The New Blackmore Vale (21/07/2023)

• Page 8: The Okeford benefice welcomes its new priest with the arrival of Rev Andrew Gubbins

• Page 4: Rob Angell sets off for Romania from Castle Cary to retrace his mum’s refugee journey

Page 30: Find out how planned closures of train ticket offices affect you

Stuart and Linda Rowe celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary surrounded by family, including daughters Naomi (seated next to Linda) and Sarah (seated next to Stuart)

Diamonds are forever

grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

STUART and Linda Rowe celebrated 60 years of happy marriage earlier this July.

They were married on July 6, 1963, at St Mary’s Church, Apsley, Hertfordshire. They have two daughters, Sarah and Naomi, two sons-in-law, Neil and James, six

Stuart and Linda lived in Watford for the first five years of their marriage, before moving to Tonbridge in Kent. Stuart worked at Nat West in the city of London, while Linda ran a playgroup for preschool children at home.

In 2000 Linda took up the post of assistant chaplain at Winchester prison, and

they spent 16 happy years in the town, where Stuart worked part-time for the Friends of Winchester Cathedral.

In 2016 they moved to Sherborne to be near Sarah and Neil.

“They have had a full and active life,” said Sarah. “Everywhere they have lived they have been worshipping members of their local church, taking many different active roles, from speaking to treasurer.”

Epic bike trek

One man’s 4,000km bike ride from Castle Cary to Romania traces a traumatic family history and will raise money and awareness for Holocaust survivors and their families

BIKE enthusiast Rob Angell is cycling from Castle Cary to Romania in just four weeks to raise awareness about the Holocaust and raise money for the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) and the Holocaust Education Trust (HET).

Rob, 60, didn’t even know he was Jewish until he was 31. “My mother had made a promise to my father when they got married that if they ever had children they wouldn’t tell them about the family history, so that my brother and I wouldn’t grow up with the fear of anti-Semitism like they had experienced. She eventually had to tell me because I insisted on accompanying her to the funeral of her Aunt Hilda, which was going to be a Jewish ceremony.

“It was a huge thing to find out what she had gone through; and that I was Jewish. It took me a long time to own my background. But once the ‘secret’ was out my mother was so relieved to be able to unburden herself and share her family stories from before the war with me,” says Rob.

Rob’s mum was deported from Targu Mures in central Romania and put into forced labour in a factory in what was then Czechoslovakia, before being moved to Auschwitz. She eventually arrived in Britain as a refugee in 1947. Rob intends to follow her journey in reverse, via Slovakia and Hungary.

“Although it was traumatic sharing her experiences during the war, it gave me a new appreciation of why she was who she was. I told her that I wanted to visit Auschwitz to pay my respects to my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who’d been killed there, but she couldn’t comprehend that. I knew I couldn’t go until she had passed away. That was five years ago and now is my opportunity.

“My main motivation for doing this was to raise awareness about the Holocaust and the need to keep stories about it real and relevant. As the son of an Auschwitz survivor it’s my generation that now has the responsibility of telling our family story. I decided

Sing it out!

A new group gives musical support to those living with dementia, and their carers

FORMER music teacher Caroline Pugh is leading a new Sing Together, Connections Through Song group in Blandford for individuals living with dementia – and carers are welcome, too.

Caroline extols the benefits of singing, including lung function, maintaining and improving speech, relieving stress, enhancing memory and promoting a sense of positivity and well-being.

She said: “It is interesting to see how different people in the group enjoy their music, some love to dance and tap along,

to start my JustGiving page as an additional way of raising awareness of my story. I’ve now passed £2,000, and it’d be fantastic to see if I could double that by the time I get back.”

Rob has set off by bike, and plans to complete his journey in four weeks… “It’s going to be a journey of nearly 4,000km, which is further than this year’s Tour de France. I’ll be loaded with camping gear and self-supported, so it’s a significant challenge, even though I’m a keen cyclist.

“I got my first proper good bike when I was 25. I remember getting on it and thinking, ‘wow’! That July I set off from London to ride to France with three weeks to play with. I was so unprepared but made it to Marseilles. Life and family took priority and then in 2009 I rode from Castle Cary to Venice over two weeks. So this will be my third long distance ride; just this time its significantly further, hillier and will be much more emotional.”

You can donate to Rob’s JustGiving page at https://tinyurl.com/ y5c9pex9, and follow his journey on Instagram @robangell1.

Rob would like to talk about his family story and his bike trip as part of Holocaust education in schools and colleges around the Vale – anyone interested should get in touch with Rob via Instagram or write to your NBVM and we’ll put you in contact.

Caroline also runs Sing Together sessions on Monday at the Corn Exchange, Dorchester, 10.30am-11.30am; at the Allendale Centre, Wimborne, on Tuesday 11.15am-12.15pm; and at Blandford RFC Clubhouse on Tuesday 1.45pm-2.45pm.

Caroline said: “Sing Together sessions are great fun, evoking trips down memory lane and much laughter, and meeting weekly gives the opportunity for social interaction and to build up friendships.

for others it is the words and singing that are the most important – and some get just as much from listening and feeling the uplifting mood around them.”

The group meets at Blandford RFC’s clubhouse on Tuesday from 3pm-3.45pm.

“It is an absolute privilege to enjoy making music with all the participants. I find it utterly amazing to see the power of music to lift people’s mood and build self-esteem.”

Call Caroline on 07984 828642, email creatingmusicalparticipation@gmail.com or visit www.facebook.com/ CreatingMusicalParticipation

The Sing Together Connections Through Song group in Blandford

Young at heart

Blandford resident celebrates milestone

103 years

MUCH-LOVED resident of Larks Leas Retirement Home, Blandford, Gordon GrenvilleHunt, had a visit from the town’s mayor at a celebration for Gordon’s 103rd birthday.

Gordon travelled all over the world as an Army staff sergeant during the Second World War and later as a professional ballroom dancer.

A spokesperson for the home said: “Gordon is still young at heart and sunny-natured. He loves to talk, to tell a tale, a joke or to share his precious memories.”

Members of the family joined Gordon for a birthday party with music provided by the Shroton Ukulele Band. Gordon was presented with a birthday cake, and a hand-made birthday card.

Blandford mayor Cllr Hugo Mieville visited and presented a card and bouquet. A buffet feast and cream tea and was accompanied by fizz and Pimm’s.

Blandford mayor Cllr Hugo Mieville with 103-year-old Gordon Grenville-Hunt

Literary legend

An examination of power-hungry corrupt leaders throughout history resonates today

TICKETS are available for Sherborne Literary Society’s event Big Caesars and Little Caesars, a talk by Ferdinand Mount on July 24.

Find your flock

CERNE Sheep Group, which supports, educates and entertains about 30 local shepherds (with flocks large and small), enjoyed an informative and interesting June meeting at Richard and Nigel Friend’s farm at Gussage St Michael. Members were treated to a trailer ride to see their fields of wild flowers grown for seed, as well as corn crops and a flock of Poll Dorset Sheep.

July’s meeting was held at the Wriggle Valley Brewery in

Stalbridge, with Matt Glide guiding members around the premises and opening the taproom for tastings!

A farm walk is being arranged for August’s meeting. New members are always welcome. The Group’s subscriptions are not unreasonable, and a nominal fee is charged for a one-off individual visit. For more information contact Jill Hole by phone (01929 459450) or email (jill_ hole@outlook.com).

Age Concer n North Dorset

age-related information and advice

Befriending Welfare Advice

Telephone Support Foot Clinic

Balance Classes

info@acnorthdorset.org.uk | www.acnorthdorset.org.uk

Mount is the one-time head of the No. 10 Policy Unit under Margaret Thatcher, was editor of The Times Literary Supplement and contributor to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph and the London Review of Books. His latest book examines how and why ‘Caesars’ seize power and why they fail.

The world today is full of strong men and their imitators. Caesarism is alive and well. Yet in modern times it’s become a strangely neglected subject.

There are Big Caesars who set out to achieve total social control and Little Caesars who merely want to run an agreeable kleptocracy without opposition: from Julius Caesar and Oliver Cromwell through Napoleon and Bolivar, to Mussolini, Salazar, De Gaulle and Trump.

The final part of this book describes how and why would-be Caesars come to grief, from the Gunpowder Plot to Trump’s march on the Capitol and the ejection of Boris Johnson by his own MPs, and ends with a defence of the grubby glories of parliamentary politics and a thought-provoking roadmap of the way back to constitutional government.”

Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne on Monday, July 24. Doors open 6.30pm for 7pm start. Buy tickets online at Eventbrite (Ferdinand-Mount.eventbrite.co.uk) or in person at Winstone’s Bookshop on Cheap Street.

Cream teas at the Mill

Family Law Advice

Family Law Advice

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

EVERYONE is invited to join the volunteers at Sturminster Newton Mill for a cream tea by the river, and tours of the historic mill, on Sunday, July 30.

Between 1pm and 4pm, cream teas, freshly baked scones and other homemade treats will be available to purchase and enjoy in the sun, or under the shade of the gazebos. The cream has very kindly been provided by Blackmore Vale Dairy.

Find out more about the Mill at sturminsternewtonmuseum.co.uk/mill

Photo by Kjell-Jostein Sivertsen on Unsplash

Foodbank fundraiser

Quiz puts the fun into fundraiser, generating hundreds of pounds for Mere’s foodbank

by George Jeans

MERE Toddlers fundraising quiz raised £313 for Mere’s foodbank.

The quiz took place on Saturday, July 8, at The Grove Building, in Mere. There were lots of raffle prizes, cake and hot drinks available for the interval, and bring your own wine – which some preferred and enjoyed.

Dates for your diary

THE Wessex Morris Men will be dancing at a pub near you over the next couple of months…

July 24

5pm&7.30pm Church Farm, Purse Caundle, DT9 5DY

9pm The Mitre Inn, Sandford Orcas, DT9 4RU

July 31

7.30pm The Greyhound Inn, Sydling St Nicholas, DT2 9PD

8.15pm The Sun Inn, Lower Burton, DT2 7RZ

9pm Three Compasses, Charminster, DT2 9QT

August 14

7.30pm Sea front, Lyme Regis, DT7 3JF

9pm Talbot Arms Hotel, Uplyme, DT7 3TF

August 21

7.30pm The Red Lion, Weymouth, DT4 8TR

8.15pm Harbour, Weymouth, DT4 8DR

9pm The Kings Arms, Weymouth, DT4 8TJ

August 28

Noon White Horse Inn, Litton Cheney, DT2 9AT

1pm Crown Inn, Puncknowle, DT2 9BN

3pm Freshwater Beach

Holiday Camp, Bridport, DT6 4PT

4pm The George, West Bay, DT6 4EY

September 4

7.30pm Village Centre, Rampisham, DT2 0PS

Questions were interesting and varied, and included guessing to the nearest million how many stones were in the Great Pyramid of Giza (the answer’s approximately 2.3 million!)

The Shreen Dream Team triumphed on the night, and kindly donated some of their £100 prize back to the foodbank.

Prayers answered for new priest

After a wait of nearly two years, Vale benefice finally welcomes its new priest, who will be serving four parishes in his new post and was licensed in a special service at the end of June

OKEFORD Benefice welcomes its new priest.

A new priest-in-charge, the Rev Andrew Gubbins, has been installed to serve the Okeford Benefice in the Blackmore Vale – comprising the four parishes of Child Okeford with Manston, Shillingstone, Okeford Fitzpaine and Hammoon. He has been appointed after a wait of nearly two years since the departure of the Reverend Lydia Cook.

Previously priest-in-charge at St Peter’s Church in Chippenham, Wiltshire, the Reverend Gubbins is married to the Rev Mary Gubbins, who recently took up the post of vicar of Sturminster Newton. They have three grown-up children, David, Susanna (who was unable to be present at the installation service due to work commitments) and Peter.

The licensing of the Okeford Benefice’s new part-time minister by the Bishop of Sherborne, the Rt Rev Karen Gorham, and installation by

Sherborne Archdeacon the Venerable Penny Sayer, took place at a special service in Holy Rood Church, Shillingstone, on Thursday, June 29.

Among the packed congregation at the service were senior church and civic representatives, as well as clergy from across the Blackmore Vale deanery.

“Andrew has a heart for parish ministry and community involvement,” said Bishop Karen. “He brings much experience from a variety of contexts and is keen to offer ongoing worship opportunities for all ages, to continue to foster lay involvement and discipleship, and to get involved in the life of the villages of the benefice.”

The Rev Gubbins said of his new job: “I am looking forward to ministry among all the villages of the Okeford Benefice and partnership in the newly formed Pilgrim Group ministry, and the Blackmore Vale

A walk around… Compton Abbas

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

THIS walk crosses lots of contour lines so be prepared! There are stupendous views when you’re up on the downs and there are several geocaches along the route, which is a little over six miles long.

As usual, start near the church, which is worth a visit. Then walk south down a footpath to join a lane leading east then weaving north east to join another road which takes you east north east to East Compton where you can visit the remaining tower of St Mary’s Church. Then make your way to the start of a byway that leads you east up a sunken track for about half a mile as far as a car park on the main road. It’s mostly access land owned by the National Trust thereabouts so it’s ok to wander off track to explore and enjoy the wild flowers as well as the landscape.

Deanery.” He will also be close to some of his childhood haunts of the 1970s such as visiting relatives near Shaftesbury and in Winterborne Zelston.

Head south west along Clubmens’ Down for half a mile until you come to the parish boundary, which is marked by stones, then make your way back to the car park and retrace your steps west for a quarter of a mile to join a footpath that takes you north along the top of the Compton Down. The path curves round to the west and takes you up to Melbury Beacon where the QEII Diamond Jubilee plaque on top of a pillar usefully points out the views in all directions.

Now head south, curving round to the south west to join the A350 at Whitehall which takes you south for a furlong to join an unpaved sunken road, Drones Lane, muddy in places, for a mile to meet Hawkcombe Lane which takes you east for half a mile to meet the A350 again which takes you north for a furlong back to the car.

Becky Williamson / geograph.org.uk

From left: Sherborne Archdeacon the Ven Penny Sayer, Blackmore Vale Rural Dean Canon Tim Heaton, the Rev Andrew Gubbins and the Bishop of Sherborne, the Rt Rev Karen Gorham, pictured after the service

Dorset Housing Team

goes face-to-face

THE Housing Options Team at Dorset Council are now taking bookings for face-to-face appointments across the county.

The sessions are on top of the popular telephone and email service that already exists.

The team will be at Dorchester library (South Walks House, Charles Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1EE) every Monday, and Norton Lodge (58 Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 7LN) every Tuesday. Appointments are available between 10am and 4pm.

You will need to book the appointment in advance with housing officers if you want to meet in person – call 01305 221000 or email housinghelp@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Would I lie to you?

by George Jeans

MERE Amateur Dramatics Society (MADS) put their skills to the test at their summer function, which included a ploughman’s supper.

Four of its members put forth

lies disguised as truths, and truths so absurd one might think them lies.

Would you have correctly guessed that one of the members of MADS once lent Princess Anne a horse?

Platinum Award-Winning Care 2022

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

Graham Carr Jones, lead member for housing, said, “Since Covid-19 people have relied on telephone interviews and for some this will continue to be the preferred option; however, we’re giving people the option to be seen in person which might work better in some cases for clients and for housing officers alike.

“We all know the value of human interaction following the pandemic and given the current pressures we know people are facing at the moment.”

You can still contact the housing team on 01305 221000 or email housinghelp@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk if you need advice and support about a housing matter.

Live

Comfort & elegance

Current resident

“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.”

Loyal staff

Stunning views

Rotary celebrates festival fun

Free community festival, organised by Shaftesbury Rotary Club, is a roaring success thanks to local bands, stalls and supporters

MORE than 250 people turned out for a Saturday evening of music which kicked off Gold Hill Festival at Barton Hill in Shaftesbury. The town Rotary Club stages the free event, which raises money for charities, for the local community.

Master of ceremonies Dan Evans introduced music from Shaftesbury Community Choir, Tom Clements, KD, Conor Smith and Tired Starlings.

The next day saw a dog show – run for the first time and a big success, see page xx for more details – stalls and street food outlets, and fun areas for children.

A spokesperson said: “It was great to see Abbey Primary School RotaKids getting involved with their own stall, raising money for charity.”

Local bands Can’t Make Mondays, Ben Francis, Hummingbird, Cable Street, Tim Madden and the Struggle, and Rebecca Chambers provided music throughout the day.

The spokesperson added: “Thank you to Knightlight Light and Sound, all stallholders, caterers and local charities who continue to support the event.

“We would also like to thank the fire brigade once again for bringing their fire engine and demonstrating the vast amount of equipment they carry on their engine.

“We would like to thank our sponsors, Bloomfield and Associates, Branscombe Kennels and Cattery, Western Marquees, Friars Moor Veterinary Practice, Paws and Claws pet shop, Rutters Solicitors and Johnsons Stalbridge Linen Services.

“We would also like to thank the Freemasons, Gillingham Rotary Club and Shaftesbury Lions Club, who give up their free time to help.

“Gold Hill Festival wouldn’t be what it is without the invaluable help and guidance of Dan Evans, our master of ceremonies, who also arranges all the bands.”

For more information about the rotary club or for anyone interested in joining, email hello@shaftesburyrotaryclub.org

Shielding Your Home & Estate from Care Costs with a Living Trust

Nobody likes to think about getting old, but it is certainly worth thinking about if you value your home. That is because your house could very well have a charge placed upon it or sold by the local council to pay for your care fees. If a person’s capital and savings, including equity in their home, is worth more than £23,250, they will have to fund their own care.

A living trust can shield your home and estate from care costs in the following ways.

Placing your main home into a living trust ring fences the property from any potential future care costs. With a living trust, you can be both a trustee and beneficiary. You can maintain control over your assets even after you pass away. You can specify how and when your assets should be distributed to your beneficiaries.

Other benefits of the trust include the avoidance of probate upon the property and the protection from both divorce & creditors for your beneficiaries. The situation won’t get better over time. The UK’s fastest-growing age group comprises those aged over 85. Councils will face even more pressure on budgets, leaving them with little choice but to continue to sell people’s homes.

To protect your home, contact Oakwood Wills on 07832 331594.

The main thing to remember with a trust is that because you do not own the assets held in the trust in your own name, a charge cannot be placed upon the home.

Chris Tennant Oakwood Wills.

(Ultra) marathon man!

Luke Ballard’s 54-mile ultrarun across Dorset coined in the cash for the Alzheimer’s Society

BLANDFORD native Luke Ballard took the idea of long-distance running to the extreme in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.

This June, Luke ran the 54 miles from Salisbury to Chapman’s Pool in just 11 hours and 49 minutes, and so far has raised £2,765 for the Alzheimer’s Society, smashing his target. He wanted to raise awareness and money for the charity in memory of his mother-in-law Peggy, whom the family lost to dementia in 2022. Luke’s wife, Rachel, cared for her mum while she lived with dementia. “Luke wanted to help others as we know first-hand

what a cruel disease this is,” she explained.

Luke trained every other day for six months to be race-ready, including running from his home in Blandford to work in Wimborne. He also ran two marathons, as well as an ultra from Wimborne to Beaulieu –and that was just the training!

“Only two people (including Luke) entered this race because is was such a daunting distance,” said Rachel. “I just feel he deserves some recognition for his determination to help others.”

“He did have knee cramps when myself and my brother Shaun joined in from 16-27 miles, but overcome this.

Family support at Bere Regis Wareham Quay and Chapman’s Pool helped Luke stay focussed.

“The elevation was insane too as well as the distance. On the Monday he couldn’t walk

very well, but was back running the following Saturday!” said Rachel.

“I would like to thank Mike at Tri-Counties Trail Running (tctr.co.uk)for organising the event, and Dan Cope for

entering too!” said Luke. Luke’s Just Giving page is still open for donations: tinyurl. com/3xzd4t5u or search Luke Ballard on www.justgiving.com

Above: Luke and fellow ultrarunner Dan at the start of the ultramarathon; Left: Luke at the finish, with his medal

Summer holiday plans

Get your ducks in a row ahead of the impending summer holidays

SHAFTESBURY Library has planned an amazing programme of free children’s events this summer…

Professor Bumble is coming to Shaftesbury Library on Saturday, July 22, between 10.45am and 11.30am, with free Fringe fun for all the family! A morning of fun, magic stories and silliness is suitable for children of all ages.

On Saturday, July 29, from 11am until noon, Charlie from Shaftesbury Arts Centre will be helping children learn a song and dance from the hit musical Matilda!

Safe by the Sea on Monday, August 7, (11am til noon) sees Karen Towner from the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service telling a fire safety story, as well as leading craft and dressing-up activities.

The library is also hosting a multitude of crafty activities throughout the summer. Monday, July 24, you can make paper windmills; Monday, July 31, there’s the

chance to create your own sailing boat seascape; create and decorate your own cup and ball game on Saturday, August 5; make and fly a kite on Saturday, August 12; create a colourful creature from a cereal box on Monday, August 14. All sessions run from 11am til noon.

The library’s summer reading challenge activities include making your own paper plate rosette (Saturday, August 19), creating Peppa Pig finger puppets (Monday, August 21), and making and firing rocket mice on Saturday, September 2. All challenge activities run between 11am and noon.

Although all the activities are free, you’ll need to reserve places. Please call Shaftesbury Library on 01747 852256 or email shaftesburylibrary@dorsetcouncil. gov.uk. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Shaftesbury Library is on Bell Street, SP7 8AE.

Party people

MEMBERS and friends of Fovant Independent Ladies Group gathered in the garden of Gervase House for its annual garden party.

There was plenty of prosecco and Pimm’s to wash down the selection of nibbles and canapés provided by the committee, while friendly conversation flowed among groups around the garden and on the decking.

A raffle was held with the proceeds going to FILGroup’s charity, The Trussell Trust.

FILGroup takes a break during August but will be present at the village fete on August 19, serving delicious cream teas and selling homemade cakes in the tea tent.

An exciting list of events is planned between September and Christmas, including fun workshops and guest speakers. The meetings will take place back in the village hall, every second Thursday from 2.30pm4.30pm. For more information please email filgroup15@gmail.com

GREEN WORKS

The clock is ticking ...it’s time to act

As the temperatures across large parts of Europe, the US and the Far East hit record highs, as wildfires torch thousands of acres in Greece, the Canary Islands and possibly more in the immediate future, and as sea temperatures around our own islands are at unexpected record highs, it is widely accepted that the human race has affected the Earth’s climate. In fact the BBC is reporting that central China has just seen 52.2°C and Death Valley, in the US has reached just under 54°C.

THINK YOU’VE THE BOAT? MISSED

It’s not just about us either, we are affecting every species

In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the Earth.

Sir David Attenborough

on Earth, on land and in our oceans.

The informed wisdom tells us that what we must do is act to

minimise those effects. And the time to act is now.

landfill requirements. But more, much more, is needed to avoid the worst case scenarios (continues on page 16)

£ ££ £ ££££ £ ££ ££ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £

£ ££ £ ££££ £ £ GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES

Beauty and function Don’t miss the boat GW page 17 £ ££ £ ££££ £ ££ ££ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ ££ £ ££££ £ £

GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES

Thinking you’ve 01747 825222 www.dorsetenergysolutions.co.uk Mere Road, Peacemarsh, Gillingham, SP8 4EU Opening hours Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Sat 9am-1pm

GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES THINK YOU’VE THE BOAT? MISSED Dorset ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Domestic Solar Installation costs falling again this year has meant a huge comeback for PV. Commercial Solar Businesses with large electricity bills benefit the most with returns of up to 5x the installation cost. Domestic Heating For those with old & inefficient heating systems and big energy bills – your boat has just come in. Commercial Heating Incentives for businesses can return more than 5x the investment. ANOWTHERE’S REASONFINANCIAL TOGOGREEN

Contact us for advice on Domestic & Commercial Solar Power

Government incentives are still available... and on Domestic Heating 01747 825222 www.dorsetenergysolutions.co.uk

Create a habitat: GW page 14

The Magic Triangle: Heat Pumps, Solar PV and Battery Storage

Advertisement feature

One of the industry’s more experienced sustainable energy experts explains why a battery storage facility is a game changer for property owners thinking of installing (or already using) a heat pump.

Richard Barras – managing director at renewables distributor Bublshop (based in Gillingham) – has long advocated the benefits of improving the synergy between heat pumps, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and battery storage units – a combination he calls the ‘holy trinity’ of sustainable heating. Here he explains his reasons, busts some myths and outlines the benefits.

Changing Times

“The climate emergency and then the energy crisis have led us all to take a long hard look at our carbon footprint. The consumption of heating and hot water is a major factor in our environmental impact and there’s universal agreement that change is required… and fast.

“It’s scrutiny that’s undeniably welcome by those of us working in the sustainable energy sector, we’re braced for a tsunami of business when building regulations change in 2025 (and gas boilers can no longer be fitted in new build properties). That’s just a matter of months away and the sector is understaffed to deliver. But, it’s just a first step - there’s so much more we can do to help customers achieve their net zero ambitions.

Holistic

Heating

“We’re big proponents of the holy trinity of sustainable heating at Bublshop – holistic heating systems that combine a heat pump with solar panels and battery storage. We estimate that only around five per cent of heat pump installations include battery storage at the moment but we’d say it’s an important, if not essential, component

of a long-term sustainable heating solution.

“There’s a misconception that battery storage units carry enormous price tags and take up masses of space when, in fact, they have come down in price and size in recent years and can easily be installed in a loft or a small outside space.

Battery Power

“The three technologies working together give the best results, but we have specified successful systems where the property can’t accommodate solar but can still benefit from a battery to store off-peak power for a heat pump.

“To future-proof customer needs, we recommend products that are easily scalable. If requirements change over the years, the system’s capacity can easily be increased. Being able to scale up means the system doesn’t need to be oversized where you’re guessing future demand). The system and its capital outlay can simply increase in line with requirements.

“Homeowners will have considerable freedom from fluctuations in energy prices, plus they’ll be helping to even out spikes in energy demand. Once in place, service and maintenance costs are low too. We’d strongly advise homeowners that operate heat pumps or solar PV but don’t have a battery storage facility, to think about adding one.”

Specification is Key

The Missing Link

“Historically, we encouraged homeowners to look at the benefits of heat pumps and solar PV separately because the obvious seasonal issues have kept them from working together fully. Now though, advances in battery storage technology and interactivity have given us the missing link.

Companies like GivEnergy work directly with energy suppliers so that battery storage systems can be charged overnight at off peak rates. That means batteries can power households when the solar PV is spent (at up to a quarter of the electricity cost) and that significantly reduces the cost of running an air source heat pump.

“The right sized battery storage unit for the solar system, heat pump, and home size and type is critical to the system’s success. That’s why we’re committed to sharing our expertise with our industry colleagues and their customers. It’s in all of our interests that we get it right.”

The team at Bublshop – a Gillingham-based business with more than 20 years experience – works with a range of manufacturers, and we supply right across the UK.

you would like help finding a qualified heat pump installer, just give us a call on 01747 826900 or visit bublshop.co.uk

Create your own wildlife haven

Why not make a wildflower meadow area? With some help it’s really not that difficult to create one of our most beautiful, rare and valuable habitats.

It might be the best thing you could do for the wildlife in your garden, and a meadow is guaranteed to give you hours of pleasure.

You’ll give some of our most attractive and intriguing insects a home, including bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and hoverflies.

Meadows are fascinating, vibrant

places. Not just that, but of course they can be stunning, with a look particular to each site and the way it’s managed. They’re great at absorbing heavy rainfall and as carbon sinks too. Unlike a lawn they don’t need regular cutting so you’ll lower your emissions - and waste less of your time mowing. Convert your lawn, paddock or field into something special –what’s not to like?

For more information visit www.habitataid.co.uk

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• Wild ower Seed

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See the difference, and feel it too, with blinds!

Lizzie Price Shading Solutions in North Cadbury, Somerset provide a large range of internal & external shading options. Blinds and shutters are a proven way to save energy. They should be considered like other building energy efficiency measures and are typically low cost and can make a real difference.

In the winter, during the day when it is sunny, open blinds to benefit from the free solar energy from the sun and close them in the evening to provide extra insulation and reduce heat loss to save energy and money.

In summer, the process is reversed and closing the shading during the day can stop heat build up in the room while opening them during the evening when the temperature is

cooler allows some of the heat to escape with ventilation.

External shading fitted to the outside of buildings such as blinds and awnings are widely used in warmer countries, acting as a shield to stop the heat entering the building. With rising summer temperatures in the UK, external shading would be effective for areas exposed to direct sunlight.

(continued from page 13) that some anticipate, and we can all be part of the solution.

So what do we do?

In the last few years we have all learned, to our cost, the monetary price of energy –gas, electricity, petrol and diesel – focusing minds on our boilers, switching off lights, not leaving appliances on standby and the real necessity of our motoring mileage. There is also an environmental cost.

Heat pumps have become part of the conversation alongide solar panels and wind power, and these technologies can have significant benefits in terms of home emissions reductions and in cutting energy bills as efficiency continuously develops. To gain the most from these systems though, battery storage can be part of the picture, to harvest power when available or off-peak, and to hold this energy for when needed.

When we look at home energy efficiencies, insulation is part of the strategy. Sufficient loft and wall insulation, draught free doors and windows, double or even triple glazing, even a good pair of curtains can help keep your hard-earned heat in. What many would not realise, though is that blinds and shutters can also help reduce heat loss through windows, and

in hot weather help to keep the heat out. In fact, in studies blinds have been shown to reduce heat loss by up to nearly one third!

We also need to be cognisant of our unseen mileage, the distances that our lifestyle and habits add to our greenhouse footprint. We can all see the mileage we do to work everyday, and that involved in our

are ways of reducing our food miles and environmental impact.

domestic lives, but what about those miles that our lifestyle creates?

‘Food miles’ are a good example. Not only does every food transport mile add to global warming, but the shorter the distance and time between field and plate the fresher and more nutritious the food. ‘Shopping local’ supports not only our appetite but also our local farmers, shops and high street, and therefore our communities. Farm shops and markets, and buying seasonal fruit and veg,

In terms of wildfife your garden can play its part too. Everyone loves the idea of a meadow, an important habitat, one of the rarest in the UK – we have lost 97% of them in the last century. Beautiful in their variety of wild flowers, meadows can support huge numbers of wildlife species, including bees – pollinators vital to our food production and many other insects that are part of the food chain supporting our birds, hedgehogs and bats. With many in decline it is more important than ever to try to support them. A small wild flower meadow in a corner of your garden is a step in the right direction! Another benefit is that the more ‘soft’ garden we have not as hard landscaping – drives, patios etc, the more ‘soak’ we allow for heavy rainfall, the less fast run-off to drains we create and we reduce the pressure on our drainage sytem and perhaps help to reduce the release of dirty water into our rivers and on to our beaches.

Overall it is about being mindful of the big story, and adopting new habits. All small steps on a journey that we must make to look after the place we call home and the species we share it with.

At the moment there’s no sign of a Plan B, so let’s support our local planet...

Gutchpool Farm Meat Boxes

Gutchpool Farm Meat Boxes

Native sheep, a shop, a B&B & a classroom!

Pasture For Life certified lamb & hogget by post or collection.

Pasture For Life certified lamb & hogget by post or collection.

£62

The Hall family arrived at Gutchpool Farm in 2004, determined to revive the land after chemical farming had damaged it. Rachel Hall purchased Dorset and Shetland sheep, implementing rotational grazing to restore the soil and biodiversity.

collaborating with British spinners and dyers to create traditional yarns, patterns, and garments.

Additionally, nearly 2000 trees have been planted on the farm and a programme to lay all the hedges continues, creating important habitats for birds and insects.

Our boxes offer huge savings compared to buying separate cuts of meat, while our Pasture for Life certification ensures the meat is 100% grass fed, which is better for the environment, the animals and for our health.

Our boxes offer huge savings compared to buying separate cuts of meat, while our Pasture for Life certification ensures the meat is 100% grass fed, which is better for the environment, the animals and for our health.

The positive results were evident as abundant wildlife returned. Rachel’s efforts earned her Pasture for Life certification for her 100% pasture-fed flock. Partnering with respected Dorset shepherdess Alex James, they produce high-quality lamb and hogget year-round.

This spring, their small shop opened, offering organic sheepskins, pasture-fed meat, apple juice, preserves, candles, knitting wool and other products from their flock.

Order through our website or give us a call: www.gutchpool.com | 07836 763701

Order through our website or give us a call: www.gutchpool.com | 07836 763701

Rachel’s design and knitwear background enables her to promote wool from native breeds,

For more information about our products, B&B facilities or workshops and courses please go visit www.gutchpool.com

Installation costs falling again this year has meant a huge comeback for PV

Installation costs falling again this year has meant a huge comeback for PV.

Commercial Solar

Commercial

Businesses with large electricity bills benefit the most with returns of up to 5x the installation cost

Businesses with large electricity bills benefit the most with returns of up to 5x the installation cost. Domestic

with old & inefficient heating systems and big energy bills – your boat has just come in.

Domestic Heating

Commercial Heating

Incentives for businesses can return more than 5x the investment.

For those with old & inefficient heating systems and big energy bills – your boat has just come in...

Bus hits wall

40th Birthday Sale! Twilight shift

DORSET and Somerset Air Ambulance is looking for people to run, jog or walk 5km in a fundraising event at Henstridge Airfield next month.

It has opened online entry to ‘The 5K Twilight Shift’ event and has space for 500 participants who will have to pay a £15 entrance fee – under-16s £10 – and are asked to raise at least £25 in sponsorship.

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.

The event at the airfield, where the air ambulance is based, is on Saturday, September 23.

Ambulance and police attended the scene after a bus crashed into a wall, injuring three people and damaging a postbox

THREE people were taken to hospital after a bus crashed into a wall in a Dorset village.

The incident happened on the corner of New Street and Schoolhouse Lane in Marnhull at around 10am on July 6.

Air ambulance fundraising manager Emma Jones said: “Last year was the first ever 5K Twilight Shift and we all had such a wonderful time.

“It’s a truly inspiring event and I would encourage everyone, no matter your age or ability, to register and take part. We can’t wait to see you there!”

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.

To register online visit register. enthuse.com/ps/event/

The5KTwilightShift2023

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.

Police closed the road while the South West Coaches vehicle was recovered and debris cleared.

The wall surrounds a listed property, with a postbox also damaged in the crash.

A South West Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) spokesperson said three people had been taken to hospital after the incident.

“We were called at 10.08am on July 6 to an incident in the Marnhull area,” they said.

ambulances to Yeovil District Hospital.”

The owner of the property, Mrs Johnson, said it was the third time in 10 years similar crashes had occurred.

“There was stuff all over the place, the letterbox is over,” she said.

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

Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

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

“We sent two dual-crewed land ambulances, a critical care car and two operations officers.

“Three individuals were taken by land

“It is all listed, so will probably have to come down. The damage is vast.”

A Dorset Police spokesperson said the incident was reported at just after 10am.

“Officers attended with ambulance and fire services,” they added.

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.

“Recovery has been requested. Local authority has been made aware.”

The road remained closed while investigations were carried out.

South West Coaches had not responded for requests to comment when your New Blackmore Vale went to press.

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.

Advertising feature

GoodOaks Homecare launches free online course tailored to healthy eating for older people

Local homecare provider GoodOaks has launched a short course via their online care academy to help people understand how food and nutrition is important to older people. The course underpins why

adequate hydration and nutrition is so important as people age, and provides ways in which you can support someone in eating and drinking including tips on some of the following subjects:

● What foods provide nutrients that an older person needs and what is a fortifying food

● Recognising the signs of dehydration and malnutrition including muscle weakness, tiredness, constipation and change in behaviour

● What equipment you can use to help someone eat or drink better and how to increase fluid intake

Learning and Development Manager, Lorraine Hunt, commented “It’s really important to us at GoodOaks that people can access this free resource and get the information and advice they need to support themselves or family members around them in such an important, yet often neglected, subject.”

GoodOaks Homecare provide premium visiting homecare and live-in care to people in the comfort and familiarity of their own home. To speak with a member

Salisbury Summer Fair

The Salisbury Summer Fair (previously known as the Wessex Country Fair) promises to be fun for all the family

THE Salisbury Summer Fair takes place from 11am on Saturday, August 5, in the stunning grounds of Wilton House Estate.

This fabulous family event boasts have-go-activities, live music, arena displays, vintage vehicles, children’s rides, craft and country demonstrations.

Superb kitchens designed and installed for you. Visit our showrooms to view our kitchen displays.

Shaftesbury: 01747 851 476

Longmead Industrial Estate, Shaftesbury SP7 8PL

Warminster: 01985 219 200

5-6 George Street, Warminster BA12 8QA www.myhomemaker.co.uk

Conservatories, Solid Roofs, Bi-Folds, Sealed Units, Windows, Doors, Fascia, Soffit & Guttering

Conservatories, Solid Roofs, Bi-Folds, Sealed Units, Windows, Doors, Fascia, Soffit & Guttering

Conservatories, Solid Roofs, Bi-Folds, Sealed Units, Windows, Doors, Fascia, Soffit & Guttering

All profits from the event, which is kindly sponsored by the Hendy Group, go to Salisbury Hospice www.valecraft.co.uk

Conservatories, Solid Roofs, Bi-Folds, Sealed Units, Windows, Doors, Fascia, Soffit & Guttering

Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre,

Conservatories, Solid Roofs, Bi-Folds, Sealed Units, Windows, Doors, Fascia, Soffit & Guttering

Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre,

Gillingham, SP8 5JG (Showroom by appointment only)

Gillingham, SP8 5JG (Showroom by appointment only)

Gillingham, SP8 5JG (Showroom by appointment only)

Conservatories, Solid Roofs, Bi-Folds, Sealed Units, Windows, Doors, Fascia, Soffit & Guttering

Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-12pm

Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-12pm

Gillingham, SP8 5JG (Showroom by appointment only)

Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-12pm

Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-12pm

Telephone 01747 826888

Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre, www.valecraft.co.uk

Telephone 01747 826888

Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre, Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre, Gillingham SP8 5JG

Telephone 01747 826888

Telephone 01747 826888

Gillingham, SP8 5JG (Showroom by appointment only)

Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre, www.valecraft.co.uk

Gillingham, SP8 5JG (Showroom by appointment only)

Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-12pm

Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-12pm

www.valecraft.co.uk

Open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone 01747 826888

Conservatories, Solid Roofs, Bi-Folds, Sealed Units, Windows, www.valecraft.co.uk

Showroom in Orchard Park Garden Centre, www.valecraft.co.uk

Telephone 01747 826888

Tel: 01747 826888

Our loose Canon

Remembering a dear friend who was never afraid to speak the truth

by Canon Eric Woods

I HAVE been remembering a good friend of mine, who died six years ago this month. I still miss him. I came to know The Very Reverend Dr Wesley Carr when he was appointed Dean of Bristol Cathedral in 1987. He was a member of the Bishop’s Council (a kind of cabinet) by right. I was a member by election. I soon realised that he was a straighttalking man of great integrity; one who didn’t suffer fools gladly, and was prepared to speak his mind to anyone, regardless of rank. We quickly became sparring-partners in Council discussions, and both enjoyed rigorous debate – and a convivial drink afterwards. It was, we both believed, the best way of getting to the heart and kernel of any matter, and finding the best way forward. We both loathed fudge, especially of the Anglican variety.

After a decade at Bristol, Wesley was appointed Dean of Westminster, and there was quickly propelled into the organisation of the funeral of Princess Diana, and later of The Queen Mother. He also oversaw special services to mark The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. He exhibited all the same characteristics which had so endeared him to me – and made powerful enemies in the process.

Thinking about Wesley on the anniversary of his death – July 15

– has made me wonder what exactly people expect from those known as Christians, and especially from the clergy. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) who was himself a Canon of Bristol before becoming a Canon of St Paul’s, once said that what Bishops most like in their clergy is “a dropping-down deadness of manner”, and what was true in the 19th century is too often true today. Meanwhile lay people, especially those who seldom go to church, seem to expect clergy to resemble some kind of doormat. “That’s not very Christian” is the response I received as Vicar of Sherborne to everything from challenging an Abbey visitor whose dog had cocked a leg against a pew to asking a parishioner not to leave bread all over the Close as it simply encouraged rodents and other pests. And those are just relatively trivial matters.

Jesus was never afraid to speak the truth. He even took a whip to the moneychangers in the Temple, and cast them and other traders out, thundering “It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves”, (which has given me a horror of huge shops in cathedrals and churches). He took on the whole religious Establishment of his day, and was fearless in exposing their hypocrisies. And he combined that with an intense love for the sick, the vulnerable, the poor and the marginalised, which of course made him few friends in high places.

The obituary of my friend Wesley in The Times was sub-titled “Authoritarian and high-handed”. That should have read “Authoritative and decisive”.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Photo by Corina Rainer on Unsplash

Dr. Moores patients is accepting new

Guy trained at Guy’s Hospital in London, qualified in 1998 and began his dental career in the British Army where he gained a lot of experience both at home and abroad. Since leaving the army he has worked for over 20 years as a general dental surgeon in both the NHS and private sector. He is very excited about returning to the local area and improving the dental provision in the community.

Guy has a friendly and caring approach in surgery. He shows a great deal of empathy towards the most nervous of patient. He enjoys all aspects of his work from improving peoples smiles to getting people out of pain. He is very passionate about his work, highly motivated and driven in providing high quality dentistry with the upmost professionalism.

This is a great opportunity to join our practice and gain access to our team safe in the knowledge you will be properly looked after and cared for.

Station Road, Stalbridge

Sturminster Newton, DT10 2RG

E: Stalbridgedental-rec@mydentist.co.uk

We are very excited to welcome a new member of our team at Stalbridge Dental Practice, Dr. Guy Moores.

Dr. Guy Moores

Stopping the slip

The bank of the River Stour along the A357 will be stabilised this summer

WORK to prevent a river bank – and a major road – slipping into the River Stour at Sturminster Newton is set to take place in the autumn.

The bank of the river bordering the A357, between the bridge and the turning to Sturminster Newton Mill, is subsiding into the river.

Now, work costing around £1.3 million to stop the slip has been announced by Dorset Council, getting underway in September and lasting until November.

Some planning work needs to take place in July, the council said, with soil nails then being drilled through the bank to secure it into the bedrock.

During the work, the eastbound lane of the A357 be closed, with traffic lights in place in a bid to minimise disruption.

However, drivers are being warned to allow extra time for journeys.

Council officers have been working with the town council, those directly affected by the works and local ward councillors, Cllr Carole Jones and Cllr Pauline Batstone, to ensure the stabilisation and the traffic management goes smoothly.

Cllr Ray Bryan, portfolio holder for highways, travel and environment, said: “We have listened to feedback from the town council, local groups and the Dorset Councillors for the area when planning this important stabilisation work, and we are grateful for their support.”

For one week from July 24, an eastbound stretch of the road will be closed with traffic management in place to enable the removal of willow trees on the bank slope in preparation for the soil nailing. If left, the trees’ roots would interfere with the soil nails.

An equal number of trees is being offered to the town council for planting elsewhere.

All trees will be surveyed and if birds are found to be nesting, removal will be delayed.

At the same time, gabions –

baskets of stones along the edge of the riverbank that prevent erosion – will be maintained.

From September 11 until late November, drilling of some 327 soil nails, between 8 and 12 metres long, will take place.

During the work, the eastbound stretch of the A357 bordering the river will be closed, with temporary threeway signals in place.

Once the work is complete, the bank will be seeded with wildflowers.

Free family fun day

Activities galore at leisure centre, plus free meals for children on pupil premium, make for a welcome break this summer

GILLINGHAM Riversmeet is holding a free funday for children aged 0-12 and their families on July 28 from 10am-3pm.

Part of the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) and the wider Summer in Dorset programme, the event provides accessible and affordable activities for families and young people over the school holidays.

Last year over 400 local children attended, and the organisers hope this year’s funday is equally well-attended. Those children eligible for pupil premium can have a free lunch – parents are encouraged to register online at dorset-self.achieveservice.com/ service/easter-in-dorset-registration to generate a code that can be redeemed for lunch on the day.

Free activities on offer include a bouncy castle and didi cars, graffiti painting, crafts and sports.

There’s no need to book for the funday, simply turn up at Riversmeet, Gillingham SP8 4HX at 10am. Bring a swimsuit and a towel – the slip and slide will be in action, and there are limited spaces for free family swimming between 2pm and 3pm. Children must be supervised.

For updates on this and other local activities and support for families and young people up to age 25 with special educational needs and disabilities, call 01258 474036, email northlocality@ dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or visit facebook.com/groups/northlocality

Viking invasion

THE Vikings are coming to the Ancient Technology Centre in Cranborne later this month.

The rich history of Dorset includes raids and settlement by Vikings on Anglo-Saxon lands such as in Wareham in the 9th century. Then, of course, there are the mysteries of the Ridgeway Hill Viking burial pit with more than 54 skeletons in a mass grave.

The history of the Vikings is not all about the raids and battles, though. They were fantastic at woodwork, metal, jewellery and numerous textiles and weaving crafts.

The Ancient Technology Centre will be taken over on Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30, by Vikings demonstrating these heritage crafts and skills with some visitors can have a go at, too. Arena fights will also be taking place during the weekend.

The event is open 10am-4pm both days and visitors should park in Cranborne Middle School car park.

Tickets will be available at the event priced £10 adults, £5 children and under-fours free. Hot food and drinks will be available to purchase. No dogs are allowed.

Oak Framing & Garden Rooms

Garden Buildings

Gates & Automation

Timber Framed

Extensions & New Builds

Fencing & Landscaping

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Timber Yard is open

timber and construction needs

Pets win prizes

Dogs of all shapes and sizes put their best paws forward at Gold Hill Festival

SHAFTESBURY Rotary Club’s Gold Hill Festival was held at Barton Hill on the first weekend of July.

As well as a range of stalls, music and fun this year’s festival featured a fun dog show sponsored by Branscombe Kennels and Cattery.

Prizes were donated by Friars Moor Veterinary Clinic and Paws and Claws Pet Shop, and rosettes were awarded to the first to fourth placed dogs in each category.

Additional special award rosettes were also given out by the judges from All Creatures Animal Services, North Dorset Pets and Paws and Claws Pet Shop, Shaftesbury.

All entrants also received a doggie gift.

There were approximately 100 entries across the five categories, which were best dressed dog, best dog/owner match, cutest dog, sweetest eyes and waggiest tail.

It is hoped to expand the event for next year’s event, by introducing a number of other judging categories.

If you want to know more or to get involved with Rotary, please email hello@shaftesburyrotaryclub.org

Summer of sunflowers

Maiden Castle Farm’s sunflower trail will bring a smile to your face and much-needed money to the Special Care Baby Unit at DCH

THE Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester is set to benefit from funds raised by a sunflower trail at a local farm.

Hazel Hoskin, from Maiden Castle Farm, whose two sons were treated on the unit when they were babies, has confirmed the event will support the unit for the third year running.

This year 750,000 sunflower seeds have been planted to create two new trails for visitors to enjoy throughout August.

The event will be bigger than ever and will tie in with other sunflower displays in Dorchester.

Matilda Manley from Dorset Town Council said Dorchester would be decorated with sunflower sculptures and that streets in the town will feature temporary, eco-friendly murals by a local artist.

The event aims to be eco-friendly and this year cycling clubs and enthusiasts are being encouraged to cycle to Maiden Castle Farm.

They can use a good cycle path to get there and plenty of space is available to leave bikes.

Hazel said: “We wanted to support the SCBU as they are really in our hearts after the care, kindness and support they gave us so many years ago.

“This year our sunflower fields will be visible from the road, so we hope even more people will see them and come along to see the amazing display the sunflowers make, explore the trails, have an ice cream and enjoy a picnic, or a snack from our cafe.”

Baby unit manager Dominic Sheehy said he

would like to implement many improvements to the unit if funding was available.

He said: “We want to build on the family experience, handing back the power to mums and babies.

“We’d love to make the space less clinical, improve the lighting, and provide privacy screens and recliners for mums to feed their babies and spend quality time uninterrupted.”

He added: “Two of our family rooms currently share a bathroom – if we could fund an additional en suite, all four family rooms would have dedicated facilities with showers and toilets.

“These changes would make a significant difference to the experience of our patients and their families.”

The donation from the 2021 sunflower trail funded a cerebral function analysis monitor used to monitor new-born babies suspected of having seizures.

The equipment can detect these fits and ensures that babies get the care they need as soon as possible.

Tickets for the 2023 event are held at 2022 prices and are on sale now – see www.facebook. com/MaidenCastleFarm and www. maidencastlefarm.co.uk for more information.

At a busy Shaftesbury Rotary Club meeting, Peter Sale was installed as president for the year 2023-24.

Outgoing president David Britton was presented with a Paul Harris Fellow award – a tribute to a person who has demonstrated a shared purpose with the educational and humanitarian objectives of The Rotary Foundation. The recognition is named after Rotary’s founder the late Paul Harris, who started Rotary in 1905. If you want to know more or to get involved with Rotary, please email hello@ shaftesburyrotaryclub.org.

David Britton receives his Paul Harris Fellow award

Hazel Hoskin and son Tom (left) with staff at the Special Care Baby Unit at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester

Stonehenge revamp ‘disgraceful’

Campaigners brand approval ofA303 revamp plans –including Stonehenge tunnel – ‘disgraceful’ after years of fighting the scheme

CONTROVERSIAL billion-pound plans to transform the roads network around Stonehenge have been approved – with campaigners branding the decision ‘disgraceful’.

A long-running dispute over the scheme – which includes a two-mile tunnel beneath the World Heritage Site – came to an end on Friday (July 14) when the decision was announced.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper (Con, Forest of Dean) gave the proposals, which will revamp and eight-mile stretch of the A303, the green light after a series of consultations and legal challenges.

Initially approved in 2020, the decision was quashed by the High Court after a legal challenge, and had to be redetermined.

A 12-month process has now ended in the approval of a DCO (Development Consent Order), announced by the Government and National Highways.

The decision has been welcomed by National Highways, who said it would ‘help to unlock congestion and transform journeys for millions of people using the A303 between the South East and South West’.

Chief executive of National Highways, Nick Harris, said: “The A303 Stonehenge scheme is part of the biggest investment in our road network for a generation.

“The decision follows a lot of work on a comprehensive year-long process to reassess our Development Consent Order, looking in detail at possible alternatives, also including cumulative carbon and heritage issues.

“It means we’re now a step closer to solving the long-standing issues of congestion and delays on the existing A303, improving journeys for all our customers and bringing much-need relief to local communities.”

The A303 surrounding Stonehenge is a notorious traffic hotspot for residents and those travelling through the area.

National Highways said the plans aim to tackle the issues, with measures including:

• eight miles of free-flowing, highquality dual carriageway between Amesbury and Berwick Down

• a tunnel at least two miles long underneath the World Heritage Site,

closely following the existing A303 route, but a further 50 metres away from the Stonehenge monument, avoiding important archaeological sites, and avoiding intrusion on the view of the setting sun from the stones during the winter solstice

• a new bypass to the north of Winterbourne Stoke

• junctions with the A345 and A360 either side of the Site

Derek Parody, National Highways’ project director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, added: “It is a scheme objective to conserve and enhance the World Heritage Site and this is being achieved through close collaborative working with heritage groups, including English Heritage, National Trust, Historic England and the independent A303 Scientific Committee.

“The scheme will not only sustain the Outstanding Universal Value of the Stonehenge landscape, it will also have a beneficial effect, and extensive archaeological studies and assessments have been undertaken to provide evidence of the benefits that the scheme will deliver for the World Heritage Site.

“We’re currently analysing the detailed changes within the Development Consent Order and assessing timescales but we anticipate being able to start preparatory work in 2024.”

There is now a six-week period in which parties can lodge an intention to legally challenge the decision.

In the meantime, National Highways said it will be renewing its plans to prepare for the scheme.

The construction phase is set to take five years to complete.

But campaign group The Stonehenge Alliance said it was ‘appalled’ by the decision.

President of the group, Tom Holland,

said: “Today, a supposedly Conservative government plans to blow upwards of £2 billion, at a time when the country’s finances are in a shocking state, on a monstrous white elephant of a road development that will permanently disfigure Britain’s most significant and sacred prehistoric landscape.

“The decision of Mark Harper to greenlight the building of a tunnel through a stretch of the World Heritage Site that surrounds Stonehenge is as inexplicable as it is disgraceful.

“Certainly, no-one can be in any doubt that the scheme will inflict permanent, irreversible harm on a landscape that is the supreme icon of British archaeology.”

However, National Highways said ahead of the main work, Wessex Archaeology will carry out archaeological mitigation work.

And Cllr Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for transport, welcomed the decision.

She said: “We’re delighted that consent has been granted once again for the A303 Stonehenge project and it can now move forward.

“Along with the construction, there will also be comprehensive programme of archaeological mitigation, which will enhance our understanding of the World Heritage Site.

“We can now look forward to construction starting and unlocking all the benefits the scheme will bring both to Wiltshire communities and the wider south-west region.”

Rachael Webb, Wiltshire Team Leader for Natural England, added: “We’ve worked with National Highways to get some really great outcomes for wildlife from the A303 Stonehenge scheme.

“The verges and embankments will make for a flower-rich, six-mile long, butterfly highway and large areas of species-rich chalk grassland will be created.”

A series of public events are set to be announced, giving residents the chance to find out more about the scheme.

National Highways

Train ticket offices to close across the Vale

Rail operators claim changes would bring workers ‘closer to customers in other locations’ as plans are announced to phase out train station ticket offices completely

THE majority of ticket windows at train stations in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire are to close under new plans revealed by rail operators.

A consultation has been launched over proposals for all stations in the areas, run by operators Great Western Railways and South Western Railway.

The train companies say the plans, which would see staff taken out of ticket offices and instead work on platforms and concourses, would bring workers ‘closer to customers in other locations at the station to support and assist with ticket purchases’.

However, the plans have sparked concern from unions and disability groups.

The closures would be implemented over the next three years, if approved by the Government, with the consultation running until July 26.

Great Western Railways, which runs stations including Frome and Castle Cary, said: “We are consulting on proposals to move ticket office staff into other areas of the station where they can help more customers, as transactions from ticket offices drop below 15%.

“The consultations are happening as part of an industry-wide set of proposals that would mean ticket office staff would work on station platforms and concourses where they can be closer to customers.

“Subject to consultation, ticket offices could be phased out over a number of years.”

South Western Railway, which oversees stations including Salisbury and Templecombe, said: “It is proposed that ticket office windows at all our stations will close, with staff moving to other station areas, where they are better placed to help customers buy tickets, provide expert travel advice, information and assistance for customers.”

How will the ticket office closures affect my station?

Some stations will keep ticket offices –although numbers are set to be reduced –with most losing all ticket windows completely.

South Western Railway has assigned each station a category, from 1 to 4.

Category 1 stations, the company says there will be multiple staff available to help customers ‘every day of the week’.

For Yeovil station that means moving

from current ticket office times of Sunday 8.55am-6.25pm and Mon-Sat 6am-7.20pm to proposed staffing times of 6am-7pm.

Category 3 stations, meanwhile, will have ‘at least one colleague available at set times’.

“South Western Railway will have colleagues available at alternate stations on Mondays to Saturdays or Tuesdays to Sundays to ensure customers are never too far from a station with retail support.”

“At these stations, customers will be able to buy standard walk up tickets, monthly and weekly season tickets, and Railcards,” the company added.

Category 3 stations, with proposed changes, include:

Templecombe

Current Ticket Office times:

Mon-Fri: 6am-11am

Saturday: 9am-Noon

Proposed staffing times:

Monday: Unstaffed

Tue-Fri: 6am-10am

Saturday: 9am-1pm

Dorchester South

Current Ticket Office times:

Sunday: 8.45am-4pm

Mon-Fri: 5.50am-6.15pm

Saturday: 6.45am-5pm

Proposed staffing times:

Sunday: Unstaffed

Mon-Fri: 6am-12.45pm

Saturday: 6am-12.45pm

Sherborne

Current Ticket Office times:

Sunday: Unstaffed

Mon-Thu: 7.10am-2pm

Friday: 7.10am-5.40pm

Saturday: 8am-3pm

Proposed staffing times:

Sunday: 9am-1pm

Mon-Thu: 6am-10am

Friday: Unstaffed

Saturday: Unstaffed

First Great Western has announced staff will be present at stations, largely inline with current ticket office hours, despite the ticket offices themselves closing.

For all stations listed below, the firm said: “Colleagues move closer to customers in other locations at the station to support and assist with ticket purchases. Ticket Office windows close.”

The proposals for stations include:

Castle Cary

Current Ticket Office times:

Mon-Fri: 7.30am-6.30pm

Saturday: 7.30am-4.30pm

Proposed staffing times:

Mon-Fri: 7.30am-6.30pm

Saturday: 7.30am-4.30pm

Frome

Current Ticket Office times:

Mon-Fri: 6.30am-noon

Saturday: 6.30am-12.50pm

Proposed staffing times:

Mon-Fri: 6.30am-noon

Saturday: 6.30am-12.50pm

Westbury

Current Ticket Office times:

Sunday: 11.35am-6pm

Mon-Fri: 6.50am-5pm

Saturday: 7.40am-1.40pm

Proposed staffing times:

Sunday: 11.35am-6pm

Mon-Fri: 6.50am-5pm

Saturday: 7.40am-1.40pm

Yeovil Pen Mill

Current Ticket Office times:

Sunday: 2.30pm-5pm

Mon-Fri: 7.20am-6.25pm

Saturday: 7.20am-2.10pm

Proposed staffing times:

Sunday: 2.30pm-5pm

Mon-Fri: 7.20am-6.25pm

Saturday: 7.20am-2.10pm

How do I have my say over the proposals?

For stations in these areas, responses to the consultation are being managed by Transport Focus.

You can contact them by email to TicketOffice.GWR@transportfocus.org.uk, or by freepost to RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southendon-Sea, SS1 9PZ.

For full details on how to respond, log on to www.transportfocus.org.uk

All aboard with Captain Sandy

CAPTAIN Sandy, star of reality series Below Deck Mediterranean, is coming to Lighthouse Poole for the opening night of a UK theatre tour later this year.

Captain Sandy Yawn will share everything fans want to know about life at the helm from the stunning locations to the never-ending drama on board the superyacht.

The evening will be hosted by author, broadcaster and LGBTQ+ advocate Riyadh Khalaf with musical performances by Leah Rae.

Captain Sandy has taken part in six seasons of Below Deck Mediterranean and has accrued a large fan base in the UK and around the world.

Members of the audience at Captain Sandy Live will be able to ask questions about her career, how she beat cancer and survived a life-threatening bike crash.

The International Superyacht Society also gave her the Distinguished Crew Award for her bravery following a catastrophic fire and pirate

threat that occurred in 2006 off the coast of Yemen.

The show is on Thursday, September 21, at 7.45pm in the

theatre. For tickets and information phone 01202 280000 or visit www. lighthousepoole.co.uk

Concert heralds exciting times

THE Athenaeum Singers, directed by Thomas Mottershead, presented Underneath the Stars to a large audience at The Minster Church, Warminster.

Eugene O’Neill may well have entitled the evening Long Day’s Journey Into Night as the occasion was a carefully planned and extensive programme from waking to sleeping with many choral pieces interspersed with music for solo piano and string quartet.

Thomas Mottershead’s arrival as director is attracting new members and his boyish and engaging enthusiasm for music is already drawing positive responses from the Singers. They are without question enjoying making music with him.

This was a varied and wide-ranging programme for the choir. Perhaps the opening unaccompanied God So Loved the World by Stainer was slightly tentative – a difficult piece to open the programme – and, through the evening, where there was light playing of the chorus parts on piano, had it been that little bit stronger it would have helped boost

confidence and secure pitch.

However, by the time the sun had definitely risen, heralded by a piano accompaniment in David van Kampen’s lyrical Morning Song, the sopranos lifted the singing onto a new level with a warm, tuneful opening which was reciprocated by the rest of the choir when they too joined the hymn of praise. In Ireland’s The Hills, which followed, the Singers also demonstrated a wide dynamic range.

Instrumental interludes were provided by the young Alauda String Quartet, who first met at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. They played four movements from two of Haydn’s quartets with intelligent musicianship and, especially in The Lark, with well-balanced precision.

There were also two piano solos – from Thomas Mottershead, who played an immaculately controlled Elegy by John Ireland – and from the choir’s rehearsal pianist Douglas Stevens who shared Debussy’s atmospheric Jardins Sous la Pluie.

In the second half of the programme, when the Singers

had banished all thoughts of sleep and had been revived by interval refreshments, they came into their own. There was better singing through the phrases in My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land by Elgar – this was a very homophonic/chordal programme where a sense of musical lines moving forward can sometimes be missing – and My Soul, There is a Country by Parry was perhaps the high point of the evening. The energy and dynamic contrasts seemed not simply to come from a response to the director but to spring from within each singer and from a real love and understanding of the music and

the text.

The evening concluded with two pieces demonstrating Thomas Mottershead’s all-round musicianship as an arranger. The impact of the quartet in Sullivan’s The Long Day Closes was highly effective and the string accompaniment gave the Singers a warm bed into which they could completely relax as they prepared for another night of sweet dreams.

Firm plans have been made for future concerts and workshops, and a new Athenaeum Singers is emerging. Exciting times for music in Warminster.

Alan Burgess

Captain Sandy Yawn, star of reality series Below Deck Mediterranean

Conductor Thomas Mottershead, pianist Dr Douglas Stevens, The Alauda Quartet and the Athenaeum Singers

Wordsmith Ethan scoops top prize

A SHAFTESBURY School

pupil has been crowned national champion at a poetry recital competition.

Sixth former Ethan Speed picked up the title for key stage 5 at the Poetry by Heart national finals, held at The Globe theatre and Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London.

Ethan was one of just 40 grand finalists picked from more than 39,000 students who took part in the contest, with 10 picked for each key stage category.

On the day, he performed The Beast in the Space on the Globe stage and in-front of the poetry judging panel inside the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

He said performing at the rebuilt 16th-century Globe, the theatre chiefly associated

with performances of William Shakespeare, was ‘electric’.

For his second performance Ethan chose A Forsaken Garden by Algernon Swinburne.

His efforts saw him crowned champion in the kay stage 5 category.

Shaftesbury School teacher, Carl Davies, said: “It was a magnificent day and we couldn’t be prouder of him.

“This is why people still come into the teaching profession, to see young people take massive risks and achieve what they’re capable of.

“Ethan has always been modest about his own talents, but now he shines like a beacon for the rest of us.”

We’re the REAL

Since

Ethan with his trophy at the poetry competition

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We manufacture and install windows, doors and conservatories using only the very best in materials and technology, and don’t forget, all installations come with an unbeatable 15 year guarantee.

An exciting week of activities at Tinney’s Youth Club, Sherborne

Tinney’s Youth Club i n Sherborne is holding a week of activities f rom Monday 7th to Friday 11th August. Based at the Sherborne Area Youth & Community Centre in Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne, the club will be running a whole week of activities under the ir Focus on Youth 2023 banner. The ‘Focus on Youth ’ activities cover a wide range of arts, craft and other activities for 10-16 year olds. In addition , due its popularity last year ‘Focus on Football’ will again be running all week for 6 -12 year olds. The ‘Focus on Youth’ activities include several favourites from the past as well as some new ones. Once again Oxford s Bakery is holding their baking masterclasses with a minibus taking participants to and from the centre in Tinney’s Lane. This is a very popular activity and quickly sold out la st year. If this is for you please make sure you book early. In addition there is a swim float/fun swimming session at The Ox ley Centre in Bradford Road which is being run as part of the weeks activities by Sherborne School for Girls. ‘Focus on Football’ is again being organised and run by Step into Sport using FA qualified coaches. Combinations of the morning, afternoon and day sessions can be booked at a discount.

All bookings are online . Each session has a specific maximum number of participants so early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. All bookings are on a first come first served basis.

Events

THE FIFEHEADS GARDEN FETE

Saturday 22rd July

th 68th Traditional

Village Fe t e

VILL AGE FETE

66th Traditional t e

Saturday 5th August, 12 noon

DANCING AND SINGING FROM HIT MUSICAL MATILDA with Charlie from Shaftesbury Arts Centre. Shaftesbury Library Saturday 29 July 11am to 12noon.

DOG SHOW, LYDLINCH

DT10 2JA

Saturday 14 th August 12 noon

All your favourites including White Elephant ~ Children’s Attractions Barbeque & Beer Tent plus Pen Teas! Grand Draw ~ Bottle Tombola ~ Plants & Produce etc

Saturday August noon

l u f vo u t n ud i

Proceeds to the Church and Pen Selwood Community Association

Whi t tractions

TOY & TR AIN

Collec tors Fair

WIMBORNE

QE LEISURE CENTRE (BH21 4DT)

Sunday July 23rd 10am - 2pm

Telephone: 01380 725322 or 07732 330305

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

THE SHERBORNE OPEN ART EXHIBITION

22nd - 30th July 2023 (closes 2pm on 30th)

am - 5pm

The Digby Hall, Hound St. Sherborne DT9 3AA

11

5 40 64 22

BINGO!

Stalbridge Hall

Thursday 27th July

90

Doors open 6.30pm

Eyes down 7.30pm In aid of hall funds

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

CREAM TEAS BY THE RIVER

every Sunday in August 2-4 30

Damerham Village Hall SP6 3HN In aid of St George’s Church

SIXPENNY HANDLEY CRAFT FAIR & Teas

Village Hall, Common Road SP5 5NJ Saturday 29 July, 10am - 1pm, FREE entry.

Crafts / Hot drinks / Homemade cakes. Information: 6dhandleyhall@gmail.com

LYN’S BINGO AT MARNHULL ROYAL BRITISH LEGION on Monday 24th July Eye’s down at 7pm.

July brings the return of the ever-popular Sherborne Open Art Exhibition. This juried exhibition celebrates the region’s huge wealth and variety of visual arts. It is open to all artists, amateur and professional, emerging and established. Selection by independent judges gives quality and diversity for a winning display. With 400 pictures and sculptures, and unframed folio “browsers” also for sale, it is not to be missed.

Admission is free, and the exhibition runs from 22nd to 30th July from 10am to 5pm each day (except 30th July, when it closes at 2pm).

The Digby Hall, Hound St., Sherborne DT9 3AA (next to the Library).

https://sherbornearts.org/sherborne-open-art-exhibition/

Made possible by generous main sponsors, Mogers Drewett and our many other sponsors, supporters and volunteers, too numerous to list here.

Do make a point of visiting this excellent exhibition. Enjoy it, support so many talented people and maybe even come away with a piece of original art to give you pleasure for years to come.

FAMILY FESTIVAL - CAMPING - STALLS - REFRESHMENTS HEADLINER - FOO FIGHTERS GB TICKETS > DUCKFEST.CO.UK

Events

CONNECTIONS THROUGH SONG, a dementia friendly singing group. Blandford Rugby Clubhouse, East Street

Tuesdays 3-3.45pm contact Caroline 07984 828642

CHARLTON MARSHALL FETE

Saturday 29th July 2p.m. Cream teas, skittles, books etc.

HILLSIDE PARISHES FETE & DOG SHOW

Saturday 5th August 2.30 pm Village Hall, Ibberton DT11 0EL

Gutchpool Farm Workshops

SUMMER MEADOWS LINOCUT PRINTMAKING

July 27th, 10am - 4pm. £90 with lunch included

-Design, carve and print your own lino block with local artist Sarah Robinson.

-All your unique prints to take home.

-Delicious homemade lunch provided along with tea and cake.

CREATIVE WRITING WITH NOVELIST SUSAN ELDERKIN

September 9th, 16th and 23rd, 9:30am - 1pm £180 for all three mornings including lots of tea & cake.

-Three creative writing mornings with novelist Susan Elderkin.

-Fiction, non-fiction or a blend of both.

-Grow in confidence with your writing and get your project off the ground. -Tea and cake provided.

Book through our website or give us a call: www.gutchpool.com | 07836 763701

SATURDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 2023

Gutchpool Farm, Dorset SP8 5QP

Leweston youngsters represent Team GB at European champs

SOME 14 students from Leweston School, Sherborne, travelled to Erding in Germany to represent Great Britain at the European Biathle, Triathle, Laser Run Championships.

Leweston youngsters had a great first day in the Triathle relays – shoot-swim-run – Tilly W (U11), Katrina S (U13), Reuben C (U17) and Thomas J (U19) winning gold medals.

Five Leweston athletes took part in the European Biathle and finished top of the medal table.

Reuben C had a great race in the U17 to take individual silver and team gold.

Some 14 youngsters competed in the European Individual Triathle and had another successful day winning

lots of medals: U11 – Tilly W 5th, Lexie C 8th, Edward H 10th, Henry M 12th; U13 –Katrina S 10th, Izzy K 16th; U17 – Reuben C had a great race to take gold and become European Champion, Josh H 10th, Jay C 20th, Izzy W 4th; U19 – Thomas J 4th, Archie C 8th, Millie W 5th.

The last events of the weekend were the European Laser run relays and individual. In the mixed relay the girls went first and then handed over to the boys.

In the U13 section Katrina and her partner were 2nd, while in the U17 Reuben C took another gold, with Millie W’s team 2nd. In the U19 Izzy W moved up an age group and

took the gold, with Thomas J in 3rd.

They were very impressive results with the school finishing with two European champions.

The last event was the individual Laser Run and the Leweston athletes put in some excellent performances: U11

– Tilly W 4th, Lexie C 14th, Henry M 7th, Edward H 12th; U13 – Katrina S 5th; U17 – Reuben C European champion taking his fourth gold of the championships, Josh H 15th, Jay C 28th, Izzy W 6th, Millie W 10th, Jessica S 20th. U19 – Thomas J 6th.

Veritable feast of the performing arts

CREATIVITY, curiosity and fun was fostered in a week-long performing arts festival at Hanford School at Child Okeford.

Pupils took part in a wide range of activities including a stage and film make-up workshop, a debating skills afternoon, two drama workshops – one led by performer, composer and lyricist Hal Cazalet and one by Hanford Old Girl Minna White.

The week also included a workshop with award-wining photographer Elizabeth Vickers, a stage combat workshop led by Squire Combat, an acrobatic workshop led by circus artist Ameya Ahmad Williams, a talk on Costumes for the Stage by Blandford Fashion Museum and a dance workshop led by Charlotte Fernandez of the TLW Dance School.

The week culminated with a Hanford Open Garden National Gardens Scheme event when pupils, parents and visitors enjoyed music by the Blackmore Vale Brass Band and

a magic show by The Great Baldini.

Alongside the pupils’ programme, evening events for parents and members of the public were held which included An Evening with Larry Lamb, perhaps best known for his starring roles in Gavin & Stacey and EastEnders.

Leading violinist Shana Douglas accompanied by Julian Gallant, and British soprano singer Alexandra Lowe

accompanied by Satoshi Kubo gave concerts, and singer and entertainer Hal Cazalet brought the lyrics and stories of P G Wodehouse to life in an evening of music, laughter and glamour.

Hanford head Rory Johnston said: “Our festivals are always a fantastic opportunity to welcome people to Hanford and to share an amazing programme of evening talks and events with pupils, parents and members of the public.

“Hanford’s commitment to the performing and creative arts is deep and long-lasting and it was a natural step to base this year’s festival around this theme.

“Hanford girls are encouraged to take part in a large number of productions each year, which are not just fun and creative but help instil confidence that the girls then take to other parts of their school lives and beyond.”

Circus artist Ameya Ahmad Williams with Hanford pupils

Hanford old girl Catty Thomas and her daughter Tabitha enjoy the open gardens

The Leweston School students who competed in Germany

‘It’s 50/50 on Westbury incinerator’

SOMETIMES you wonder who politicians on the left think they’re representing. Certainly not constituents. Take their apparent open borders policy on migration. Why would they hand a virtual right of abode to folk wanting to move to the UK for economic reasons?

However, what is not seriously in dispute is the onus on the UK to take its fair share of people with a legitimate asylum claim. Traditionally that’s what we’ve done and that’s the basis of the Immigration Bill before the House. I would prioritise women, children and the otherwise vulnerable, which we do, as determined by the UN, over the fit young men we see arrive in small boats from another safe country, France. Taking those who can’t help themselves is the true measure of a compassionate approach to asylum.

Lots of people have been getting in touch about train

ticket offices. I’m looking into what’s being proposed before forming a view. On the face of it, having staff in front of glass screens helping passengers rather than behind them would be a positive. I can see how that might facilitate a station master type approach but strangely

that’s not how it’s being portrayed by train companies. What I find odd, as a regular train user, is having my ticket checked by an onboard staff member within moments of it being sold to me by another staff member at the station. I honestly can’t see how that’s efficient or a good use of resources if the intent is to help customers.

Our NHS won’t make the progress we want to see without reforming its sister care sector. We cannot avoid the fact that if you don’t pay an attractive wage people won’t do care work. I’m awaiting a response to my letter to ministerial colleagues about the need for the NHS ‘backlog bonus’ or similar for people who work for organisations closely aligned to the NHS. The omission is a very significant demotivator in a sector already struggling to recruit. I feel sure it’s unintentional. Understandably I’ve had a fair amount of

correspondence about it. I continue to badger anyone prepared to listen on waste incineration. This week was the turn of Rebecca Pow in whose ministerial bag this falls. I have no doubt England will eventually follow Scotland and Wales in stopping these horrible things. If I was one of the institutional investors on which incinerator businesses rely, I’d be waking up, smelling the coffee and moving my money elsewhere.

Will the Westbury incinerator ever be operational? I’d give it 50/50. Would it then generate a meaningful return for its investors? I doubt it. My job is to persuade ministers to make it plain that the likely profit margins for incinerators are shrinking as we move towards a far more responsible approach to waste. That approach has to include removing all plastics and food waste from the maw of incinerators. No waste to burn, no incinerator. Simple.

Labour aims to make ELMS work

I RECENTLY had the opportunity to visit a local farm, and the pleasure of being shown around by the farmer.

I know what you’re thinking – what does the Labour guy know about farming? This will be funny!

Bear with me. I do believe one of the qualities people in politics should have is the modesty to admit when they don’t know a lot about something. We have enough ‘know-it-alls’. How about some more folk who listen to it all?

That’s certainly the approach I try and take with agriculture. And it was fascinating to hear and see what this one local farmer was doing with his landholding.

One thing that really stood out to me was the trial of two different crops – a grain and a pulse – sown and harvested concurrently. I didn’t know that

was practical, but the increased proficiency of mechanised sorting equipment does render it so. You could see with your own eyes the impact on the yield of the grain though, and with the price uncertainty on

the pulses, such experiments are risky.

Inevitably one cannot talk about the politics of farming without mentioning ELMS. Not the trees, but the Environmental Land Management Scheme. Despite having voted to leave the EU in 2016, the landscape for post-CAP subsidies in the UK is still being fleshed out.

ELMS comprises three different schemes, with as many as 200 differently remunerated actions farmers can take as stewards of the land. They range from leaving land fallow through to creating skylark plots and beetle sanctuaries. You can receive £684 to take a pig to the vet through to £119 for every pond you manage.

Sounds complex? Seems it. I really feel for farmers, who already have enough on their plates with things like seesawing fertiliser prices, as they

try to figure out what is the most economically efficient combination of actions to take on their land. I do hope there is support provided to farmers with these calculations.

Labour has cautiously welcomed ELMS as a ‘step in the right direction’. If it forms the next government, Labour intends to work with the NFU to make ELMS work rather than overturn the apple-cart. It’s also fair to say though that Labour wants to see more solar farms in the countryside, which may need incorporating in the different sustainability payments.

More broadly, Labour aims to ensure that 50% of all food purchased by the public sector is locally produced or certified to higher environmental production standards. This is a noble aim, but one that I think may need to wait until food prices have stabilised.

Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire Dr Andrew Murrison Greg Williams, on behalf of Dorset Labour

Social media and conspiracy theories

I WANT to start by focusing on the twin issues of doubt and faith in public bodies and those who serve. Talleyrand, the famous French diplomat, is reported to have said, when told of the death of the Turkish Ambassador: “I wonder what he meant by that?” The man could not have just died, in the mind of this French mover and shaker, there had to be a reason, an ulterior motive, behind his demise.

Talleyrand was famously suspicious and doubting. Both have an important place in our analysis of policy and motivation. We are right to ask ‘why?’. We are correct to interrogate the data. It is legitimate to ask ‘who benefits’. Gone are the days of deference for the sake of deference and that the Minister or Mandarin are above the threshold of interrogation. That is the evolution of a healthy democracy.

However, I am becoming increasingly concerned by the engine of default doubt, fired by

the fuel of (anti) social media, that is demonstrably stomping into the arena of public debate. I believe analysis should start with believing in the honest sincerity of the organisation or individual who is seeking to advance a particular change in policy or further a certain world view.

The rise of the conspiracy theorist, spawned in the United States and spreading to our shores is worrisome. They tell us that: Covid-19 was created by pharmaceutical companies so they could make huge profits from their own vaccines; that

Governments purchased vaccines to kill the poorest in their countries; the World Health Organisation is intent on malign global domination; the World Economic Forum is a bad thing per se destined to trample the poor; climate change is an academic manufacture and so on and so forth.

Social media, and the 24-hour news cycle, only increases the opportunity for artificial self-promotion based on, more often than not, inadequate and partial analysis of the facts. It is having, as one’s starting point, person x or organisation y is bad, a cheat and a crook that is most concerning to me and should be, I would suggest, to you too. The problem with conspiracy theorists is that they will never let a fact get in the way of a prejudice.

The wider problem for all of us, in terms of robust analysis of public or corporate policy, is a repetition of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. When a wolf actually arrived, no one believed the boy because he had

issued too many baseless, mischievous, false alarms. We should all be careful when we shout ‘foul’.

On a cheerier note, I was so pleased to hear the Government is going ahead with the tunnel under the A303 next to Stonehenge. There are significant upticks to this announcement: Stonehenge will enjoy a much more conducive setting – its mystery and majesty undisturbed by traffic; smoother journeys for motorists could aid our wider South-West economy; there will be environmental benefits if we can keep traffic moving rather than the air-polluting traffic jams of stop-start; the archaeological watching brief throughout its construction will ensure that anything of interest is retained, potentially deepening our understanding of the Henge; there could easily be wildlife benefits as a safe ‘corridor’ is created over the tunnel. A positive announcement for the SouthWest from the Government.

‘Railway company’s getting it wrong’

SOUTH WESTERN Railway (SWR) has had to propose to government how it wishes to reform station operation because just 12% of train tickets are sold at station ticket offices. In principle, I agree that staff at stations should not be stuck behind a ticket office window when no-one wants to buy a ticket. The unions have prevented change for a long time, which is why we have ended up in the sorry state of having a member of staff in the ticket office with no one wanting a ticket, but elderly people struggling on the platform having got off a train with no one to help them.

My first job after leaving Gryphon School was as a railway station assistant – a role that gave me the first step on the ladder of a 20-year career, and it

means I feel very strongly about this. I no longer think SWR is a reputable operator with any concern for rural Dorset. Our direct services to London were removed and slashed not just during, but after Covid-19, too. It removed our summer train to Weymouth from Gillingham, Templecombe and Sherborne. Despite a 3 hour 20 minute train

journey from Exeter to London, it removed our on-board catering and has refused to look at alternatives.

Knowing full well there is no transport alterative for passengers, it happily terminates Weymouth trains at Dorchester if they are running late, leaving scores of people stranded – often at night and in bad weather. It leaves disabled passengers stranded and despite a quick fix being available, it will not change the planned platform of trains at Dorchester so disabled and elderly people can more easily board the train, and with such a problem with elderly and disabled access in Dorchester SWR wants to slash staffing hours by almost half at the county town’s station. This is the sort of morally bankrupt business this railway company

has become.

While the narrative is about ticket office closures, SWR is not going to completely remove staff from our stations, but it is going to significantly reduce staffing hours. Its current proposal has someone on the station at Sherborne from 6am to 10am Monday to Thursday and the two busiest days –Fridays and Saturdays – will be unstaffed. Not many people go to the ticket office at 6am! And Dorchester South’s opening hours will be halved.

If you feel as strongly about this as I do, can I ask that you do two things? Firstly, sign my petition, www.chrisloder.co.uk/ ticketoffices, and secondly email or write to Transport Focus, the passenger watchdog running this consultation, at ticketoffice. swr@transportfocus.org.uk

Conservative MP for North Dorset

Simon Hoare

Conservative MP for West Dorset

Chris Loder

AI: ‘Worry less, harness it more’

THIS edition of the New Blackmore Vale hits the streets on polling day in three byelections across the country.

It is hard work to generate meaningful, persuasive material and get it out to more than 70,000 voters in each constituency. It is even harder to tramp the streets, knock on doors and talk through the issues of the day with people who usually reckon they have better things to do.

It is, though, the very essence of our democracy. Woe betide those politicians who believe they are born to rule because, as recent events have shown, it ain’t necessarily so.

It is commitment that matters – commitment to work for the interests of others; commitment to find good solutions to difficult problems; commitment to communicate effectively what you are doing and why. Good luck to all involved in the by-elections. Democracy at work.

The issue of economic growth, especially as delivered by productivity improvement, is on everyone’s lips. It is important that the South-West grips this. If we don’t, we will fall further behind and if we don’t help ourselves, no-one else will. I recently went to the

six-monthly get-together of the 120 business mentors who belong to Dorset Business Mentors. The meeting was remarkable for two reasons. First, our host decided to use open AI to write his introductory speech. He input a few parameters such as the title of the meeting and the reason it was called. We waited a very few seconds before he was able to deliver a credible, to the point, warm, welcoming statement, five minutes in length. It did sound slightly artificial and contained no humour or other engagement device.

Our combined judgement was that as a party piece this was reasonably impressive but really would not do as the only way ahead. There is no substitute for preparation, for knowing your subject and looking people in the eyes rather than scrolling down a screen. Used properly, however, AI has a clear role in cutting a

swathe through timeconsuming, bureaucratic processes, releasing people to do more productive things. The message about AI is ‘worry less, harness it more’.

The second important discussion was about how more support can be delivered to more of the thousands of small businesses across the county. Dorset Business Mentors relies on volunteer effort, largely from older and experienced folk with no axe to grind and very mindful of not stepping on other professional toes. More effective help, real growth and some significant productivity improvements could be found if the ‘advice’ industry – mentors, coaches and consultants, accountants and bookkeepers, lawyers and the like – worked more in harmony and with less of an eye to cornering their particular markets. As the saying has it – individuals cannot be perfect, but teams can get very close.

‘Let’s focus on life’s real essentials’

ASK people what two things they most need to enjoy life these days and many will surely list their smartphone and wi-fi. In fact, we all have the same three basic needs. Air, water and food. And we are doing our damnedest to deprive ourselves of all three. It is beyond time to wake up and smell the proverbial coffee.

Around the world air quality is deteriorating. Mainly thanks to our excessive use of fossil fuels, but increasingly due to the growing number of wildfires as global warming causes habitats to dry out. The recent wildfires in Canada were so numerous they sent a plume of foul smoke so vast that it not only choked the citizens of New York and the east coast of America, it also drifted across the Atlantic and reached Europe. Wake up and smell the smoke.

Water quality in the UK has also been deteriorating, with understandable public outrage at the gross fouling of our waterways, beaches and seas. All thanks to decades of the water companies failing to do what we have all paid them to do since the industry was privatised. Instead, they have proved themselves adept at loading their companies with

billions of debt, and then helping themselves to billions in dividends and payouts. With most of it going overseas. No surprise, this is the standard privatisation model, with private equity shareholders more intent on profit than performance. The Environment Agency is totally unable to carry out effective enforcement, having had its funding slashed by almost two-thirds since 2010. I wonder why.

And finally, there is the thorny topic of food. While sewerage discharges attracted huge media exposure, the considerable water pollution arising from unsustainable farming practices largely escaped attention.

Our current food system is harming both our health and the planet. We urgently need to reform what we eat, and how and where it is produced.

Farmers, the most valuable of all professionals, are key to changing things for the better. Some simple stats make the point. 70% of land in England is used for agriculture, and 85% of that is used for feeding and rearing livestock. Growing plants for human consumption generates about 12 times more calories per hectare than using the land for meat production. We have to import 46% of the fresh vegetables we eat and 84% of the fruit.

Over a quarter of all the food we grow is never eaten – that’s 13.6 million tonnes wasted. Poor diet causes diabetes, cardiac disease and other obesity-related conditions. It is harming the lives of millions, predominantly our poorer citizens, and is costing the NHS billions. The Government knows all this but isn’t taking the action needed. Why is that?

Mike Chapman on behalf of Liberal Democrats across the Blackmore Vale

Ken Huggins on behalf of the Green Party in North Dorset

Smugglers’ stories at the Shire Hall

THE real people and history behind Dorset’s tales of smuggling will be explored in the summer exhibition at Shire Hall in Dorchester.

In the 18th and 19th centuries Dorset was home to some of Britain’s most notorious smugglers, secretly moving goods into and out of the country for profit.

Smugglers: Beneath the Surface will take a closer look at four of them.

Nina Corey, director at Shire

Hall Museum, said: “Everyone at Shire Hall Museum is so excited to share our new summer exhibition with our visitors.

“Smugglers: Beneath the Surface takes a closer look at Dorset’s tales of smuggling.

“Each story gives a glimpse of the people behind the word ‘smuggler’ and explores how they ended up becoming involved in one of the most lucrative professions of their time.

“This multi-layered exhibition has something for everyone, from fascinating case studies to an interactive trail for families.”

The exhibition opens at the museum on Thursday, July 27, and runs until Saturday, September 16.

Shire Hall Museum brings over 200 years of history to life with interactive galleries, immersive cells and an impressive historic courtroom.

Over the summer holidays,

the museum is offering free entry for up to three children (under 18s) per paying adult.

For more information about Smugglers: Beneath the Surface visit www.shirehalldorset.org

THE Milton Abbas Art Group is staging it annual summer exhibition at the Reading Room, Milton Abbas from tomorrow (Saturday, July 22) to Sunday, July 30, from 11am-5pm.

Artistic celebration of the everyday

WHAT does ‘everyday’ mean to you?

Things you do every day – wash, eat, walk the dog? Things you see every day – your kitchen, your workplace, your family? Or things that are just, well, ordinary – a tree, a bicycle, a face?

To artists down the centuries, the commonplace, the mundane and the ordinary have proved rich sources of inspiration.

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

Cezanne’s apples, Warhol’s soup cans, Lowry’s factory chimneys – in the eye of the artist, the everyday acquires deeper meaning and takes on limitless possibilities. everyday is the title of a new exhibition at Shaftesbury Arts Centre, from Wednesday, July 26, to Saturday, August 8, set and curated by Sharon Beeden, visiting lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB).

everyday features works in a variety of media by Southern Contemporaries, the exhibiting wing of Bournemouth Arts Club. It highlights the overlooked, the ordinary and the commonplace with humour, tenderness and remarkable power. everyday is at Shaftesbury Arts Centre, daily from Wednesday, July 27, to Tuesday, August 8, from 10am-4pm and until 2pm on the last day. Entrance is free.

ABOUT THE BOY (12A) THE NOEL COWARD STORY

‘Friendliest fringe’ bigger then ever

DOUBLE Emmy award winner

Fiona Allen, illusionist the Great Baldini, glam punk and funk band SOCK and David Mamet’s play Duck Variations are among the highlights at this year’s Shaftesbury Fringe Festival, set to be the biggest in the event’s history.

The open access arts festival, which runs from today (Friday, July 21) to Sunday (July 23), will see 212 performances over three days, beating the festival’s pre-Covid record of 179 performances in 2019.

Allen, best known from Channel 4’s comedy sketch show Smack the Pony, and various television series – Skins, EastEnders and Waterloo Road – is making her Shaftesbury Fringe debut with her work-inprogress stand-up show On the Run, while the Great Baldini is returning to Shaftesbury for the third consecutive year, this time with a new show, Illusionati, following the success of his performances in 2021 and 2022.

Appearing for the first time this year and fronted by ‘glam rock god’ Vince Venus, SOCK

will bring high octane, high camp, glam punk and funk to the festival.

Benchmark Theatre’s presentation of Mamet’s Duck Variations promises to be witty, playful, surreal and poignant in equal measure.

The full record-breaking programme of 212 performances covers a wide range of genres, including spoken word, theatre, dance, cabaret, poetry and live music of all types, from jazz and latin to faerie-folk and ska, and takes place across 36 locations in the town, ranging from conventional performance venues such as Shaftesbury Arts Centre and the Shaston Social Club, to the lido and the Truckle Truck mobile cheese van.

Shaftesbury’s reputation as ‘Britain’s Friendliest Fringe’ has attracted performers from all over the country, as well as a good number from the local area, with folk singer Jo Philby set to travel the furthest. Jo will be making the 724-mile journey from her home in Orkney to perform two gigs over the

Brenda finds the humour in ageing

POET Brenda Read-Brown (pictured) is coming to the Bibbern Bar at The Exchange, Sturminster Newton, in a riotous celebration of growing older.

In her fantasies in But I Haven’t Finished Yet, Brenda is an imprisoned pensioner who rescues fellow passengers from crashed aeroplanes. In reality, she is a bit of a hoarder who likes Greek islands.

On the journey, the audience will take in rhubarb – not –climbing Everest, suitcases,

soft-closing kitchen drawers, squirrels and comic injuries.

Brenda has performed on BBC Radio 4, in Texas, Denmark, the House of Lords and various festivals.

She was also Gloucestershire Poet Laureate from 2012-19 and is a prize-winning playwright.

Brenda is performing on Wednesday, July 26, at 8pm, and for more information and tickets, phone The Exchange on 01258 475137 or visit www.artsreach.co.uk

festival weekend.

Shaftesbury Fringe Festival chair Rob Neely said: “Fringe is really flourishing this year. Momentum had been building year-on-year following the inaugural event in 2016 but was set back by the pandemic for reasons that were obviously beyond anyone’s control.

“This year, the volunteer-run organising committee had set their sights on beating the 2019 record for performance numbers, even if only by one, but to have done that by more

than 30 is a real testament to their hard work, not to mention the festival’s reputation for the warmth of its welcome to performers.”

To help festival-goers decide what they want to see during the weekend, organisers have produced a 64-page programme.

In addition, the Shaftesbury Fringe app allows users to search by performance, venue and genre, save their favourites and build their own itinerary.

For more information visit www.shaftesburyfringe.co.uk

Fiona Allen from Smack the Pony is at the Shaftesbury Fringe Festival along with Jo Philby (inset), who is travelling from her home in Orkney

• Lower Stour Benefice: Sunday, July 23: 9.30am Communion at Charlton Marshall; 9.30am Morning Worship at Spetisbury; 11am BCP Communion at Tarrant Crawford; 5.30pm Supper Church at Langton Long. Sunday, July 30 – 10.45am Communion at Langton Long.

• Lammas service: Celebration of the First Loaves of the Harvest, Sands Farm, Sands Lane, Donhead St Andrew SP7 9LL, Sunday, July 30, 11am. Refreshments offered.

• 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.

• 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 10.30am.

• 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 sight-read music very well and to commit to the regular routine of Friday night choir practices with two Sunday services for most of the year, in addition to busier periods around Christmas and Easter.

• Sherborne Community

Larder: Held in the grounds of St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Close DT9 4DU every Friday 9.30-10.30am. The Larder is run by volunteers and facilitated by FareShare. It functions

through membership and is aimed at helping people make their money go further by reducing their shopping bills. Membership does not exceed £5 a week and in return members receive at least three times that value in food and sundries. To sign up – referral not needed nor is it means tested – turn up on a Friday or request a form from FSSouthernCentral@ fareshare.org.uk

• Sherborne Abbey visitors: The abbey is open to visitors Monday to Saturday 8am-5pm and on Sunday 11am- 5pm. The abbey may close when private services are taking place.

Sherborne Abbey: Organ recitals on Monday at 1.30pm, free entry, retiring collection, everyone welcome. Monday, June 12, Peter Bray, assistant organist, Sherborne Abbey.

• Sherborne Abbey concerts: In July and September several concerts will be held on Saturdays in the abbey at 7.30pm. The Abbey Choir performs on June 24; Sherborne Chamber Choir on July 8; South-West Baroque Orchestra on July 15; Band of the Grenadier Guards on September 23 (6.30 pm) and the London Welsh Male Voice Choir on September 30.

• Sherborne Abbey Julian Group: The group offers an opportunity to share half-anhour’s silence and meditation with fellow Christians. It will meet in the Griffiths Room, Digby Memorial Church Hall, on Wednesday, July 12, at the slightly later time of 4.30pm due to the closure of the Almshouse.

• Sherborne Abbey guided tours: Tuesdays at 10.30am and Fridays at 2pm, will run until Friday, December 1. No charge is made for tours but donations are appreciated. The guide will be waiting near the porch. Larger groups should contact the parish office to arrange a convenient date/time.

• Cheap Street Church, Sherborne: Taize service – half an hour of prayer, meditation and music on the second Sunday of the month at 6.30pm.

A letter from the future

Dear (Great) Gran and Grandad, I am writing to you in 2023 from the 2050s. Do you wonder what my world is like? The world you left to me. The world I have inherited from all of you.

Every year, from April to October, it is unbearably hot here and the heat kills lots of people.

We have long droughts, water shortages and wildfires so farmers’ crops suffer and harvests are small.

Food is in short supply and many more people are going hungry.

Large parts of Africa and elsewhere are uninhabitable and millions of people have moved north. The boats never stopped coming.

It’s hard to find jobs and social services

Philip Browne from Dorchester wrote this letter as if from one of his grandchildren in the 2050s

don’t work properly anymore.

People are more angry and violent, so we don’t feel safe.

Your world seems like a golden age to us.

Please write back and tell me what you are doing to prevent climate change. Do you try to find out about climate change and its effect on me?

How often do you talk to your friends and neighbours about climate change?

How often do you e-mail your MP and

local councillors with your concerns about climate change? Do you write or speak to them instead? Why not?

Do you know how to find a local environmental group? Why haven’t you joined one?

Do you go to any meetings, demonstrations or marches about climate change?

(I don’t expect you to glue yourself to anything or break the law! Just go along.)

Do you worry enough about the future to do anything about it?

How much do you care about me?

Put your letter in a safe place so that in 30 years I may find it.

With love from your (great) grandchild.

XX

‘Climate change is at tipping point’

THIS time-travelling letter was written by me.

I am not a young person from the 2050s but a 74-year-old pensioner from the here and now.

I follow the news on TV, radio and in the papers, so I have heard of climate change.

I know we are approaching a tipping point where it will become unstoppable. By 2050 we may already have passed that point but I will not be around to

see it. It is our children and grandchildren who will have to face the disaster of global warming.

I wonder what they would say to those of us who lived through a period when we could have stopped runaway climate change but did not.

The time-travelling letter is my guess about what they would say.

My challenge to you is to think what your reply would be.

Remember you are talking to a

Traffic calming hazards

SOME Wiltshire villages seem to have a mass of battered and dangerous traffic calming schemes.

I live in Zeals and the one opposite the almshouses is a hazard and has been for a quite few years.

The parish council has at numerous times brought up the state of the islands with the county council but to no avail.

Numerous cars have driven into it and today the arrow was about to take off! It has been tied in with string and on dark evenings the metal pole becomes invisible.

Maybe a competition should be run to see which is the most dangerous in Wiltshire, if not the entire area?

Lyndi

Via email

MY husband, Alec, had a bad fall in Sherborne on Saturday, July 15, and I would like to thank all the people who kindly came to our rescue.

I am so grateful for the kindness of strangers.

I do not have a mobile phone, so someone called the ambulance, another called a friend who is a nurse and a Spanish couple on the last day of their holiday were also extremely kind.

At the time of writing Alec is still in hospital but I am hoping he will be home soon.

Thank you so much to you all.

Ann Gardner

member of your own family.

None of us can prevent climate change on our own but together we can put pressure on our politicians – local and national – to take the big decisions that are necessary.

I hope this letter will encourage you to think about what you can do.

Your grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will thank you.

Philip Browne Dorchester

Arrow words

Dyes

1 3 5 9 4

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

7 2 1 1 9

Brain chain

Marble inkstand makes high price

DUKE’S ‘Interiors’ sales are inspired by the world of design, featuring private collections from famous stylists, pieces with exceptional country house provenance and decorative ornaments to embellish every home.

There’s silver, paintings, furniture, garden sculpture, taxidermy and decorative items from across all of Duke’s specialist areas.

The July Summer Interiors sale offered a collection of pieces with impressive heritage which attracted competitive bidding.

It included items from the collections of Bruce Chatwin, the late Anthony du Boulay and the estate of the late John Rollo Somerset-Paddon.

Highlight lots included a

19th century Grand Tour Sienna marble inkstand (pictured) and a Chinese Chippendale style mahogany armchair which sold for £6,250 and £4,250 respectively.

A large Victorian painted wood rocking horse raced to a final sold price of £3,000.

Entries are being invited for the second instalment of Summer Interiors on Thursday, August 31, alongside Duke’s other upcoming specialist auctions.

Valuations for auction are free of charge and an appointment with one of the Duke’s specialists can be arranged either online or at home at the prospective vendor’s convenience.

For more information, email enquiries@dukes-auctions.com or phone 01305 265080.

Clarke’s Auctions

Antiques & Collectables Sale

£4,500 for picture of queen’s favourite

CLARKE’S Auctions at Semley saw good prices paid for lots at its recent sale.

A 17th century oil painting (pictured) on an oak panel depicting Philip Howard, the 13th Earl of Arundel and Surrey (1557-95), sold to a collector for £4,500, including premium.

Philip was related to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and led a frivolous life at court where he was a favourite of Elizabeth I.

He spent the last 10 years of his life in the Tower of London on unproven charges of treason, dying there in October 1595.

A bronze bust of the Duke of Wellington by Frenchman

Alfred Guillaume Gabrie

Grimod D’Orsay, known as Comte D’Orsay, sold to a London bidder for £2,000 – and in the furniture section an early 20th century pine desk with original paintwork fetched £1,000 with commission.

Clarke’s is preparing for its August 11-12 sale and already its salerooms are filling up with items to be sold.

Anyone who has anything they would like to consign to this or future sales should contact Clarke’s on 01747 855109 at the main offices on Kingsettle Business Park, Station Road, Semley, Shaftesbury.

auction highlights

| A George II Silver Tureen, by Edward Wakelin | £2,000- £3,000

Walking canes up for auction

ACREMAN St Auctioneers & Valuers, Sherborne, saw fierce bidding online and in the room in its Garden & Architectural antiques auction last Friday.

The star lots were an antique lead fountain with dolphin detail which reached £2,400 and a bronze fountain with stag’s head detail at £1,700.

Acreman’s Antiques & Collectors auction on Thursday, July 27, will feature a collection of 18th and 19th century framed embroideries, watercolours and miniatures, including an oil painting by Solomon Cole of a seated lady estimated at £400-600.

A collection of antique walking canes includes an antique marine ivory silverhandled cane estimated at £150-£250. A large collection of Triang Mini vehicles, stamps

and ephemera will also be sold.

The Jewellery, Silver and Watches auction on Friday, July 28, includes an Art Deco platinum and diamond ring estimated at £500-£800 and an antique unmarked 18ct pearl set cross estimated £200-£300.

The sale also has a good selection of watches including a Rolex Oyster perpetual automatic gents wristwatch estimated at £3,000-£3,500.

The catalogue and bidding are available online through easyliveauction.com and Thesaleroom.com. Acreman can take in everything from single items to complete collections. Anyone who has anything they would like to consign should contact Gill Norman on 07908 333577 or 01935 50874 or email auction@ acremanstreetantiques.co.uk

Thursday 27th July JEWELLERY,

Friday 28th July

Viewing Wednesday 26th July 10am - 5pm

This model of Napoleonic prisoner-ofwar bone ship La Bellone is estimated to sell for £3,000£5,000

Napoleonic prisoner-of-war items could make £20,000

A COLLECTION of Napoleonic prisoner-of-war work items is estimated to sell for £20,000 in Charterhouse’s auction on August 3-4.

“Some possibly originated from Dartmoor Prison and rarely appear on the market,” said Richard Bromell from the auction house.

A Devon collector amassed the items over many years and the star lot is a bone ship

estimated at £3,000-£5,000. Charterhouse is accepting entries for its summer auctions of classic bikes, cars, silver, jewellery watches and automobilia.

Richard Bromell and the Charterhouse Team can be contacted for valuations at The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne, on 01935 812277 or at rb@charterhouse-auction. com

Catalogue available to view through thesaleroom.com & Easyliveauction.com

We are now accepting items for our August sales.

For all enquiries please contact Gill Norman on 07908 333577 or 01935 508764 auction@acremanstreetantiques.co.uk

Specialist Free Valuation Days

Consignment Days in Sherborne

Monday 12th Pictures, Maps, Books & Postcards

Jewellery, Watches & Silver 24th

Tuesday 13th Silver, Jewellery, Watches & Clocks

Chinese & Japanese Ceramics & Items 25th

Wednesday 14th Model Cars, Trains, Dolls & Toys

Model Cars, Trains, Dolls & Toys 26th

Thursday 15th Medals, Militaria, Coins & Stamps

Film Posters, Memorabilia & Records 27th

Friday 16th Asian Ceramics & Works of Art

Doulton, Beswick & other Ceramics 28th

Classic Motorcycle Auction 28th October

Classic Car Auction 11th November

Classic & Vintage Car Autumn Auction

Classic Motorcycle Autumn Auction

Further entries now being accepted

The Long Street Salerooms Sherborne DT9 3BS

Further Entries Now Invited

Tel:

Email: bill@tunes.co.uk

Thirty

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

Locally consigned guns exceed estimates on international market

HOLTS, ‘one of the leading auction houses for fine modern and antique guns and militaria worldwide’ has for many years sold items consigned by local clients on the international market.

It currently auctions close to 20,000 lots a year, often well exceeding estimates.

Holts would be pleased to give auction estimates on items from a ‘best’ London gun to a loft find.

Recent good examples are a WW Greener 12-bore ‘Royal’ hammerless ejector shotgun which sold for a very satisfying

£3,900 against an estimate of £2,000-£3,000.

And a rare example of a Kolibri, the world’s smallest central fire semi-automatic pistol, sold for £3,100 against an estimate of £1,200-£1,600.

David Thurgood, Holts’ westcountry agent, holds regular local valuation days, including at Sturminster Newton and Charmouth.

To find out more about the next ones in the area or to discuss a valuation or home visit, David can be contacted on 01297 306123 or via email at westcountry@holtsauctioneers.com

Home & Garden

Hollyhocks ancient and modern

by Sally Gregson

HOLLYHOCKS are perhaps most associated with cottage gardens, their open-eyed flowers peering over the neighbours’ walls like nosy old gossips, their flowers humming with bees on a warm summer afternoon.

Cottage gardeners have been growing hollyhocks for so many hundreds of years, it is often assumed they are native plants. Indeed, they have been around in our gardens, despite the rust, for centuries, but their seeds probably came to these shores with the early Crusaders in the Middle Ages.

Hollyhocks, Alcea rosea, most probably originated in Japan and travelled with traders on the old silk routes through China to the Middle East. It is thought that a ‘salve’ was made from the plants’ leaves to treat their horses’ hocks – hence the name ‘holy hocks’. Doubtless seeds dropped from the traders’ packs and grew alongside their tracks leaving useful plants for future travellers. Hollyhocks are easy to raise from seed and generous with their offspring. Their flowers are mostly pastel-shaded but the prized Alcea rosea ‘Nigra’ is a rich

ruby-black flowered form that comes true from seed, provided the plants are grown in relative isolation.

In modern gardens we have a greater choice of different Alcea to plant and grow that are longer-lived and healthier.

Alcea rugosa originates in Ukraine, European Russia and the Caucasus and bears primrose-yellow flowers. And it seems to be resistant to Hollyhock Rust. As plants of the mallow family, the Malvaceae, the genus Alcea is closely related to Lavatera and Althaea. Many of these other genera are not so susceptible to rust and make big, buxom plants full of tissue-paper flowers throughout the late summer. As gardeners we are

Deadheading and summer pruning roses

by Sally Gregson

DURING this overly hot weather it becomes imperative that any moisture loss in plants is minimised. Removing spent flower-shoots is a good way of cutting back a lot of leaf area to prevent evaporation, as well as encouraging the plant to make root growth rather than produce seed.

Deadheading the roses is

particularly important if you grow the varieties of rose that repeat-flower. Thwarting their motherhood encourages them to produce more flowers, albeit in vain. And when once-onlyflowering roses have all finished their show too it is prudent to create a new framework for future growth.

On repeat-flowering varieties using a sharp pair of secateurs

familiar with Lavatera, but Althaea cannabina is an easier plant to place in the garden. It’s not so big and its branches are less susceptible to wind-rock. It produces smaller, papery

to avoid skinning the stems, cut off the flowering head just above an outward-facing bud. The re-growth will not then cross back into the plant. Repeat-flowering roses will then live up to their name.

On once-only flowering roses the aim is to open up the middle of the shrub and make the bush the shape of a bowl. When all the spent stems have been removed, stand back and look at the overall shape of the finished plant. An odd wayward stem may need another cut, or perhaps the whole bush needs to be cut further down.

In some of the great gardens the new young shoots are laid down horizontally and tied in to purpose-made hoops. This

flowers in shades of rose-pink on 1.5-2m plants throughout the late summer. It is reliably perennial and easily grown in any draining garden soil. And it does not get the rust, either!

causes the rose to make flowering breaks all along each shoot and increase the flowershow next year. The hoops are traditionally made of hazel wands cut while the stems are green and pliable. Galvanised hoops are available online but some are too big to use for this purpose.

As the new young growth appears, as it surely will – we just need some good rain – tie in the green shoots to the hoops horizontally. And then give each plant a full can of water, and feed them with a proprietary rose-feed that will encourage the young growth and harden it up for the winter. Next summer your roses will put on quite a show.

Alcea rosea ‘Nigra’ is a rich ruby-black flowered form of hollyhock

Hollyhocks probably came to these shores with the early Crusaders in the Middle Ages

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

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GREENHOUSES

Supplied/Erected, Alloy TenColours Spares-Repairs-Glass

Chris Abrams 01258 452632

WELL ROTTED MANURE

£60.00 a transit load

Contact Roger on 07885 826396 or 01202 826502

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

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

LAWN MOWING SERVICE

TEL 01747 821726

FOR MOWING, STRIMMING, HEGDE CUTTING and general garden/estate maintenance. Call David the Electric Gardener on my new number: 07467 650074

L.DAVIS AND SONS

Garden clearance and garden design

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

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

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

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Tel: 01747 850544

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Concrete bases, patios, gravel, fencing and much more.

Tel: 01747 850544

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

Tel: 01747 850544

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Mobile: 07921 637227

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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.

Tel: 01747 850544

Mobile: 07921 637227

We also deliver compost, pots, bark, logs and other gardening products. 01458 241230 or 07950 261510

Newbury, Gillingham, Dorset SPB 4QL | 01747 835394

Wincanton Business Park, Somerset BA9 9RR | 01963 33574 www.cullingfordcarpets.co.uk

Carpets

Vinyls

Rugs

Wood

Karndean

Underlay

Curtains

Fabrics

Blinds

Re-Upholstery

SELF DRIVE DIGGER and Dumper Hire 01258 861647 OUR

Wincanton: Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 5.30pm Saturday: 9.00am - 1.00pm

FLAIL MOWING. Paddocks, rides, scrub, brambles.

01747 870704 or 07786 261967

LAWN MOWING AND HEDGE CUTTING SERVICES, ShaftesburyBlandford & local villages. Please call Trevor 07970 012130

TOOLS WANTED. Cash waiting. 01747 850474

GARDEN RESCUE Tel 01747 821726

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

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

Seasonal plants, Compost, Gifts, and all your gardening essentials!

Stockists of new Alko, Countax, Mountfield, Stiga and

Servicing, repairs, and parts for all major brands.

www.gillinghamgardenmachinery.co.uk 01747 859564 Unit

Stihl.

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

Treecare Co. Tree Specialists

TREE STUMP REMOVAL

HEDGE TRIMMING

Free estimate

07864 960768

WANTED -

Dave buys all types of tools Call 01935 428975

For all your fencing and decking needs

personal advice and free quotations.

Make a wise choice and call David Merefield today on 01747 850906 / 07966 522361

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

Closeboard, panels & sheds supplied and fitted. Gates made to measure.

Sherborne Fencing Ltd

Tel: 01935 814272

Mobile: 07814246332

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OUTDOOR RUBBISH & HEDGE TRIMMINGS cleared and taken away, Free estimates. 07864 960768

RELIABLE, QUALIFIED GARDENER with 25 years experience. Has 1 day a week available. References. If interested, contact Richard on 07702 237805

Book Online classified@ blackmorevale.net

COUNTRY BYGONES & COLLECTIBLES

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

Puzzle solutions (from pages 44-45)

Brain chain (hard)

ARCHITECTURAL, BUILDING & ELECTRICAL

HANDYMAN, reliable and experienced Call

R&W FENCING SERVICES

All types of fencing, Agriculture and Domestic 01258 880892 07980 036250

J& C Handyman Services

Chris 07413 678076 Plumbing

Painting & decorating

Shed erecting & repairs

Door hanging & skirting boards

ALL IRONWORK. Handrails.Gates. Railings. Repairs. Restoration. 01258 880301

Flat pack furniture

Shelves & curtain rails

Guttering and facia clearing and replacement Fencing Pointing etc...

No job too small. Please call with your requirements. 01963 364457 07368 516658

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T F PLANT

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

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FRANKS D T L 01747 826656

franksgroup.co.uk

•

Architectural Services

Planning & Building Applications for New Build, Extensions and Conversions 01747 822162

Our advice is always free enquiries@bell-architectural.co.uk

ARCHITECTURAL, BUILDING &

Building Construction Specialists

Home extensions | Barn Conversions

Cottage Renovations | New Build Homes Project Management

Established over 40 years

Phone: 07979 210 074 / 01747 855 280

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SELF-EMPLOYED CARER available in Blandford Forum and surrounding areas 07342-752273

Personalcare121@hotmail.com

TWO FEMALE CARERS available to help you in your own home. Kind, reliable, experienced, DBS checked. Tisbury and surrounding areas. Tel. 07917 683770

CHIMNEYS

SOLID FUEL INSTALLATIONS LTD accredited installers from the competent persons scheme for wood burners, multi fuel stoves, chimney liners and twin walled flues. Sweeping chimneys, birdguards & cowls. Fireplace alterations to your needs, chimney works including pointing.

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CLEANING

DW PRESSURE CLEANING

Pressure washing drive ways, patios, soffits, fascias, decking, fences, paths and walls. Gutter camera inspecdwpressurecleaning@gmail.comtion and gutter clearing. For a no obligations quote, please call Darren: 07360 678429 or 01935 321937 or dwpressurecleaning@gmail.com

SHINY STOVES OVEN CLEANING

Ovens,Ranges, Aga’s, etc.

Independent Family Run Business

Covering The Blackmore Vale Area

Tel 01935 592461

Mob 07875 272401

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CLEANER AVAILABLE in the Gillingham, Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton area. Call/Text Beth on 07713 329948

Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.

COMPUTERS & TECH

DEREK ETHERINGTON BSc(Hons).

PC/Mac, Repairs, Networks, Websites, Tuition. Free local callout. 01963362403 07855287150

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COMPUTER MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS

Purchase advice, Virus Removal, New PC Setup/ Installation, Internet Connection, Upgrades, Computer/ Software Tuition - Call Gregg on 01963 370713

Local Services

COMPUTERS & TECH

Joseph Crocker Computers

Custom built gaming & office PCs

Desktop & laptop repair

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NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL 01963 23669 07484 690824

josephcrockercomputers.co.uk

537 sturcom@mail.com

Deadline to place your advert is the Friday before publication.

AERIALS & Satellite Direct

Repairs & Installations - 7 days per week

No VAT - Prompt & Friendly Service

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Mob: 07931 727 961

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• Friendly, patient, and knowledgeable help

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

• Sell online easily, quickly and reliably

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COUNTRY CARPENTRY

Doors, repairs, general maintenance etc Call Nick on 07887 358570

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Painting, Decorating & Property Maintenance Free Quotations/No VAT Tel. 01747 825725 or mob: 07984 524446 Email: philipstirk@btinternet.com

LES BENHAM

Painting Services, Property Maintenance, Domestic/ Commercial Inside or Out, Fully Insured/Free Quotes 01258 458849/ 07788 907343 lesbenham@yahoo.co.uk /checkatrade Painting

‘Your

Food company helps good causes

MAJOR food distributor and wholesaler Hunt’s Food Group, based in Sherborne, is partnering with Somerset Community Foundation and Dorset Community Foundation to support good causes.

Hunt’s Food Group Community Fund will aim to relieve poverty and disadvantage, improve mental health and wellbeing, and invest in the next generation.

The fund has awarded its first grants totalling more than £130,000 to support five charities across Somerset and Dorset in communities where the company’s staff live and work.

The grants, awarded over the next three years, and worth £26,250 to each good cause, have gone to:

• St Peter’s Community Centre, Yeovil, to support a community hub in the Westfield district

• Yeovil Opportunity Group, to provide support for children

with additional needs and their families

• Escapeline, to support children in Somerset and Dorset affected by county lines drugs gangs

• Countrymen UK, Sherborne, to provide activities and opportunities in a farm environment for men experiencing social isolation

• Treads, Blandford Forum, to support disadvantaged young people to take healthy, safe and confident steps towards adulthood and independence

Hunt’s Food Group chair Richard Hunt said: “We have a ‘support local’ focus here at Hunt’s Food Group.

“We’ve over 100 years of history in our local community and hope to continue this for another 100 years by providing employment, supporting local producers and giving back to communities.

“We’re delighted to have established the Hunt’s Food

Group Community Fund in partnership with Somerset Community Foundation to provide long-term, strategic funding for vital local charities who work tirelessly to change lives where we live and work.

“We’re very proud to have recently gained our B-Corp accreditation – the fund is part of our commitment to using our resources to benefit our wider communities, not just our shareholders.”

With more choice and flexibility surrounding retirement and with people, on average, living longer than before, it’s important to make sure your pension plans are on track.

Utilising our experience, we can help you manage your income and savings, whilst guiding you through the complications of tax, so you can enjoy the lifestyle you desire.

Staff from Somerset Community Foundation and Hunt’s Food Group on a visit to Westfield Community Centre in Yeovil. In the picture (from left) Steve Hart, chair of St Peter’s Community Centre; Laura Blake, philanthropy director at Somerset Community Foundation; Karina Quayle, head of HR at Hunt’s Food Group; Marie Rice, centre manager at St Peter’s Community Centre; Richard Hunt, chairman at Hunt’s Food Group.

High price of the humble potato

by Barbara Cossins

EVERY day people are struggling with the cost of living and when their basic staples double in price overnight, it’s hard to find words to describe how worrying the situation has become.

Several factors are influencing the current high price of potatoes. These include energy costs, fuel and fertiliser, which have forced some growers not to plant potatoes at all, so demand exceeds supply.

Growing potatoes requires a lot of water and fertiliser, and, as ever, the weather plays a major role. If farmers face a delay in harvesting or planting because of the weather, this comes at a price.

Lower potato crop yields and the lack of available labour –thanks again Brexit and Covid – puts extra demands on the crop, too.

Add on rising demand for

processed potatoes like French fries, that only increases year on year, and prices are certain to reach record levels in 2023.

I’m very worried about the

high cost of a bag of potatoes. They went from £10 to £12 last year, to now costing a whopping £20-£28 for the same size bag this year. How on earth can the

average UK family afford that? It shows again how fragile the supply chain can be.

I can hear my mum telling me off when I was a young girl for peeling potatoes too thickly and for cutting half the potato away. Her words ring in my ears now when I’m thinking about the price of a bag of potatoes for my pub-restaurant, and I should heed them!

When you eat potatoes this summer, savour every mouthful. We must all appreciate what we are eating and learn how to cook fresh, seasonal produce to save money and help our farmers and growers.

Charities and food banks are crying out for help to feed people who can’t afford to buy cheap, processed food from the supermarkets. Those same charities and food banks have fresh produce rotting on their shelves as no-one wants it.

Why? Well, mainly because

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

A bag of potatoes which cost £10 to £12 last year is now £20 to £28 PHOTO: congerdesign/Pixabay

people don’t know how to cook from scratch. What a shame! Food education is so important. We all need to be able to afford to eat a balanced diet and cook again to keep ourselves and our families healthy. It’s so much cheaper to cook your own meals than rely on ready meals and takeaways.

Next time you see a wonky vegetable, remember it’s cheaper and tastes the same as a

straight one. Our farmers have had to plough these vegetables back into the ground, which is madness when people can’t afford to feed themselves.

Let’s keep on eating local.

n Barbara Cossins is founder of Love Local Trust Local –www.lovelocaltrustlocalawards. co.uk; Rawston Farm Butchery – www.rawstonfarmbutchery. co.uk; The Langton Arms –www.thelangtonarms.co.uk

Enford Farm Shop

Durweston DT11 0QW

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

01258 450050

Our Main Menu:

Available for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, and Sunday lunch.

Set Sunday Roast: 2 Courses - £ 35, 3 Courses - £ 40

Enjoy captivating live Jazz with the Simply Jazz Trio on the last Thursday evening of each month, from 7pm to 9pm.

Listen as you delight in seasonal dishes, exciting cocktails and fine wines. Or simply come to enjoy a drink in our lovely mezzanine bar, Wednesday to Saturday 12-3pm & 6-11pm, Sunday 12-4pm.

Meditations in nature: The choughs of Andalucía

by Susanna Curtin

I AM writing this from the romantic town of Ronda, a delightful location high in the Serannia de Ronda mountains of Andalucía. I have come here to experience Flamenco music and to learn more about the cultural influences that have shaped it. But like always, I also find myself drawn to the wildlife that adds to the town’s atmosphere, particularly the birds that inhabit the tall cliffs on which the place is built.

The new and old towns of Ronda are perched either side of the El Tajo Canyon through which the River Guadalevin flows quietly in summer but like a torrent in winter. It is linked by two bridges, the most famous of which is the Puente Nuevo bridge that towers 120m above the floor of the canyon. From one side of this bridge, a walkway extends along the top of the cliff towards my hotel. This is the perfect place to sit and ponder a while, not only to enjoy the majestic views across the mountains but also to watch the swifts, choughs and raptors that soar in the strong thermal

currents. For they have made these sheer rocks their home.

With each passing day, I begin to appreciate the natural rhythms of the place and how each species appears to have a time slot for their performance. For example, every morning I am awoken by the calls of the peregrine falcons nesting just below my hotel. On realising their cries, I can’t help myself as I rush to the balcony to watch them push their wings back and nosedive down the cliffs at up to 200 miles an hour in pursuit of the crag martins. Then there are the family of lesser kestrels. These appear by midafternoon with the sun’s rays backlighting their exquisite markings against the blue sky. These pretty, elegant birds are smaller than our common kestrels. They are also paler in colour and have shorter tails and more rounded wings. They are such a delight to watch as they swirl high, making a high-pitched call as they soar.

An hour or two later, it is the turn of the Bonelli’s eagles. These rare birds have become an icon of the Serrania

mountains. With a wingspan of 1.8 metres, they are identified by their pale underside and dark band on their underwing. I try to time my afternoon swim in the pool accordingly so that I can lie on my back and watch them as they glide effortlessly overhead with their long wings and outstretched primaries that resemble feathery fingers. From this position, their immense size is obvious. They look like flying tables.

But the birds that have really stolen my heart in Ronda are the chattering of choughs which come on mass for a fly-past in late afternoon. Their quirky red beaks and scruffy legs that hang down beneath their bodies like jaunty red sticks make me

laugh. I am instantly reminded of the poem by Rebecca Gethin in which she describes them as ‘side-tumbling from a height’ and ‘swing-rising on the curve of an updraft’, then ‘folding their wings, freefall down-cliff’. I notice them every day in town, perched two by two and side by side neatly on the tiny ledges of the rock face, out of the wind and the sun. Quiet and unassuming, that is until they take flight.

I have come to truly love this corner of Spain. I always leave a little of myself here every time I depart. But then, that gives me a good reason to return.

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

Ronda is high in the Serannia de Ronda mountains of Andalucía

Choughs, ‘quiet and unassuming until they take flight’

marigold is well known for its

‘Sunshine herb’ great for healing

by Fiona Chapman

CALENDULA officinalis or pot marigold is out at the moment. I have a whole half barrel of pot marigold growing which is a beautiful, bright sunny addition to the garden.

Calendula is used in a lot of creams and lotions, and is well known for its healing properties. Topically, it is very good for minor wounds or poor healing skin as it is antiseptic, antibacterial and helps stop bleeding. It is used for leg ulcers, bruises, boils and rashes, and can also soothe inflammation of the mouth or nose. It is useful for nappy rash, burns and stings, and for chicken pox where it prevents and lessens scar formation.

In the old days it was classed as a sunshine herb, suitable for places on the body where the sun doesn’t shine!

It is very easy to make your own Calendula oil. You need a high-quality carrier oil – I use sweet almond but any good base oil will do. Pick the flowers of nthe pot marigold – and it does need to be the pot marigold and not the ornamental types. Make sure they are picked on a dry day. Allow the flowers to dry in

Health & Wellbeing

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.

a north-facing, well-ventilated room for a couple of days. Once dry, place them in a glass bowl. Cover with oil and put the bowl in a bain-marie or on a saucepan of boiling water with the bowl over the top but not touching the water.

Put the water on to heat and allow the oil to warm up with the marigold in it. Don’t overheat the oil or it will de-nature but get it warm enough to extract the properties in the calendula – too hot to touch but not boiling. Let it macerate in the warm oil for at least an hour – it should begin to turn orange. Strain it and then repeat again with a new batch of flower heads a second and third time for a strong, healing balm.

You can add essential oils to it to make a lovely softening and beautiful smelling skin oil. I add Hypericum, Capsicum, Symphytum and Arnica oil for a very effective trauma oil for sprains and strains. I also add beeswax to make it into a cream and use it as a base for sore hands, varicose veins and haemorrhoids.

n Fiona Chapman is a naturopathic herbalist; email Pellyfiona@gmail.com

Pot

healing properties

PHOTO: Vikramjit Kakati/Pixabay

Break in normal routine can make for an unsettling summer-time...

by Alice Johnsen

PEOPLE are creatures of habit and when our habits are shaken up, we are shaken up too. So come July, suddenly we are out of our normal routines of school, after-school clubs, matches, plays, homework. It’s all gone. So too has the familiar classroom, teacher and, for some, the familiar school building. It’s the end of the academic year and there’s a long wait before we can get familiar with the new school year.

For many, that’s fine. It’s good to have a break and a rest from the constant feeling of trying to keep up. But for some, this hiatus is unsettling. If we are unsettled about the future our mind takes the opportunity to focus on ‘what ifs’. We start focussing on things that live only in our minds and don’t

form part of what actually lies ahead. The emotional side of our brains takes over from the logical side.

If we don’t address these

anxieties, they won’t go away. They’ll grow and the effect they have on our mental and emotional wellbeing will seep into other areas of our lives. So, whether it is you, a parent/carer or your children who are feeling anxious about the next academic year, those concerns must be voiced. Either spoken out loud or written down. Once we start addressing our worries, we start seeing them in a different way. We start seeing things in the right perspective.

osc_info@sherborne.com

www.oxleysc.com

If you know your child is anxious about school in September, the best thing you can do is tackle this, albeit slowly and gently, at the start of the school holiday rather than letting it fester. I always recommend having such conversations in a car or while

walking so you are not face to face. Short conversations that you come back to rather than a really long, heavy and potentially frightening discussion. Allow your child all the time they need and to use their own words rather than the words you would use. That’s really key – let your child express their concerns in any way they feel they need to. Or if they find that too complicated, just start by asking them what words they would use to describe how they are feeling about the next school year. It’s a start and a way in to address those underlying questions in their minds. I will write about this again later in the summer. n Alice Johnsen is a life coach based near Sherborne (07961 080513; alicejohnsen.co.uk)

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.

Our Swim School is expanding, spaces now available

Parents and children are shaken out of their normal routines of school, after-school clubs, matches, plays and homework when July comes around PHOTO: Moshe Harosh/Pixabay

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

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ERBAUER 15KG ELECTRIC BREAKER. Hardly used. £180 01747 840681

PARKERKNOLL SLIM RECLINER £30. Astronomical telescope & book with stand £40. Spotting scope with stand £20. Contact: sjgcheleda88@ gmail.com

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TELESCOPE - complete with tripod, lenses and tutorDVD. As new. £100. Contact: 07555 110148

YAMAHA PSR 6000 KEYBOARD, with accessories. £190 ONO. Original cost £1,300. 01258 820908

RYOBI CORDLESS LAWNMOWER and strimmer. Used once! £80. Contact: 07555 110148

OPTICRON FIELD SCOPE with tripod. As new. £100. 07765 800413

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS

JERSEY STAMP BOOKLETS and prestige stamp books 1969-2010. Mint condition in album. Real price 430 approx. 330 ONO

Tel:01305 820878

TITAN CORDLESS GRASS TRIMMER. Unused. Costs £50.

Tel: 01963 370307

ORIGINAL LILLIPUT LANE

‘Micklegate Antiques’ ‘Paradise Lodge’ ‘Beehive Cottage’ Purbeck Stores’ All boxed as new. £10 each. Please ring: 07843 725938

METAL DOG CRATE G/C 920W 660D 590H £10 Tel 01963 362779

BELFAST SINK £15. Cast iron bath £20 ono.01749 812222 or 07842 142435

DURABRAND DBF001 DEEP

FAT FRYER £10. Large George Foreman 25051 Grill £20 Clean and good working order. Phone 07980 379 232

MOBILITY AID - brand new Metal Half Step - £20. Must collect. 07971 070635

ONE CYCLE HELMET USED TWICE. cost £40, accepting £20. Gel saddle for gents bicycle. Nearly new condition, £15 Tel: 01963 31930

CAR ROOF RACK £30

Tel: 01747 840835

SIZE FRIDGE

SMALL GARDEN ROTIVATOR. £40. Needs TLC Tel: 01300 345193 or 07779 077668

APOLLO BIKE, unleashed, red. Front & rear suspension, 21 gears, £35 ONO

Tel: 01935 476815

6 COILS 15mm POLYPLUMB

BARRIER pipe. Varies 25 metres to 57 metres long. Varies £28 to £50.

Tel: 07706 930545.

VINTAGE MODEL AIRCRAFT PLANES

Available to sell as bundle for £50 or individually . Ideal for collector Contact Russell on 07443 438880

RISER RECLINER CHAIR. Beige colour. Good condition. £50. Buyer collects. Tel: 01935 851603

PANASONIC VHS AND DVD PLAYER. £20 Telephone: 01747 229148

DULUX WEATHERSHIELD

EXTERIOR wood stain teak 5 x 5

Lts £ 20.00 per tin

Tel 07803 177164

BRITAX BOULEVARD - childs carseat. ISO fixing. Good condition. FREE Telephone: 01747 854168

WHITE WOODEN COT

Includes mattress 140 x 70cm

Hardly used, in good condition

£50 - buyer collects Tel: 01935 841486

RAWPLUG MACHANICAL HAMMER E2098. Left or Right Crank. Item Old. £20 Telephone 01747 840473

BOSCH ROTAK 32R ELECTRIC LAWNMOWER. Zeals. Working condition. £25.

Contact: 01747 840960

USED STIHL HSE. 71 corded mains hedge cutter. £50 Brian 01747 840434. Penselwood

MILENCO AERO TOWING

MIRRORS with storage bag included. £20.00 Tel: 07812 104086

4 AXLE STANDS £15 total Gillingham area 07555 110148

TWO HALFORDS COLLAPSIBLE BICYCLES, including paniers and helmets. Good condition. £25 each. Telephone 01747 821319.

25KG OF POTTERY CLAY and 20kg pottery plaster. Offers. Sherborne. Contact: 07818 080173

SAMSUNG LED TV. Model no.LE26D450GIW in perfect working order with instruction manual. £50 ONO. For Royal British Legion, Poppy Appeal. Contact: 01747 830499

KOI CARP - first cross - free to a good home - from 8”-18”. Tel: 01460 351434. Buyer collects, south of Yeovil

6 DINING CHAIRS inc. 2 carvers. dark mahogany attractive design. excellent clean condition. £45/setGillingham. Text to 07874 651394

RACQUET BAG PRO KENNEX World Tour £10. Karrimor Trail 45 backpack £30 01747 812071

6 WINSTON CHURCHILL WORLD WAR 2 BOOKS mainly first edition £50. 07765 800413

4 HAND BASINS £6 each or £20 for the 4 Tel: 07743-731685

WANTED

All militaria bought British/Foreign Single items or collections

Contact Tim on 07904 082997

NEST OF TABLES. GOOD CONDITION. £10 Phone - Paula Denham 01935 891494 (Corscombe)

CARD BOARD COWBOY put your heads through cut out ideal for parties £30 contact 07970 568679

FRENCH FARMHOUSE-STYLE display unit white, distressed. Glass front, 10 shelves. £35 buyer collects 07584 255330

FISH POND PUMP, with filter box, spouting fish. £25 Tel: 01300 345193 or 07779 077668

VINTAGE HAND BRACE x 2. With 32 assorted drill bits. Old items. £25.Telephone 01747 840473

CORNER SOFA, MINK COLOUR. Collection from Bourton Free. 07549 801398

SIEMENS CYLINDER VACUUM. All tools and Manual. Perfect condition. £25. 01935-413554

BLUETOOTH SURROUND SYSTEM. £50 ONO. Tel: 01747 853913

16, ANTIQUE HORSE BRASSES £20 (£5 on ebay!) Tony 07598 982824

UNDER COUNTER FREEZER, Zanussi.Good condition £50. Tel 07765 027832

QUANTITY OF QUILTING

THREADS, Gutermann, Coats, YLI. Curved Basting Pins, Jaws Quilt Clips and Quilting needles. £25 ono. 01747 840473

IGENIX WHITE 45 LITRE mini oven with double hotplates new unused box £50.00 Tel 01747 826454

ONE SET(4) HENSELITE BOWLS size 2, ladies shoes size 8 white,(new) with bag.Ideal for beginner £30. 07747 098126

WANTED

OLD BOOKS BOUGHT. Will call by appointment entirely without obligation. Bristow & Garland 07392 602014

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.

Motoring

Drivers express disquiet over parking apps

NEARLY one-in-five drivers (19%) say their local authority has either scrapped parking payment machines or is consulting on doing so, forcing them to use mobile phones to pay instead, new RAC research reveals.

The survey of 1,900 UK drivers found that one-in-10 (11%) reported some or all parking payment machines had already been removed by their local councils with an extra 8% saying their local authority was consulting on doing so.

The RAC’s findings are being driven by the fact many councils are getting rid of parking machines as a result of many older machines relying on 3G mobile phone signals to

function, which telecoms operators are switching off.

This means councils either have to spend large sums on replacing machines with more modern ones or get rid of machines altogether, in turn making drivers use a mobile phone to pay to park – either via an an app like RingGo or PayByPhone or by calling a phone number.

The plan to scrap machines and force people to pay by app triggered a strong reaction among drivers surveyed by the RAC with 59% – and 73% of those aged 65 and over – saying they feel angry at the idea of physical parking machines being removed as they believe they should be able to pay for

Peacemarsh Garage

est. 1997

Peacemarsh, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4HB

www.peacemarshgarage.co.uk

parking however they want.

A fifth of all drivers (20%) said they felt discriminated against as they simply can’t use mobile apps to pay for parking in the first place, a figure that rises to 30% of those aged 65 and over.

Just three-in-10 (31%) of drivers of all age groups are completely comfortable with payment machines being removed – and only 14% of those aged 65-plus.

When asked what impact a council removing payment parking machines would have on them, half (48%) said they would drive to a different car park where they could still pay using cash or a bank card.

But a quarter (27%) said they would struggle to find

somewhere else to park that was convenient, a figure that rises to 38% for drivers aged 65 and over – which suggests councils that choose to ditch machines risk putting off some drivers from visiting town and city centres.

A fifth (19%) of all respondents said they would complain to their local council and/or Member of Parliament if payment machines in their areas were to be removed.

Levelling-up secretary Michael Gove wrote to councils in April expressing concern about drivers being ‘digitally excluded’ without alternative payment methods being in place.

Separately, the Department for Transport is developing the National Parking Platform (NPP), a publicly owned software platform that would make finding and paying for parking easier for drivers confident using apps. In theory, drivers would be able to use a single mobile app of their choice to pay.

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.

We don’t buy any car…but we might buy yours

MOTS, SERVICING AND REPAIRS ON ALL VEHICLES UP TO 3.5 TONNES INCLUDING HORSEBOXES AND MOTORHOMES

MOTS – class 4,5 and 7

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

Diagnostics

Diagnostics Air Conditioning

Air conditioning

Collections within a 5 mile radius

Courtesy Cars

Valets

Concessions for Pensioners, Armed Forces and Emergency Services

Concessions for Armed Forces and Emergency Services

Courtesy Cars

Collections within a 5 mile radius

Concessions for Pensioners, Armed Forces and Emergency Services

blackmorevale.net

FOR SALE DUE TO BEREAVEMENT. Bedford

Nipper 1989. MOT until May 24. Please ring 07972 019710

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY

TD5 GF. Silver. Long MOT. 162,000 miles. Fair condition.

£2,250 ONO. Contact: 07703 811943 or 01722 714653

1996 ROVER 114 CABRIOLET. Metro-sized made by Rover with power hood. Good condition. Owned for 10 years, always garaged. Summer use only. New MOT.

£2,800 ONO. Contact: 07969 453307, Yeovil area.

CLASSIC MAZDA E2200 panel van for restoration, 1997 £1500,Tel: 07836 216686

MOTORBIKES WANTED

Non runners and Unwanted Phone Keith on 07966 213344

2012 PEUGEOT PARTNER, LWB, 1.6 HDI, extra seats in the rear, full service history, no VAT. £4,950. Trade. Tel: 01935 872421

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

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

FOR SALE COACHMAN 545 CARAVAN

2017 FSH many extras. Email: raysmith1936@gmail.com for more information

2013 (63) BMW 1 Series 116i 1.6 M Sport Automatic 5dr.

136bhp, petrol, 8 speed automatic gearbox, parking sensors, auto lights & wipers, Bluetooth, lovely looking M Sport model, 82,100 miles ................................................................................£9650

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

2018 (18) Ford Fiesta 1.0T EcoBoost Titanium Nav 5dr.

100bhp, petrol, 6 speed manual gearbox, sat nav, cruise control, touch screen, Bluetooth, hill start assist, auto lights & wipers, auto main beam, sign recognition, lane keeping aid, parking sensors, award winning engine, upto 65mpg, 88,800 miles .............£8950

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, sat nav, heated leather & steering wheel, twin sunroof, cruise control, auto lights & wipers, parking sensors, Bluetooth, cambelt kit replaced, only 54,900 miles............................................................£14950

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

2014 (14) Vauxhall Agila 1.2 S 5dr. 92bhp, petrol, 5 speed manual gearbox, high seating position for easy access, decent boot with flat folding rear seats, air con, £35 tax, 55mpg, only 65,200 miles............................................Available soon £4650

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

IN MEMORIAM THANK YOU

LANGDON, VERONICA HELEN

Remembering you on your birthday on the 25th of July, the ninth one since you were so suddenly taken away from me. I think of all of the good times we had together, and miss you a lot.

Until we meet again, your ever loving husband, Richard xxx

BIRTHDAY

VIC CHAFFEY

Happy 90th birthday Dad.

Lots of love, Julie and Malc, Colin and Mandy xxxx

PUBLIC NOTICES

OLIVE ALLARD Deceased

Pursuant to the Trustee Act 1925 anyone having a claim against or an interest in the Estate of the deceased, late of Abbey View Nursing & Residential Home, Bristol Road, Coldharbour, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 4HG, who died on 24/02/2023, must send written particulars to the address below by 22/09/2023, after which date the Estate will be distributed having regard only to claims and interests notified. Susan Lacey c/o Farnfields Solicitors, 4 Church Lane, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8JT.

Ref: SL/86317-1

Notice is given that ALICE CHRISTIANE FAVRE and DAVID STEPHEN FAWTHROP have applied to Dorset Council for a new premises licence in respect of: Chettle Village Store, The Old Cart Shed, Chettle, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8DA for the provision of alcohol generally between the hours of: 08:00 and 19:00, Monday to Saturday, 09:00 and 17:00 on Sunday. Any interested party or responsible authority may make representations in writing to, The Licensing Section, Dorset Council, South Walks House, South Walks Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1UZ within 28 days from the date of this notice. The licensing register and details of this application may be inspected during normal office hours at the above address. 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 and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for the offence is a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale (£5000).

DATE: 13/07/2023

NICK CHAVE

Mareth and family would like to thank all who attended Nick’s Funeral. Thanks for the donations to Nick’s chosen charities. Please accept this as our personal thanks.

THANK YOU

I’d love to say a very big thank you to all the staff at Shaftesbury Art Centre, especially Denise and Sue, for all the care you gave me when I was unwell on Friday evening, the 15th July, and the paramedics.

With Love, Sue and Dave

DEATHS

FLOWER Rob

Passed away on 5th July 2023 after a short illness. Aged 68 years.

Rob’s funeral service will take place on Monday 24th July 2023, Mendip Crematorium at 10.30a.m. Donations in memory of Rob are invited for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and may be sent C/O A. J. Wakely & Sons, The Old Police Station, Carrington Way, Wincanton, BA9 9JS. Tel: 01963 31310 Please make cheques payable to the charity.

MARK COCKERELL

Peacefully on the 7th July 2023 at Wincanton Community Hospital. Mark Andrew aged 59 years of Wincanton. A much loved Husband and Dad who will be greatly missed by all his family and friends. Funeral service at Yeovil Crematorium on Tuesday, 1st August at 12 noon. Family flowers only please, donations if desired or The Friends of Wincanton Community Hospital. C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services. Mons, High St, Henstridge, BA8 0RB. Tel: 01963 362570

Lt Col Rtd STEPHEN LAGADU

It is with huge sadness that we are sharing news of the passing of Stephen Paul Lagadu. Beloved husband to Liz, father of Daniel & Nicole and grandfather. He passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family on Monday 10th July 2023 after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer.

A huge thank-you to the staff at Salisbury Hospice who cared so wonderfully for him in his final days.

DEATHS

TEAGUE

Claude

Walter

Aged 89 years of Charlton Musgrove. On 2nd July 2023, peacefully at his home. A much loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend to many. Thanksgiving Service at St Stephen’s Church, Charlton Musgrove on Monday 24th July at 2.p.m.

Donations in memory of Claude are being invited for Cats Protection or The Alzheimer’s Society.

C/O Harold F. Miles, Funeral Director, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES. Telephone. (01963) 440367

COX

Suzanne

Mary

Aged 61years of Yeovil, formerly of Wincanton. On 1st July 2023, peacefully at Yeovil District Hospital. A much loved sister, aunt, great aunt and friend.

Funeral Service at Yeovil Crematorium on Friday 28th July at 12.40.a.m.

Family flowers only please, donations in memory of Suzanne are being invited for Target Ovarian Cancer.

C/O Harold F.Miles, Funeral Director, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES Telephone (01963) 440367

MITCHELL

Kenneth Albert James

Surrounded by his family, Ken died peacefully on 10th July 2023 at Sherborne House Care Home, Yeovil.

Aged 90 years, of Henstridge.

Beloved husband of Hazel. Loving dad to Kevin, Bridget, Jackie and Barry. A much loved grandad and great grandad. The family would like to give a special thanks to the staff at Sherborne House for their caring, understanding and Kindness to all the family.

Funeral service at Yeovil Crematorium on Friday 18th August at 2.40pm. No flowers please. Donations if desired, in memory of Ken for Dementia UK can be made online at peterjacksonfuneralservices.co.uk or sent c/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge BA8 0RB Tel. 01963 362570

NORMAN EDWARD MILLS

Former landlord of the Baker Arms Public House Child Okeford passed away peacefully at home on July 10th. He will be sadly missed by his wife Maureen and daughter Jackie and all his family and friends

née Taplin

Peacefully on the 10th July 2023. Ann aged 83 years of Stour Provost, formerly of Gillingham.

Dearly loved Wife of Michael and Mother of Nicola & David. Much loved Grandmother and Great Grandmother. Funeral Service at Yeovil Crematorium on Tuesday 25th July at 12noon.

Family flowers only please donations if desired for The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Trust.

C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Harwood House, Newbury, Gillingham, SP8 4QJ. Tel 01747 833757

ANN PIKE

Lucy takes over at funeral directors

BRANCHES of a funeral director in Corfe Mullen and Blandford have a new manager.

Lucy Lester, pictured, has taken over at Lesley Shand branches in the towns, moving from a role in customer services in the private health sector.

She is now overseeing the two branches, among seven owned by the Dorset-based Douch Family Funeral Directors.

“This is a wonderful company to work for who really cares for its clients – we always go that extra mile,” Lucy said.

“As well as doing my National Association of Funeral Director (NAFD) qualifications, I am determined to increase the community use of our facilities, in Corfe Mullen and Blandford, as we have beautiful ceremony rooms at both locations.

“These rooms can be tailored for any number of uses, from small community groups to bereavement counselling. It really is a tremendous asset for both locations.

“I am also enthusiastic about helping care home staff understand what happens when a resident they have cared for and have got to know so well dies.

“So, I have invited local care home staff to the branches to provide them with a better understanding of what happens when one of their residents comes into our care.

“I am also backing the NAFD Bereavement in Education campaign and hope that acknowledging and handling grief becomes a subject covered by the National Curriculum.

“There is a large cross over between the

healthcare and funeral industries – the most important of which is being there for families and loved ones through a difficult time and walking with them along that path.”

Nick Douch, managing director of Douch Family Funeral Directors, welcomed Lucy aboard.

“Lucy brings with her vast experience of working in the care industry within the local area,” he said.

“She has managerial expertise and already is making a difference in Corfe Mullen and in Blandford.

“Being a family business, we have certain values we want to adopt and Lucy embodies those. She is a great fit for the business.”

Recruitment

THE BRUTON DENTAL PRACTICE is currently looking for a Dental Hygienist. Full chair-side assistance provided. Help with CPD and competitive rates of pay.

If are interested in working at our friendly practice then please get in touch, via email to info@brutondental.co.uk or by phone on 01749 812461

PART-TIME DRIVER and odd painting and decorating jobs required in Stalbridge area. Must be willing to do early mornings, and late night drives, as well as very occasional weekend jobs.

Full clean driving licence required, Good Rates of pay. For more details please contact William Hughes Ltd on 01963 363377 or email: hr@wmhughes.co.uk.

blackmorevale.net/jobs

DAIRY FARM BETWEEN WINCANTON AND BRUTON looking for full-time position. Afternoon milkings and general farm work. Contact: 07812 009364

A.P.STEPHENS & SON LTD

Require Multi-Skilled Labourer. Full time Blandford. Call Luke 07818 297152

SIGMA ENGINEERING Vehicle Technician

SALES SUPPORT/ CUSTOMER SATISFACTION STAFF required in Wincanton. To take orders, sell products and deal with enquiries. We are looking for someone to build relationships with our customers, increase sales, and support our friendly Sales Team. An interest and knowledge of food would be beneficial. 25-30 hours per week. Email: careers@finefoodco.co.uk

Independent Boarding and Day School for Pupils aged 4 -18 GSA/CISC

Independent Co-educational Boarding and Day School Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form The Society of Heads/CISC

Full time (Monday–Friday) Classic cars, engine rebuilding etc

Gillingham info@sigmadorset.co.uk

CLASSIC CAR SPECIALIST IN MERE area looking to recruit a new member to the team. Good general understanding of automobiles and an automotive passion is required, with the ability to embrace learning new skills. Please contact Adam Gallaway on 01747 860715

Driver Required

Lay Chaplain Part time Part time Teacher of RS (Optional) Required

from January 2024

We are seeking to appoint an inspirational Lay Chaplain to join our forward-thinking school.

PA R T T I M E , T E R M T I M E O N LY

Reporting directly to the Head, the role of the Lay Chaplin is co-ordinate the Chaplaincy work throughout the school, including leading the spiritual and prayer life of the school as a Catholic community, and developing, encouraging and strengthening the faith of all members of the community. There is also an opportunity to teach RS on a part time basis.

You will set an example of committed Christian living in word and deed and to co-ordinate all aspects of the school’s commitment to its Catholic ethos.

We are seeking to appoint a School Minibus Driver t at the end of August 2018 The role entails drivin School vehicles on designated routes collecting child the morning and dropping off in the afternoon a arranged points. You will also assist with some maintenance and cleaning of the fleet The pr qualities sought are a genuine commitment to the w and safety of young people You must hold a valid Manual, (D or D1) Licence

Part-time, split-shift term-time

vacancies, as well as casual/relief

There is some flexibility regarding hours of work which will be term time only (34 weeks) plus two days at the start and end of each term. Salary will be dependent on qualifications and experience.

Hours: 20 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 0630 to and 1730 to 1930 Term Time only. Rate of Pay: £9. hour plus holiday pay.

For further information and to download an application form please visit our website: https://www.leweston.co.uk/information/work-with-us

Please send your CV with the names of two refe to the HR Manager, Leweston School Leweston, Sherborne, DT9 6EN or email: recruitment@leweston.dorset.sch.u www.leweston.co.uk An enhanced DBS check will be undertaken by the School Closing date: 15th August 2017

No previous experience required. in your area. shifts available for school routes

Comprehensive training provided.

Closing date for Applications: Friday 4th August 2023 For

PT GARDENING HELP REQUIRED

over Summer. No experience necessary. Salisbury area. Hours/rate negotiable. Own transport required. Call 07456 890899

PART-TIME ART GALLERY ASSISTANT.

Swan Gallery, Sherborne. Experience unnecessary. Enthusiasm & communication skills essential. 01935 814465. 07785 757034.

CLEANER REQUIRED for 5-6 hours per week in a private house in the Wimborne/Furzehill area. Contact - 01202884413 O7850 819056 haycockc@gmail.com

Clean Room Production Operatives

Local Medical Company based between Gillingham and Shaftesbury.

GAUNTS ESTATE, WIMBORNE, looking for an office assistant, part time. charles@gauntsestate.co.uk.

BRICKLAYER/MASON

required on large refurbishment project. Start immediately. Contact TA Green Builders. 01963 34221

FULL TIME SERVICE TECHNICIAN

Servicing Folding Dining Tables in schools

Full training given Clean driving licence Good rates of pay. Immediate start for right person

Contact peter@ innovatethegroup.co.uk

Auction House Porter

A bright, motivated and dynamic candidate is required to work in the saleroom at one of the UK’s leading auction houses.

Reporting to William Batt the role will offer the candidate an exciting career path and the potential to join a fast-growing organisation.

The primary function of the role is to provide an effective and efficient service to all Duke’s customers, clients and support the internal team by co-ordinating and overseeing the smooth running of all aspects of the saleroom.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

•Receiving deliveries (into the saleroom), unpacking items

•Ticketing items and checking inventories and shippers’ delivery notes against items received, liaising with the Auction Administrator to ensure items are correctly receipted

•Effective organization and maintenance of on-site storage spaces

•Location control of all items, on and off site

•Ensuring other staff members are familiar with and adhering to the online object tracking system

•Overseeing the safe and effective display of objects in the viewing rooms for pre-auction viewing and maintaining all rooms to this standard

•General auction and viewing day duties, such as assisting clients with locating lots, sale day clearance, providing relevant and helpful information, sold and unsold lot labelling, assisting with condition report and image requests

•Assisting clients with clearing sold and unsold lots pre and post-sale, with the use of email and in person

•Assisting valuers and administrative staff as required

•Ensuring all elements of the building, saleroom and storage spaces are maintained to a high standard of cleanliness and tidiness

Competitive salary (dependent on experience)

If you are interested in joining our dynamic team please send a 1 page CV and 1 page covering letter to Victoria Wild: victoria.wild@dukes-auctions.com Closing date for applications is 31st July

Production Sta – 5pm – 10pm £12 per hour

Students under 18 £8 per hour

£15.00 per hour

Part time

Port Regis is a delightful preparatory school, for day and boarding children aged 2-13, in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

We are seeking to recruit to the following roles:

FOOD SERVICES ASSISTANTS

GYMNASTICS COACH

HEAD OF GYMNASTICS

KITCHEN PORTERS

PURCHASE LEDGER CLERK

The successful candidates can expect competitive rates of pay and benefits; and to join an exceptional working environment and staff team.

For full details of the roles and application procedure, please visit our website - portregis.com/vacancies

Early applications encouraged

Port Regis (Charity No: 306218) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS and safer recruitment vetting checks.

Millbrook House is seeking a talented and passionate cook to work with our dedicated team to make a positive impact on the lives of our residents through culinary experience.

We provide excellent homemade, beautifully presented meals, cakes, and bakes to enhance our residents dining experience.

Based at Millbrook House, Child Okeford DT11 8EY

22.5 hours a week over three days, alternate weekends required.

If you are interested in this rewarding opportunity, please visit our website to apply or call us for further information. Together we create culinary moments that warm hearts and nourish souls.

Recruitment

LOOKING FOR AN ADMINISTRATOR to support a small team on a part-time basis, this role may lead to hybrid depending on level of experience. Call 07908 787105

GREAT OPPORTUNITY! HEAD COACH REQUIRED for North Dorset Turbos Swimming Club, Gillingham. Contact chairpersonndt@gmail.com to find out more.

DOG WALKER & OVERNIGHT HOUSE SITTER roles. http://www. moocheswithpooches.com

OVERNIGHT CARE REQUIRED ASAP for about two weeks. 8pm-8am. Near Blandford. Contact: 01258 830377

DRIVER/LABOURER REQUIRED. Full time. Stalbridge Based. Contact Peter: 07971 007551 or 01963 362785

CLEANER WANTED. 3 hours weekly - late morning or afternoon. Day by arrangement. Telephone 01747 840200

BOOKKEEPER required for rapidly growing construction company

Working hours will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 – 5 Knowledge of Xero (Or Quickbooks) essential. IAB/AAT level 2 essential. Level 3 preferable. Willingness to grow. Excellent rate of pay.

Please email CV to fiona@onyxcivils.co.uk

Boarding and Day

Prep and Pre-Prep School

Part Time Minibus Driver

Required for September

We are looking for a driver to join our team to collect pupils and drop them off. Part time. Term time only. Meals provided during working hours.

For further details, please contact: Rupert Burnell-Nugent, Sandroyd, Rushmore, Tollard Royal, Nr Salisbury, SP5 5QD Tel: 01725 516329

bursar@sandroyd.com www.sandroyd.org

Closing date Monday 14th August

Sandroyd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This post involves contact with children and is classed as “regulated activity” by the UK government. As such, a number of mandated pre-employment checks (including an enhanced DBS check) will be undertaken to ensure that the successful candidate is suitable for work with children. Additionally, suitability for work with children will be assessed by taking up appropriate references and at interview. Finally, candidates should be aware that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

Boarding and Day Prep and Pre-Prep School

Cleaner/Domestic Assistant Required for September

We seek a cheerful, energetic and hardworking individual to be part of the School’s cleaning team. Term time only. Meals provided during working hours.

For further details, please contact:

Rupert Burnell-Nugent, Sandroyd, Rushmore, Tollard Royal, Nr Salisbury, SP5 5QD

Tel: 01725 516329

bursar@sandroyd.com

www.sandroyd.org

Sandroyd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This post involves contact with children and is classed as “regulated activity” by the UK government. As such, a number of mandated pre-employment checks (including an enhanced DBS check) will be undertaken to ensure that the successful candidate is suitable for work with children. Additionally, suitability for work with children will be assessed by taking up appropriate references and at interview. Finally, candidates should be aware that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020

motivated & skilled mechanical engineer

earn over £40,000 per annum

Join our day shift as a TEAM LEADER, working 40hrs per week, Monday-Friday.

Duties include:

Inspection and repair to our bus fleet to DVSA standard

You must have:

Knowledge of DVSA standards and experience commercial workshop

City and Guilds Level 3/NVQ level 3 in PCV/HGV

Category B driving licenceYou will have proven engineering skills and supervisory experience.

Benefits:

We offer free travel for you, plus one nominee Discounts with major retailers

To apply email your CV to

kevin.betteridge@morebus.co.uk

Closing date for applications is 11th August 2023.

We welcome enquiries from everyone and value diversity in our workforce.

Sport

WINCANTON Golf Club –

Captain’s Cup – June 17: 1 Jon Reed 44, 2 Richard Czemerda 42, 3 Jim Stephen 41 ocb, 4 Mike Doddington 41.

Monthly medal –June 24: 1 Mike Doddington nett 62, 2 David Amann nett 66, 3 David Whitehand nett 70.

Seniors Monthly Medal –June 27: 1 John Morgan nett 65, 2 Geoff Lye nett 66, 3 Jon Reed nett 69 ocb, 4 Trevor Mills nett 69 .

Seniors back nine-hole medal – June 27: 1 Kevin Dineen nett 32, 2 Malcolm Faulkner nett 35, 3 Mike Goodchild nett 37 ocb, 4 Keith Williams nett 37.

Isabella on the road to Rio for World School Games

YOUNG Dorset paraswimmer

Isabella Haynes is set to compete in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil next month after achieving domestic success.

She competed in the British para-swimming meet this spring against para-swimming athletes from around the world and swimmers from the Para-Swimmer GBR Team.

Isabella qualified for four junior national finals over the course of four days gaining 8th place in the 100m breaststroke, 5th place in the 200m individual medal and a strong 4th place in the 100m freestyle.

But her best performance came in the 400m freestyle final where she took the title.

Isabella is a classification S9 swimmer – a through the knee amputee.

She said: “I am not sure why I Iove to swim but I think that swimming is something I excel at and that I can improve on over time.

“Swimming brings me purpose and fuels my competitive drive to win. I

enjoy seeing my progress at the end of a meet and knowing that in that moment I was faster than I ever was before.

“In training what pushes me to commit to early mornings and the hard sessions is that this is a time to improve myself and my swimming.

“No matter how hard it is, I have to do it eventually – there are harder things to overcome in life and I can sleep as much as I want later.

“Swimming has given me unique feelings and emotions, moments when time just feels off or weird.

“Like waiting behind the block at an event, the whistle blowing and release of nervous energy when I hit the water. Nothing else feels like that.

“When swimming with Swim Bournemouth I feel equal and accepted as part of a bigger team.

“Swim Bournemouth allows me to dream big and pursue my dream of becoming a paralympic swimmer.”

ESSA England School’s Swimming Association invited Isabella, from Wimborne, to compete in the ISF U15 World School Games in Rio.

She said: “Competing as a para-swimmer means I get to go to competitions without other swimmers from Swim Bournemouth.

“It is good as I get to meet other para-swimmers and share their experiences. Competing in the big events has helped me mature and grow in confidence.

“I feel strong, capable and confident when I am in the water. The opportunity to go to Rio represents my next big step towards my dream of the Paralympics.

“This is my chance to travel abroad with a team of swimmers I haven’t met before and without my parents to hold my hand.

“It is a little scary but gaining the experience of travelling internationally is just amazing and I want to prove to myself that I can do it, that I am ready for the next challenge.”

2023 Rider Cup –July 8: Winners : Youngsters – John Atkins/Ian Chandler/Steven Ireland/Adam Smith beating the Oldies by 6-2

Seniors monthly stableford – July 11: 1 Rick Graham 49, 2 Trevor Mills 38, 3 Harry Eden 35 ocb, 4 Chris Dibben 35, 5 Jon Reed 35.

Seniors back 9 stableford –July 11: 1 Alan Rogers 19 , 2 Reg Gazzard 14, 3 Rodney Cox 13.

Matt’s champ

SHERBORNE Golf Club

Champion Matt Sandy (pictured) won a competition over two days with 77 entries.

The handicap champion was Elliot Howell who scored 142 and the over-55s scratch winner was Rob Moore with a score of 162.

Young Isabella Haynes is a below the knee amputee

Sport

Bryanston’s big name recruits

SCHOOL SPORT

BIG names from the world of rugby and cricket have been appointed to key roles at Bryanston School at Blandford Forum.

Nick Williams, a former junior All-Black and Cardiff Blues back-row, has been confirmed as the school’s new head of rugby following 16 years at the top of the sport.

And Phil De Glanville, former England captain and RFU Council and Board member, and former Sri Lanka Test cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, have been confirmed as the first two members of Bryanston’s new Sports Advisory Board.

The appointments follow the arrival of Rory McCann as the school’s director of sport and coincide with Bryanston’s lead cricket coach, Richard Scott, being appointed as an England and Lions scout.

Nick Williams retired from professional rugby in 2020 after spending the last four years of his career with Cardiff Blues where he helped inspire the team to European Challenge

Cup success in Bilbao at the end of the 2017/18 season.

He began his career in Super Rugby with the Auckland Blues and North Harbour and earned four caps with the Junior All Blacks before moving to Europe where he played for Aironi, Munster and Ulster before joining Cardiff Blues.

Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara is widely regarded as one of the greatest wicket-keeper-batsmen of all time.

He is Sri Lanka’s highest run scorer in Test cricket and the sixth highest run scorer in the world, playing a total of 134

Rockies gear up for new season

by Avril Lancaster

SHAFTESBURY continued their build up to the new season with a 4-0 win over Wessex League Division 1 side Verwood Town.

Brett Pitman grabbed two goals and Cameron McMonagle and Brandon Channell opened their accounts in the fourth pre-season game of the season.

Managers Luke Burbidge and Jim Milligan looked to slowly increase the levels in the squad when Pitching In Southern League South West Division Westbury United visited on Saturday.

It was a much-changed side

FOOTBALL

with key players Brett Pitman, Lee Francis, Asa Philips and Cameron Beard all rested or recovering from knocks.

Westbury won 4-0 with Aaron Cockerill, Charlie Walton, Ryan Bole and Harvey Flippance on target for the White Horsemen.

The Reserves put in a good performance but lost 2-1 to Warminster Town when they began their pre-season.

The friendlies are giving opportunities to both squads to get minutes.

Greg Peel, returning from

Test matches, 404 ODIs and 56 T20s.

He captained Sri Lanka in 81 matches and in 2012 he was named ICC Cricketer of the Year as well as being named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year and Leading Cricketer of the Year.

He was the first non-British president of the MCC from 2019-20 and a member of the MCC’s influential World Cricket Committee since 2012.

He is currently the director of cricket and head coach for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, as well as a broadcaster for Sky Sports.

Phil de Glanville was a one-club man representing and captaining Bath Rugby for 12 years, and earned 38 international caps for England, captaining his country on ten occasions. He is currently on the main board of the Rugby Football Union.

“As a former pupil at Bryanston myself, I know the school well, so it’s a great feeling to know that I will be supporting the continued development of its enviable heritage and success in sport,” de Glanville said.

“With performance pathways and personalised training programmes, Bryanston has a deep-rooted commitment to help talented youngsters excel and thrive in their sport as well as a ‘sport for all’ philosophy.

“Such an approach is not restricted to traditional sports such as rugby and netball, but also newer sports with a radical edge such as skateboarding and speed climbing.

“I am sure other members of the new advisory board will share my enthusiasm for adding a dynamic new dimension to the school’s sports strategy.”

joint Shaftesbury managers Luke Burbidge and Jim Milligan.

Weymouth manager Bobby Wilkinson brought the whole squad for their visit.

Shaftesbury have a programme of pre-season friendlies

Bemerton Heath Harlequins, has been added to the Rockies’ squad.

n SHAFTESBURY put in two solid performances against Step 2 sides Bath City and Weymouth at Cockrams in a week that saw striker Brett Pitman open his account with two goals.

The 0-0 draw with Bath City was a good workout for both sides and a performance all round that will have pleased

Pitman putt the Rockies ahead in the 25th minute, before Charlie Rowan and Marvin Brooks goals gave the visitors a 2-1 half-time lead.

Then a brilliant finish from Tom Stagg increased Weymouth’s lead after 57 minutes.

Pitman got his second goal on the half-volley to reduce arrears to 2-3 after 66 minutes, which is how it ended.

Shaftesbury now face friendlies with Verwood Town, Westbury United, Wincanton Town, Poole Town and Colden Common in preparation for the Wessex League season.

Nick Williams has been appointed Bryanston’s head of rugby

How to make a vet visit less stressful

by Lynn Broom Longmead Veterinary Practice

VETERINARY surgeries can be stressful places for owners and their pets. A strange place with strange smells and barking dogs and negative memories can all combine to make them a place you’d rather not visit. There are ways that we can reduce the negativity and difficulties encountered.

You can start preparing at home. Checking your pet over regularly will really help in many ways. Regularly touching and picking up your pet’s feet, feeling them all over, lifting their gums to check their teeth and touching their eyes/ears and around their tail base will all help make this a more normal experience rather than it happening for the first time in the vets.

Sometimes the only time

your dog goes in the car they are going to the vets and they may then associate the car with this and refuse to get in it. Try pairing car journeys with something positive such as a walk or even just getting in the car, having a treat and getting back out again. Owners can get anxious at the vets for various reasons. People may associate vets with ‘white coat syndrome’ and the same negative connotations as doctors or dentists. You may be worried about what you are going to hear or what we might find or have had a previous traumatic experience. Your pet may pick up on this and this can increase their anxiety levels.

Trying to stay calm will help your pet do so too.

Muzzle training is a useful aspect of owning a dog. There should be no stigma associated with this – all dogs have the potential to bite if really scared or in pain. A muzzle can also help take away any anxiety you may feel when putting in eye or ear drops. This again means that, when a muzzle is needed in the vets, the dog is used to wearing one and tolerates it readily.

until your dog is happy with the previous stage.

Bring your dog into the vets to say hello and have a treat then go away again. Try to combine a visit with a positive experience. Otherwise, vet visits may only be associated with something painful or scary and, understandably, an experience your dog will not want to repeat.

If your pet does or doesn’t like something – tell us first! It is better that we avoid an element of an examination, or prepare accordingly, than get bitten due to the dog’s response. Don’t think that a muzzle is a negative thing. If we can examine fully because we know we are not at risk of being bitten then the exam will be more informative.

To place your classified adverts call Phoenix Witt-Tower 01963 400186

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Making wearing a muzzle a positive experience is relatively easy. Local dog trainer Jenny McDouall recommends starting with leaving the muzzle lying around so that taking it out of the cupboard does not evoke a response. Use a cup with the bottom cut off and let your dog sniff it and pair it with a treat. Encourage – but do not force –the dog to place its nose in and gradually change to the muzzle. Pairing the noise of the clip closing with a treat – prior to clipping the muzzle on – will also reduce the shock of hearing the noise for the first time. Do not advance to the next stage

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If your dog is really anxious at the vets this can become a phobia and get worse with time. Breaking this cycle is essential to prevent this. Balancing negative experiences with positive can help. Using anti-anxiety supplements or medications should also be considered where helpful.

We want to help you and your pet but at the same time we have to consider our safety. If we can avoid a confrontation and physical restraint then it is better for you, your pet and us.

8 WEEK OLD KITTENS. Free to good home. Telephone: 01747 828736

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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 Bean & Boo (two months). Bundles of fun looking for a home together

BEHAVIOUR TIPS

n Peggy (14 years). Likes fuss on her terms. Sweet old girl who acts younger than her age

n Poppy (three years). Looking for a quiet home and someone with the patience she needs to come out of her shell

n Honey (four years). Looking for a quiet home in the country away from busy roads

n Willow & Princess (one year). Affectionate pair looking for a home together

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.

n Tabby and white, missing from Haycombe, Durweston, since about June 14.

n Black and white, missing from Stourpaine since June 30.

Tip #44: Learn to earn

THIS is especially useful for dogs that don’t listen to their owners or where there is a poor dog-owner relationship – often the result of frequent reprimands.

Learn to earn involves the owner taking control of everything the dog desires or needs so they can ensure that they now come ONLY via the owner – in return for the dog doing something for them.

This effectively changes the relationship so that the dog instead of seeing the owner as someone who is always telling him off and trying to restrict access to resources is now the bringer of all good things.

The owner is suddenly worth listening to as – if the dog doesn’t listen or do as asked, he doesn’t get what he wants – until he does.

It may be that he wants to go into the garden or get on the sofa, to be let off the lead, to have some food or a treat or a throw of his toy.

n Black three-legged cat missing from Gillingham, since July 1. 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, timid middle-aged cat found Harewood Place, Blandford. n Bengal, found Corfe Mullen.

All of these are still available – but now they have to be earned rather than demanded or taken freely and, as such, are also valued much more highly. Next time, some practical tips!

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

Now Sebastian’s got a BFF!

by Tria Stebbing

VALENTINE arrived – and it was the sweetest thing. We based ourselves over the field for a few days to watch and monitor but needn’t have worried.

Valentine, our new Dexter steer, was the middle child in his previous herd, and what we have seen since his arrival is Valentine grow into a confident young man who has clearly found his best friend. From the moment he was dropped off Highland bull Sebastian decided Valentine was BFF –young person speak for Best Friend Forever – and for the first few days followed him around in very close proximity, not letting him out of his sight. If we approached, Sebastian would put himself between Valentine and ourselves and stand fast.

We also gave Sebastian a bit of a trim – his fringe was covering his face and he could not see out clearly. Maybe, in hindsight, that was a good thing.

Over the next week Valentine

became more confident and it has become a game to the boys now. They wait by the gate at the time of day they are checked and then race across the field in front of HI to see who can get to the field shelter first. Sebastian has perfected a little sideways kick as he passes which almost looks like a skip – they are both enjoying the human interaction and both come forward for a head rub.

This curious weather continues – having just come out of the warmest June on record, we are now in a period of changeable weather, which the hedgerow appears to love. The fields that have not been cut yet are growing well and we have our fingers crossed that we get another dry spell long enough to cut and bale those too.

Slightly less to do on the smallholding allows time for tractor runs and country shows. Those of you not familiar with the tractor run probably wonder what enjoyment is to be found following a group of men in overalls across the country.

Most of the tractor runs are a fundraising effort for a valuable cause and men that otherwise do not have the time or inclination to socialise go out and converse with others.

Frustrating as it might be to get stuck behind them, and they do plan their routes carefully, be patient – we all have our place and we all need to take our turn.

Next week we are excited to be visiting a local pre-school with ‘Blue’ and a few of his

friends, to introduce sheep farming to the next generation. Fingers crossed the animals play the ‘get into the sheep trailer’ game and do not decide to be stubborn. Sheep and small children – what could possibly go wrong!

Actually, the children wanted to see Sebastian, but we gracefully declined, as he is still a little bit unsure of special awareness with those horns, so we opted for the easier option.

Dogs on the beach: Have your say

PEOPLE are being urged to have their say over where and when dogs should be allowed in Dorset’s public spaces –including beaches.

Dorset Council has launched a consultation over a new dog-related Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

The PSPO identifies where, when and how dogs can use green spaces and beaches, with the current order set to expire at the end of the year.

The consultation is a chance for residents, business owners, organisations and visitors to

have their say on where and when they think restrictions should be placed on dogs in public places.

It will also cover topics such as fouling and lead length rules.

The council said the PSPO is in place to protect human health, with dog fouling in particular having the potential to cause toxocariasis – a nasty infection that can lead to dizziness, nausea, asthma and even blindness or seizures.

The order gives protection to public spaces used for a range of activities including sports fields, playgrounds and beaches.

Cllr Laura Beddow, portfolio holder for culture and communities at the council, said: “As a dog owner myself, I know how important it is to exercise your pup responsibly. There are an amazing variety of places to walk dogs, without the need to use public spaces where children and families spend

time. The consultation will gather information from dog and non-dog owners, residents and visitors, and other organisations such as town and parish councils. All this information will be considered to make the new PSPO.”

The consultation started on June 14 and will finish on August 25. The consultation can be found at https://consultation. dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/ consultation-and-engagement/ proposed-dog-related-publicspaces-protection-order/ Paper copies will be available in Dorset libraries, or on request by calling 01305 221000.

The final recommendation for the new PSPO will be considered by Dorset Council’s place and resources overview committee and cabinet.

Dorset Council is running a consultation on a new Public Spaces Protection Order

Brothers in arms – Sebastian and Valentine

New graduates set to join the world of work

by Martha Twist

BVSc MRCVS of Friars Moor Livestock Health

AS university exam season draws to a close, and graduation celebrations are being excitedly planned around the UK, our industry is set to welcome a new cohort of veterinary surgeons to the world of work.

This is a transition that still feels fresh in my mind as I remember the jump from student to surgeon back in 2021, in a world still full of face masks and self-isolation.

It can feel like a learning curve slightly too steep to overcome at times as you find yourself no longer the student avidly following in the trail of someone more experienced, but suddenly being out on farm alone and having the responsibility all to yourself.

This is, of course, what you have been working towards for at least the previous five years in university, plus weekends

and holidays spent helping in the milking parlour and mucking out lambing pens for many years before that.

This is an exciting change, but daunting nonetheless. The infamous imposter syndrome is inevitable to a cohort that have spent all their years in education as high-achieving perfectionists.

No university course can truly prepare you for the independence that comes with being a farm vet – from your first solo sick cow call, or the first time you are woken up at 3am for a calving.

While trying to remember all your new clinical knowledge, you must juggle communication skills, practical competences, confidence in your own abilities, the odd bit of map reading when the postcode inevitably doesn’t lead you to the right farm – and do it all while mildly sleep-deprived as you dive into out of hours emergency calls for the first

Newly

time.

Employing a new graduate means opening our doors to an individual teeming with the newest advances in veterinary medicine, armed with the knowledge and valuable new perspectives taught by top professors in the industry. This is invaluable in a sector

like ours that is ever-changing and developing.

So, as we welcome a new graduate into the midst of our busy farm practice in the rural South-West, we must remember our own experiences in our first years of the job – and do what we can to nurture their confidence and progression.

qualified vets will have spent at least five years at university, plus weekends and holidays spent helping in the milking parlour and mucking out lambing pens for many years before that

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TUESDAY 1st AUGUST 2023 - Commencing at 11am. Viewing 10am. Catalogue online cooperandtanner.co.uk/forthcoming-sales inc Conditions of Sale & Payment Terms. Enquiries 01373 831010(3)

FORTHCOMING DATES - Catalogues online or tel 01373 831010 (3):

Sat 12th Aug – Garden Stoneware, Rec, Furniture & Plants nr Frome

Tues 12th Sept – Farm Machinery near Warminster

Thurs 21st Sept – Collective Machinery, Frome Market – Entries Invited

FARMS & LAND For free Marketing Advice contact Martin Hemmett 01373 455060, Ross Whitcombe 01458 834288 or Hannah Pole 01761 411010

FARM & RURAL FINANCE – Contact your regional agents

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Tori Osborne 01934 740055

Nick Oliver 01458 834288

STANDING STRAW AUCTION

ON-SITE DISPERSAL AUCTIONS

Wednesday 28th June at 6.30pm

Saturday 29th July

Bindon & Pinhay

Buckham Down Farm, Beaminster DT8 3SH

The Grain Store, Heathfield, Rousdon, Dorset 830ac of Standing Straw

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• 461ac Wheat

• 237ac Winter Barley

• 132ac Oats

Friday 30th June at 12 noon

Durweston

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• 2,442ac Wheat

• 281ac Winter Barley

• 119ac Spring Barley

Saturday 5th August

• 229ac Oats

Rylands Farm, Boys Hill, Holnest, Sherborne DT9 5PS

• 70ac Oil Seed Rape

Charity Auction of Classic and Vintage Tractors, Farm Machinery, Workshop Items, Bygones and Miscellaneous.

Full catalogues available at symondsandsampson.co.uk

Entries to date include: Massey Ferguson 135 with Cab, Ferguson TEF20, 3 x Fordson Super Majors, International 444, International B275, Leyland 272, Land Rover Series 3, Bamfords 3f Plough, Cambridge Rollers, Parmiter Post Driver, 16ft Chain Harrows, Fosters 6’ Topper, Various Tipping Trailers, Transport Box, Dung Fork, Drum Mower, Lely Hayturner, Bomford Offset Topper, McConnel Hyreach Hedgetrimmer, 4cyl Diesel Engine, 4 Wheel Horse Drawn Cart, Horse Drawn Trap Cart, Chicken House, Ferguson, Fordson and International Tractor Spares, Ride On Lawn Mowers, Workshop Tools, Galvanised Tanks, Cast Iron Fireplaces, 12ft x 6ft Deer Gates, 10’ x 8’ Garden Shed, Quantity of Timber, Fencing Stakes, Bental Corn Mill, Riveted Troughs, Belle Cement Mixer, Karcher Steam Cleaner, etc.

ON-FARM DISPERSAL AUCTION

Saturday 19th August

Saturday 29th July

Land at Bedchester, Shaftesbury

Buckham Down Farm, Beaminster DT8 3SH

Dispersal of Land Rovers, Tractors, Farm Machinery, Livestock Equipment and Miscellaneous.

Dispersal sale of 4 Tractors, Farm Machinery, Bygones and Miscellaneous

Including: 1995 Same Silver 80 4wd (6,800hrs), 1988

Same Explorer 70 4wd with Loader (4,700hrs),1973 Ford 4000 (fully restored), 1976 International 454 2wd, Marshall SM6 Drop Side Silage Trailer, Markham 3t Tipping Trailer, PortAgric 6’ Topper, Ransomes TS59 & TS90 & TS91 Ploughs, Krone AM242Z Mower Conditioner, Feeders, Stationary Engines, Signs, Bygones, etc.

Including: Land Rover 90 with Tipping Back, 2 x Land Rover Discovery TD5, Land Rover Series 3, Leyland 253, Ferguson TEA20, Cushman 2166 Mule, Torro Mule with Tipping Body, Wrigley Motor Truck, Homemade Garden Tractor, Ransomes Crawler, Aveling-Barford Road Roller, Ifor Williams 16’ Tilt Bed, 16’ Flat Bed and Box Trailers, Wessex Livestock Trailer, Kidd 6’ Topper, Fleming 8’ Offset Topper, Mowers, Cultivators, Chain Harrows, Saw Bench, 15kva PTO Generator, IAE Cattle Hurdles, Race Gate, Dehornign Crate, Water Troughs, Field and Yard Gates, 10’ Shipping Container, 2 x Fuel Stations, Workshop Tools, Strimmers, Chainsaws, etc.

Further suitable entries welcome.

Contact Yeovil 01935 382909

Please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467

DORSET | DEVON | SOMERSET | HAMPSHIRE | WILTSHIRE | CORNWALL | LONDON

Shillingstone Fields offer exceptional 3 & 4 bedroom houses nestled amidst the picturesque Dorset hills, with a charming nearby church and the exquisite English village of Okeford Fitzpaine. Hurst & Hurst Estate are a dynamic and innovative house builder, driven by a love for exceptional design, dedicated to crafting exquisite new homes throughout Dorset, Hampshire and the South of England.

Sturminster | 01258 473766

Sherborne, Dorset

Guide £1,295,000

An immaculate, modern 5 bedroom detached house built by the renowned local builders RE Pearce Properties in 2016, situated on one of Sherborne’s most prestigious roads.

CTB G; EPC B. Freehold.

Sherborne | 01935 814488

Pimperne, Dorset

Guide £465,000

A spacious 3 bedroom home boasting versatile and generous accommodation with a sizable front garden.

CTB E; EPC D. Freehold.

Blandford | 01258 452670

Okeford Fitzpaine, Dorset Guide £445,000 – £735,000

Barkers Hill, Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire. Guide price £950,000

A superbly refurbished and extended country home with stylish accommodation, lovely gardens and wonderful rural views. Sitting room, Family room, Open plan kitchen/dining room, Main bedroom with dressing area and ensuite shower room, two further double bedrooms, family bathroom. Landscaped gardens with terracing, garden room/studio, outbuildings, parking. EPC D

Hindon, Wiltshire. Guide price £599,500

A most appealing, extended listed period cottage, with a lovely garden and outbuildings, well set in this historic and popular village. Sitting room with Inglenook, Kitchen and dining area, studio/bedroom 3, 2 double bedrooms, bathroom and shower room. Garden, parking and outbuildings.

£300,000

£395,000 Wincanton

A spacious four bedroom family home enjoying far reaching views over Wincanton. Comprising large entrance hall, light and airy sitting room with wood burner, dining room, stylish kitchen, garage conversion providing a family/playroom, cloakroom, bath/shower room, generous off road parking and attractive garden. EPC Rating: D. Freehold.

Thinking of moving?

BRUTON £225,000

Due to recent sales success we require more properties to meet the demand from buyers looking for a home in Wincanton, Bruton, Mere, Stalbridge, Milborne Port and the surrounding villages. If you are considering bringing your property to the market we would be delighted to provide you with a free market assessment and valuation. Please call 01963 34000 to arrange an appointment or email wincanton@hambledon.net

and en-suite. Spacious lounge/diner, fitted kitchen, private garden, garage and no forward chain. EPC Rating: C.

NEW INSTRUCTION

£350,000

WINCANTON £145,000

A detached bungalow situated within a desirable location close to local amenities. This appealing property is positioned on a corner plot comprising spacious sitting/dining room, fitted kitchen, utility/boot room, bath/shower room, garage and attractive sunny aspect rear garden. Offered for sale with no onward chain. EPC Rating: E. Freehold.

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 01963 34000

NEW INSTRUCTION

£230,000

WINCANTON £226,500

An exceptionally well presented 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,

£337,500

WINCANTON £179,950

An attractive three bedroom semi-detached house situated within easy reach of the village shop and railway station. This modern characterful home enjoys a spacious kitchen/diner, sitting room with French doors to garden, cloakroom, large master bedroom, air source heat pump, resident parking, easy to maintain garden. EPC Rating: B. 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

Wincanton

Templecombe

Wincanton

Gillingham

Investors only – tenant in-situ. A three bedroom mid terrace house situated in a prime location close to the High Street and amenities. Spacious sitting/dining room, fitted kitchen, cloakroom, garage, attractive garden. EPC Rating: C. Freehold.

Spacious three bedroom semi-detached house which has just been redecorated together with new floor coverings, a delightful home ready to move into! Light and airy living room, cloakroom, garden, garage, no forward sale. EPC Rating: C. Freehold.

£280,000 Bruton

Former Bruton School for Girls buildings on the market for cool £9m

THE former home of the Bruton School for Girls is up for salefor £9 million.

Complete with around 34 acres of grounds, the 125,000 sq ft building features a mixture of general and specialised teaching space, boarding and residential accommodation, a theatre, music school, office space, playing fields, full-size Astro pitch and tennis courts.

Founded in 1901, the independent school closed at the end of the 2022 academic year.

The school building is now on the market with agent Knight Frank, with a guide price of £9m.

“The site occupies an elevated position with far reaching views west across the Somerset countryside, with Glastonbury Tor visible on the horizon,” the agent said.

“The school centres around the ‘Old House’ that fronts Strutter’s Hill Road (A359).

“Most of the school buildings fall in behind and are perched on the gentle slope that runs down towards Mill Lane with the Astro dominating the other side of the road.”

The site features entrances off Strutter’s Hill, Mill Lane, and Sunny Hill, as well as two main car parks, accessed off the

A359,

Sunny Hill Nursery is currently operating on the site and will remain open, the listing adds, however there may be the possibility of relocating the nursery to another building on the site or relocating elsewhere in Bruton with improved facilities.

“The site benefits from extensive lawns, wooded enclaves in the old railway cutting and grass sports pitches,” it went on.

“In addition to the Astro, at the centre of the site are additional hard surfaced netball or tennis courts.

“Away from the former school site and within the redline boundaries are areas of pasture leased to local farmers for grazing.”

The school closed last year amid falling pupil numbers, it was reported.

A spokesperson for the trustees of Bruton School for Girls, said: “We are extremely mindful of the significance of the site to the local community, and any offers will be considered in this context.

“The trustees intend to use the proceeds of the sale to further the objects of the charity, which is to promote the education in Bruton of girls of all school ages and of boys aged under eight.”

Tel: 01258 472288

Mob: 07977 936109

New and second hand containers - blue/green - all with box locks

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

TO LET. 24hr access, 340+ sqft, well lit, please ring for further details07811 551161

Trustees are looking to appoint a single person or couple (aged 50+) who is/are of good character and has strong links with Blandford or immediate area. Applicants must be of limited income and be non-smokers. No pets are allowed. There is no parking on site. Initial enquiries may be made by calling the Chairman of Trustees on 07990 894250.

Trustees look forward to receiving your written enquiry giving details of your residency, personal circumstances, and reasons for applying to: -

The Clerk, Blandford Forum Almshouse Charity, Barnes Homes, Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum, Dorset. DT11 7HU.

with capacity for around 100 cars.