoyed on Sunday.

“It was Canford and its community at its

finest and a perfect, fitting tribute to the school’s historic centenary year.

“The sun shone, families mingled and picnicked through the beautifully maintained and manicured grounds, and many fond memories were shared by alumni spanning the generations.

“The music was absolutely stunning from our combined ensembles and community musicians and went far beyond all expectations of a Proms occasion.

“I think our founder The Reverend Percy Warrington would have been truly proud.”

Dress for mess!

Celebrate our natural and historic local heritage with creative summer workshops for all the family

FAMILIES and community groups in the Wimborne area are being invited to free artist-led workshops in July and August, to make lanterns and flags

Suitable for children aged 7-plus, and adults of all ages, these creative, friendly summer workshops begin on July 15 at Kingston Lacy, continuing on August 8, 25 and 29 in the villages of Sturminster Marshall, Tarrant Keyneston and Pamphill, and on August 26 and 27 with two drop-in sessions at the Museum of East Dorset in Wimborne and The Reef in Colehill respectively.

Everyone is welcome to join in, either on a day workshop where you can pre-book a place, or at one of the drop-in workshops, where you can just turn up on the day.

The lanterns and flags form a the backdrop for Emerald Ant’s Glow Badbury event, organised in partnership with the National Trust, and taking place at Badbury Rings this autumn.

Those going along to the workshops are advised to ‘dress for mess’! The sessions will be colourful and fun and, being part of the Glow Badbury project, participants will be actively helping to celebrate the local heritage – both natural and historic – by bringing a very special hill fort to life.

To find out more about the Glow Badbury project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, or to book a workshop place, please visit emeraldant.com/glow-badbury/gb-workshops

Rubbish & recycling

BIN collections in Somerset will suffer ‘widespread and significant disruption’ if workers walk out this month.

Members of the Unite union are set to go on strike between Wednesday and Friday each week, from July 12 to August 4, in a row over pay. The union rejected an initial 5.8% pay offer from the council’s contractor Suez UK, with a further 8% offer also declined.

The council said talks continue to resolve the dispute, but contingency planning is underway to try and limit the impact on residents if it goes ahead.

Three-weekly refuse collections would be prioritised when crews are working, along with clinical waste collections and collections from communal locations.

Mickey Green, executive director for climate and place at the council, said: “Talks are ongoing and we very much hope that industrial action can be avoided or resolved quickly.

“If action is taken, we will make as many collections as possible, but some services will have to be prioritised at the expense of others and we would ask for the public’s patience.”

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Our members play a crucial frontline role keeping Somerset clean and tidy. They are simply not prepared to accept low pay any longer. The Suez offer in reality is a real terms pay cut.

“Suez is a wealthy company that can fully afford to make a fair pay offer but it has chosen not to do so.”

Summer fair fun

Organised by Friends of Whitesheet, the Zeals Summer Fair was held on a fine Saturday afternoon in early July

Photo and text by George Jeans

Debuts and Premieres with ‘Ballet Under the Stars’ at Hatch House

Ballet Under the Stars 2023 promises to be their most spectacular production to date with several firsts in the gardens at Hatch House. Paris Opera Ballet, considered the home of classical ballet, has recently appointed its youngest Étoile or Principal, Guillaume Diop at just 23. Guillaume (right) will make his UK première on the stage at Hatch House.

Covent Garden Dance will present a programme filled with world class choreography but this year for the first time it includes work by Rudolf Nureyev. The three pas de deux taken from full length ballets Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake and Don Quixote created by Nureyev especially for the Paris Opera Ballet, are a real treat.

Mara Galeazzi, former Principal The Royal Ballet returns to Hatch after a four year break to perform her own choreography that she started just before her father died. It’s in his memory that this piece is created and it’s funded by the Dicky Buckle Fund. The Fund aims to support new works and performances by young and emerging creatives, offering them a stage and an audience to support the creative process. This year is no exception once again giving the Hatch House audiences the opportunity to be the first to see these debuts.

The 2023 programme offers the audiences a chance to see some of the greatest names in

ballet and dance perform some of the most admired and respected works within the classical and contemporary dance repertoire. World renowned Principal dancer of Staatsballett Berlin Ksenia Ovsyanick will dance a solo, La Porte by Maurice Béjart, both work and choreographer a first for Hatch. At the launch of the Brooklyn Academy Season in New York in 1970 Béjart caused a sensation with this work, a pointe solo that also perfectly reflects and conveys the taste and influences in contemporary dance of the time. Ksenia’s fellow Principal Dinu Tamazlacaru makes his very first appearance at Ballet Under the Stars performing the intensely energetic and brilliant work Les Bourgeois, last performed at Hatch by Carlos Acosta in 2015. Ballet Under the Stars is getting closer, and as we all know from the most recent years...it’s going to be exciting, thrilling and memorable. There are still a few tickets left for the Thursday and Sunday night, for all the details go to www.coventgardendance.com or email events@coventgardendance.com

Ballet Under the Stars launches on the 27th of July 2023 and runs until the 30th July at Hatch House, SP3 6PA.

Photography by Alice Pennefather

Mara Galeazzi Ksenia Ovsyanick

What a buzz

Gardeners and beekeepers will be joining forces this summer for a fun festival celebrating both their passions

TARRANT Valley Gardeners and North Dorset Beekeepers are joining forces for a Bee Festival this summer.

The fun and fascinating event will be held at the Anne Biddlecombe Hall in Tarrant Keyneston on July 26 from 4pm-8pm. There will be plenty to see and do. The gardeners will have a big plant stall and the beekeepers will be selling all sorts of products – not just their delicious local honey but other interesting items like beeswax furniture polish, face creams, wax-coated food wraps and beeswax candles. You can even have a go at rolling your own candle. In a separate room you can hear a 10-minute talk on one of several bee-related topics.

The idea was first proposed by Madeleine Hemsley, who’s one of the Gardening Club’s organising committee. She commented, “I’m a keen amateur gardener and decided to learn about the beekeeping craft this year on North Dorset Beekeepers’ course for beginners. The importance of bees and other pollinators to gardeners, and the importance of how we manage our land and what we grow to the well-being of our insect population, is really clear to see… and even clearer the more you learn about it. A joint event seemed like the natural thing to do”.

Beekeepers. He said, “Education is at the heart of what we do and we’re always happy to generate interest by showcasing our fascinating hobby and the craft products that beekeepers make. Gardens are an important food source for pollinating insects. Take either of those away and the world would be a poorer place”.

Entrance is free, and there will be homemade teas, wine and nibbles, as well as stalls of other interesting and unusual items from the gardeners and their beekeeper friends.

Terry Payne is the Education Officer at North Dorset

Elemental art

New work from local artists goes on display at Arts Centre

THREE artists whose lives have all taken a change of direction in recent years have come together to stage an exhibition at Shaftesbury Arts Centre Gallery.

Ani Overton trained as a graphic designer and has worked in the profession for many years but recently discovered a passion for oil and cold wax painting.

Her subject matter ranges from

combining form and function, using mainly locally sourced timber, putting it together with glass and metal to create uniquely distinctive products.

Friends, romans…

A SOMERSET attraction is calling on members to star in a BBC series being filmed at the venue.

The Newt in Somerset, near Castle Cary, is a location for a BBC docudrama set in the late Roman Republic and featuring the life of Julius Caesar.

Crews will use the Newt’s Roman villa as a location for the series, with filming kicking off this month.

FESTIVAL OF DANCE

LAST TICKETS AVAILABLE!

Toploader all set for charity festival

MUSIC fans will be dancing in the moonlight when Toploader headline a festival in Swanage.

Music By The Sea takes place in the Prince Albert Gardens on September 2, in memory of Henry Searle and William Paddy, two Swanage residents who sadly passed away in recent years.

Henry passed away in April 2021 at the age of 25 after being diagnosed with brain cancer, while William died in 2019.

Toploader frontman, Joe Washburn, said he ‘can’t wait’ to take to the stage at Music

By The Sea, which raises money for wellbeing charities #Willdoes and Cancare, set up in memory of William and Henry respectively.

Toploader frontman, Joe Washburn, said he ‘can’t wait’ to take to the stage at Music By The Seam which raises money for wellbeing charities #Willdies and Cancare, set up in memory of Henry and William.

GLENHOLME HERBS NGS OPEN GARDEN WEEKEND.

Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July 10am-5pm. Refreshments. Large range of Herbs, Salvias and Pelargoniums for sale. Sandford Orcas, Sherborne. http://www.glenholmeherbs.co.uk

SWINGTIME IN THE BOROUGH GARDENS, Dorchester, from 12 noon. July 9th. Entertainment by The Purbeck Big Band, The Bridport Big Band, The Moolight Swing Band and The Dorset for Singing Choir. Classic Cars, Refreshments, Ice Cream, Stalls and a Grand Raffle. Free Entry.

All proceeds to The Fortuneswell Cancer Trust.

“We are really looking forward to playing at Dorset’s Music by the Sea Festival in Swanage,” Joe said.

“It’s such a fantastic festival with a great family vibe and incredible food and drink stalls.

“We love the festivals where there’s more than a hot dog stand and it’s more about the whole ambience - the crowd really gets behind you. If you have never been to this before, come along – you won’t be disappointed.”

Toploader, formed in 1997, achieved worldwide success on the back of hit Dancing in The Moonlight and are expected to bring in a crowd of around 2,000 at the Swanage show.

Also on the bill are Dorset indie rockers Galaxy Thief, as well as a host of food and

DOG SHOW, LYDLINCH DT10 2JA

Novelty classes. Sunday 6th August. 12pm Refreshments available

THE FIFEHEADS GARDEN FETE

Saturday 22nd July Plumber Cottage, Fifehead Neville, DT10 2AL at 2.30pm Tea, cakes & strawberries, Plants, Bric-a-brac, Cakes, Gifts, Wine Raffle, Children’s games. Entry £1, Children free - cash only please

SEDGEHILL CHURCH FETE

Sunday July 16th 2-4.30 pm at Sedgehill House SP7 9JQ Raffle,tombola’s, bric-a-brac,cream teas and more.

drink stalls including Mermaid Gin (The Isle of Wight Distillery), The Salt Pig Too, Purbeck Cider and the award-winning Purbeck Ice Cream.

Founder of #Willdoes and mum of Will, Lesley Paddy, and Vicki Searles, mum of Henry said: “Both charities are thrilled to have such a prestigious band headline at the festival and support such great causes.

“We really think this will be the year that brings in a great crowd and puts Swanage on the festival map.”

Music by the Sea runs from 11am to 9pm on September 2. Entry costs £15 for adults in postcode areas BH19/20, £20 all others. Children are free under 14.

For tickets, log on to www.eventbrite.co. uk and search for Music by the Sea.

STOUR VALLEY DOG RESCUE, Family bingo at Oakford Fitzpaine village hall, Friday 7th July, Doors open 6:30 Refreshments available.

CHARITY SALE IN AID OF THE DORSET & SOMERSET AIR AMBULANCE. On Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd July, at Fairey Crescent, Gillingham from 10am – 4pm both days. Various stalls.

FRIENDLY SEPSIS SUPPORT GROUP for survivors Saturday 8th July at 10.00 am at The Hub , Station Road, Stalbridge. DT10 2RG

SATURDAY 15TH JULY INDOOR / OUTDOOR MARKETS

The Town Hall, Shaftesbury 9-4.30/5pm

Supporting Weldmar Hospice & Dorset Somerset Air Ambulance

SHAFTESBURY ORCHESTRA CONCERT, 16 JULY. 4pm St James’ Church, Shaftesbury. Conductor, Arturo Serna. Soloist, Cath Allen.

FREE FRINGE FUN for all the family. Magic stories and silliness with Professor Bumble. Shaftesbury Library Saturday 22nd July 10.45am - 11.30am. Booking essential.

WIN TWO WEEKEND TICKETS TO THE PURBECK VALLEY FOLK FESTIVAL with CAMPING, worth £360!

Q) Which historic castle overlooks the festival? A) Warwick Castle

Corfe Castle

Windsor Castle

Please enter on our website blackmorevale.net/comps

FINDING PEACE IN DIFFICULT TIMES: Talk with Buddhist nun, Gen Chonyi.

15th July 11am-12noon: Digby

Memorial Hall, Sherborne £7 meditationinexeter.org

WIMBORNE ST GILES CHURCH (BH21 5LZ) FLOWER FESTIVAL

Our beautiful Church will be full of flower arrangements for you to enjoy. Our theme this year is ‘Ancient and Modern’

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th July.10am—6pm

Refreshments from 11am—5pm

Plenty of free parking. Songs of Praise, Sunday 16th at 6pm.

‘THE BIG SESSION’ Live Music & Children’s Workshops

Saturday 8 July from 2.00 - 10.00 pm

Sixpenny Handley Cricket Pitch

Tickets online from Eventbrite or local shops

Sorry no dogs Facebook-6dacoustic.live

LYN’S BINGO AT MARNHULL ROYAL BRITISH LEGION on Monday 10th July Eye’s down at 7pm.

BUCKHORN WESTON CHURCH FETE and FUN DOG SHOW

Saturday 8th July at 2.30pm

WINCANTON SILVER BAND

Plants-Cakes-Toys-Bottle

Bouncy Castle- Fancy Goods

White Elephant -Coconut shy

Teas- Books- Bottle stall Face Painting-sports

Growing Pains is a heart rending original story told entirely through dance. Written for an audience of all ages, this moving piece of dance theatre is guaranteed to take you on a journey reminding you of what it means to live, love and share your life with others.

The show movingly tells interweaving stories about loss, youth, hope and the redemptive power of art. Following a sell out premiere last summer, a cast of over 30 young artists present a production like no other: one that has been made for you, whether you love the arts, or have never stepped foot inside a theatre.

The Project Dance Company will present Growing Pains at The Exchange, Sturminster Newton on Saturday 29th July and Sunday 30th July as a part of its summer tour, which will also include performances at ArtsDepot, London on Wednesday 2nd August and Westlands

Entertainment Venue, Yeovil on Saturday 5th August.

Tickets for all venues can be booked via projectdance.org.uk.

Our calendar is filling up with lots of fantastic events here at The Travel Book Company. Make sure you don't miss out by signing up to our mailing list, using the QR code below or by emailing:

• Holnest church: The church is holding a fun dog show and an art competition at the church’s fete on Saturday, July 8. Registration begins at noon for the dog show with the show starting at 1pm. For more information email Graham. smf@btinternet.com The art competition has five age categories and entries can be in any material, cost £1 and should be labelled with the entrant’s name and age. Registration is from noon and for more information email holnestart@ gmail.com

• Lower Stour Benefice: Sunday, July 9 – 9.30am Communion at Blandford St Mary; 11am Communion at Langton Long; 11am Family service at Tarrant Keyneston. Sunday, July 16 – 9.30am Communion at Spetisbury; 9.30am Family service at Charlton Marshall; 11am Morning Worship at Langton Long; 11am Communion at Tarrant Rushton.

• St Mary’s Church, Charminster: Quintessentially Wind will be performing in the church (DT2 9RD) on Saturday, July 8, at 7pm. The talented band of instrumentalists, who are well-known and popular in the Hampshire/Surrey area, will be playing light classics, film, show and dance music on a summer’s evening. Tickets priced £10, including drinks and nibbles – children free – are available on 01305 213403.

• Anglican High Mass at Wimborne St Giles: First

Sunday of each month at 11am. BH21 5LZ.

• Blandford Methodist Church: Sundays – everyone is invited to Sunday services at 10.45am and to stay for refreshments. Thursdays –coffee and a chat from 10amnoon. Fridays – lunch club for the over-55s from noon at £5 per meal. Phone Joyce Wild on 07817 505543 to book. The church is anxious to offer help to all those in need – call church steward John Cornish on 07799 516735 or leave a message.

• Chalbury Church: Fourth Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Churches in The Donheads, Charlton, East Knoyle, Semley and Sedgehill: A team of friendly people are available to offer home visits. Contact Revd. Kate at rector@ benofbart.org.uk, 01747 830174.

• Gillingham Methodist Church: Sunday recitals 3pm (about one hour). Admission free, retiring collection. Superb two manual William Sweetland organ restored and enlarged in 2006/2009. Video screen. For details and updates visit the website at www.musicatgmc. org.uk or phone 07817 379006.

• Hinton Martell: Second Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Horton Church: First Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Horton & Chalbury village hall: Third Sunday of the month, 9am Breakfast Church.

THE ORCHARDS AND MARGARET MARSH FETE. With cream teas etc. 15th July at Duncliffe Hall Farm off Green Lane (Stour Row). 2:30pm

• Kingston Lacy: Second Sunday of the month, 9.15am Holy Communion. Fourth Sunday of the month, 9.15am Family Service.

• Our Lady’s RC Church, Marnhull: Mass Sunday, 9.30am and 6pm.

• Shaftesbury Quakers (Society of Friends): Meets for one hour each Sunday from 10.30am at the Quaker Meeting House, Abbey Walk, Shaftesbury SP7 8BB.

• Sherborne Abbey: Monday to Saturday, 8.30am Morning Prayer; The Sepulchre Chapel. Mondays, 9am CW Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. Tuesday, noon CW Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. Wednesday, 10.30am Holy Communion with Homily; The Lady Chapel (alternates CW and BCP). Thursday, noon BCP Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. Friday, 9am Ecumenical Holy Communion; The Lady Chapel. First Friday of the month, 9am Requiem Holy Communion; The Sepulchre Chapel. Third Friday of the month, 11am Remembering the Fallen. Saturday, 9am CW Holy Communion; The Sepulchre Chapel.

• St Benedict’s RC Church, Gillingham: Sunday, 11am.

• Sacred Heart, Tisbury, and All Saints’ Wardour Catholic Parish: Sunday Mass times –Sacred Heart, Tisbury 9am, coffee after Mass; All Saints’ Wardour 11am.

• St John’s (CofE) Church, Enmore Green, Shaftesbury:

Service every Sunday at 11.15am; parish communion on the first Monday of the month; prayer services every other Sunday.

• St Mary’s, Sturminster Newton: First, third and fourth Sundays – 11am Holy Communion; second Sunday – 9.30am Morning Prayer; fifth Sunday – 11am Benefice Holy Communion; second and fourth Sundays – 6pm Evensong; Wednesdays – 10am Holy Communion.

• St Peter’s, Hinton St Mary: First, second and third Sundays, 9.30am Morning Prayer. Fourth Sunday, 9.30am Holy Communion.

• St Thomas’, Lydlinch: Second and fourth Sunday, 11am Holy Communion. Third Sunday, 6pm Evensong.

• Shapwick: Third Sunday of the month, 9.15am Holy Communion.

• Sherborne Quakers: Meet Sundays 10.30am in the Griffiths Room, Digby Memorial Church Hall. Everyone welcome.

• Witchampton Church: Third Sunday of the month, 10.30am Holy Communion.

• Sherborne Abbey Choir: The choir has a vacancy for a voluntary bass singer to join the ‘back rows’ – details available from the parish office. Members of the ‘back rows’ need to be able to commit to the regular routine of Friday night choir practices with two Sunday services for most of the year.

St Peter’s Church Choir, Shaftesbury.

WEST CAMEL INDEPENDENT METHODISTS, meeting at All Saints Church, BA22 7QB. Sundays July 9th, 16th and 23rd 6pm - evening worship. Sunday July 30th 6pm. - United ServiceContact: 01935 850838 or Geoff.mead@yahoo.com

Book online: blackmorevale.net

Email: adverts@blackmorevale.net

St Peter’s is an Anglican church in Shaftesbury (https://shaftesburycofe. org.uk/) We have a talented four part (SATB) voluntary choir and are seeking to recruit new choir members. We support worship in St Peter’s on the second, third and fourth Sunday of each month at Parish Communion services but you don’t need to be a churchgoer to sing with us – a love of music and singing is what we would ask of you. We have a choir practice in the Church on Thursday evenings, usually at 6pm. If you would like to join us please contact us on stpeterschoirshaftesbury@outlook.com or Margaret Mellor on 01747 853381. We do not hold auditions and the only thing we ask is your desire to sing, a love of music and your support, though experience and an ability to read music would of course be an advantage.

We are also seeking an organist and music director who could lead the choir and play at services. This would be a voluntary position, if anyone would be prepared to support the music worship at St Peters please get in touch.

Candidates vie to replace Warburton

THE full slate of candidates for the upcoming by-election for the Somerton and Frome constituency has been revealed.

Voters will head to the polls on July 20 for the poll, prompted by the resignation of former MP David Warburton after a scandal involving allegations of drug taking and sexual harassment.

The former Conservative is replaced by Faye Purbrick, a Somerset councillor for Yeovil, who lives in the town.

The Liberal Democrats are fielding Sarah Dyke, another Somerset councillor, representing the Blackmore Vale. She is also the lead member for environment and climate change.

Meanwhile Labour has selected Taunton-based Neil Guild as its candidate. Mr Guild previously ran for the party in the Taunton Deane constituency in 2015, placing fourth.

The Green Party has selected Martin Dimery, another Somerset councillor, who represents Frome West.

The full list of candidates is:

n Lorna Irene Bromley Corke: Christian People’s Alliance

n Martin John Dimery: Green Party

n Sarah Joanne Dyke: Liberal Democrats

n Bruce David Evans: Reform UK

n Neil William Guild: Labour Party

n Rosie Mitchell: Independent

n Faye Marie Purbrick: Conservative Party

n Peter Kevin Richardson: UK Independence Party

However, controversy has already broken out in the Labour camp after the selection of Mr Guild prompted the resignation of long-serving party member and activist Sean Dromgoole.

Mr Dromgoole, who stood for the party in the constituency in the last two general elections,

is chair of Langport Town Council and was chair of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP) in Somerton and Frome.

However, he was overlooked in the selection process, and claims he has been given no reason for the decision, prompting him to stand down in anger.

He said: “It is with great sadness that I announce that, after 12 years of membership, I have today resigned from the Labour Party.

“I simply don’t understand how, and have received no explanation as to why, I wasn’t even shortlisted for a selection in the seat of Somerton and Frome in which I have worked so hard for so long.

“I was campaign director here in the 2015 and had the privilege of standing in the last two general elections.

“I got 10,998 votes in 2017 – an increase of 6,579 – and only fell back by 4% in the difficult 2019 campaign.

“I have since been chair of the CLP as well as performing many other regional party duties.

“Despite this long record of loyal voluntary work and successful campaigning, the party has completely failed to communicate at all with me since the decision to exclude me.

“I have no understanding of either the process or the rationale. If, for instance, the choice had been to select a female candidate, that would have made sense.

“As it is I may never know the basis of the decision, or on what knowledge, or errors, it was based. All I do know is that it was a poor one that no one cares to explain.

“The Labour Party I loved seems to have become paralysed by a one-way relationship with its leadership. It has wholly disengaged from local CLPs and the sentiments of those who do the work.”

Free trade and high UK standards

I CANNOT be the only one saying, both privately and out loud, ‘where is this year going?

My children tell me I say this every year but even they now think the pace of time is quickening.

But, as I write, we are approaching the ‘year end’ for schools and indeed for Parliament. So, I wanted to begin by issuing a few end of term thank yous.

Thank you to all our North Dorset teachers who have worked so diligently to prepare students for exams and throughout the year. My eldest daughter has just completed her GCSE mocks while my youngest her SATS.

I have seen at first hand the levels of support given to local pupils. So, thank you to all the school staff and best of luck to those awaiting important exam results.

Trundling around the

constituency between meetings, advice surgeries and so forth anyone else doing the same will have noticed crops ripening in our fields, newly shorn sheep and our many dairy herds producing our wonderful North Dorset milk.

The food supply chain pressures created by the

situation in Ukraine only go to underscore just how vital maximising sustainable UK food security is.

So, my second thank you is to our farmers who work tirelessly to keep our population fed. I have long advocated for, and indeed rebelled in Parliament on the point, that food standards must be taken into account when entering free trade deals.

Free trade is a good thing, as most people recognise, but it cannot be absolutely free, that is potentially penalising UK domestic production by opening up our markets to food, or indeed other commodities, raised or produced to standards lower than those that prevail in the UK. To do so creates an incredibly unfair and unlevel playing field.

The Prime Minister’s recent, very clear commitment to this principle, has been welcomed

by local farmers as it has by me – so, I suppose I should thank the Prime Minister, too?

Throughout North Dorset, sports days, village and church fetes, open gardens and other events are taking place. They are vital sources of money raising but, and perhaps more importantly, they are key ways of bringing local communities together in a common and shared endeavour.

They are, I believe, an intrinsic part of the fabric of rural life.

These events, despite what some might think, do not just happen. Months of planning, organisation and praying for fine weather are required. A plucky army of volunteers put in the slog to make our communities communities.

So, my final thank you, is to all of them for all they do. They help make and keep North Dorset the special place it is.

Conservative MP for North Dorset Simon Hoare

‘If you want ‘green’, vote Labour’

RECENTLY, in sunny Leith, Starmer and his team provided an update on their plans for the green transition. As well as confirmation of pre-announced policies such as overturning the ban on onshore wind, a Labour government would also focus on the practical enablers such as ‘rewiring Britain’ to reduce the amount of time it takes to get new green generation plugged into the grid.

It’s interesting to contrast Labour’s approach with what the independent Committee on Climate Change has had to say about the current government. They asses that the UK has ‘lost its global leadership’ on climate change, with a lack of ‘political leadership’ blamed for ‘worrying slow’ progress on cutting carbon emissions.

I think it’ll be clear going into the next election that if you want green, vote Labour and you’ll get it. A vote for the

Green Party on the other hand would just risk splitting the environmental vote. Furthermore, their track record in government is terrible. Witness the mess they made in Brighton, where they couldn’t even organise the bin collections. Or in Scotland, where their farcical deposit

return scheme for recycling has been, well, sent for recycling.

In contrast, Labour’s position on the environment is ambitious yet pragmatic. I’m glad that the Labour leadership has listened to feedback from the GMB and other trade unions on North Sea oil and gas. Labour would hold no further licensing rounds but would allow existing discoveries to be developed subject to compatibility with the UK’s net zero by 2050 objective. The Greens would be shutting down production as soon as they could – which would only lead to the UK importing oil and gas from hostile states such as Russia, or from the Middle East, with all the adverse climate impact of shipping and well site methane emissions.

There are some areas where I still think Labour has more to do on energy policy, though. Take for example energy bills

for small businesses. As any reader will know after the recent turbulence, domestic consumers are protected by a heavily regulated marketed. For businesses, though, it’s the wild west.

Brokers can hoodwink business owners into signing new deals at thoroughly uncompetitive rates. They prey on the fact that owners are time poor, sending renewal emails without prices displayed and only 48 hours to object. They signed my micropub up to a new deal last November –winter being the worst time to renew for a customer, and the most profitable for the broker – despite the contract not expiring until this August. We’re still trying to get out of it.

I would like to see a Labour government extend some of the protection consumers get to small businesses up to a certain turnover.

Rail operators: Meeting with Minister

ON Thursday, June 29, I was at the count for the result of the Sherborne West by-election for Dorset Council. The Conservative candidate, Rebecca Burns, came a very close second. As a local person from Sherborne who genuinely holds dear the interests and values of the town, I know that Rebecca will continue to champion the causes to help make Sherborne a better place.

Since my last column, I’ve met with the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, to discuss the ongoing poor performance of the West of England line. The line, which traverses the Blackmore Vale, deserves greater attention. In particular, I raised with the Minister the performance of the line’s operators – South Western Railway and Great Western Railway – and the need for better services to and from West Dorset.

I was also interviewed by BBC Radio Solent last week to

Chris Loder

discuss accessibility improvements at Dorchester South Station. The county town’s station is an embarrassment and needs significant improvement. Alongside Network Rail, South Western Railway has submitted an ‘Access for All’ bid to the Department for Transport, and a decision will be made in due course.

A few Fridays ago, I also attended a summit of farmers and representatives of the National Farmers’ Union at a farming summit in Thorncombe, hosted by first-generation dairy farmers.

I am keen to see farming and agriculture on the national curriculum so that all children understand where food comes from and have raised this with Education officials this week.

As a tenant beef farmer’s son, I was fortunate to grow up with an enriched understanding of how food was produced and where it was sourced from. However, many young children today don’t have this basic knowledge or understanding.

In other news, it may surprise you to know that 51% of properties in West Dorset are without access to the gas grid – the highest proportion in the county. The unique infrastructure of the constituency and the sparsity of settlements means many

households have no choice but to use alternative fuels, such as heating oil, LPG or kiln-dried logs.

In some of the more rural areas, including the Chalk Valleys and the Marshwood Vale, more than 95% of properties do not have access to mains gas, which puts us in a unique position of rural need.

Pending consultation, the Government’s current proposal is to phase out the installation of high carbon fossil fuel heating systems from 2026. I have some reservations about this approach, in that it needs to be better reflective of rural needs.

The rural voice and lifestyle risks being disproportionately affected and for me to better represent your views, I would welcome your feedback on rural energy and the Government’s current proposals and what you’d like to see. You can submit your feedback on my website at www.chrisloder.co. uk/ruralenergy

Conservative MP for West Dorset

Greg Williams, on behalf of Dorset Labour

‘Lib Dems are not a busted flush’

THERE was a letter in this publication last time that suggested the Liberal Democrats are something of a busted flush. Nonsense fashioned in ignorance!

The Lib Dems had some of the stand-out ministers in the Coalition. They fought hard but without power. They became disillusioned – I know from personal experience – about the centralisation of power in Downing Street and especially in the unnamed cohort of advisers perpetually at war with the professional Civil Service.

Now, we didn’t do well with one leader and in one election but that was a little local difficulty and about character, not our capability on the ground.

Liberal Democrats today are the thought leaders, the integrating, bringing-together policy developers, the innovators across local government – and watch us put

the people and the work into these by-elections as no other party. Imploded? What tosh!

We all know it. You can see it, feel it, watch it, hear it – the Conservatives from Cameron to May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak are the busted flush, bereft of all but dog-whistle policy.

You can see it on the face of

their decent people –disappointment, disillusion, despair, disgust. Their less decent people continue to fib, carry on in their strange and marginal broadcast entities, defend the indefensible, promote the impractical and call for the unimplementable.

I give you the threats of floating hotels and deportations; I give you sabre-rattling and yet the weakest British Army in 200 years; I give you the destructive incompetence of attempts to manage public sector pay and conditions. I give you an NHS hugely stretched in primary care and GP access – a big issue here –but an NHS yet ripe for fragmentation and commercial cherry-picking; I give you rivers not of blood but of you know what. I give you one-side traded deals and the sheer wrecking-ball of Brexit. Caused by them, designed by them and implemented by them, alone and unaided.

I talk to small businesses. There are thousands in Dorset. They don’t have the wherewithal to compete in distant and unfamiliar worlds. They have the products, understanding and contacts to address the markets of people who like the same things, have the same values and essential culture.

Tell them ‘Go change’ and they say ‘Why? What for? More risk and uncertainty, more cost and more sleepless nights? No way. I’ll bumble along for a bit and see what happens.’ What a great recipe for growth and a dynamic economy!

Whereas, your Hedge Funds like a bit of uncertainty, doom and gloom. These deliver their margins because they can bet against success and upturn. Worse, some have significant influence through donations and the old school tie.

Time for a change. Time to make your mind up. Time to tick the better box on July 20.

Armed Forces Day and London Pride

IT was a privilege on Saturday to represent the Government at the National Armed Forces Day event in Falmouth as Minister for Defence People. Across the UK, including in Trowbridge, there were more than 100 similar events celebrating the work of our sailors, soldiers and aviators, veterans, cadet forces and families. The national event in Falmouth was a huge success with great support from the public.

This Saturday I will be making a speech before the London Pride March following publication earlier this month of the Etherton report. Judge Lord Etherton was asked by the Defence Secretary to review the way LGBT people were treated in the military between the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967 and the lifting of the ban in the Armed Forces more than three decades

later.

The review makes for very uncomfortable reading. Lord Etherton makes a number of recommendations that ministers are now working through. I have already issued a

ministerial apology but Saturday is an opportunity to restate it to assembled veterans before the march.

Another veterans event on Sunday when I will be at the annual Fovant Badges service. It’s a very British event well attended by veterans and –fingers crossed – generally in fine weather.

A number of frontline community health workers with

Wiltshire Health and Care and other health organisations that are closely allied to but not formally part of the NHS have been in touch. They tell me they will not be getting the recently announced covid-related ‘backlog bonus’ awarded to NHS staff. I’ve looked into it and agree that it looks odd. Consequently, I’m writing to the Health Secretary and hope we can find a resolution.

Mike Chapman on behalf of Liberal Democrats across the Blackmore Vale

Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire

Dr Andrew Murrison

Andrew Murrison represented the Government as Minister for Defence People at the National Armed Forces Day event in Falmouth

Big fun for all the family!

FUN for people of all ages and fundraising for local projects is the aim of the Big Session being held on the cricket pitch in Sixpenny Handley tomorrow (Saturday, July 8).

Penny, from Sixpenny Sessions, said: “We have an impressive line-up of musical entertainment, which has something for everyone from acoustic roots, cover bands, an Elvis tribute act to our headliners, Quinns Quinney, who are quite simply the finest local festival band and are sure to have everyone up and singing and dancing the night away.”

As well as the music, children’s workshops will be run around the field, including woodcraft, Aboriginal-style art, musical instruments, festival headband making and facepainting. All these activities are included in the ticket price.

Penny said: “We are delighted that so many

community organisations are taking part with stalls and fundraising activities this year, including The Creative Skills Hub, bowls club, football club, cricket club, village hall, 1st Woodcutts Scouts and, of course, the team from St Mary’s Church, who will be selling an array of hot drinks and delicious savoury and sweet treats”.

Food will be on sale with a barbecue, run by the team from 1st Woodcutts Scouts, and The Penny Tap will run a bar.

Penny added: “This year we have been amazed by the generosity of so many local organisations who have donated towards the running costs of the event. Special mention goes to our lead supporter this year, D G Corbin & Sons, who along with all the other donors enable us to put on the event.”

All profits raised will go to the Sixpenny Handley Community Fund, which funds

projects in the community.

A recent round of grants from the fund has helped seven community groups, including a new barbecue for 1st Woodcutts Scouts, a noticeboard for the allotments, a new coffee machine for the village hall, signage for the cricket club, new play mats for Happy Nappy Toddlers Group, help towards a new perimeter fence for the first school and nursery, and a contribution to the Home Ed Gardening Group for its rewilding project in the churchyard.

Tickets priced £12.50 (adult), £30 (family of two plus two), £5 (additional child over five), under fives free, are available online via www.eventbrite.co.uk – no administration fee – or from Clarkes the Butcher and Budgens in the High Street. No dogs are allowed.

The Big Session runs from 2-10pm (gate opens at 1.30pm).

Mill Singers’ gala concert

THE noted Dorset male voice choir, the Mill Singers, performed a gala concert at the Corn Exchange in Blandford.

Under its musical director Nikki Budd, accompanied on piano by Sam Ryall, the choir performed songs from musicals, light opera, film music, folk songs and sea shanties.

The occasion attracted a full house and the concert was extremely well-received.

Ticket prices included generous refreshments –provided by choir members’ wives – wine was served and a raffle raised further funds for the choir’s expenses.

The choir rehearses in Child Okeford on Thursday evenings and welcomes new members – especially tenors! There is no entry audition.

For more information phone the membership secretary on 01747 828106.

BOB JONES

THE Rock n Ribs Festival, which serves up a mixture of USA-themed family music, barbecue food and a car show, is returning to Wincanton Racecourse later this month.

Headlining the 2023 show are Elvana – Elvis Fronted Nirvana – who have played Glastonbury and Download.

They are supported by a raft of the UK’s best tributes to US rock icons including Linkin Park, Guns N’ Roses, The Killers, Metallica, Limp Bizkit

and Mötley Crüe.

The festival also has a country stage showcasing the best UK talent and a third with rock ‘n’ roll and line dancing.

The car show will feature a range of US vehicles including Second World War jeeps, hotrods and muscle cars through to big rigs, police cars, fire engines and vehicles from film and television.

The food section includes some of the best US-style smoked barbecues cooked up by

leading chefs and pitmasters.

Family wrestling shows from Megaslam Wrestling are also on offer plus a variety of crowdpleasing eating trials, some of which allow children to participate.

Those seeking more of an adrenaline hit can get behind the wheel of a US big rig for a lap of the track or take a ride on Europe’s only ride-on monster truck, Red Dragon.

All the usual rides and stalls will also be at the racecourse for

All things American at Rock n Ribs Orchestra serving up varied offering

SHAFTESBURY Orchestra is promising something for everyone next weekend in its concert at St James’ Church in the town.

The orchestra, under regular conductor Arturo Serna, and following the success of its spring concert, has chosen a varied programme of familiar and less familiar music.

The charming music of Weber’s Clarinet Concertino and the dance-like rhythms of Faure’s Masque and Bergamasque suite will be followed by the lyrical tunes of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony.

Opening and closing the concert, by contrast, will be the dramatic brass sounds of Wagner’s overture to Rienzi and the

rousing Finlandia by Sibelius, with its ever-popular theme.

Cath Allen, a versatile clarinetist from Bournemouth, who also plays saxophone for a punk rock band, will be performing the solo in the Weber.

And, as usual at Shaftesbury Orchestra concerts, David Grierson will give short and entertaining introductions to each of the pieces.

Entry to the concert is free with a retiring collection in aid of St James’ Church continued development as a community resource. Refreshments will be available for a donation.

The concert is on Sunday, July 16, at 4pm at St James’ Church (SP7 8HL).

Doing the stomp!

THE Stompin’ Dave Quartet are playing at Shaftesbury Arts Centre as part of Shaftesbury Fringe Festival later this month.

The band, making their debut together as a group, features Stompin’ Dave on vocals, electric guitar and tap dancing, Ray Drury on keyboards, Paul Francis on bass and the multinational award-winning Sam

Kelly on drums.

More information on the band can be found at www. stompinstore.com/quartet

The show on Sunday, July 23, starts at 7.30pm. Advance tickets are £14 available from Shaftesbury Arts Centre box office on 01747 854321 or online via www.shaftesburyarts. org.uk

the festival held from Friday to Sunday, July 21-23.

Organisers Bearfoot Productions said: “This will be the fourth Rock n Ribs and the show just gets better and better.”

Day tickets are from £10 for adults, £2 for children (four-16) and free for infants (aged up to three). Family and weekend tickets are also available but camping tickets have sold out.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.rocknribsfestival.co.uk

Shaftesbury Orchestra conductor Arturo Serna will be on duty for the concert at St James’ church in Shaftesbury

Arrow words Wordsearch

Crossword

Across

1 Elastic material (6)

4 Dominions (6)

8 Online video device (3)

9 Camouflaging (9)

11 Not here (4)

12 Interval (8)

15 Flattening (9)

18 Formal (8)

19 Agenda point (4)

21 Victims (9)

23 Any whatever (3)

24 Freshest (6)

25 Planetarium (6)

Down

1 Ethnological (6)

2 Via (2,5,2)

2 Via (2,5,2)

3 Comfort (4)

5 Dynamic; thrilling (8)

6 Garland of flowers (3)

7 Translated for the deaf, perhaps (6)

10 Restore to a former position (9)

13 Bad dream (9)

14 Comes through (8)

16 Uncle’s or aunt’s child (6)

(6)

17 Malodorous (6)

20 Slavic monarch (4)

22 More than one but less than several (3)

20 Slavic monarch (4)

22 More than one but less than several (3)

8 4 2 5 8 3 9 1 2 6 4 7 2 4 8 1 7 3 9 1 6 5 3 8 6 7 1

Brain chain

Ups and downs of the National Debt

MIKE Keating – Letters, New Blackmore Vale, June 23 – is right to look to the long term to judge political party performance but unfortunately has not backed up his assertions with supportive data.

Perhaps a useful source might be the National Debt (ND) statistics which are in some ways a bit like an overdraft. If the Government spends more than the fiscal take, taxes and other incomes, then the National Debt goes up and if it spends less than income, it comes down.

In 1990/91 the National Debt had fallen to 21.7% of GDP but by the eve of New Labour’s election win in 1997 it had risen to 36%.

Under Brown’s Chancellorship, ND fell to 28% of GDP by 2001/02, rising thereafter to 35.6% in 2007/08, just below the level of inherited debt, meaning that across that period income precisely matched expenditure while significant improvements were being made to the Health Service, Education and to most of the population’s quality of life, things which were significant enough to be erroneously described as ‘licence to throw money at everything’.

In 2009/10 ND rapidly climbed to 64.5%, not because the Government went on a profligate spending spree but because of its response to the Global Financial Crisis. Brown and then Chancellor Alistair Darling acted swiftly to borrow huge sums to bail out the banks to avoid even greater cost to the economy. It is generally acknowledged that this action saved our banks and the rest of the world rapidly followed Britain’s lead.

The consequence was that the incoming Conservative Government inherited a ND which had grown to nearly double that which it left in 1995/96 and which enabled it to propagate the myth that an

unsustainable debt had been created by Labour having recklessly thrown money at every problem.

The letter about there being no money, left by the outgoing Treasury Secretary, was unfortunately an ill-considered joke which was seized upon by the popular press – there is no money at the Treasury and over the last 130 years the fiscal account has always been in the red when passed on to an incoming Government.

Since 2010, despite Austerity and Quantative Easing, the ND continued to rise, reaching 82.9% in 2016/17 and 85% in 2019/20 on the eve of the pandemic, while wages, growth and productivity remained static as our relative standard of living declined. Since, thanks to Covid-19 and Russian aggression, ND has escalated to 100% of GDP, about £38,000 per person.

Brian South Shaftesbury

MANY thanks to all those friends who came and supported me at my coffee morning in aid of the MS Trust and air ambulance.

The total raised was £421.

After so many years, this one is the last, so again thank you so much for the support over the years. I am truly grateful.

Christine Dimarino Shaftesbury

MIKE Fry – New Blackmore Vale, Letters, June 23 – is correct to say that most fledglings should be left alone if uninjured.

However, the best way to help swallows, housemartins and swifts if you find them on the ground is to place them near the edge of a flat roof to enable them to make another attempt at taking off, or to launch them gently from your hands into the air.

My son has several pairs of swifts nesting in his roof space and has used both these

methods successfully.

Over the years, numbers have increased because he has made more nest entrances, so the young have returned to breed.

It’s wonderful to watch them wheeling above, knowing they will not touch the ground again until in April they return here to breed, after overwintering in Africa, even sleeping on the wing.

Geraldine Hobson Hazelbury Bryan

I RECENTLY took a 10-yearold-plus music centre that had developed a fault with the CD tray to Sherborne Repair Cafe.

The problem was caused by two broken plastic parts.

While I waited, two replacement parts were made by 3-D printing and once fitted the CD player was working again.

I found the idea of today’s hi-tech extending the life of

yesterday’s technology rather appealing.

The next time something of yours breaks down, don’t discard it, give the Repair Cafe a chance to repair it.

You will be doing your bit for the environment and contributing to charity by making a donation in return for the repair.

Gordon Lethbridge Sherborne

I WAS pleased to read Canon Eric Woods’ comments about truth. The idea that one person’s truth can be different from someone else’s is nonsense!

Truth is truth and cannot change. Those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, who said ‘I am the truth’, would also say that truth is eternal — something the Church should not forget when seeking to be popular.

Geoff Chapman West Camel

Not cycling safely

I FEEL compelled to comment on the photo at the front of The Great Outdoors feature in the New Blackmore Vale (June 9).

The enticing family photo suggests enjoyment of a day out with bikes but is like pictures used to help young people identify hazards as part of learning the skills of cycling:

n Never cycle in flip flops

n Do wear a helmet when learning a new skill, at any age, but particularly as a young child, as this is when errors are likely to result in a fall

n The main reason children do not learn to cycle is that parents buy a bike with and leave stabilisers attached, which only serve to teach a

child how NOT to balance

– that is touch and go from side to side

n The lad in the photo is on a bike too small for him and which has no handbrakes, yet is of an age where he could ride a two-wheeler unaided given the right bike and basic skills tuition

n Mum is wearing high platform shoes which are likely to ground if she rode her bike

n Her butcher’s bike basket may look appealing but would affect her ability to ride safely, particularly on that rough country path, which perhaps is why she is not riding.

Dilys Gartside Cycling instructor, Bikeability training provider

Lowry lots in high demand

ACREMAN St Auctioneers & Valuers, Sherborne, had a bumper June with 1960s and 1970s clothing and oriental and ethnic clothing doing particularly well in its Textile, Fashion & Apparel auction. Its 20th century Art auction saw many bidders competing for the 100 L S Lowry sketches, drawings and watercolours, with a 1952 street scene with figures achieving a £6,000 hammer price.

Bidding was also strong in the Oriental section of the General Antiques & Collectors auction with an antique carved jade panel achieving £1,300.

In the Jewellery, Silver & Watches Auction the star lot was a 1658 silver Cromwellian tankard sold for £3,400.

Upcoming on July 14 is Acreman’s Garden &

Architectural auction with a General Antiques & Collectors auction on July 28, and Jewellery, Silver & Watches auction on July 29.

The catalogue and bidding are available online through easyliveauction.com and Thesaleroom.com

Acreman is holding specialist sales of Coins & Banknotes, Stamps, Ephemera, Postcards & Photographs, Oriental, Militaria & Textiles, Fashion & Apparel.

Anyone who has anything they would like to consign can contact Gill Norman on 07908 333577 or 01935 50874.

Valuation days are held every Wednesday 10am-4pm – free valuations are offered on items being considered for auction at Acreman Auction, 121 Acreman Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PH.

GARDEN & ARCHITECTURAL AUCTION

Friday 14th July

GENERAL ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES

Thursday 27th July

JEWELLERY, SILVER & WATCHES

Friday 28th July

Viewing Wednesday 28th 10am - 5pm

Silver box sings a sweet sound

A LITTLE silver box with a singing bird movement is one of the hundreds of lots in Charterhouse’s Thursday, August 3, auction of silver, jewellery and watches.

“Our specialist auctions of silver, jewellery and watches are always popular,” said Richard Bromell, from the

auction house. “Combined with a strong market that has resulted in many great results.”

Charterhouse is accepting further entries for the auction of silver, jewellery and watches, with specialist auctions of automobilia followed by rock ’n’ pop, vinyl and film memorabilia in September.

Richard Bromell and the Charterhouse team can be contacted for valuations on 01935 812277 or at rb@ charterhouse-auction.com

Specialist Free Valuation Days

Valuation Days in Sherborne

Monday 12th Pictures, Maps, Books & Postcards

Tuesday 13th Silver, Jewellery, Watches & Clocks

Coins, Medals, Militaria & Stamps 11th

Wednesday 14th Model Cars, Trains, Dolls & Toys

Jewellery, Watches & Silver 12th

Thursday 15th Medals, Militaria, Coins & Stamps

Chinese & Japanese Ceramics & Bronze 13th

Friday 16th Asian Ceramics & Works of Art

Model Cars, Trains, Dolls & Toys 14th

Classic Motorcycle Auction 28th October

Classic Car Auction 11th November

Classic & Vintage Car Autumn Auction

Further entries now being accepted

Classic Motorcycle Autumn Auction

The Long Street Salerooms Sherborne DT9 3BS

Further Entries Now Invited

This silver singing bird box is estimated to sell for £400-£600

Lots of variety in 1,000-plus lots

CLARKE’S Auctions at Semley is holding its sale this Friday and Saturday with more than 1,000 lots up for auction.

The catalogue is full of interesting lots and a wide variety of items ranging from classical carved stone busts and a private consignment of 17th and 18th century oil paintings to a collection of 1970s gentlemen’s wristwatches and a huge quantity of limited edition and highly collectable Royal Crown Derby paperweights.

The sale also includes exquisite Chinese ceramics and works of art, Old Master drawings and furniture such as a French cherrywood farmhouse kitchen table, a pair of Victorian oak open bookcases and a Regency mahogany bowfronted chest-on-chest.

A colour catalogue can be

found on Clarke’s website under the Buyers Catalogue tab or at the-saleroom.com and easyliveauction.com.

The team at Clarke’s are at the auction house throughout the week and are happy to have a look at anything prospective vendors may be thinking of selling, whether that is a single item or a house or barn full.

Phone them on the number below to make an appointment to chat with one of their valuers.

For entries into future sales, enquiries for consignment or for probate or insurance valuations, part- or full-house clearances, phone Richard Clarke or Karen Marshall on 01747 855109 at the main offices on Kingsettle Business Park, Station Road, Semley, Shaftesbury.

Antiques & Collectables Sale

Duke’s: 200 years at your service

DUKE’S was established in 1823, less than a decade after Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.

Some 200 years later it is now recognised as one of the leading auction houses in the UK.

An auction in celebration of such an occasion is being held on Thursday, September 14, featuring about 200 superb lots showcasing the very best across various decorative art disciplines.

Some of the highlights are a Tiffany ‘dogwood’ lamp (£15,000-£25,000), a George II silver tureen by Edward Wakelin, London 1751 (£2,000£3,000) and ‘The Port Jackson’ (pictured) by Montague J. Dawson (1895-1973) (£20,000-

£30,000).

Senior valuer and auctioneer Michael Roberts said: “We are extremely proud to mark our bicentennial milestone – 200 years of serving clients across Dorset and the South-West and helping them achieve excellent auction outcomes.

“We have been privileged to handle some remarkable objects in that time and we would like to thank all our clients –past, present and future – for their support.

“Technology may have changed enormously since 1823 – we now sell to clients all round the world via the internet – but you can still rely on our ‘old-fashioned’ values of personal service and attention to detail.”

17th century style

Antiques & Collectibles

RUBY is the birthstone for July and as you would imagine from a gemstone that displays a vibrant red colour, it is said to represent love, anger, passion and danger.

It is also the stone with a 40th anniversary.

But did you know that rubies are created from the same mineral as sapphires?

This mineral is called corundum which, when pure, is colourless but when it is red, it is called a ruby and when blue,

We’re coming back

a sapphire.

Rubies hold their value well, depending on their cut, colour and clarity, and are very resilient.

The most expensive ruby in the world to date is the Estrela de FURA weighing in at a massive 55.22 carats which was sold at auction at Sotheby’s, New York, on May 12, 2015, for $34.8 million (£27.7 million).

AMY BRENAN Heirlooms, Wareham

Just like the Old Days

PASTIMES

of Sherborne (near the Abbey)

Thirty years of dealing in antique and Collectible Toys.

Top prices paid for all types of model railway, die cast cars, early Action Man and Star Wars, Scalextric, Meccano, unmade Airfix kits etc. Those magical makes; Hornby, Dinky, Triang, Spot-On, Corgi, Subbuteo, Britains, Timpo plus plus plus

Telephone: 01935 816072

Mobile: 07527 074343

We have moved to new premises –ready to welcome new and old customers. I have a large private collection of French and English antique furniture, antique architectural items, interesting antiquities and objects d’art for home et gardens. I return to Dorset monthly with fresh items from my collection.

Open 7 days, but please check as I may be away on delivering.

I look forward to your visit!

Home & Garden

Ins and outs of improving the soil

by Sally Gregson

AFTER such a hot, dry spring and early summer it’s tempting to supplant all those shrubs and perennials that prefer less parched ground with something more Mediterranean in style. But. Next year could be quite different. It could rain non-stop. And then all those plants adapted to hot, arid conditions will be flooded out and fade away.

The message, however, is still quite simple – improve the soil. It is a fact that soil that has had plenty of organic matter added during the winter will be able to endure drought conditions better. The plants will happily make better roots in improved soil and be better able to withstand the extremes of drought and flood.

Soil that is naturally light, sandy and free draining, with the addition of organic matter – plenty of garden compost, well-rotted manure or mushroom compost – will be able to hold on to the moisture

much better and for longer. Whereas the addition of lots of fibrous material to heavy, sticky clay that dries to deep cracks, breaks it up and allows excess moisture to drain away. Adding some sharp grit will also help to treat the soil structure.

But, as we all know, it’s rarely as simple as that. There are some disadvantages to mulching with organic matter, beyond aching backs. Horse manure, for example, can be full of weed seeds – docks, thistles and dandelions. Horses’ stomachs cannot digest the seeds of such weeds, so they are deposited on the soil with a dollop of ‘natural fertiliser’ and the weeds grow for England. The same can be said for garden compost. So, it behoves the gardener to avoid throwing seeding weeds onto the compost heap. Most domestic heaps do not reach the temperatures required to suppress weed seed. And, as we think we all know, mushroom compost can be quite alkaline.

However, look around locally. There are those who sell mushroom compost mixed with plenty of very well-rotted horse manure, and this does not contain weed seeds, nor is it too

alkaline. It’s used by the great gardens locally who pile it on the soil during the winter. It would be well worth ordering a load for delivery this autumn after it has rained again.

Native American cause for comment

by Sally Gregson

POWERING up through the perennials in the herbaceous border, Veronicastrum virginicum is an unusual plant that often causes comment. It has tall, tapering spires of lavender-blue flowers with slightly curved tips like the end of a cat’s tail. The strongly upright flowering spikes provide a vertical accent among all those horizontal flowerheads and waving grasses.

As its name suggests, Veronicastrum virginicum is a native American, but it originates in the open woodland of Missouri where it grows in the open or in slight shade. It is the species most grown in this country, especially the named form, V. virginicum ‘Fascination’. And the stems certainly have a fascinating shape.

But, the epithet ‘Fascination’

is probably an oblique reference to the plants’ quite common tendency to ‘fasciate’. This is where the shoots and stems become flattened and elongated and the heads look as if they are fused together in one. Fasciation is normally a very unusual

occurrence in nature, rarely seen among other plants, with the possible exception of ‘Hen and Chickens’ daisies, where the central daisy flower is surrounded by smaller flowers suspended on thin stalks all around their ‘mother’. These

‘ring fasciations’ of daisy flowers have been especially prized for centuries and are often grown in special pots on a cottage windowsill to show them off. Neither fasciation damages the plant and merely adds to the charm of the flowers.

The species of veronicastrum that originates in Russia as far east as Korea and Japan, V. sibiricum f. glabratum, is like V. virginicum on steroids. It boasts fat stems of intensely violetpurple flowers with curved tips that last for weeks in summer. It’s very attractive to bees and butterflies that rock and roll on the flower-spikes in a light breeze. The seedheads last well into the autumn and winter and provide food for birds and mice to fatten for winter. Perhaps it will become as widely grown as V. virginicum and fascinate the garden’s visitors.

Veronicastrum virginicum has tall, tapering spires of lavender-blue flowers with slightly curved tips like the end of a cat’s tail

Organic matter, like found in garden compost, can help naturally free-draining soil hold on to moisture much better and for longer

Tamsin’s tales of a lifetime in gardening

by Lorraine Gibson

WHAT do you say on live TV when you’re asked the best place to put a garden gnome?

Is nudist gardening ever a good idea?

And why do the roses surrounding beautifully manicured English bowling green lawns grow so vigorously?

Just some of the things considered by a local author in a memoir bound to appeal to readers, green-fingered or otherwise.

Whether you watch Gardener’s World and fantasise about getting your hands dirty like Monty Don, or you don’t give a fig about dusting the office dieffenbachias –

whatever side of the garden fence you’re on, prepare to be charmed by tales of a life spent outdoors told by someone who’s not afraid to stand out like a sunflower in a row of cabbages.

Garden guru, Bournemouth’s first female parks gardener and former Wimborne garden shop owner Tamsin Westhorpe’s Grasping The Nettle, Tales From A Modern Country Gardener is one woman’s guide to making a living with muddy fingernails, steel toe-capped boots and a can-do gardening attitude.

Her memoir of memorable mishaps, peppered with a cast of colourful characters, relates her hapless horticultural

exploits while making a living with her hands buried in soil.

Tamsin has had a long and

successful career in the horticultural industry and has worked as an interior landscaper, a lecturer, as editor of the English Garden magazine, and as a judge at RHS Chelsea.

She hopes that reflecting on her career will encourage others to grab the wheelbarrow and embrace the life horticultural.

n Grasping The Nettle, Tales From A Modern Country Gardener is £14.95 from Gulliver’s, Wimborne, and orphanspublishing.co.uk/book/ grasping-the-nettle-tales-froma-modern-country-gardener/

RHS launches app

GARDENING beginner or seasoned professional?

Whether you need ideas for plants to make the most of your space or want to boost your fruit and vegetable harvest, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) can help with the new RHS Grow App. It provides a single location to identify the plants you have, gather inspiration for new plants, and receive helpful tips and reminders for simple, year-round plant care that will help gardens thrive.

Visit the RHS website at www.rhs.org.uk/rhsgrow

GARDEN MAINTENANCE Sherborne Area 07768 771897

HEDGE TRIMMING Free estimate 07864 960768

PERIOD CIRCULAR DINING TABLE drum style with drawers, Bevan Funnell. £170, 07974 965935

FLAIL MOWING. Paddocks, rides, scrub, brambles. 01747 870704 or 07786 261967

DB WOODWORKING TOOLS for used hand tools. Showroom above Stalbridge Joinery 07739 416402

HASKELL FENCING

All types of fencing supplied and fitted. We also have a mini-digger for hedge removal if required. Blandford 07751 001515

Surgery. Reductions.

Hedge Trimming. Stump Grinding. Woodchip supplies.

Tree Surgery. Reductions. Felling. Hedge Trimming. Stump Grinding. Woodchip supplies.

since 1946

01963 250005

01963 250005 Mobile: 07976 934 252 www.bandgdown.co.uk

07976 934 252

Home & Garden

ASBESTOS REMOVAL

Garages, Sheds, Lean to’s, Roofing and Cladding Collection and Dismantling BY Registered Hazardous Waste Carrier Call 07973 444620 or 01722 414478

MAN WITH MICRO-DIGGER & 1.5ton digger, stump grinder, Garden clearance, patios, fencing, decking, landscaping, driveways 30+ years’ experience

Contact Ken 07882 441873 / 01963 32034

GARDEN RESCUE

Tel 01747 821726

SELF DRIVE DIGGER and Dumper Hire 01258 861647

GREENHOUSES

Supplied/Erected, Alloy TenColours

Spares-Repairs-Glass

Chris Abrams 01258 452632

LANGTON NURSERIES

(C W Abbott & Son)

CABINET MAKER and Corian Fabricator near Sturminster Newton. Email us on bfwlimited@gmail.com

Architects/Designers welcome http://www.bfworks.co.uk

TOOLS WANTED. Cash waiting. 01747 850474

EX-DISPLAY SHEDS, Stables/field shelters, summerhouses, offices, workshops, agricultural 01935 891195

WELL ROTTED MANURE

Landscaping, Groundworks and Garden Maintenance, Specialists in Patios, Fencing, Driveways, Walling, Ponds, Turfing Free Quotation

Landscaping, Groundworks and Garden Maintenance, Specialists in Patios, Fencing, Driveways, Walling, Ponds, Turfing Free Quotation

Landscaping, Groundworks and Garden Maintenance, Specialists in Patios, Fencing, Driveways, Walling, Ponds, Turfing Free Quotation

Landscaping, Groundworks and Garden Maintenance, Specialists in Patios, Fencing, Driveways, Walling, Ponds, Turfing Free Quotation

Landscaping, Groundworks and Garden Maintenance, Specialists in Patios, Fencing, Driveways, Walling, Ponds, Turfing Free Quotation

Fruit Trees, Perennials & Shrubs, Hazel pea sticks and bean rods, Wild Bird food, Stockists of Kings, Franchi and Fothergill

Budget Seeds, Potting Compost. Large selection of pots. Open daily 10am–

amralphlandscaping@gmail.com www.ralphlandscaping.co.uk

amralphlandscaping@gmail.com www.ralphlandscaping.co.uk

amralphlandscaping@gmail.com www.ralphlandscaping.co.uk

amralphlandscaping@gmail.com www.ralphlandscaping.co.uk

amralphlandscaping@gmail.com www.ralphlandscaping.co.uk

Tel: 01747 850544

£60.00 a transit load Contact Roger on 07885 826396 or 01202 826502

Tel: 01747 850544

Tel: 01747 850544

Tel: 01747 850544

Landscaping, Groundworks and Garden Maintenance, Specialists in Patios, Fencing, Driveways, Walling, Ponds, Turfing Free Quotation

Tel: 01747 850544

Mobile: 07921 637227

Mobile: 07921 637227

Mobile: 07921 637227

Mobile: 07921 637227

amralphlandscaping@gmail.com

Mobile: 07921 637227

www.ralphlandscaping.co.uk

North Dorset Tree Surgeons

We carry out all aspects of tree surgery, hedge cutting and stump grinding. Ash dieback specialist. Fully insured and NPTC qualified.

3 pm. Langton Long Blandford Forum Dorset

Tel: 01747 850544

DT11 9HR. Telephone 01258 452513

Mobile: 07921 637227

OUTDOORS

TREES R US Get your garden ready for summer. Trees, hedges, patios, turf & fencing call Peter 07976 667130

LOGS

LOGS R US

1 ton pickup load of logs £100 double load £160 dumpy bag £70 All hardwood 07790 404593 01258 818081

BLACKMORE VALE LOG SPLITTING AND CHIPPING

- Your local mobile service07760 469411

SEASONED HARDWOOD LOGS £160 double load, £90 half load 01258 880892, 07980 036250

GOOD QUALITY SEASONED HARDWOOD FOR SALE

Barn-stored Any size of load

If you want anymore help contact Andy 07773 254174

Book online: blackmorevale.net

Email: adverts@blackmorevale.net

Home & Garden

Stockists of new Alko, Countax, Mountfield, Stiga and Stihl. Servicing, repairs, and parts for all major brands.

See our range of garden machinery including lawn mowers, chainsaws, hedgecutters and more on our website.

Treecare Co.

WANTED -

Dave buys all types of tools Call 01935 428975

LAWN SCARIFYING

Moss and thatch removal Tel 01747 821726

Closeboard,

blackmorevale.net

FOR SALE SCREENED

TOP SOIL DELIVERED

1T - 5T LOADS

TEL NO: 01258 861046

LandPProperty. Complete property renovations/maintenance inside and outside. Fully insured.

07725-649540

07928-300617

http://www.landpproperty.co.uk

LEATHER SOFA, Length 6ft 2”, excellent condition. £395. Tel: 07588 053555

Stoneham OAK KITCHEN. Marble Star Galaxy worktops.

2.82m x 3.27m x 2.27m.

£2500 for quick Sale.

Miele Steam oven as new £450

Miele Oven £450

Excellent condition

Miele Dishwasher £250

Miele gas hob £150

Neff fridge freezer £150

Offer for the lot.

07588 053555

Sherborne Fencing Ltd Tel: 01935 814272

Mobile: 07814246332

DRYSTONE WALLING AND LANDSCAPING

www.yenstonewalling.co.uk 01963 371123

COUNTRY BYGONES & COLLECTIBLES

Rural, garden & agricultural itembought & sold Tim, 01725 517268 or 07311 478301

All aspects of traditional building work undertaken

External & internal lime works

Full restoration service for older & listed properties

Bespoke extensions, disabled & granny annex conversions - from planning to completion

Cob work - new & repairs Oak timber framing Project consultation service

Dorset Lime Ltd

Traditional builders specialising in older and listed properties

HANDYMAN, reliable and experienced Call Chris 07413 678076

Book online: blackmorevale.net

Sand, gravel, cement and topsoil supplied Trade & DIY. Supplied loose or collected. Small or large loads also bulk bag materials & small handy bags.

Muck-away service of inert materials

Trusted family-run business, ring for enquiries 01747 826107

GENERAL MAINTENANCE SERVICES

Painting & Decorating, Carpentry, Interior/Exterior. For free quote call Tim 07793 837073

Book online: blackmorevale.net

COMPUTER

WiFi • Email • FaceTime • WhatsApp Skype • Google • eBay • Amazon Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

R Laptop R Tablet R Smartphone R desktop PC

• Friendly, patient, and knowledgeable help

• Keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues for free over the Internet

• Sell online easily, quickly and reliably

• Buying advice, setup and installation

I’m Phil Hudson, your local tech expert and trouble-shooter. I’ll come to you and sort things out, at a time that suits you. Or you can drop off your machine at my workshop for quick, efficient care and maintenance.

GARETH

25 years experience in modern and traditional property restorations. All general building works undertaken, specialising in lime rendering, pointing and plastering. NO JOB TOO SMALL NO UP FRONT COSTS NO VAT Call Steve Taylor: 07855 787857 or email steve.sublimeplastering @gmail.com

Decorating

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Contact: John Banham Office: 01747 838 087

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email: refreshingrenovations@gmail.com

PIANO

Appliance of science down on the farm

by Barbara Cossins

IT’S incredible how technology has evolved over my lifetime. I can remember the first mobile phones being the size of a small handbag and the weight of a small brick. Just thinking about carrying one around and putting it to my ear makes me groan!

Recently we all received emergency alerts on our smartphones and tablets. In farming magazines, the chat is all about robots being introduced into everyday agriculture – I know some farmers are already using robots to milk their cows.

It is incredible that this is happening right now and not being talked about for the future.

In a recent article I mentioned that veal meat is very scarce, and we don’t see it on our menus as it’s so hard to come by. This is because

genetic science has developed hugely over the past years.

In 2017 I had the pleasure of being involved in Jimmy and Jamie’s Friday Night Feast on Channel 4. In that episode they were showcasing rose veal, a by-product of a dairy cow when she gives birth to a male calf.

Five years on, things have developed on the farm. We now choose to reproduce only female calves. This means we don’t have male Friesian calves on the farm anymore, as, unlike

Wine

six to eight months old and chickens are six or seven weeks old.

The large intensive farms exist because of public demand. People are always shocked when they realise how young a chicken is when it goes to slaughter.

our European cousins, the UK just won’t eat veal.

This is an excellent example of genetics working in the best possible way, as we no longer have to end the life of a cow that is too young.

If we are going to eat meat, we should understand the ages each animal is eaten at.

While a rose veal calf is eight to 10 months when we eat it, this is the oldest of the young meat we eat. A spring lamb is four to five months old, a pig is

We should eat meat we know the story of, its provenance and that it is sourced from well cared for animals that have lived a good life.

British farmers have the highest standards of animal welfare in the world and are not allowed to use growth hormones or antibiotics as standard practice. We should all be proud to eat British.

n Barbara Cossins is founder of Loval Local Trust Local; www.thelangtonarms.co.uk; www.rawstonfarmbutchery. co.uk; www.lovelocaltrustlocal awards.co.uk

Indulge in

Our renowned Head Chef, Luke Sutton, has crafted a mouth-watering summer menu that harmonizes flawlessly with a handpicked selection of exceptional rose vintages bringing subtle Italian notes, refined French elegance and bold South African flavours.

Some farmers are already using robots to milk their cows

PHOTO: PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay

Our renowned Head Chef, Luke Sutton, has crafted a mouth-watering summer menu that harmonizes flawlessly with a handpicked selection of exceptional rose vintages bringing subtle Italian notes, refined French elegance and bold South African flavours.

Easy ways to make your dogs dazzle

HOT dogs are a staple of the summer barbecue or evening meal – when it’s too hot for too much, but you still want something substantial and filling.

Supermarket giant Tesco has come up with a recipe that could make your dogs dazzle –in a gourmet fashion!

Here’s how you can glam up classic bangers in a bun with spicy salsa, pickles and mustard, or cool raita and mango chutney for an Indianstyle spin.

n Put the meat or veggie sausages on baking trays and cook to pack instructions.

n For the charred sweetcorn and avocado salsa: Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 100g frozen sweetcorn with a pinch of salt for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sweetcorn is dark golden and starting to char. It may pop a

little while cooking. Meanwhile, mix 1 thinly sliced spring onion, ½ a diced avocado, ½ a diced vine tomato, the juice of ½ lime and 10g chopped fresh coriander in a bowl; season with pepper. Stir through the sweetcorn. Put a Cumberlandstyle banger in a roll, then spoon over the salsa and a few dashes of hot sauce to serve.

n For the raita, mango chutney and chopped salad: Cut a quarter of a cucumber in half. Grate one half and finely chop the rest; set aside. Mix the grated cucumber with 100g low-fat natural yogurt, 10g chopped fresh mint leaves and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, mix ½ diced vine tomato, ½ diced small red onion, the juice of ½ lime and 10g finely chopped coriander; season with pepper. Spread ½ tbsp mango chutney in a cut roll and top with a Cumberland-style banger. Spoon over some of the

chopped salad and drizzle over the raita to serve.

n For the pulled pork, pickles, red onion and mustard: Stir the sauce from a 180g pack New York Inspired BBQ Pulled Pork into the pork and microwave to pack instructions – or serve cold

if you prefer. Slice 2 drained gherkins and thinly slice ½ small red onion. Put a sausage in a roll and spoon over a quarter of the pulled pork. Top with the gherkin slices, onion and a drizzle of American mustard to serve.

TRADITIONAL COUNTRY PUB SERVING FINE FOOD AND DRINKS

Peter and Karlene are delighted to invite you to the Plough Inn at Manston and look forward to seeing you soon.

We are delighted that our renovation and expansion project has been well received by customers as have our food and beverage offerings. After a very long search, we now have a fully staffed kitchen and offer our full lunch and dinner menu every day from Tuesday lunch until Sunday lunch. We are closed after lunch on Sunday and all day Monday. We offer a wide range of beers, cider, wines and spirits as well as a range of non-alcoholic options.

A Pub With Warmth And Atmosphere

The bar and snug have been refreshed but retain all the old features that made this cosy area so attractive. And, by popular demand, we have a new wood burning stove to provide atmosphere and warmth whenever needed! We have a completely new kitchen, beer cellar and new male, female and disabled washrooms. The old conservatory is now an insulated garden room and we have a new dining area which can accommodate a further twenty guests.

Hearty Food And Distinctive Drinks

By experimenting with our menu and listening to our customers we have developed a popular menu ranging from light snacks to exciting specials and everything in-between. Please look at our menu and see if you can spot your favourite country pub meal. For Sunday lunch, in addition to our full menu, we offer a traditional roast with all the trimmings. Our range of drinks has evolved in response to customer demand and caters for all tastes. But most importantly we have built a wonderful team to look after you all and ensure a great experience at the Plough.

We hope to see you soon, Cheers, Peter & Karlene

Hot dogs can be jazzed up to make a tasty summer treat

Shoppers look to trim food bills

PRICE inflation in food has dropped to its lowest level since last year – but remains at 16.5%.

Analytics firm Kantar said like-for-like grocery price inflation had dropped for the four weeks to June 11, with take-home grocery sales rising by 10.8% over the month in comparison with the same period last year.

The firm said of the top five financial worries that consumers have, rising grocery prices is the only one they are more concerned about now than at the start of the year.

Nearly 70% of households are either ‘extremely’ or ‘very worried’ about food and drink inflation compared to just over two-thirds when asked the same question in January.

Consumers are doing what

they can to offset the impact of inflation.

Savvy shoppers have been continuing to swerve the full force of price increases, with many switching to the cheapest own label lines.

Total spending on these value ranges has rocketed by 41% compared to last year.

People are also thinking more and more about what they eat and how they cook.

Kantar’s data showed the public are turning away from their oven and increasingly using microwaves, which reflects the shift to simpler cooking.

Some 4% fewer meals were made using an oven according to its most recent 12-week data compared to the same period last year, while microwaved meals rose by 8%.

Enford Farm Shop

Durweston DT11 0QW

The Coppleridge Inn

We are a traditional country inn with rooms, set in beautiful

Motcombe SP7 9HW

We are a traditional country inn with rooms, set in beautiful

Half a pig approx £130.

Home reared and locally produced meats, game, deli, fruit, veg, free range eggs and lots more.

Follow us on Facebook for all our latest meat pack deals and what’s in fresh that week.

Chicken feeds etc available.

Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am-5.30pm.

Friday 12:00-15:00, 17:00-22:00

Saturday 12:00-23:00

Friday 12.00-15.00, 17.00-22.00

Outside shop with self service for essentials open daily 8am-8pm

Saturday 12.00-23.00

Thursday 12:00-15:00, 18:00-22:00

Saturday 12:00-23:00

Sunday 12:00-16:00

Sunday 12.00-16.00

Friday 12:00-15:00, 17:00-22:00

Lunch orders 12:00pm to 2.30pm, dinner orders 6.00pm to 8.30pm

Sunday 12:00-16:00

Lunch orders 12.00pm to 2.30pm, dinner orders 6.00pm to 8.30pm

01258 450050

Saturday 12:00-23:00

Lunch orders 12:00pm to 2.30pm, dinner orders 6.00pm to 8.30pm

Drinks all day Saturday - Bar last orders 9:45pm, 10:45 Friday & Saturday

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Drinks all day Saturday Bar last orders 9.45pm, 10.45pm Friday & Saturday 01747 851 980 coppleridge.com info@coppleridge.com

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Meditations in nature: Down by the lagoon

by Dr Susanna Curtin

IT is one of those clear June days when the delicate feathery clouds and blue sky stretch to the horizon. I am out with two dear friends rambling through the meadows for a picnic beside the Fleet lagoon. In between our heartfelt conversations that flow easily from one topic to another, I realise that times like these are the happiest times of my life, sharing this beautiful landscape, and laying down fond memories that remind me of how generous life can be – a simple walk with friends, a picnic made with love and England at its very best.

As Omar Khayyam, the medieval Persian mathematician and philosopher, once said: “Be happy for this moment, as this moment is your life.” Happiness can be an elusive emotion in our busy schedules. It is so easy to focus it on the high days and holidays rather than recognising the small things in life that furnish every day with something good.

The month of June is my favourite month of the year. It is named after the Roman goddess Juno, who has come to symbolize youthfulness. And that is how I think of this month. The leaves are fresh and a translucent green, the flower meadows are awash with ox eye daisies and buttercups, there is birdsong and a plethora of young chicks, and it is a time of plenty when everything is new and bright.

Following the grass path, I notice several small colonies of bee orchids. There is always something intrinsically joyous about finding an orchid –perhaps it is their glamorous and exotic reputation. It was not until adulthood that I began to seek them out and appreciate the great variety expressed in the 57 native species that inhabit the British Isles. I first noticed banks of early purple orchids on my daily commute in Devon, after which I was hooked on finding more. Bee

orchids are the masters of mimicry as the plant has evolved to attract pollinators. The flower’s tip looks just like a female bee, thus attracting the attention of passing males who willingly pollinate it but leave rather disappointed not to have sewn their own seeds.

As we round the corner, the Fleet lagoon comes into view and beyond it the long shingle bank of Chesil Beach. It is years since I was last here, and I had forgotten how extraordinary it is. The shallow stretch of saline water is eight miles long and it is the largest tidal lagoon in the country. It sits within a Marine Protected Area and provides a unique habitat for wildlife, particularly birds. In fact, more than 300 bird species have been

seen here and it is a highly significant site for the Little terns who nest here in dwindling numbers each year. They are our smallest tern and master fishermen, skilfully hovering over the lagoon before diving onto their prey.

On this hot sultry day, however, it is the atmosphere that I notice the most. The shelduck, herons and seagulls are all sitting quite still. The water is like a mill pool, with bright green algae fringing the water’s edge, and the chalky white pebbles setting off the colours of this watery palette. Such an intriguing and tranquil place for a picnic and to while the afternoon away.

n Dr Susie Curtin (email curtin.susanna@gmail.com)

Getting through the school holidays

by Alice Johnsen

FOR many of us the school holidays are not far off. So, here are some thoughts on how to maintain work/life balance for those with and those without children at home. Read on to find out why the next few months affect us all.

Unless you have full-time childcare and holiday camps block booked for the entire school break, you are going to have to adjust the way you operate. You WILL have less time, energy, mental space and emotional resilience to work.

Your outputs will be different. And there’s the nugget already. We’re not grinding to a halt, just shifting our focus to what CAN be

achieved.

Fact – the people you normally interact with, sell to, work for etc – they’re going to be a bit distracted, too. So, whether you have school-aged children or not, you might want to start thinking differently about the holiday period.

August is different from the other months. We go all Euro and have long lunches, long siestas, late nights, late mornings. Actually, does anything get done in August?

If you work from home, what changes do you need to make? Can you work in a different room or go to a cafe once or twice a week to write or have meetings? What sort of environment do you need to get

your stuff done? Can you re-create that to fit in with the holiday programme?

It’s about a shift in expectation. Of your own achievements, abilities and availabilities, and of those you work with.

We know it’s possible to turn a challenge into an opportunity. Here are a few examples to get you thinking.

August can be a great time for reflection and development – for your business, work or home life. Time to take stock and plan. If Christmas is your biggest selling peak, these summer months are surely your biggest planning times? So having a different work pattern with fewer sales now because

everyone’s gone away is a good thing. You have space to prepare for the next busy quarter.

Is this a good time to catch up on those slow-burner projects? If so, diarise them and plan how you are going to do them in bite-size steps so they happen.

If you don’t have children at home, why not offer to cover for a colleague who does so they can do the same for you later in the year when you want to take a break.

I hope this helps you keep your head above water over the next few months!

n

Alice Johnsen is a life coach based near Sherborne (07961 080513; alicejohnsen.co.uk)

Bee orchids at Fleet lagoon. The flower’s tip looks just like a female bee, thus attracting the attention of passing males who pollinate it

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MORE than 130,000 people in the UK have MS, women are three times more likely than men to have the condition. A new group is starting in Shaftesbury to support those with MS.

So, what is MS?

In our central nervous system, a substance called myelin protects the nerve fibres in the central nervous system, which helps messages travel quickly and smoothly between the brain and the rest of the body.

In MS, your immune system, which normally helps to fight off infections, mistakes myelin for a foreign body and attacks it. This damages the myelin and strips it off the nerve fibres, either slightly or completely, leaving scars known as lesions or plaques.

This damage disrupts messages travelling along nerve fibres – they can slow down, become distorted, or not get through at all. As well as losing the myelin, there can sometimes be damage to the actual nerve fibres too. It’s this nerve damage that causes the

increase in disability that can occur over time.

Symptoms could be problems with your:

• Vision

• Balance

• Memory And Thinking

• Emotions

But MS is different for everyone. Once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life, but treatments and specialists can help you to manage the condition and its symptoms. Now, in Shaftesbury, there is a new group for those with MS and their families which will give everyone an opportunity to meet, share experiences and socialise together. The group will be starting in the next month, and we would like to know from you on which days and times it should run. Volunteers are also needed to help with this new group.

Please call Graham on 07813-829474 to register your interest or to find out more about how the Dorset Group can help you, possibly with a grant, advice or information about MS.

Dorset Multiple Sclerosis Society are opening a new social club in North Dorset based in Shaftesbury.

Starting off by operating once a month it will give those with MS and their carers an opportunity to meet, share experiences and get advice as well as having refreshments and cake. The days and times are not yet finalised because we want to reflect your needs and wishes. It might also be possible to bring in speakers and, for those who wish, go for a swim. We are also looking for volunteers who might be able to help with the organisation of this new venture.

Please call Graham Brown on 07813829474 or email graham5711@aol.com for more details.

LIVE-IN EXPERIENCED CARER weekdays only, starting 14 August for publisher/writer couple -Woolston area one with Alzheimer’s. Beautiful bedroom, small sitting room and semi-private bath. Normal caring duties. Driver’s License required. Email pagemouse@aol.com.

osc_info@sherborne.com

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Rose can provide a herbal hug

by Fiona Chapman

THE roses have just been outstanding. My Rambling Rector and Himalayan Musk made the whole garden smell delicious.

Sadly, they are now almost over, but I do have some lovely flowers left and many of them are medicinal.

I have a lot of difficultly harvesting them because I think it so sad when they have made all that effort to grow that I just take their flowers. Rather pathetic but nevertheless true.

My Rosa damescena, a medicinal rose, is still flowering – the most stunning pink – and I have taken some of the petals and dried them. Really you should take the buds just as they are coming out, but I can’t bear to do that.

Rose is good for inflammation and heat in the digestive tract, among other things, and is also particularly good for emotional issues and lack of confidence – a herbal hug as I am sure I have mentioned before.

I have harvested mint, as cutting it back anyway is a good thing, and makes it bush out and less leggy. On a dry day, I cut the mint, enjoying the wonderful fresh smell, and put it in paper bags and hung it in a north-facing room.

This will be used for a mint tea – digestive, calming and

good for gas. It can also be combined with dried elderflowers and yarrow, and if drunk in a hot tea, it will induce sweating which helps bring out a fever.

The Hypericum – St John’s Wort – is also just about to flower. This is the wild and small-leafed variety that does not produce berries. It grows quite abundantly, and you can tell if it is the correct one by picking a flower and rubbing it between your fingers. If it leaves a red stain, it is Hypericum perforatum and can again be picked, dried in a paper bag and used in a tea for low spirits and mild depression.

Or you can pick the flowers and dry them then put them in a good quality olive oil and leave it on a sunny windowsill. The oil should turn red after a few weeks and you have a wonderful medicinal oil for nerve pain.

I also have lavender and lots of it, and will be brave and harvest that as it too makes for a great tea, which again is cooling and relaxing and helps relieve anxiety.

Probably not a coincidence that the midsummer flowers can be dried and stored and used to cheer the heart in the dead of winter.

n Fiona Chapman is a naturopathic herbalist (Pellyfiona@gmail.com)

Our Swim School is expanding, spaces now available

Rose is good for emotional issues and lack of confidence

PHOTO: No-longer-here/Pixabay

CLASSIFIED ADS

JOHN DEERE LAWN TRACTOR LT180 Auto

Excellent Condition £750 01963 220877

TGA BREEZE 4 MOBILITY SCOOTER, new batteries, good working order, basket and charger. £695. Tel: 01963 364234

3 MTR RHINO PIPE TUBE £100 phone 07442015452

EXTENDABLE DINING TABLE, 5’ x 3’ (1500 x 900mm). Lengthens to about 6’6” (2m). Excellent condition, £380. Tel: 01963 23572

LEATHER SOFA, Length 6ft 2”, excellent condition. £395. Tel: 07588 053555

LARGE PINE FARMHOUSE TABLE with drawers, plus 6 chairs. £200 Tel: 01747 841206

GENTS RIDGEBACK CYCLE. VGC £150.

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TORO GT430 RIDE-ON MOWER, 18hp petrol, 36” cut, side discharge, low hours, good working order. £895.

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BEAUTIFUL, ANTIQUE, GREEN LEATHER, swivel chesterfield chair, un-marked. £500 (New £1,100).

Contact: 07971 539029

SIGNED GLYNBOURNE WINE GLASSES plus many more, also good quality china. Donations to Parkinson’s UK.

Tel: 07783 400340

TANDEM: SCHAUFF, SHIMANO 18 gears, hub and rim brakes, £200 ONO 07561 710904. - BOXED

TWIN AXEL TRAILER. 15ft long, 6ft wide. High tailgate. £700 ono. Tel: 01963 251614

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BEKO SLIMLINE 6kg washing machine very good condition £45 Tel 07751 016907

2 LARGE OAK FRAMED leather arm chairs. Well worn. Free to collect. Tel: 01258 473211

LADIES RALEIGH GLIDE 26/17 bike. Good condition. £40. Buyer collects. Tel: 01963 23922

PLAYMOBILE FARM £10.

F1 Action-Man and car £15. Dinosaur selection £10. Tel: 07936 107031

ROPE TOP PATH EDGING. 28 Assorted approx. Measurements 9” wide 7” & 8” height. £20 o.n.o. 01747 840473

GOLF CLUBS

Synchronised 2

Fyghway series 2 - 3 & 5, 7 and 9

(left-handed) - £15 for all

Left-handed putter - £5

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MOBILITY WALKER for sale £25 ono. Purple, heavy duty with underseat storage. Collect from Stour Provost. 01747 838220

UPRIGHT TEFAL CLOTHES steam cleaner. £50. 01747 826209

GENTS LARGE TILLEY HAT

Khaki colour £10 Tel: 07879-880250

COFFEE TABLE. Mahogany, 2 glass inset panels. shelf underneath. £40 Tel: 01258 474654

1 PAIR OF NINE CARAT GOLD EARRINGS. Nice to wear for a wedding. £15. Buyer collects. Phone after 5:30. 01722 335258. Still in box. NEW

LARGE PARROT CAGE ON LEGS, rounded top, good condition. 62” H, 31” W, 24” D. £35 Tel: 01308 868816

10 x 1000 PIECE JIGSAWS. Various makes and themes. £25 ovno. Tel: 01747 826085

GALVANISED HAY RACK (3’ wide x 2’ high), £6. Galvanised wallmounted bucket holder, £10. 01963 23572

JENNIE ELIAS TALKS ABOUT HER BOOK on Zeals House. 7th July 7:00pm at Mere Museum. £7.50 inc glass of wine.

BRULEC ELECTRIC BOILER £48 Tel: 01747 840835

ONE PAIR OF LADDER CLAMPS for van, not required anymore. £25. Tel: 01963 31930

BOXED BRAND NEW BATHROOM SINK - £50. Must collect. 07971070635

CAST IRON GARDEN ROLLER FREE to anyone who can collect.

Shaftesbury 07971 118899

TWO CAR TYRE PUMPS in good working order £10 each Tel: 01823 480848

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Pressure Cooker Model 6185 £10 Compact 1.5L Argos Electric Slow Cooker £7 Clean and good working order. Phone 07980 379 232

TWO BAMBOO DIDGERYDOOS for sale. Bargain at £8.00 each. Collect from Kington Magna. 01747 83 88 82

MITSUBISHI L200 WARRIOR FLOORMATS. Black set, very good condition. £20. 01725 552358

HEAVY DUTY 12ft x 2 ALUMINUM extension ladder with lockable fixing brackets to garage or wall £45.00 01747 854313

CHAINSAW BLADE SHARPENER, electric with spare blades. Hardly used £10. Log basket, goodcondition £10. Metal coal bucket, unused £20 Tel:07891 987809

SILENTNIGHT 4’ 6” MATTRESS. Hardly used, excellent condition. Manufacturers fire label attached. £25. 01963 33160

MONGOOSE MOUNTAIN BIKE, hardly used £50 Tel: 07970 409507

HAYNES WORKSHOP MANUALS between 1956 - 2007. Good condition. £10 each Tel: 07717 522304

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DOUBLE HEADBOARD, attractive light grey metal £40 Tel: 01963-220538

UNDERLAY WOOD/LAMINATE flooring 25mx750mmx3mm (18.75m2) £15 Tel: 01963 824376

ZANUSSI 12 setting dishwasher, good working order. Buyer to uncouple and collect. Price £30. Tel 01747 838187, based Gillingham, East Stour

BEKO COOKER. 4 plates. Double oven. 50cm W x 64cm D. 16 months old. £50 ONO 01749 812222 or 07842 142435

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CAMPINGGAZ STOVE, blue, double burner, grill, with pan. Boxed. As new condition, £30. 07874 266213 (Blandford)

KAMPA DELUXE FOLDING WASHING-UP STAND, extra large bowl, side drainer, lower shelf, immaculate condition, £20. 07858 263179 (Blandford)

DOUBLE WOODEN EXTENSION ladders £15 Tel: 01963 362779

REMILLY GRADUATE FLUTE made for Rudall Carte of London. Had little use £40 01963 371381

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PINE BOOKCASE Good quality ex Denners 4’ h. x 3’ 2”w. vgc £45 Tel: 01935 834270

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Contact Tim on 07904 082997

OLD BOOKS BOUGHT. Will call by appointment entirely without obligation.

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Motoring

Drivers in the dock: 710,000 in court

ALMOST a quarter of a million drivers (245,043) were sat in the dock accused of speeding in England & Wales last year, the highest since records began, following analysis of the 2022 Criminal Justice statistics carried out by the AA.

The analysis also showed that more than 55,500 cases were heard for vehicles being on the road without tax, a 12.3% increase compared to the previous year.

Similarly, more than 101,057 people found themselves in court for failing to supply information after being required to do so by the police, up from 96,799 in 2021.

Last year 83,100 drivers were in court for driving without insurance, down 11,000 cases compared to 2021, while more than 3,000 drivers stood accused of driving without a valid MOT.

The number of drink-driving

cases brought to court rose by 1.8% to 33,099 last year.

However, there was a 16.0% reduction in cases of drugdriving and a 15.5% fall in drivers pursued for using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel.

In total 710,738 cases came to court for motoring offences last year with 642,236 resulting in a conviction.

This means that nine out of 10 motoring cases that end up in court result in a guilty verdict, showing that drivers are highly unlikely to be acquitted.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “These figures serve as a reminder of the huge consequences both poor and illegal driving can result in. Those willing to gamble when behind the wheel should think again.

“Some may say that record speeding cases are just a reflection of too many cameras

Peacemarsh Garage

est. 1997

Peacemarsh, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4HB www.peacemarshgarage.co.uk

2015 15 VW GOLF MATCH (AUTO) 31K MILES

2015 15 TOYOTA AYGO X-PLAY 17K MILES

2013 13 PORSCHE CAYMEN

2013 13 NISSAN QASHQAI 360IS (DIESEL)

2006 06 VAUXHALL MONARO 5.7 V8 COUPE (MANUAL) 56,000 MILES

2019 (19) FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM 34,000 MILES

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We don’t buy any car…but we might buy yours

but speeding can be life ending and life changing, so it is only right that those excessive speeders are properly punished.

“While the number of cases for using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel and drug-driving have fallen, we are not fully convinced that this is

due to improved compliance.

“Our own studies show that a quarter of drivers regularly see others picking up a phone when behind the wheel, meanwhile a reduction in dedicated traffic officers means some drivers feel they can get away with certain behaviours.”

MOTS, SERVICING AND REPAIRS ON ALL VEHICLES UP TO 3.5 TONNES INCLUDING HORSEBOXES AND MOTORHOMES

SUNRISE SERVICE & MOT CENTRE

Bodyshop open for all repairs and restorations, from small scratches to complete resprays, insurance work welcome.

MOTS – class 4,5 and 7

MOTS, SERVICING AND REPAIRS ON ALL VEHICLES UP TO 3.5 TONNES INCLUDING HORSEBOXES AND MOTORHOMES

Diagnostics

Bodyshop open for all repairs and restorations, from small scratches to complete resprays, insurance work welcome.

Air conditioning

Valets

MOTS – class 4,5 and 7

MOTs – class 4, 5 and 7

Courtesy Cars

welcome.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics Air Conditioning

Air conditioning

Courtesy Cars

Diagnostics

Collections within a 5 mile radius

Valets

Air conditioning

Concessions for Pensioners, Armed Forces and Emergency Services

Courtesy Cars

Valets

Concessions for Armed Forces and Emergency Services

Collections within a 5 mile radius

Concessions for Pensioners, Armed Forces and Emergency Services

Year on year, fewer drivers were pursued for using a mobile phone

blackmorevale.net

STORAGE FOR CARAVANS, boats and cars at Enford Farm near Blandford. 01258 450050 / 07704 813025

OLD, INTERESTING & CLASSIC CARS wanted pre 1990s Any condition including unfinished projects Cash/ Transfer Please Phone Paul 07890 096907

MOTORBIKES WANTED

Non runners and Unwanted Phone Keith on 07966 213344

UNWANTED VEHICLES bought for cash ●Mot failures

●Nonrunners ●Unfinished projects ●end of life scrap vehicles ●minimum of £200 paid for complete vehicles. Call Ryan on 07474 737577

adverts@blackmorevale.net newsdesk@blackmorevale.net classified@blackmorevale.net

2014 (14) BMW X1 2.0TD X Line Automatic 4x4 SUV 5dr. 181bhp, diesel, 8 speed automatic gearbox, 4 wheel drive, heated leather seats, parking sensors, hill start assist, hill descent control, DAB, Bluetooth, decent boot, flat folding rear seats, upto 52mpg, 66,900 miles.....£11650

2017 (67) Ford Fiesta 1.0T EcoBoost Titanium Nav 5dr. 100bhp, petrol, 6 speed manual gearbox, New Shape, sat nav, cruise control, touch screen, Bluetooth, hill start assist, auto lights & wipers, auto main beam, sign recognition, lane keeping aid, award winning engine, upto 65mpg, 31,500 miles ..................................................................£11250

2013 (13) Land Rover Freelander 2, 2.2SD4 HSE 4x4 Automatic

Station Wagon 5dr. 190bhp, diesel, 6 speed automatic gearbox, 4 wheel drive, hill start & descent control, heated leather memory seats, heated steering wheel, sunroofs, cruise control, auto lights & wipers, parking sensors, sat nav, Bluetooth, cambelt has just been replaced, only 54,900 miles ..........................................................................................£14950

2013 (13) Mazda 2, 1.3 Venture 5dr. 85bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, sat nav, Bluetooth, auto lights & wipers, parking sensors, £35 a year road tax, upto 56mpg economy, only 36,600 miles .................£7450

2016 (66) Nissan Qashqai 1.2 DIG-T N-Connecta SUV 5dr. 115bhp, petrol, 6 speed manual gearbox, high seating, large boot with a low loading edge, sat nav, auto lights & wipers, cruise control, hill start assist, 360 degree parking cameras, parking sensors, lane aid, sign recognition, front scanner, Bluetooth, 24,500 miles ........................................£12650

2017 (17) Peugeot 108 1.2 Allure 5dr. 82bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, reverse camera, touch screen, auto lights, hill start assist, Bluetooth, air con, alloys, key-less entry system, 38,900 miles ......£7650

2020 (20) Suzuki Vitara 1.4 BoosterJet SZ-T Automatic SUV 5dr. 140bhp, petrol, 6 speed automatic gearbox, high seating position, large boot, good ground clearance, cruise control, Bluetooth, sat nav, reverse camera, hill start assist, only 18,500 miles ..................................£17250

2022 (72) Vauxhall Astra 1.2T Ultimate Automatic 5dr. 130bhp, petrol, 8 speed automatic gearbox, New shape, ½ leather, memory heated seats, heated steering wheel, park sensors, cameras, Nav, auto lights & wipers, main beam assist, sign assist, lane aid, adaptive cruise, sunroof, hill start, head up display, under 450 miles ..................................£25500

PUBLIC NOTICE LICENSING ACT 2003

Notice is given that Jerrys Stake House Limited has applied to Dorset Council for a new premises licence in respect of 8/8A West Street, Blandford, Dorset, DT11 7AJ for Provision of late night refreshment and the provision of alcohol generally between the hours of 11:00 – 00:00 Sunday-Thursday and 11:00 – 02:00 Friday and Saturday

Any interested party or responsible authority may make representations by e-mailing: Licensing@dorsetcouncil. gov.uk or writing to, Licensing, Dorset Council, County Hall, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XJ within 28 days from the date of this notice.

The licensing register and details of this application may be inspected by contacting the licensing Section during normal office hours.

It is an offence under Section 158 of the Licensing Act 2003 to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with an application, the maximum fine on summary conviction for the offence is unlimited.

YOU

HUGO HORSFIELD

David and family would like to express their sincere thanks to all those who attended Hugo’s funeral. Also thanks for the many cards, kind messages of sympathy and for the generous donations received amounting to £690. Please accept this as our personal acknowledgement.

BOYLE-HAYWARD C.ENG MIKE

Eileen and family wish to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at the Milborne Port Practice, Yeovil District Hospital and Wincanton Community Hospital for all their kindness and care.

The Blackmore Vale Ltd

We also thank relatives and friends for their kind cards and messages of sympathy, for their attendance at the service and for their kind donations.

Please accept this as our personal message of thanks.

DATE: 27 June 2023

Gillingham Town Council Grant Applications invited for FY 2023/24

Each year Gillingham Town Council awards grants to voluntary and charitable organisations for the benefit of Gillingham residents.

If you would like to apply, please download the Grants Policy and Application Form from the Town Council’s website https://gillinghamdorset-tc.gov.uk/policy-admin/grants/ Closing date - 31 July 2023

To place an obituary or remembrance advertisement in

The New Blackmore Vale Magazine

please call us on: or email:

01963 400186 www.blackmorevale.net

SALISBURY Angela Mary

Richard and family wish to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Salisbury Hospital and the local doctors and nurses for all their kindness and care.

£161.78+VAT

We also thank relatives and friends for their kind cards and messages of sympathy, for their attendance at the service and for donations which are being gratefully received for Radnor Ward, Salisbury District Hospital

c/o Mr. Harold F. Miles, funeral director, South Cadbury BA22 7ES

Please accept this as our personal message of thanks.

ALWAY Janet Joy (Jan)

Ken and family wish to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Millbrook Surgery, Yeovil District Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital and St. Margaret’s Hospice for all their kindness and care.

We also thank relatives and friends for their kind cards and messages of sympathy, for their attendance at the service and for donations which are being gratefully received for St. Margaret’s Hospice or Castle Cary Surgery Fund.

c/o Mr. Harold F. Miles, funeral director, South Cadbury BA22 7ES.

Please accept this as our personal message of thanks.

IN MEMORIAM DEATHS

REMEMBERING REG AND MABEL HAIM, both would have been 100 years old this year. Forever in our thoughts. Love from all the family.

BIRTHDAY MEMORIES STEVE HOUSE

10th July 1943-2023

Happy 80th Birthday, Darling Wish you were still here to celebrate

All my love always

Pauline xx

Natalie Claire Butt

18 07 1993 to 18 11 2022

Remembering Natalie with love on what would have been her 30th birthday. Always in our thoughts, much loved and greatly missed by all her family and friends. Never a day passes without us thinking about you.

The New Blackmore Vale Magazine

To place your classified adverts

CLASSIFIEDS

call Lizzie 01963 400186 Phoenix

DEATHS

SAWYER, REX LESLIE

Passed away peacefully at home on 15th June 2023 aged 87 years.

Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great-grandfather and respected retired headteacher. He will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by all who knew him.

Private family funeral, thanksgiving service to follow.

All enquiries to Chris White Funerals. Tel. 01722 744691

RUTH HILLIER

Of Gillingham, passed away peacefully at the Mellowes Nursing Home on 15th June, aged 98 years.

Beloved wife of the late Bill Hillier, much loved mum, gran and greatgran she will be sadly missed and fondly remembered. Funeral Service to take place at Yeovil Crematorium on Tuesday 18th July at 12:00.

Donations in Ruth’s memory are going to The Royal British Legion Gillingham and may be sent care of Bracher Brothers Funeral Directors, Newbury, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 4QL

TRICIA MARY VENN

Passed away peacefully in Weldmar Hospice, Dorchester on 28th June 2023 aged 78 yrs.

Dearly loved wife of Simon and mother of Helen and Matthew. Family Funeral Service at Yeovil Crematorium. Followed by a Celebration of her life at 2:30pm at Father’s House, Christy’s Lane, Shaftesbury. Donations to “Care for the Family”.

TONI GRAZIANO

Passed away peacefully on the 30th June 2023. Antonio aged 83 years of Henstridge. Much loved Husband, Dad, Grandad & Great Grandad. Funeral service at St Nicholas Church, Henstridge on Wednesday 19th July at 11am. Family flowers only please, donations if desired for Henstridge Primary School.

C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge, BA8 0RB. Tel: 01963 362570.

CRONIE Janet Hamilton (Janette)

Aged 79 years of Ansford. On 21st June 2023, peacefully at South Petherton Community Hospital.

A much loved mother, mother in law, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.

Thanksgiving Service at St Andrew’s Church, Ansford on Monday 24th July at 2.pm.

Donations in memory of Janette are being invited for Yeovil Hospital Charity or Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

C/O Harold F Miles, Funeral Director, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES. Telephone (01963) 440367

VICTOR PEASE

Vic passed away peacefully in Dorset County Hospital on 20th June 2023, aged 78 after a sudden deterioration in health. An open ocean sailing adventurer, keel boat racer and a keen supporter of the Tall Ships Trust who lived the final chapter of his life aboard “Kerensa” in Portland Marina.

He was former educational support worker at Marchant Holliday School, who retired in 2008. Vic was a former rugby player and patron of North Dorset Rugby Club.

He grew up surrounded by singing, and had a passion for theatre, dancing and was an active participant in local amateur dramatic productions.

Vic’s passing was a shock to all his family and friends. He will be missed dearly by all that knew him at home and abroad, and will be remembered by many young people he supported and inspired.

For details on a Memorial Celebration to be held at North Dorset Rugby Club please contact his niece Amy on amylouise73@yahoo.co.uk or 07502 007377

LIAM GEORGE HUGHES

It is with broken hearts that we announce that Liam passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at the family home

On the 29th of June 2023.

Liam was taken from us far too early at the age of 29.

Loving son of Gary and Susan

Grandson of Carol and Dennis, Carolyn and David. Liam was educated at Gillingham School and graduated from The University of Nottingham and was employed as a Financial Analyst in Mayfair London.

Liam’s funeral arrangements to be announced.

DAVID MARTIN GIBSON

Passed away peacefully on 20th June 2023, aged 74 years, after a long illness at Abbey View Nursing Home Sherborne, with his beloved wife at his side.

He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Funeral Service will take place at St. Mary’s Church, Thornford, on Wednesday 12th July at 12.00 noon.

Family flowers only please.

Donations to PSPA in his memory may be sent c/o A J Wakely and Sons, 16 Newland, Sherborne, DT9 3JQ. or donate on-line at www.ajwakely.com

(Please make cheques payable to PSPA)

RUBY THOMPSON “Jane”

On 29th June 2023 peacefully at home aged 91 years, of Shaftesbury. Service details via www.mhfd.co.uk or any enquiries to Merefield & Henstridge Funeral Directors. Tel: 01747 853532.

Donations, if desired, for RNLI or Marie Curie can be made online or sent to Merefield & Henstridge F/D, Ridgemount, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 0BU.

ROGER BARTLETT (RB)

Passed away peacefully at home with his family around him on 14th June aged 81 years.

Will be sadly missed by all his family and friends. Service will take place at St Peter’s Church, Hinton St Mary on Friday 14th July at 2.00pm.

Roger requested that everyone wear an item of red. Family flowers only but donations for Alzheimer’s Research UK c/o Bracher Brothers, Newell, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EZ Tel: 01935 813479

ANTONY LESLIE YOUNG ˈTONYˈ

Peacefully on the 3rd July 2023 at home in Sherborne aged 89 years, formerly of Henstridge Airfield. Beloved Husband, Father & Grandpa. Funeral service to be arranged. Donations if desired for the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Trust. Enquiries to Peter Jackson Funeral Services. Tel: 01963 362570

AE Jolliffe & Son, Ferndown

Lesley Shand, Blandford

Lesley Shand, Corfe Mullen Ives & Shand, Parkstone

EXPERIENCED TRACTOR DRIVER/STOCKMAN required on large dairy farm, near Shaftesbury. Most work undertaken in house. Full range of modern equipment. Good maintenance skills. Regular time off. Good remuneration for the right candidate. Contact: 01747 852195 or 07970 925507

EXPERIENCED SEAMSTRESS REQUIRED for a prestigious local Interior Design company. Soft furnishings experience would be useful, but as training can be given, an excellent eye for detail & proficiency with both a sewing machine & overlocker is of more importance. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who wishes to work from home initially, on an “ad hoc” basis. For further information, please send an email to bhaloobear@aol.com entitled “Seamstress.”

PA TO ASSIST GENTLEMAN with Asperger’s, recovering from stroke. Monday, Wednesday and alternate Sundays 6/6:30 for 75 mins, can vary. Great pay. Contact: 07961 679751 or 07890 543769

BUILDERS LABOURER REQUIRED on large refurbishment project. Start immediately. Contact TA Green Builders. 01963 34221

CLEANER REQUIRED for 5-6 hours per week in a private house in the Wimborne/Furzehill area. Contact - 01202 884413 07850 819056 haycockc@gmail.com

HERDSPERSON REQUIRED to milk 250 cows on family run dairy farm, near Okeford Fitzpaine. 07833 542256

LUNCH-TIME COOK REQUIRED

4 Elderly People. Monday - Friday, Lunch time, one course DT9 3ER Tel: 01935 816591

HOUSE FAIRY WANTED for very well organised House on the edge of Shaftesbury. Cleaning, Laundry, Ironing also to House sit with 2 well behaved dogs when needed would be a bonus. Good Rate of Pay. Refs Required 07909 994919

Independent Boarding and Day School for Pupils aged 4 -18 GSA/CISC

OFFICE ASSISTANT REQUIRED

Driver Required

Swimming Teacher/ Assistant Pool Manager

Part time

Leweston school is seeking a part time Swimming teacher to support the Pool Manager with the delivery of Swimming lessons for all children in the Pre-Prep and Prep Schools and to assist with Senior School swimming programme and deliver Swimming sessions to external bookings where required.

Technic is a family run business located in Mere Wiltshire (just off the A303) supplying Precision machined components to the Aerospace industry.

18-20 Hours Per week: Flexible, but Ideally Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. with opportunity for more hours to cover sickness, holidays and busy periods. please call Zoe on 01747 861100 or email zoe@technic-eng.co.uk

You will also assist the Swimming Pool Manager with the day to day operation of the Swimming Pool and to maximise the availability and use of the pool.

There will be the opportunity to work as a Lifeguard during school holidays.

We are seeking to appoint a School Minibus Driver to start at the end of August 2018 The role entails driving the School vehicles on designated routes collecting children in the morning and dropping off in the afternoon at prearranged points You will also assist with some basic maintenance and cleaning of the fleet. The primary qualities sought are a genuine commitment to the welfare and safety of young people You must hold a valid PCV Manual, (D or D1) Licence.

Looking for Sous & Head Chefs

Applicants should be a SEQ Level 2 Swimming Teacher and further training will be available.

Hours: 20 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 0630 to 0830 and 1730 to 1930 Term Time only. Rate of Pay: £9.69 per hour plus holiday pay

The position is part -time, 32 hours per week (Term Time) to be agreed with the Pool Manager

For further information and to download an application form please visit our website: https://www.leweston.co.uk/information/work-with-us

Closing date for Applications: 20th July 2023

Please send your CV with the names of two referees to the HR Manager, Leweston School Leweston, Sherborne, DT9 6EN or email: recruitment@leweston dorset sch uk www.leweston.co.uk

Interviews: 27th July 2023

Independent Co-educational Boarding and Day School Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form The Society of Heads/CISC Leweston School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The Spread Eagle is looking for creative and motivated chefs to join our team, the ideal candidate will be professional and able to work in a fast paced environment. The Spread Eagle is a busy restaurant/pub on the National Trust Stourhead Estate with a large courtyard that can seat up to 150 inside and out and has 5 bedrooms.

Good rates of pay, potential for bonuses and share of tips. Salary to be discussed based on experience.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required. Leweston is an equal opportunities employer.

A Catholic Foundation which welcomes pupils of all Denominations Leweston School Trust is a registered charity number 295175

An enhanced DBS check will be undertaken by the School. Closing date: 15th August 2017

In the first instance please contact the General Manager Ashley 01747 840 587 or send CV to enquiries@spreadeagleinn.com

The Spread Eagle Inn at Stourhead 01747 840 587

blackmorevale.net/jobs

EXPERIENCED FENCER with CSCS required, also required Trainee Fencer, to join well established family business in Bere Regis area, Tel 01929 472181

EXPERIENCED HERDSPERSON

needed for 500 cow spring and autumn block calving herd. Opportunities for development and progression. Regular time off and good remuneration for the right person. Contact: 07970 925507 or 01747 852195

Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.

EVENING CLEANER REQUIRED. Sunrise Business Park, Blandford.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 1.5hrs. £11ph Call: 07788 593040

JOIN OUR TEAM

Patient Service Administrator

upto 35.5 hours per week - job share would be considered

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday covering both sites contact sue gray@dorsetgp nhs uk

Medical Secretary

upto 21 hours per week

Monday, Wednesday & Thursday covering both sites contact kate martin@dorsetgp nhs uk

CLEANING HELP NEEDED from the end of July with changeover in two small immaculate self-catering holiday units in single storey Barn conversion, and in owner’s house off season. £12.50 ph. High standards needed. BA9 area (3 mls Wincanton / 5 mls Gillingham).

Please ring – 07740 466633

Salary- £10.50 - £11.75 per hour dependent

on experience

Stockists and distributers of mild steel products currently require a n

Experienced Steel Sales Executive

We are looking for a self-motivated, experienced sales professional to join our growing team. The successful applicant will have a number of years’ experience within the steel industry and be able to bring with them new customer contacts as well as develo ping existing relations.

The Role:

• Profitable sales of general steel products to agricultural, commercial and domestic customers

• Liaise with the commercial director regarding sales price parameters

• Deal with all incoming enquiries via call, email & occasionally in person quickly and efficiently

• Proactively search for new customer leads and sales opportunities.

• Seek feedback on any lost orders and report to management.

• Work within an established office setting to promote a healthy, happy working environment.

Salary negotiable dependant on experience

Bonus potential | On site parking

Looking for a new challenge? apply by emailing a CV to neil.cahill@pulhamsteels.co.uk

All applicants dealt with in the strictest of confidence

Stockists and distributers of mild steel products currently require a

WAREHOUSE OPERATIVE

To learn all aspects of warehouse duties including steel picking, handling, loading, offloading & processing

Applicants must be highly safety conscious, accurate, and reliable with the ability to work as part of a team as well as under own initiative.

To be trained on all machinery including:

• Overhead cranes

• Sideloader

• Counterbalance forklift

• Steel sawing systems

• HGV training can be provided for the right candidate

Benefits include ➢ free on-site parking

➢ No weekends

➢ Competitive salary

➢ Overtime opportunities

Looking for a new challenge?

Please apply by emailing a CV to neil.cahill@pulhamsteels.co.uk

Recruitment

GARDENER REQUIRED for small garden maintenance firm, based in Tarant Rushton. Experience preferred. 01258 459582

BRICKLAYER/MASON REQUIRED on large refurbishment project. Start immediately. Contact TA Green Builders.

01963 34221

KENNEL ASSISTANT

Appren�ce Veterinary Nurse

We are looking for a full �me Kennel Assistant to join our INDEPENDENT companion animal prac�ce based in Sha�esbury and Wincanton.

Kennel Assistant du�es include cleaning of surgical equipment, kennels and bedding and assis�ng our Veterinary Nurses and Vets while they treat pa�ents. The Kennel Assistant role leads to assessment of suitability to progress to Appren�ceship Veterinary Nurse training, so this is a great opportunity for someone wishing to train to be a Veterinary Nurse.

Minimum qualifica�ons required to apply for this posi�on are FIVE GCSEs, including MATHS, ENGLISH AND SCIENCE.

***FULL DRIVING LICENCE ESSENTIAL***

If you share our passion for delivering outstanding pet healthcare and excellent client care, then we would like to hear from you.

To apply, please send your CV and a covering le�er to: mail@longmeadvets.co.uk Tel: 01747 852064

Premises Technician (Estates), Shaftesbury

Fantastic role to undertake grounds maintenance under the supervision of the Senior Premises Technician and Facilities, Health and Safety Manager. You will work as part of a small, highly efficient team carrying out a range of duties to contribute to the security, safety and maintenance of the premises.

Located at the eastern edge of Shaftesbury, approximately 2.3 miles from the town centre.

£26,421 to £29,269 pa (starting salary up to £28,770 pa) 37 hours per week (07.00 to 15.00 and 10.00 to 18.00) Monday to Friday

Call 01747 449 858 or email hr@dorsetcentreofexcellence.org.uk to request a full job description and application form, or apply online: https://www.tes.com/jobs/vacancy/premises -technicianestates-shaftesbury-dorset-1890997

Closing date for applications : Sunday 23 July 2023 (Midnight).

Interviews to be held on the 2 nd and 3rd August 2023 This post involves working with children or vulnerable adults and will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

SECOND CHEF

22.5 hours per week over 3 days

We are looking for a special person to join our happy team. You need to be passionate about cooking delicious meals for our residents. Some knowledge of dietary requirements and catering for the elderly is required.

Competitive rates of pay, uniform, pension scheme and a beautiful working environment with a great supportive team and wonderful residents will be provided. Please contact Gini on 01258 860330 or email ginih@bramleycare.com for more details

ANNEXE IN NORTH DORSET AVAILABLE TO RENT, at a reduced rate, FOR HOME HELP ASSISTANCE for sprightly in mind but with mobility restrictions, senior lady who lives next door. Use of beautiful spacious garden with stunning views. Duties include driving to shops and appointments, some domestic help, 20hrs/week. Would be suitable for single person who can offer companionship too.

Contact for further details to wishfulwanderer@gmail.com

Property Developments & Joinery

W: builders-south-w est co uk T: 01963824444 E: i nfo@hhpl td co uk

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Job security confidence rises in UK

JOB confidence across the UK workforce has grown, with 62% of employees stating that they are confident about their job security for the next six months.

That’s according to the latest Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) – an economic confidence tracker produced by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and specialist recruitment firm, Robert Half.

The latest figure – reported in the June edition of the report – represents a quarterly uptick on the 53% of the workforce who were confident about their job security in the previous JCI.

This is largely influenced by improvements in macroeconomic confidence, which rose 23.1 points quarteron-quarter at the beginning of 2023, though it still remains in negative territory.

With the JCI predicting that the economy will grow by around 0.2% year-on-year in 2023 at a time when skills shortages remain prevalent, this jobs confidence is likely to continue on an upward trajectory.

However, the data also revealed a level of dissatisfaction with remuneration, with

the pay confidence pillar of the JCI not only remaining in negative territory, but also falling a further 29.1 points quarter-onquarter.

The Index shows significant contractions in real employee earnings continued to weigh on the pay confidence indicator so far this year.

Average total pay, while up by 5.8%

EQUINE POST. PART TIME POST AVAILABLE. Approx 25hrs over 5/6 days.To work with broodmares and young stock along with associated stable and grounds work. Hours are flexible within parameters. DT9 4PP location. Nice mobile home available on site. Please respond by text in the first instance to 07734 599 233. Thank you.

Agricultural Engineers

Stores Person

Knowledge of the Agricultural industry and Machinery is desirable but not essential.

If you are interested, please call us on 01258 473176 or send your C.V and a covering letter to vjcox@cjcox.co.uk

annually in nominal terms, was down by 3.0% after adjusting for inflation in the first quarter of the year.

Poor figures for labour productivity growth and pay variance across comparable occupations also held back an improvement in the pay confidence pillar. These indicators continue to stand in a weaker position than their long-term average.

Young Isla and Lottie break records

by Ashley Tomkins

YEOVIL & District Swimming Club (YDSC) have had a busy month, which started with the Severnside Tritons Angle Marling Memorial Open Meet at Weston-super-Mare.

YDSC had a great turnout of 29 swimmers in the short course (25m) event. Isla Gibson, nine, was first up for the girls and dropped a fantastic -7.58 seconds on her 100m breastroke, clocking a time of 2.01.26 and setting a new club record. She smashed another record in the 200m breast with a great time 4.16.91.

Giulio D’Andrea, 12, bagged two silver medals in the 50m fly and 100m free, then went on to win another two bronze medals in the 100m fly and 200m free.

SWIMMING

William Nutland had a great swim in the 50m free.

Lottie Kollmeier, 11, was in good form and clocked a huge personal best and club record in the girls 200 IM dropping an incredible 22.09 seconds for a time of 3.07.74. Kyran Gray, 14, swam his first sub-30 second time of 29.92.

YDSC swimmers then moved onto the Team Bath AS & Millfield meet at Millfield swimming pool in Street. This was a long course (50m) event and the club had head coach Ian Angel and coach Ben Card there to support the swimmers.

Oliver Frost, 15, led the way and smashed into the sub one-minute club in the boys

Shipp comes in in season opener

ANGLING

THE first match in Sturminster & Hinton AA’s summer series was fished at Upper Colber and 27 anglers took part on a hot, sunny day when the fish weren’t particularly interested in feeding.

Despite that, Des Shipp showed his class from the first peg downstream of Dunn’s Mouth with 12lb 3oz of small roach and chublets caught on maggot and then hemp.

Andy Miller was second from Peg 1 at the upstream end of the venue with 7lb 11oz of small fish caught on pinkie over groundbait.

Mic Hurst was third from a peg three up from the downstream end of the match. His weight of 7lb 3oz included a big skimmer and two good perch, all caught on worm fished over chopped worm, together with a decent number of small fish caught on pinkie.

The three section prizes were won by Richard Chave with 6lb 10oz in the top field, Jeff Sibley

with 6lb 0oz in the middle section and Dean Walters with 5lb 11oz in the downstream section.

All the section winners caught small fish, roach, rudd and chublets, on a variety of baits – maggot, pinkie and caster.

100m free, achieving an amazing time of 59.97, just missing out on a medal. He continued his form into the boys 50m breast picking up a bronze medal.

Jackson Green had a fine weekend with personal bests in the 200m free and 100 back, and great times of 2.28.70 and 1.20.37. Lilly Nutland, 12, and Eleanor Swan, 12, had some fine racing in the girls 50m fly with Nutland just finishing

Jack’s the lad at Chester’s Lake

THE junior section of Dorchester & District Angling Society held their fifth match of the year on Chester’s Lake at Whitemoor Fishery, near Wimborne.

The lake, a firm favourite for the youngsters, is full of small carp making the sport quite prolific at times.

Nine juniors took part on a hot day and Jack Copp crept up the championship table achieving a convincing win with 32lb 9oz.

Austin Scott Kennedy, with a 100% podium run still intact, was second with 26lb 13oz. And Kit Freeman claimed a fine third place with a pole-fished 22lbs 7ozs.

The event was run as part of the Angling Trust’s Get Fishing campaign and anglers were treated to refreshments and extra prizes thanks to Tom at Whitemoor.

For more information on DDAS Juniors, go to www. ddasjuniors.co.uk or contact juniors secretary Graham Howard at juniors.sec@d-das. com. For fishery information, search for Whitemoor Fishery on Facebook.

ahead.

Dexter Scott completed a hat-trick of medals with a silver medal in the boys 50m free and bronze medals in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events. Meanwhile, the YDSC masters swimmers put on a fine show at the Poole Swimming Club Masters Meet at Dorchester.

Mark Ovens, 26, and Dan Card, 23, were both on fire achieving four golds medals each. Ryan Blake was not far behind with two golds, a sliver and a bronze.

Trials are now being held every Monday evening for anyone considering joining the club – email membership. ydsc@gmail.com

‘til’ Dusk golf challenge

CLUB captain Iain McVie and operations manager Wes Caines completed a Dawn ‘til’ Dusk Challenge at Sherborne Golf Club.

Between 4.46am and 9.26pm they walked 23.4 miles, did 63,784 steps and completed five rounds of golf with impressively consistent scores.

The challenge was well supported by member cheerleaders providing water, snacks and words of encouragement throughout the day.

The club charity is Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and the event raised more than £1,700.

Iain McVie (left) and Wes Caines Dawn

Mic Hurst with his catch that gave him third individual in the match

Samuel Philips, 11, swimming in the boys 50m breaststroke

Gillingham set to be pitch perfect for new season

WORK is pressing ahead at Gillingham Town FC’s Woodwater Lane ground with the new season just under six weeks away.

Most of the work on the pitch is done and it looks far better than this time last year.

The club are also preparing

FOOTBALL

for their music festival Saturday, July 15, and hoping that the new playing surface will be ready to be unveiled during the festival.

Gillingham had problems last year with the club’s pitch

cracking, due to the exceptionally long hot and dry summer, and water restrictions on pitch irrigation.

The club, following an application to the Football Foundation, finally received conformation last week that funding for a bore hole had been granted.

So far, the drilling depth has reached 47 metres but there is still some way to go. The bore hole can extract up to 20,000 litres a day to help ensure a well-drained surface next season.

The first team featuring old

and new faces have started pre-season training and a new Under-23 team will play in Division 1 of the Hampshire Combination & Development League, playing the likes of Weymouth, Dorchester and Poole Town, with home games on a Thursday evening.

The first team’s season starts on Saturday, July 29, at home to Shirehampton, kick-off at 3pm, with an away trip to Cheddar the following Tuesday for a 7.45pm kick-off.

GTYFC Under-18s will play at Woodwater on Sunday afternoons.

Cup final win cherry on season cake

by Ian Gilmartin

THE Dorset Premier League

Cup final saw Sturminster Newton take on Sturminster Marshall at Wimborne Town’s new Cuthbury ground in front of 400 spectators.

The Cherries would have been pre-match favourites, finishing runners-up in the Jewson DPL, but they were missing a few of their regular starters due to skipper Brad Hansford’s wedding.

However, they still fielded a strong side thanks to the depth of the squad.

The first 25 minutes were largely a midfield battle, with chances at both ends, but Sturminster Marshall struck first in the 15th minute.

Callum Whitelaw pierced the Cherries defence with a pass intended for the dangerous Jordan Frisk but defender Elliot Pearce-Eavis got a foot to the ball first only to knock it past the advancing Theo Crane in

goal.

The Cherries began to take control of proceedings from the half-hour mark and in the 41st minute Will Guppy drove home a crisp half-volley from 18 yards to level the scores.

Then, on the stroke of half-time, after Guppy had a

shot parried, Ashley Clarke netted the rebound for the Cherries to go into the break with a 2-1 lead.

Sturminster Marshall lost influential skipper Will Gage at half-time and the game began to open up, which suited Guppy and Buddy O’Shea, who started

Chris out in front in seniors

WHEATHILL Seniors Club Championship was fought in very dry and hot conditions over two Fridays.

The greens, having received generous amounts of water, played true.

Defending champion Chris Hyldon, carrying a six-shot advantage into the second

GOLF

round, produced a stunning performance, especially with the putter, to more than double the eventual winning margin to 14 shots.

The Nett competition saw first-round leader Gunnar Ovland literally bunkered on

the 36th hole.

Two consistent nett 64s proved enough for 28-handicapper Gary Jones to take the trophy.

Pictured are Chris Hyldon (left) and Gary Jones, who will collect their trophies at the club presentation evening in November.

to find room out wide. Going into the final 25 minutes both sides looked leggy in the hot conditions.

In the 70th minute Marshall’s keeper failed to clear a Cherries free-kick and O’Shea slammed the ball home from 12 yards, sealing the result.

Sturminster Newton celebrate winning the Dorset Premier League Cup final

Very friendly, well handled, several colours, males and females. Ready now. £40

Tel: 01963 458199

KC REG. DARK GOLDEN RETRIEVER PUPPIES, dogs and bitches. Tel: 07972 788235

Which dog breed is suitable for me?

by Lynn Broom Longmead Veterinary Practice

WHEN choosing a new dog, it is important to consider whether a breed is suited to your lifestyle and family dynamics as well as your financial constraints.

Phils Happy Dogs

Dog Behaviour

I get called in after dog trainers have been. I have never put a dog in a crate.

I work in silence.

I will control any situation with your dog.

Single visit specialist.

Any dog, any age, any issue.

30% discount for rescue dogs.

Visit my website for more information.

Covering

phil@philshappydogs.co.uk

07721 094 494

www.philshappydogs.co.uk

Every dog is an individual and has different likes and needs but, broadly speaking, breeds have generally recognised traits and health predispositions. Researching a breed from several sources is an important way to know if that breed is likely to fit in to your home life.

For instance, certain breeds such as border collies and working cocker spaniels need physical and mental stimulation. Behavioural issues can quickly develop if these needs are not met. Greyhounds often don’t need a lot of exercise but have a high prey drive and living with a cat may not be appropriate.

Large breeds are expensive to feed and difficult to manage if they develop mobility issues and an upstairs flat may not be suitable for a dog which cannot be carried upstairs. Many larger breeds are more prone to arthritis and impaired mobility as they age. The cost of

AMERICAN BULLY PUPPIES

Ready to go. 2 girls 1 boy Loving family homes and serious enquiries only please 07960 434607

KENNEL CLUB ASSURED BREEDER, Mr C Moore, has black Labrador retriever puppies ready 8th August. £1500, fully health tested and raised in a family home. Dogs and bitches available Contact Mrs. S Moore 07891 621730

veterinary medications is size-related and the cost of treating large dogs is generally higher than that of smaller dogs

Certain breeds are more prone to certain health conditions. Brachycephalic dogs are prone to breathing problems and may require surgery to correct these issues. Many are also more prone to mobility problems due to spinal and joint deformities. Considering your financial situation and getting appropriate insurance is essential to prepare for the worst. Ask for advice before choosing an insurance policy because the cover provided can vary significantly.

Regardless of breed it is important to research the breeder you are considering buying from. .

Planning is also important. A puppy is typically a 10-15 year commitment and a lot can change within that time. Can you provide the care your dog will require or will you need to use, for instance, a dog walking service or a dog groomer with the associated planning and cost implications. Providing adequate training is important and you may need to access local trainers.

kittens for sale. Tel: 07799 296502

GUINEA PIGS FOR SALE

Males £10, females £20. Tel: 01963 458199

EIGHT GALVANISED DOG

KENNEL PANELS 9’ to 4’. Five with doors. All 6’ high. Used in excellent clean condition. £495. 07825 788495

New Blackmore Vale Magazine call 01963 400186

section

www.philshappydogs.co.uk

Pets in association with Phil’s Happy Dogs

Tel: 07721 094 494

MID DORSET BRANCH CATS PROTECTION Cats looking for new homes

n Bagheera (eight years). Lovely boy looking for a quiet home with no children or other pets

n Tommy (14 years). Everyone who meets Tommy falls in love with this charming fella

n Misty (four years). Loving, on her own terms, looking for a garden to explore in a safe location

n Peggy (14 years). Likes fuss on her terms. sweet old girls who acts younger than her age

n Timmy (14). Unhappy in our pen, in need of someone to take a leap of faith in him and give him a happy retirement.

n Honey (four years). Looking for a quiet home in the country away from busy roads

We also have kittens which will be looking for homes in the coming weeks – please get in touch to register your interest. Outdoors cats looking for homes – farms, stables etc For details, please call our helpline on 01258 858644 or visit our website www.cats.org.uk/blandford.

LOST CATS

If you have lost a cat, please contact us via our website, phone or Facebook. Please make sure we have a contact phone number so we can get in touch with you quickly if needed.

FOUND CATS

If you regularly see a cat in your garden or down your street that you don’t think has an owner, please give us a call – it might be a lost cat that could be reunited with its owner.

n Black and white, middle-aged timid cat found Harewood Place, Blandford. n Bengal, found Corfe Mullen.

We are still offering neutering and micro-chipping for £5 in postcode areas DT10 and DT11, SP7 and SP8, and BH21. Phone: 01258 268695.

MID DORSET CATS PROTECTION

Loving homes needed for cats and kittens in our care.

For more details, please call our helpline 01258 858644 or visit our website: cats.org.uk/blandford

(Formerly Blandford & Sturminster)

Sponsored by Longmead Veterinary Practice Ltd

BEHAVIOUR TIPS

Tip #43: Choice v coercion

IT is important to give our dogs choices – when appropriate. Coercion – forcing them to do things – should only be used in an emergency or as a short-term measure if completely unavoidable.

This does not, of course, mean that dogs get to do exactly what they want all day every day. Everyone – two- or four-legged – has to follow rules appropriate set by others. But dogs that are never given any choices or are regularly coerced into things are much more likely – eventually –to resort to using aggressive behaviour.

This is because they learn very quickly their owners often force them to do things against their will, and that they have no control over their environment – which nobody likes.

Sooner or later, your dog may no longer be willing to tolerate coercion and may move up to using aggression to prevent it – and this can happen without much warning.

Although fear is often the reason dogs don’t want to do things, it can sometimes be just because they are being forced to do it –particularly if they have a long history of being coerced.

Next time we look at practical solutions to this issue.

n Helen Taylor is a qualified, accredited behaviourist, a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist, a Registered Practitioner with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council and is a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (no 881). help@helentaylordorset.co.uk; www.helentaylordorset.co.uk

Dog Activity Run & Coffee Bar

Find

Dogs Unleashed Activity Run is a safe and secure field that encourages dogs and their owners to interact together and enjoy a relaxing walk.

The media is full of stories about aggressive dogs, anti-social dogs and sadly dog attacks. We at Dogs Unleashed believe that as dog owners we have a duty to help our dogs be the perfect canine companions that we all desire, this can be achieved with the correct balance of exercise, nutrition and leadership.

The term reactive dog is becoming more commonly used when we see poorly behaved dogs, generally reactive dogs are trying to escape something that is making them uncomfortable, by walking them in a quiet, safe and interesting environment we can help them overcome their fears and guide them towards a contented life.

We live with an anxious and reactive 65kg Leonberger and have experienced her lunging and anti-social behaviour, resulting in diving into hedges or hiding behind parked cars to avoid dog confrontations. With over 20 years of combined dog handling experience and awareness we have carefully created an interactive dog run, allowing dogs and their owners to play together in a safe environment without the risk of encountering another dog or human, helping to create that special bond.

Our run is all about the dog however, we haven’t forgotten about the owners. We have provided seating, shelter and a coffee bar so that you can enjoy a hot drink and snack whilst wandering around the 3.5 acres of secure field. Our coffee bar garden also offers a relaxing environment to sit and relax after your walk, before heading home.

To discuss our facilities please drop in or call us on 0787252004.

‘Frog Hollow’ a natural treasure

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer,” Sam Cooke by

A J Selby

MY evening walk usually takes me by the River Shreen and through a damp, scrubby piece of ground known locally as ‘Frog Hollow’. It’s barely a quarter of an acre and has the benefit of a raised gravel path around the edge, most useful in winter as it is called Frog Hollow for a reason – it’s wet. During the dark months water lies in little pools of rough, reedy ground and in spring the biggest of these pools are full of frog spawn.

However, there is a dramatic change once spring turns to summer – when the hollow starts to dry up the place is transformed with an explosion of flowers and birdsong. On one side is a patriarchal ash, a majestic tree that shadows the hollow, and around it, helping to enclose the area are blackthorn, hawthorn and elder. As the blackthorn fades in April so the may trees fill the space with white blossom and scent, followed again by the elder in June, some of it intertwined with honeysuckle, whose aroma I never tire of. The far side is a riot of tumbling dog rose and at a lower level the hedge banks are covered in stitchwort, vetch, knapweed, fleabane, wild carrot and ox-eye daisy, and for a few short weeks in early summer, marsh orchids in a shady, damp spot.

From early May to the end of June, as I write this, I am serenaded every evening by a song thrush who belts out his

wonderful repertoire from a high branch of the ash. This bird has a remarkable range and a song of such beauty and variation that I can’t help thinking that were it only found in other climes, bird watchers would travel far to listen to its song. As it is, he sings his heart out without pause and yet many a dog walker trundles past without stopping to listen to this magnificent entertainment, completely oblivious to the nature all around them.

Not only does my song thrush entertain me but there are usually chiff-chaffs and blackcaps singing from the high branches and Jenny wren lower down in the scrub – what a remarkable bird is the wren, weighing just a third of an ounce, 9g, it belts out a tune far louder than its little body ought to be capable of. Add in robins, blackbirds, tits of many kinds, chaffinches and goldfinches, and even fieldfares and redwings in winter feeding on the haws, it becomes apparent that little oases like this are very important for wildlife.

From June through to August there are butterflies aplenty with skippers, meadow browns, commas and gatekeepers, and numerous dragonflies and damselflies. An entomologist would doubtless find many types of beetles, flies and other insect life in this small but valuable ecosystem. It’s just a relatively tiny area but ecologically important, as are many other places around the country that appear to be just waste ground. We need to hang

on to all these wild areas as so many larger ones are being destroyed.

And so the midsummer sun has crossed the Rubicon and slowly, imperceptibly at first, the nights and mornings will start to creep in. The warmth of July and August negates this feeling of the advancing year as the land and sea have warmed up and retain some residual heat into the night. I just love these long summer evenings in July when you can sit outside and have a conversation with friends and family sharing a drink or a bite to eat, watching the bats flit around and the last sweep of the housemartins and swifts silhouetted against the first twinkling stars as darkness falls.

It’s a great time for nature watching too, be it on a heath looking for the elusive nightjar,

Book Online

classified@ blackmorevale.net

‘Frog Hollow’ is transformed with an explosion of flowers and birdsong when spring turns to summer. From left, ‘Frog Hollow’, A J Selby’s evening walk; orchids at the site; and the ash tree

by a pond listening to the frogs, or in woodland where the senses are sharpened by the call of an occasional night bird and an unknown animal rustling in the undergrowth. Deer, badgers and foxes are all abroad in the evenings, along with many smaller mammals, making the most of the cover of darkness. Summer smells different too, and changes with the passing of the month – there are still scents of sweet cicely, honeysuckle and elder at the start of the July but once August arrives plants are starting to look tired, flowers are fading and the countryside falls silent as migrants feed up for a long journey ahead. Enjoy the season before it’s time to hunker down again – as we get older time passes too quickly. I hope I shall see my song thrush again next spring.

VARIOUS GUNS. 2 cabinets. Cleaning bits. Ring 07580 386765

Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.

GUNS WANTED FOR CASH

ALSO GUNS FOR SALE

SOS to all air rifles and pistols, any make or model, any condition. We collect in any area. Top prices paid in cash.

It’s summer – but it’s turkey time!

by Ruth Kimber

THEY call it flaming June!

Well, we have had a good deal of lovely summer days, but some rain would have been nice as it pretty well missed us.

We are now preparing for the main batch of Christmas turkeys to arrive in early July. I can hear you saying, ‘don’t talk of Christmas yet’, but we have to think Christmas early in the year to book our poults. The hatchery has to plan well ahead, the adult turkeys have to be grown to reach maturity for breeding, the hens in a condition for egg laying and the eggs set in the incubators, which take a month to incubate. We are hoping for a bird flu free year but have preparations in place if the worse happens.

Our calving season starts again in September, so Tom will soon be drying off the first to calve and sending them out on their holidays for a couple of months in pastures further from the farmstead, as they don’t need to return each day for milking. The cows have to be prepared for this part of their lactation to ensure their udders are healthy and no infections

can enter. We give them fly protection to aid a peaceful and infection-free rest period. The dry cows have to be closely monitored, just in case they have any health issues –pregnant cows can have problems, just like any other mammal. Flies are a particular problem and can give eye and udder infections. These can be easily treated if caught early.

The farm shop has done a swift trade in all things barbecue! Not just sausages and burgers but steak, butterflied lamb, spatchcock chicken etc.

The Kitchen held a tapas evening as one of the ‘pop-up’ events – it was a good evening with our professional chef Mark

turning out delicious dishes. These evenings are book only and the next one is a steak night on Friday, July 21 – get your name down and deposit paid to avoid disappointment! The steak nights sell out quickly.

A South American Evening is planned for Friday, August 25, including a barbecue tomahawk steak and belly pork.

Many farms have to diversify to make ends meet and our shop, markets and internet business fit well with the farm. Others have bed and breakfast, storage facilities etc.

Some farms make their milk into cheese on their own premises and lots of variations of cheese has been seen over

recent years. Locally we have Keens, Montgomery, Westcombe and many soft cheeses, for example, Feltham Farms. Godminster produces an organic cheese, packed in wax which gives it a long life and makes a perfect gift – the cheese is creamy and delicious. All these cheeses have received lots of awards – have you ever wondered how it’s done?

WOne of our daughters, Jess Kimber-Holloway, is the commercial and operations director of Godminster and active in the cheese world. Just last week she was one of 200 judges at the International Cheese awards, held in Staffordshire at the county showground, judging 4,000 cheeses and dairy products from around the world. The UK is world known for its Cheddar but there are many artisanal small cheese makers around the country.

n Kimbers Farm Shop, The Kitchen and Somerset Trading Barn, Linley Farm BA9 8 HD; www.kimbersfarmshop.co.uk; Phone: 01963 33177; open Tuesday-Friday 8.30am-5pm, Saturday 9.30am-4pm.

The main batch of Christmas turkeys arrive at Linley Farm in early July

PHOTO: Alexas_Fotos

Farming

HOW TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN A RESILIENT MINDSET

Personal resilience is the art of holding your shape and bouncing back, according to change expert Heather Wildman, speaking on the second episode of Farming Focus, Cornish Mutual’s podcast for South West farmers.

“It’s about being measured, rational and reflective, keeping things in perspective and compartmentalising by determining what you can control and/or change,” said Heather.

“If something is starting to keep you awake, address it sooner rather than later – don’t put it off or bury your head.”

When asked about gaining perspective, Heather suggested using a diverse range of information sources: “The most resilient operators talk to their accountant, suppliers, land agents and neighbours, attend seminars and read around the subject so they see a situation from many different angles. Then they know they’ve done as much as they can before coming to an informed decision.”

This enables you to own a decision and learn from mistakes rather than blaming others. “You have a choice of what business you’re in. You do not have a right to make a profit and must change when necessary to survive. We need to know what we’re doing well and what we can improve.”

Heather’s top tips on building personal resilience:

• Be able to step back and take time to think, relax and review

• Take responsibility for yourself – what’s your ‘why’? Why are you doing it?

• Understand your own value and how to learn from your mistakes.

• Who are you away from your business? Make space for self-reflection and to gain perspective.

• Have a good network of people you can talk to openly.

• Look after yourself or you won’t reach your full potential.

To delve deeper into Heather’s insights on developing resilience, listen to the full episode of Cornish Mutual’s Farming Focus, at https://www.cornishmutual.co.uk/news-advice/farming-focus-podcast/.

Making hay on a summer’s day

by Tria Stebbing

THE yearly game of watching the weather for a dry week has begun. Many farmers cut hay a few weeks ago, but we were not convinced the grass was ready, so we left it – luckily, we are again having a dry week, so we have cut. Him outdoors has mowed the large field, after finding the replacement blades for the mower. The wind has picked up to make optimum drying weather, so we have everything crossed that the now forecast weather breakdown at the weekend fails to materialise.

After work today he will be back over to tedder, going up and down turning over and over – I will walk a safe distance behind picking out bits of thistle and dock, making for some good bales. True to form, the Jetstream is now sinking downwards bringing the threat of rain on what will be day four, so we have decided to metaphorically cut our loses and

bale on day three.

Following shoulder surgery, this year I am unable to follow the baler hauling the bales onto the trailer – I am sure H.I. thinks I have done this intentionally….

Sebastian, our Highland Bull, has settled down and is enjoying having his coat combed through in the evening now – he is looking very smart without his tangles, which is good as he has a new friend arriving tomorrow. Valentine is a Dexter steer we have bought in to keep Seb company and we hope stop his fun and games with the water trough – a story for another day.

The three Zwartbles rams living with Seb are frankly terrified of him, as he leers towards them swinging his head about if they go near him. So currently the field is split in two halves, Seb at the bottom by the barn and the sheep at the top with no-man’s-land in the middle. We are really hoping he

gets on with Valentine, who will be his company until we sort his Tinder profile and get him a young lady friend.

Everything that blossoms over the field has been prolific this year, especially the Dog Rose (Rosa Canina) weaving itself onto other shrubs and growing to a great height. Originally it was thought to be able to cure the bite of a wild rabid dog, hence the name. Dog rose is a valuable source of nectar for insects and birds love

its fruits, so again displaying the value of the laid hedges on our perimeter. In Germany it is linked to the devil and the fruit is said to be used by fairies to make themselves invisible –let’s hope Valentine does not need to go down that road. I am rubbing my hands in glee at the expected amount of rose hip syrup I can produce this year, said to have great anti-inflammatory properties, which H.I. will need after all that baling.

The mower in action and (inset) the finished bales

Mob: 07966 244536

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TOPPING AND HAULAGE

All types of fencing Tel: 01747 855198

FOR SALE - FLAT 8, good condition, North Dorset. £250. Tel: 01258 472417

IFOR WILLIAMS CATTLE BOX. TA510. With sump. Hardly used. £4950 Ono. Halstock. 07785 255535

DAVIS FENCING LTD

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CARAVAN REMOVAL SERVICE, old, unwanted caravans, cars, trailers, vans etc. Garden machinery, tractors, scrap metal. Yard, garden, garage removal clearances undertaken, dismantling and gas cutting service. Please call 01935 873169 or 07368 380477

Email: hoses@ardiesels.co.uk

STURMINSTER NEWTON & BLANDFORD AREA WA NTED

Scrap Metal, Cars, Heavy and Light Iron Farm And Factory Clearance

Weighbridge

Skips/HAIB lorry available for onsite collection

Tel 01258 860 166 or 07974 822 243

Cote Farm Works, Kilmington, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 6RF

GENUINE HERD DISPERSAL OF THE ‘HAZELDENE FARM’ HERD VIZ: 60 IN MILK PEDIGREE HOLSTEIN FRIESIAN HEIFERS & COWS. HERD ESTABLISHED IN 1921. NMR Av 8,165L 4.27% BF 3.33% PR. Av CC 49

SALE OF FAT CATTLE, CULL COWS. DAIRY CATTLE & CALVES PRIME, CULL AND STORE SHEEP.

FORTNIGHTLY SALE OF PIGS – WEDNESDAY 12th JULY

FORTNIGHTLY SALE OF REARED CALVES – WEDNESDAY 19th JULY

EVERY WEDNESDAY EVERY FRIDAY – SALE OF STORE CATTLE

BREEDING & STORE SHEEP WEDNESDAY 26th JULY Frome Livestock Market, Standerwick, Somerset, BA11 2QB 01373 830033 info@fromelivestock.com www.fromelivestock.com

JDG Structural Steel Ltd

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LOVELY PRIVATE STABLE YARD AVAILABLE TO RENT from August, for sole use only. 5/6 stables, tack room, feed room, arena, 5.4 acres. Deposit and references required. Please email lizzie@woodrowfarm.org

Auction 20 July 2023 – Digby Memorial Hall, Sherborne and via Livestream

Hardington Mandeville Guide £220,000

A well serviced smallholding extending to 7.08 acres (2.87 hectares) with two buildings. Yeovil | 01935 382901

Spetisbury Guide £100,000

A Listed end of terrace cottage for renovation

EPC Exempt; CTB C. Freehold. Blandford | 01258 452670

Winterborne Whitechurch Guide £225,000

A detached 3 bedroom cottage for updating in 0.23 acres. EPC D; CTB E. Freehold. Blandford | 01258 452670

Wincanton Guide £350,000

A detached house for modernisation. EPC TBC; CTB E. Freehold.

Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766

Winterborne SticklandGuide £225,000

A Grade II Listed cottage for renovation. EPC Exempt; CTB C. Freehold. Blandford | 01258 452670

Wool, Wareham Guide £395,000

Two Listed cottages for renovation in 0.81 acres. EPC Exempt; CTB C. Freehold. Wimborne | 01202 843190

Fifehead St Quintin Guide £195,000 each

A pair of cottages requiring renovation. EPC E; CTB C. Freehold. Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766

Trent, Sherborne Guide £280,000

A detached house in need of renovation. EPC Exempt; CTB D. Freehold. Sherborne | 01935 814488

Winterborne Whitechurch Guide £375,000 A public house with consent for conversion. EPC C; CTB B. Freehold. Blandford | 01258 452670

Hartgrove 6.23 acres of gently sloping pasture land.

Guide £80,000

Toller Porcorum

32.18 acres of pasture land in 3 lots.

Guide £75,000 – £150,000

Blandford Guide £295,000 A public house with extensive accommodation. EPC C; CTB C. Freehold. Blandford | 01258 452670

Land for Auction

Winterborne Stickland 0.28 acres in the centre of the village with potential (STPP).

Guide £220,000

Buckland Newton 0.44 acres of woodland

Guide £15,000

Sturminster Newton | 01258 473766

Holwell

A single building plot with outline planning permission.

Guide £135,000

Dewlish

A single building plot with full planning permission for a holiday cottage.

Guide £100,000

DORSET | DEVON | SOMERSET | HAMPSHIRE | WILTSHIRE | CORNWALL | LONDON

Broad Oak Guide £495,000

A well-positioned and spacious 3 bedroom bungalow in need of modernisation set in a good plot of 0.40 acres with a garage.

CTB D; EPC G. Freehold

Sturminster | 01258 473766

Kings Stag Guide £695,000

A semi-detached 4 bedroom period cottage with enclosed private garden and separate extensive garage block with additional accommodation above. CTB D; EPC D. Freehold

Sturminster | 01258 473766

Bishops Caundle Guide £399,950

A delightful 4 bedroom family home, backing onto open fields and located within the popular Dorset village of Bishops Caundle.

CTB D; EPC D. Freehold

Sherborne | 01935 814488

Dorchester Guide £975,000

A prominent 6 bedroom, Georgian Grade II Listed house with off street parking set on a broad, tree lined avenue in central Dorchester opposite the splendid Victorian Borough Gardens. CTB F; EPC Exempt. Freehold

Dorchester | 01305 261008

Wimborne

Guide £600,000

A superb 4 bedroom detached family home which has been beautifully renovated to a stunning standard with a delightful garden and close to amenities. CTB E; EPC D. Freehold

Wimborne | 01202 843190

Stour Provost Guide £525,000

A quintessential Grade II Listed 2 bedroom cottage, renovated and beautifully presented, adjoining fields and situated in a quiet lane. CTB E; EPC Exempt. Freehold

Sturminster | 01258 473766

£600,000

£435,000 Bayford

A three bedroom detached house with delightful views over adjoining fields. This is a fantastic opportunity to enhance, modernise and extend (STPP) to create a wonderful family home. Kitchen/dining room, lounge with open fire, conservatory, utility room, shower room, garage/ workshop, no forward chain. EPC Rating: E. Freehold.

£785,000

A handsome Georgian house situated in the hamlet of Clanville. A wonderful family home with generous room sizes, stable barn, garage/ workshop, delightful garden, large kitchen/breakfast room, four double bedrooms, three reception rooms, boot room and laundry room. EPC Rating: E. Freehold.

£297,500

£450,000 Wincanton

WINCANTON

An exceptionally well presented four bedroom detached house overlooking a green on a modern development. The huge open plan kitchen/family room is a feature creating a wonderful social space. Light and airy sitting room, master bedroom with en-suite, stylish bathroom and landscaped garden with sunken hot tub. EPC Rating: B. Freehold.

WINCANTON 01963 34000

£145,000

An attractive two bedroom mid terrace house situated in a small close on a mature development. Spacious sitting room, kitchen/diner, bathroom, easy to maintain garden, allocated parking, ideal investment or first time buy. EPC Rating: C.

WINCANTON £226,500

A wonderful opportunity to purchase a Grade II Listed house forming part of the original county police station. Beautifully presented, delightful landscaped terraced ‘sky garden’, sitting room with carved stone fireplace, dining room with attractive fireplace, utility/cloakroom, parking. EPC Exempt. Freehold.

three bedroom semi-detached house with stunning far reaching views over Wincanton and countryside beyond. Sitting room, stylish fitted kitchen, master bedroom with en-suite shower room, cloakroom, driveway and garage alongside property, landscaped garden. EPC Rating: C.

£600,000

WINCANTON £179,950

An impressive four bedroom link detached house with a large two storey extension providing a stunning kitchen/diner and master bedroom with countryside views and stylish en-suite. Spacious sitting room, living room, downstairs shower room, attached garage, utility room and delightful landscaped gardens. EPC Rating: C. Freehold.

Shaftesbury 01747 851151

A spacious two bedroom semi-detached house situated on a popular residential development. The property is presented in excellent order and enjoys the benefit of a car port, long driveway, enclosed garden, sitting room, fitted kitchen, conservatory and potential to extend (STPP). EPC Rating: D.

HAMLET LETTINGS

01963 34006

Templecombe

Wincanton

Castle Cary

Wincanton

National Country & Equestrian Property Specialists

Higher Coombe, Wiltshire

• Detached Former Game Keepers Lodge

• Three Bedroom Principal House

• Annexe

• Perfect for Multigenerational Living

• Beautiful Gardens just over 1 acre

• Idyllic and Peaceful Setting

• Within the Nadder Valley

• Well Maintained

• Driveway Parking

• Excellent Road Links

An extraordinary country home set in the most idyllic location and yet easily accessible to Shaftesbury and Salisbury comprising of detached period three bedroom Game Keepers lodge with an annexe in just over 1 acre of gardens. Incredible front and rear views, close to excellent local public schooling. Guide £950,000

To arrange a viewing please call Rose Grant on 01722 782727 or email rose@foxgrant.com

foxgrant.com

COUNTRY & VILLAGE FARMS, LAND & SMALLHOLDINGS

Sodom Lane, Marnhull – For Sale £435,000

A rare opportunity to purchase a choice of two brand new semi-detached homes built by reputable local property developers Charleston Bespoke Homes / Beehive Homes Ltd.

Built of natural Marnhull stone with green oak porch, these three-bedroom cottages enjoy an edge of village location with wonderful countryside views, including Duncliffe Woods.

Finished to an exemplary standard using high quality fixtures and fittings including composite stone-work surfaces and stylish

soft closing kitchen units by Benchmarx, integrated appliances and contemporary bathroom suites, these properties benefit from a ten year structural build warranty.

With oak laminate internal doors, gas central heating with underfloor heating to the ground floor and radiators to the first floor, the properties are finished with cream coloured country style uPVC windows and front doors.

Inside, the ground floor consists of a bright and welcoming entrance hall, cloakroom, study, sitting room with double doors leading to the rear garden plus double doors to the kitchen/dining room. On the

first floor there is a good sized landing area with windows to the front elevation, family bathroom and three good sized bedrooms, two with built in cupboards and the main bedroom with en-suite shower room.

Outside, the properties enjoy lawn areas plus an Indian Sandstone paved seating area outside of the sitting room, with a tarmacadam entrance and Cotswold Gravel parking for two cars per property.

The properties are located on the fringe of Marnhull, a very well served village in the Blackmore Vale.

To arrange a viewing please contact our Sturminster Newton Office on 01258 473030.

3 BED MOBILE HOME. Double glazed, central heating.

Contact: 01747 811588

SOUTH CHERITON

Asking price £750,000 Agricultural tied dwelling in South Cheriton comprising five bedroomed chalet style bungalow set in fifteen acres with an outbuilding. EPC D Please call Morton New on 01747 824547 for more information

PROPERTY WANTED

NEWLY RETIRED COUPLE WITH FUNDS readily available urgently seek the opportunity to purchase a house, bungalow or plot of land (with planning) in a rural or village edge location in Dorset/Somerset up to £750,000.

Entirely flexible on time scale we can exchange contracts with a delayed completion should this suit.

Any offer or introduction would be much appreciated and discretion guaranteed.

Please call Patrick or Lulu on 01935 891249 or 07946 413638

PROPERTY TO LET

HOUSE FOR SALE £549,500 STC

4 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE SOUTH YEOVIL/WEST COKER AREA

FORMER SHOWHOME (1 & 9 YEARS WARRANTY REMAINING)

Approximately 2250 sq. .ft.(including garage & store)

• Lounge; Dining Room; Study; Cloakroom; Utility Room; Kitchen/breakfast room; Coats Cupboard

• Master Bed, W/robes + en-suite; Bed 2 +en suite; Bed 3 (all doubles) Bed 4; Bathroom; 2x Storage cupboards,

• Large double garage – walls plastered, ceiling lined c/w downlights, fitted cupboards + fridge, vinyl floor covering;

2x heaters driveway parking for 3 vehicles, attached store with w.c, kitchenettesink (h & c) etc

• Enclosed landscaped garden, part railings,etc

• The garage/store could possibly be converted (STC) for use as Workshop; WFH Office unit; gym; teen/games/play/ cinema room, extra residential; etc. GFCH; EPC B; Rating F - 01935 671388/ 07799 012260

Business

WORKSHOP/OFFICE, SMALL INDUSTRIAL UNIT TO LET. 24hr access, 340+ sqft, well lit, please ring for further detailsTel: 07811 551161

DEADLINES

Display ads must be booked by Wednesday the week prior to publication, with final copy submitted by the Friday.

Classified ads may be accepted after this, HOWEVER these will be subject to space.

TO LET - WORKSHOP WITH TWO OFFICES, reception, kitchenette, toilets and a mezzanine floor over. All fullyalarmed. Contact for more information: 07966 494112

BUNGALOW AVAILABLE TO RENT

Fry Brothers’ Charity own, manage and let a number of properties in West Dorset.

We provide affordable housing for retired agricultural/ horticultural workers and their spouses. We currently have a 2 bedroom bungalow available to rent.

Applicants must have resided and worked in Dorset.

For more information please email the Secretary at: admin@frybrotherscharity.org.uk

Or call 07969 607418

www.frybrotherscharity.co.uk - Charity no 284669

Stunning Residential Farm Near Shaftesbury

Located in rolling Dorset countryside on the edge of the Blackmore Vale and just over a mile from Shaftesbury, Cherry Orchard Farm is a delightful farmhouse set within 108 acres of impeccably managed private land and woodland.

The handsome ten-bedroom farmhouse has been extensively and sympathetically renovated and extended by the current owners to create a free-flowing diverse family home, with well-proportioned rooms, most with superb views.

A courtyard adjacent to the house provides an immaculate 3-bedroom cottage, a 1-bedroom flat and a range of brick buildings, one with planning for conversion. Beyond the courtyard, a range of former dairy buildings

provides loose boxes and storage, with a horse walker, and menage. The ring-fenced land extends to 108 acres – 85 acres of pasture and 17 acres of woodland, all beautifully undulating with many picturesque areas of interspersed woodland and ponds, strategically planted and managed to encourage wildlife.

The Guide for this superb residential grassland farm is £4,750,000 Freehold, for further details please contact Andrew Tuffin, Head of Farm Agency at Symonds & Sampson at the Sturminster Newton Office on 01258 472244. JSA Strutt & Parker. CTB F, D & A; EPC F, D & D.