Arts & Entertainment

Inside the wonderful world of elephants

Renowned elephant conservationist and wildlife television presenter Saba Douglas-Hamilton – known to millions for This Wild Life and Big Cat Diaries series – is coming to Yeovil next week. The New Blackmore Vale caught up with her as she prepared for the show

Q. What kind of childhood did you have?

A. I grew up in East Africa, living in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. My father had spent part of his boyhood in Africa and always wanted to return there – he’s a zoologist, and when I was a child, he was researching elephants in Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania. He did the fi rst-ever study of the social behaviour of wild African elephants, and made the big discovery that elephant herds are led by matriarchs and not by bulls, as had previously been thought.

Q. Is this why you love elephants?

A. My father’s work means I’ve always felt intimately connected to elephants, and to their fate. Because they were never anonymous creatures for me – all the ones I’ve ever known had names. I’m thinking for example of Boadicea, a ferocious matriarch who would come at us, thrashing her way through the bushes. She’d meet us in this swirl of dust, and we were left cowering in the footwell of the car as my father turned the engine off and we just sat there.

Q. Where did you go to school?

A. My sister and I went to boarding school in Nairobi, but during the holidays we’d return to Uganda, where our parents were living at the time, and it was basically a war zone. Idi Amin had just been deposed, and it was a very turbulent time: there were soldiers roaming around, a 6pm curfew, and we could hear gunfi re across the Nile. People were starving, and every building was pock-marked with bullet holes. We lived in a tiny house beside the river. It had no doors or windows, and we had to barricade ourselves in at night to stop the hyenas getting in.

Q. How did you get into the work you do now, as a conservationist and a conservation fi lmmaker?

A. When I was in my late 20s, a great friend of mine was shot in a violent robbery in Kenya. That triggered something in me – I realised I could be dead tomorrow, that I had to push myself to my limits and fi nd out who I was. I spent a lot of time in the bush working with Save The Elephants and then someone from the BBC reached out to me and asked if she could see what I was like on camera, and that led to my work as a television presenter.

I enjoy telling stories, so this brought together everything I most cared about. And I love the teamwork – you have to work very closely with the other people in the team and there’s a wonderful synergy, a great sense of purpose.

Call of the wild: Saba DouglasHamilton among her beloved elephants

Q. What’s been your biggest moment as a wildlife fi lmmaker?

A. A few years ago I was working on a BBC shoot in the Namibian desert, and decided to sleep on a mattress on a dry riverbed, under the stars. The fi lm crew weren’t so keen, so they stayed in tents. During the night I could hear elephants in the distance and that didn’t faze me at all, I thought, how beautiful – but then suddenly I woke up, 100 per cent alert, and saw a huge bull elephant walking towards me. There were no trees to climb to get away from him, and the sand was too heavy to run in. I realised my only option was to lie still, and to play dead. still, and to play dead.

I remember rolling over onto my back, watching him come towards me with my heart pounding, thinking: ‘this is the end, he’s going to crush me under his knees and there’s nothing I can do’. He came right up to me, and his massive frame blocked out the moon…and then he stopped. He reached out his trunk and he smelled every bit of me, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. And then he stood there, processing the information – human, female, sleeping. And then he turned, and very slowly he walked away.

Q. What’s next for your work with elephants?

A. Right now we’re in a moment of success with elephant conservation, because a global coalition has defeated the ivory trade – at least for now – and the elephant populations are increasing. The big issue though is co-existence – because the human population is growing as well, and we leave a heavy footprint, especially across Africa. We must make sure we leapfrog the kind of mistakes that have been made elsewhere in the world – we must do better than was done before, by previous generations. We have to create long-term sustainability and making that happen is very much my mission.

Showcase for artists

Yeovil Art Space in the town’s Quedam shopping centre will feature new work from sculptor Chris Dunseath and artist Grażyna Wikierska during the Somerset Art Weeks Festival.

Grażyna (pictured) is known for working in a variety of forms from painting, sculpture and textile, to performance and installation.

Chris Dunseath, RWA and Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors, will be exhibiting a series of small sculptures in bronze and plaster.

The exhibition runs from Saturday 17 September until Saturday 29 October – Somerset Art Weeks is from Saturday 24 September to Sunday 9 October. Opening times are Wednesday to Friday, 10am-4pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm – entry is free.

Sidney Blackmore, secretary of the

Beckford Society and curator of Gold Hill

Museum’s Fonthill

Fever exhibition with scale model of Fonthill Abbey, loaned by

Beckford’s Tower and Museum.

Only the Lancaster

Tower (lower left) is still standing. Though it resembles a cathedral with its 90-metre-high central tower, Fonthill Abbey was a Gothic Revival country house, and never a church.

Gothic folly was fi lled with expensive art

September 1822 saw 700 sightseers a day fl ocking to Fonthill Abbey, the Gothic folly created by reclusive slaveowner William Beckford in west Wiltshire and fi lled with expensive works of art.

By 1821 he was unable to pay the interest on debts calculated to be £145,000 – about £15 million at today’s values. Reluctantly, Beckford put the sale of Fonthill in the hands of auctioneer James Christie and decamped to Bath, where he began yet more grandiose building. The auction date was set for 17 September 1822, virtually 200 years ago to the day.

The story of the sale is told in Fonthill Fever, an impressive free exhibition which can be seen at Gold Hill Museum, Shaftesbury, until 31 October.

The story of Beckford’s life in Bath, where he lived in Lansdown Crescent until his death in 1844, is the subject of the Teulon Porter Memorial Lecture by Dr Amy Frost at Shaftesbury Town Hall on Tuesday 27 September at 7.30pm. Amy is an expert on William Beckford, as the curator of Beckford’s Tower and Museum, and senior architectural curator of the Bath Preservation Trust.

Admission to the lecture is £5 at the door and free to members of Shaftesbury & District Historical Society. Further details of the lecture and the exhibition can be found at www.goldhillmuseum.org.uk/diary or phone 01747 852157.

ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW & THE LOW RIDERS FRI 16th SEPT 7.30PM Andy Fairweather Low's pedigree is the stuff rock dreams are made of. If you just remember Andy's early work and major hits such as 'Wide Eyed and Legless' you're in for a treat!

Cinema: ELVIS Sponsored by

THUR 22nd SEPT 7PM Farnfields Solicitors Baz Luhrmann's biopic of Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker A chance to see live on stage of the only performing original Rock'n'Roll Pioneers in the World today. With his many hits including 'Teenager In Love' and a host of wonderful songs from the era - Marty Wilde and his fabulous band take you back through some of the most exciting musical times this country has ever experienced.

MARTY WILDE & THE WILDCATS SAT 24th SEPT 7.30PM

THEATRE DANCE MUSIC COMEDY CINEMA GALLERY CAFE VENUE HIRE

Choristers sing for children’s charity

The Gentlemen of St John’s will perform in aid of Save the Children in a 28th anniversary concert at Cheap Street Church, Sherborne.

Seven choral scholars from the world-renowned choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, together with their organ scholar, will hold an afternoon workshop with Leweston School pupils, who will later join them to open the evening’s concert.

In a programme to suit all musical tastes, the fi rst part of the concert will cover early English music, while the second half will provide a variety of contemporary, close harmony music. It is planned to give people from Ukraine free tickets to attend the concert.

All proceeds from the event on Friday 23 September at 7pm will be sent to support Save the Children’s emergency fund in Afghanistan, Somalia, Ukraine and Pakistan.

Tickets priced £15 adults (£8 students) are available from Winstone’s Book Shop, Cheap Street, Sherborne DT9 3PX; The Sapling, 51 East Street, Blandford DT11 7DX; and by post (including SAE) from Mrs F Allen, Okeapple House, Okeford Fitzpaine, Blandford DT11 0RS.

Ghostly goings on behind the scenes

Wincanton will soon be hosting the premiere of Rehearsal, an original play performed by the Wink Wink Theatre Company.

The comedic and supernatural plot centres around a troupe of back-biting and largely washed-up actors who gather to rehearse a play in a soon-to-be demolished theatre. The rehearsals, however, are almost immediately beset by problems – the play is only half written, the theatre is crumbling, and the cast are soon being terrorised by the ghosts of former actors.

Steve McAuliff e, the writer and founder of Wink Wink Theatre Company, believes passionately in the power of local theatre. He said: “Wherever possible we want to use local talent in the production of new plays, and Rehearsal I believe will establish us as an exciting presence in and for the community. The play is funny, the actors are superb and Kate’s Kirkpatrick’s direction is everything a writer could dream of.”

Kate Kirkpatrick added: “We want the audience to be thoroughly entertained, we also want them to be surprised, maybe even a little spooked – but in a good way, obviously.”

Rehearsal is at King Arthur’s (School Hall), Wincanton, on Thursday 22 September and Saturday 24 September at 7.30pm. Tickets priced £8 are available on the door or in advance from Vintage, 43 High Street, Wincanton. Phone Steve on 07562 366610 or email feedthemoon66@gmail.com.

The Rehearsal Rehearsal cast in rehearsals cast in rehearsals

Shakespeare al fresco

Touring theatre company The Three Inch Fools are dusting down their musical instruments and heading back to Dorset for a second performance of Shakespeare’s riotous comedy, Twelfth Night.

The company, which staged the play to a sell-out audience at Sandford Orcas in August, is coming to Springhead Gardens, Fontmell Magna, for an outdoor performance.

The Three Inch Fools have built a reputation for bold and vibrant productions, with a fast-paced, musically-driven style featuring a variety of instruments, actors playing multiple roles and quick costume changes.

The cast of fi ve will present an inventive take on Twelfth Night, being staged with Artsreach, the county’s touring arts charity, on Tuesday, 20 September, at 6.30pm.

The performance is suitable for all the family and audience members should dress for all weathers, take cushions and camping chairs, and pack a torch. Tickets and further information are available from Springhead on 01747 811853 or online at artsreach.co.uk.

Although it is not currently a legal requirement, please consider wearing a face covering to protect yourself and others when visiting the Tivoli. PLEASE KEEP CHECKING OUR WEBSITE

THE BOHEMIANS

Queen – Greatest Hits Tour

Friday 16th September 7.30pm Tickets £21.50

(Box Office bookings over £20 incur £1 booking fee) FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: ONE & ALL (12A)

19th, 20th & 21st Sept 7.30pm, Matinee 22nd Sept 1.30pm Tickets Adult £8 eve, mat £7, U16s £6

(Box Office bookings incur £1 booking fee per transaction)

A JOURNEY INTO FRENCH MUSIC

From Offenbach to Gainsbourg

Thursday 22nd September 7.30pm. Tickets £15

(Box Office bookings incur £1 booking fee per transaction) A HEAD FULL OF COLDPLAY

Friday 23rd September 7.30pm. Tickets £20

(Box Office bookings incur £1 booking fee per transaction) THE KING’S VOICE

Gordon Hendricks As Elvis

Saturday 24th September 7.30pm. Tickets £26

(Box Office bookings incur £1 booking fee per transaction)

FROM THE JAM: UNPLUGGED MATT BLACK & SPECIAL GUESTS JAX HALL

‘Inspired By Adele’ & Marky Dawson

MAGGIE BELL & DAVE KELLY CATS IN SPACE

Tuesday 27th September 7.30pm. Tickets £32.50 Wednesday 28th September, 7.30pm. Tickets £15 Thursday 29th September 7.30pm Tickets £20

Friday 30th September 7.30pm Tickets £25 PURPLE ZEPPELIN

Saturday 1st October 7.30pm Tickets £21

A tribe of walking men

by Katrine ffi ske

Sculptor Laurence Edwards is exhibiting for the fi rst time large-scale bronze fi gurative sculptures and small-scale maquettes and studies at Messums Wiltshire.

The gallery has shown Edwards’ work on and off over the years, a few pieces at a time, but this is his fi rst solo show – the culmination of ten years’ work – and the largest exhibition of his sculptures to date.

He talked about his work to a large number of art lovers in the Tithe Barn at Messums in Tisbury, a peaceful crowd gathered around a ‘Tribe’ of giant bronze ‘Walking Men’ striding through the ancient building.

Johnny Messum and Edwards have been friends for many years and Johnny has been a long-time admirer of the sculptor’s work.

“The fi gures are both post- and preindustrial,” Edwards said. “We are at a strange time at the moment and many of us are slightly wary and scared about where we are going. Looking at piles of sticks and thinking ‘help, one day I night need those sticks.

“How will we survive if things do go wrong? Working with a fi gurative language is not very fashionable. Over the years I have been trying to reinvigorate a post-war British sculpture language of the bronze fi gure, trying to fi nd new meaning in it.”

To some the fi gures seem like the men are stepping out of the earth picking up sticks and stones on their way. To others they have a war-like quality – are the men emerging from the trenches?

Edwards admitted he had a fascination with First World War photographs but he is not precious about his work and encourages and enjoys hearing how others perceive the sculptures – and occasionally takes their ideas away with him.

On display in the smaller gallery are the

Sculptor Laurence Edwards with one of his large-scale bronze fi gures

ideas and working studies which relate to the main body of work in the barn. The show continues until Friday 16 October.

Poet Gerald Killingworth

New poetry collection

Blandford St Mary author Gerald Killingworth has published his fi rst collection of poems entitled Emptying Houses.

Two of Gerald’s poems were short-listed in a competition run by the prestigious poetry press Dempsey & Windle. Following the competition, the publishers off ered to bring out a collection of Gerald’s work and he was delighted to say yes.

After a career teaching English, Gerald moved from Wimbledon to Blandford St Mary six years ago and he has fully taken to life in Dorset. He dances with Wessex Morris Men, captains a local tennis team and is involved with the Tears in the Fence Poetry Festival which takes place every September in Stourpaine village hall.

Two years ago, Gerald’s spooky children’s novel, The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules, was published by the Pushkin Press and it was selected as one of The Guardian’s picks of the month.

Gerald said: “When I came to arrange the poems for my collection, I realised they fell into three clear categories. The largest of these contains poems about time and what we leave behind us, our legacy. There are also poems about people and our often troubled relationship with the natural world. My poem Buying Time is typical of my perspective on the world and the way I use language. I hope that The New Blackmore Vale readers enjoy it.”

n Emptying Houses can be ordered from the publishers at dempseyandwindle.com, from Amazon and bookshops. To purchase a signed copy email Gerald at gkllngwrth@ aol.com

Busker on the beach

Musician Conor Smith, who busks in Shaftesbury and Yeovil, has released his latest song, Please Don’t Go, accompanied by a video telling the story of a relationship.

The video features footage captured on an original Super 8 camera, as well as more modern cameras, and is partially set on beaches in Weymouth.

The video, made with fi lm-maker Alex Bowdery, is his second with Playmotion Visuals with more in the pipeline.

Playmotion has previously worked with the Royal British Legion, mental health charities Suicide&Co and Headstrong, Community Rail Partnership and corporate clients, and made personal short fi lms.