The New Blackmore Vale Magazine by The Blackmore Vale Limited

Edition 10

w e n he

Friday, February 5, 2021

Blackmore Vale

Fortnightly

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MAIN ATTRACTION: The Adrenaline Tour will feature quad acrobatics

Jumping for joy! By Miranda Robertson It’s back! The sorely missed Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show WILL be held this year – with the New Blackmore Vale as its media partners. Today the NBV is thrilled to announce a new partnership

with the organisers of this much-loved country show, which this year will be held over two days to ensure enough capacity. The show promises to be a stonker, with great entertainment lined up alongside all the traditional

attractions of old. Over the next few months we will be featuring stories from the traders and farmers exhibiting at the show, offering readers some special ticket offers and delving into the history of the show.

More than a century of shows have gladdened the hearts of visitors and we’re pleased and proud to be involved in the very first two-day event, to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, August 18 and 19. n CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

What’s inside this week Announcements Arts & Entertainments Antiques & Collectibles Business Church Education Equestrian Farming Field And Stream Food & Drink Health & Wellbeing Home & Gardens Items For Sale Letters Local Services Motoring MPs’ Round-Up Obituaries Pets

30-33 48-51 34 61-62 68 29 72-73 75-83 74 25-27 45-47 35-39 29 66-67 39-44 58-60 54-55 32-33 56-57

nThis summer’s festivals: On, off or maybe? P48-51 nHigh-flying Olympic skier Lloyd Wallace P70-71... nBygone drays: Looking back at brewery’s transport P58-59

Property Puzzles

84-87 52-53, 56-57

Recruitment Sport

63-65 69-71

Meet the Team Miranda Robertson

Lloyd Armishaw

Lorraine Drake

Editor

Publisher

Distributor

newsdesk@ blackmorevale.net Tel: 01963 400186

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Debi Thorne

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Contact Us Advertising: adverts@blackmorevale.net Editorial: newsdesk@blackmorevale.net Postal enquiries to: The New Blackmore Vale, 3 Alfred’s Way, Wincanton, BA9 9RU

Karen Bate

Sharon Evans

News editor

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classified@ blackmorevale.net Tel: 01963 400186

Classified and private ads: classified@blackmorevale.net, 01963 400186 or online at blackmorevale.net Letters: newsdesk@blackmorevale.net News stories: newsdesk@blackmorevale.net Sport stories: sport@blackmorevale.net

DEADLINES We’ve seen a massive increase in both ads and news,and we love to receive these early... All ads and copy to reach us by close of play on the Friday before publication, please!

Steve Keenan

Reporter sport@blackmorevale.net Tel: 07940 143223 Ruth Armishaw

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Horror as pregnant ewe is butchered By Steve Keenan newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

An in-lamb ewe has been killed and butchered in a brutal attack in a farm field on the Dorset/Somerset border. A flock of 13 sheep were fed and checked at 5pm on the farm in Sutton Bingham, south of Yeovil, on Tuesday January 26. But when the farmer checked the flock the next morning, he noticed one was missing. A search found the skin, innards and wool remains in a blood-sodden patch in the field. “Her throat was slit and they did a good job of taking the fleece off before taking the carcass,” said the farmer’s wife, who asked not to be identified. The couple were shaken by the attack, the first of its type known in the area recently.

HORROR: The fleece left in a field at Sutton Bingham

Since the attack, the farm has brought its remaining 12 ewes in at night. The, couple, who also have 80 cattle, have kept sheep for generations. There was no suspicious activity locally before the attack and neighbours did not see or hear anything that night. The field is next to a lane and footprints were found in the mud by the gate. Police are investigating and the couple say they want to warn

other sheep farmers in the area. The value of the meat would have been less than £100 and it is curious as to why the sheep wasn’t taken and killed elsewhere. However, there are precedents with similar incidents elsewhere, the latest being reported in Cornwall last October. Farmers in the East Midlands suffered a spate of attacks in 2019. Smallholder Julie Steele lost five sheep, all butchered on her land in Leicestershire. Another Leicestershire farmer, Kate Morse also lost nine lambs in the same way. Ms Morse said the farm was her business and each lamb would have sold for about £85 but she added the financial cost was not the problem. Police said that in the first eight months of 2019, at least 259 ewes, rams and

lambs were killed this way in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. The National Farmers’ Union believed an organised criminal gang was behind the spate of attacks, with the meat being sold on the black market. Indeed, three men from Birmingham were last year convicted of killing 120 sheep and lambs in Northamptonshire - the two ringleaders were jailed for four years and four months. The court heard that the men travelled across the county, killing and butchering sheep in a dozen separate attacks, in order to steal the meat and profit from it. Avon and Somerset police have opened a file on the Sutton Bingham case. If anybody has any information, please call citing case reference number 5221018910.

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Two affordable flats available after refit By Karen Bate Historic almshouses dating from the 17th century in Bruton have been refurbished – and two flats are set to become available.

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Room. The Master, Simon Bate OBE, said: “It is referred to as a hospital, but uses this historical title in its original meaning, as a place that provided hospitality. In fact it provides subsidised independent or assisted living sheltered accommodation for up to 25 men and women. It is not a care home, but care support can come into the hospital to allow people to stay longer. Residents are supported by our wardens who provide 24/7 support. “The Blackford Room is something special. It will radically transform the social interaction we are able to have within the hospital. Having this will be a real game changer.” Sexey’s is part of the legacy of Hugh Sexey, a local landowner who became an accountant to Queen Elizabeth I and Auditor of the Exchequer of King James I, a post he held until 1619. After his death trustees established an almshouse charity, on part of his estates in Bruton. In the main courtyard is a charming Grade 1 listed Jacobean chapel.

The pandemic has proved trying. Simon said: “We are very grateful for the ongoing support from families, carers, and from the delivery people who have kept us supplied. Our externally provided carers and agency staff have continued to visit providing the much needed care support to many of our residents. “We have also had great links with King’s School Bruton, who working with Church Bridge Stores have helped deliver groceries, and who have recently set up with us a sixth form / resident telephone connection for those that would like a call. This link between young and elderly is a great way forward during these difficult times.” Simon added: “We are very fortunate being a tight knit community. The community friendship is there to help us through these difficult times.” If anyone wishes to find out more about the two flats available go to sexeyshospital.org, email Simon at Magister@hshbruton.org.uk or ring 07484 275835.

Get writing for town literary prize The Yeovil Community Arts Association (YCAA) has launched its 2021 international Literary Prize, an annual writing competition with cash prizes in four categories. Now in its 18th year, the Yeovil Literary Prize attracts entries from across the globe. And cash prizes this year are bigger than ever, after 2020 saw record numbers of entries as

creatives made full use of the first coronavirus lockdowns. The Yeovil Literary Prize has four categories; Novel, Short Stories, Poetry and the recent addition, Writing Without Restriction. For details of entry requirements, past winners and rules, see yeovilprize.co.uk. The competition runs until April 30, 2021 and winners are announced in the autumn.

Icy swim challenge for dedicated son By Miranda Robertson A man whose dad nearly died after a brain haemorrhage is plunging into icy waters every day this month to raise funds for his recovery. Ashley Yates, 36, of Winterbourne Kingston, is trying to fund physio for his dad Michael, who suffered a major stroke four years ago next week. He said: “I’m have been furloughed for eight months, which has affected my mental health. I’m suffering from bad stress and anxiety due to covid and lockdown so I wanted to do something positive for my mental health and a good cause. “I’m going to swim in different cold bodies of water in just shorts every day in February to hopefully raise money for six months of physio for my dad. “He is desperate to walk again.” He added: “My father was simply walking about doing his normal thing in the morning, when he collapsed in his

bedroom. Luckily my mum was there to call an ambulance and keep him awake. They rushed him to Dorset County Hospital. “This was the worst day of my life. I arrived at the hospital to be told that my dad had suffered an very large intracerebral bleed and we had to wait seven agonising hours to see if Southampton could operate. We were told he may not survive the surgery and even if he did he would be severely disabled. “They operated on my dad that night and inserted a drain into his head to allow the blood to escape. He was in Southampton for a week, where he developed a chest infection before they moved him back to Dorchester. “Things got worse when he developed pneumonia and a urine infection, but he battled on and kept fighting. He has shown no sign of movement on his entire left side. The worst day was when I saw him actually open his eyes but mouth to me

Ashley Yates with his dad and right, getting ready to dive in

‘help me’. He went on to have a temporary tracheostomy fitted to help his breathing and remained in ICU for a month. “My dad is now reliant on a wheelchair and has minimal feeling in his left side. My mum is his full time carer and does her best to continue their awesome lifestyle and get him out and about. But this is so hard with the minimal mobility my dad has. He has some physio from the hospital which is helping him but it’s just not frequent enough to enable him to reach

his goal of taking some steps again. He is desperate to be able to play with his new grandson and be able to walk alongside him.” Ashley added: “I want to put myself in a challenging situation that requires strength of mind and character, like my dad does every time he tries to stand up on his own. The water is between 5 and 8 degrees…” To sponsor Ashley go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/as hley-yates-1?utm_term=ad 58Jy7n8

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Lockdowns are silver lining for hall Trustees of Bourton Village Hall have been using the lockdowns to transform its interior. They were finding quotes for a full refurbishment of the hall when the first lockdown was LET’S GET TO WORK: Trustees at announced, and potential Bourton Village Hall funding of all kinds dried up. However, with the hall closed, like it) and as our aches and pains they realised they had a were magnified and our creaking ‘marvellous, once-in-a-lifetime joints became subjects for earnest opportunity to redecorate and discussion, we were starting to feel freshen up the interior’. rather pleased with ourselves.” They said: “We are a self-motivated The project hit a crisis when the bunch, all ‘of a certain age’, and, wooden floor expanded due to having arrived in Bourton after heavy rain. But after a few days careers ranging from aerospace, rail removing, planing, cutting and engineering, high-end jewellery refitting planks, the floor was retailing and a senior artillery restored. officer, between us we could bring The trustees added: “We’re not quite many skills, and one of every tool a ready for the Grand Reopening, self-respecting men’s shed could that’s a few months away yet, I fear. possibly want. But, when we are permitted to “Curtains were cleaned, stud frames reopen, I am sure everyone who constructed, some 100sq metres of ventures into Bourton Village Hall plaster board lifted into place and will be impressed by the secured with a million screws (it felt transformation.”

New nursery for village A new nursery is set to open in Okeford Fitzpaine. The village primary school announced plans for the new provision, which will cater for children from four months to four years old. The nursery will be based at the school, benefiting from the use of their extensive school grounds. Experienced nursery provider Sunbeams Day Care will run it, and as well as caring for younger children, they will also provide wrap-around care for pupils at the primary school, and a holiday club for local children. Headteacher Annie Dowling said: “I am delighted Sunbeams Day Care has chosen to open a nursery on our school site. It is wonderful we can share our beautiful grounds with pre-school children and their older siblings. This will be a fabulous facility and will no doubt be of huge benefit to our working parents who need childcare before and after school and in the holidays. The nursery is expected to open later this year. Email office@okeford.dorset.sch.uk or phone 01258 860530 to enquire about a place.

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CPRE claims not enough consultation on county Local Plan The Dorset Council Local Plan consultation has drawn criticism from the countryside charity CPRE, which says communities have not been adequately consulted. The CPRE have pinpointed a number of areas of the consultation which give them “utmost concern”.

It says the 2,000-page document for consultation should be more concise and accessible and the consultation period is “far too short” in light of the pandemic lockdown. Peter Bowyer, chairman of the trustees, said: “Dorset Council has not created an imaginative, county-wide

Local Plan. Where are the fresh ideas for the unique character and future needs of Dorset? We have instead been presented with questionable assumptions, proposals for excessive housing numbers which will threaten our communities and a ‘cut and paste’ cumbersome strategy.

“Dorset CPRE calls upon Dorset Council to think again. Revisit the timetable and documents. Take a new approach to both. Lay firmer foundations for the processes of the Dorset Local Plan. Do this now by providing the community with real opportunities to contribute to the future of their county.”

in Dorset until 2038. Dorset Council portfolio holder for planning David Walsh said: “This is the time for local residents to have their say on the future of Dorset. We want to get everyone’s views on the draft plan. We are working closely with all our stakeholders, our own councillors and town and parish councils to make sure we reach all parts of Dorset.” A series of animations and podcasts have been

developed to help explain The Dorset Council Local Plan, which can be found through Dorset Council’s social media channels or on the podcast platform Anchor. The Local Plan will go through several phases before its adoption, and will include a further chance for feedback. People can call to ask questions on dedicated phone line 01305 252500 from Monday and Friday between 10am and 2pm.

Your views welcome on county future By Karen Bate

A consultation on the Dorset Council Local Plan began on Dorset residents are being January 18 and will last until invited to have their say on March 15. The consultation future plans for the county. is available online at We can save you time and money if you need Probate dorsetcounc il.gov.uk/dor and help you avoid the stress and liability of administering an estate. set-councillocal-plan. Probate is not always needed, so if you’re not sure, please ask us. We can also help with Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. Once Fixed Fees and Free initial enquiry, adopted, the so you don’t have to worry. Local Plan Get in touch on 01308 424 808 will guide Email: christine@winterbornelegal.co.uk decisions on www.winterbornelegal.com planning applications

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An excellent reason to have your oats A Motcombe businessman is donating 500,000 breakfasts with a ‘Buy 1 to Give 1’ FareShare partnership. FUEL10K have joined forces with FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity for a nationwide project. Throughout February, FUEL10K will be donating a pot of porridge for every one they sell. Fuel10K was founded by Motcombe’s Barney Mauleverer and Jason Kerr. The pair expect to sell more than 500,000 of their Protein Boosted Porridge Pots in one month alone. This means that more than 10 tonnes of porridge will be donated to the many charities and community groups that FareShare supports. Some 8.4 million people in the UK are struggling, with 4.7 million in severely food insecure homes. Jason said: “This collaboration n Daily news podcast This Is Alfred also had good news about Porridge this week. Cairn terrier Porridge disappeared down a hole when his owner was walking him past Donhead Sports club in Charlton. Friends and neighbours used special CCTV cameras to probe down the hole, but couldn’t find him. However Porridge turned up

with FareShare means so much to the entire FUEL10K family and we’re delighted to be working so closely with them. “At a time when so many people and organisations are struggling, we count ourselves extremely fortunate to be in a position to be able to donate so many breakfasts. Teaming up with FareShare means we can be confident our porridge will reach those most in need.” FareShare provides enough food for almost a million meals for vulnerable people every week. It redistributes surplus food through a network of 11,000 organisations across the UK such as homeless hostels, school breakfast clubs, refuges and lunch clubs. The porridge pots are available in ASDA, Morrisons, Tesco and Co-Op, plus Amazon, Nisa, Costcutter, Key Stores and Spar. on the family doorstep in Charlton at around midnight on Monday, after six days. He woke the family up by barking to announce his return. She told presenter Keri Jones: “I have been overwhelmed by the help support and kindness we have received over the last week. What a fantastic community we live in.”

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Litter pickers on the verge of tidiness By Karen Bate Enjoying the restorative powers of nature is more important than ever and hundreds of villagers are taking an hour or two out of their day to enjoy the beautiful North Dorset countryside. But it would seem the coronavirus pandemic has shone a light on an increase in rubbish strewn along roadside verges, most notably along the old A303 from Bayford to Bourton on both sides of the road. An army of litter-picking volunteers from Bourton and the surrounding villages do a wonderful job keeping our villages tidy and many have reported an increase in rubbish since the first lockdown last year. Avid litter picker Sheila Williams from Bourton said: “Our roadside verges are

IT’S IN THE BAG: Marnhull Pickers in action

groaning under a proliferation of beer cans, plastic sheeting, bottles, tyres and fast food waste jettisoned by motorists. Currently, the route from Bayford to Bourton is particularly unsightly and

offensive. Regular litter picks are undertaken by volunteers, but the problem seems to have increased during lockdown and as fast as the rubbish is removed, more appears in its wake. “The south west is lauded as one of the most beautiful parts of the country in which to live, yet it is slowly being ruined by fly-tipping and waste.” Just last week five black sacks were filled in less than an hour. Foul-smelling and offensive as it is, volunteers sort through the mess and recycle as much as possible, but it has to go in their own bins or taken directly to the tip nine miles away in Shaftesbury. Speaking on behalf of Bourton Parish Council, clerk Eve Wynn said: “Thankfully in Bourton we have a dedicated team of volunteer litter pickers who do a wonderful job in keeping the parish clear of litter and their hard work is evident as you leave the

village to then witness the dreadful amount of litter along the verges of the B3081 to Wincanton.” In Marnhull, some 30 volunteers have joined the Marnhull Pickers, with many people using their daily exercise to undertake litter picking in the village. The Marnhull Pickers group co-ordinator John Seear said: “Regrettably nobody has reported a decline in litter (due to lockdown). The best was ‘much the same’ with equal numbers reporting some worsening and a number reporting much worse.” A South Somerset District Council spokesperson said: “We recognise the great efforts of so many local volunteer litter-picking groups and individual pickers doing great work. “Like the many volunteers, our staff are committed to keep our communities, parks and roads clean and in good order. It’s frustrating when just a few days afterwards, areas are covered with litter again. There are risks involved with litter picking and our staff work safely within written risk assessments for the task; and we urge anyone who does voluntarily litter pick to consider any dangers, such as volume of traffic. With current lockdown restrictions, members of the public are restricted to only litter pick as part of their daily hourly exercise and like all of us, must stay at home unless for essential journeys. Ideally, litter is a problem that should not exist if everyone took responsibility for their own rubbish.”

Springhead snowdrop is off Sadly the Springhead Trust will not be able to open its gardens during February for people to see the Shaftesbury Heritage Snowdrop Collection. If you would like 10

to be kept up to date with what is happening at Springhead and would like to join its mailing list, please email friends@ springheadtrust.org.uk.

Former Co-op to be auctioned Hopes for a multi-use retail, leisure and community space in the former Co-op on Bell Street, Shaftesbury have been dashed with the announcement the building is up for auction next week. The former supermarket, which has a floor space of 15,854 sq ft, has lain empty for more than three years. The year after it closed a community group called Project Belle worked with the town council and other interested parties to thrash out a plan for the building,

which included community facilities. However the property remained empty and will now be auctioned on Wednesday (10th), with a guide price of £580,000-plus. The building is next to two public car parks providing 150 pay and display car parking spaces. However receivers failed to find a buyer despite extensive marketing. The lack of interest could be down to many things, including a hotly-anticipated new Lidl on the site of the old cattle

market in Christy’s Lane. The town also has a new larger Co-op, a Tesco and various smaller grocery stores. Lidl had hoped to be trading by now, however they were forced to submit new plans to Dorset Council last month after officers raised concerns. The old Co-op/Budgens site could have been ideal for the budget supermarket, as indicated in early meetings about the site. However the Cattle Market site was snapped up instead.

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Local campaigner Nick steps up to join parish council Tisbury Parish Council has co-opted local campaigner and travel industry professional Nick Errington as its newest parish councillor following the retirement of Jo Ings in December. Nick said: “I am thrilled to have been co-opted onto Tisbury Parish Council. I have lived in Tisbury for seven years and love living in the area. I appreciate the natural beauty of the countryside and the strong sense of community in Tisbury and look forward to taking on a more active role

PARISH ROLE: Nick Errington

in Tisbury life as part of the council. I would encourage anyone interested in joining the council to attend one of

the meetings to get a flavour.” Nick is also South West Wiltshire Liberal Democrats’ prospective candidate for Tisbury, and a member of Nadder Valley Arts Society Committee, the Tisbury Footpath Club and the Beckford Society. Tisbury Parish Council chair Simon Davison said: “We are sad to say goodbye to Jo Ings but delighted to welcome Nick, whose passion for the environment, local history and the countryside will be an asset to our team. Tisbury Parish Council is looking to

increase its team of eight councillors ahead of the local elections, planned for May 6. Simon added: “I would urge anyone who cares deeply about our community and our environment, to apply. Parish councils are an essential part of the local democratic structure and our councillors play an important role acting on key issues affecting us all.” Applicants interested in becoming parish councillors should contact Tisbury Parish Clerk, Sandra Harry on 01747 871697; email: tisburypc@gmail.com

Hospital’s services ‘fully operational’ By Karen Bate As reported in the January 22 edition of the New Blackmore Vale, the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at the Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne remains closed, a decision taken by Dorset Health Care Trust to manage the impact of covid-19. However, we would like to clarify and reassure readers that the Yeatman Hospital remains open and all services provided by the hospital are “fully operational.” Residents in Sherborne and the surrounding villages, a catchment area with a population of as many as 22,500, who need medical treatment for minor injuries, which include head and eye injuries, burns and scalds and injuries to the back, shoulder and chest, are being advised to ring Weymouth Urgent Treatment Centre on 01305 762541 for assessment. Helen Persey, Dorset HealthCare’s head of

‘FULLY OPERATIONAL’: Yeatman Hospital

community services in the west of Dorset, said: “To ensure we manage the impact of covid-19 while still providing safe and reliable services across the county, we made the decision to temporarily close the minor injuries unit (MIU) at the Yeatman Hospital at the start of the pandemic. “Staff that were working at the unit in Sherborne have been temporarily relocated to Shaftesbury and Wimborne MIUs to improve services

and extend opening times. “Local people can access the MIU service by calling either 01305 762541 or 111, where you will receive a telephone assessment, and where appropriate, a prescription sent to the local pharmacy. “Where a face-to-face appointment is needed, you will be booked quickly into your nearest MIU or Urgent Treatment Centre, avoiding the need to wait or queue. “We are constantly reviewing how we run our

services during the pandemic and this includes the MIUs across the county. “For the time being, the MIU at the Yeatman Hospital will remain temporarily closed. All other services at the hospital are fully operational. “As always, we want to keep all our patients safe and deliver the best treatment and care possible. We thank them for their understanding during these unprecedented times.” Chairman of the Friends of Yeatman Hospital, David Hayes CBE said: “In these difficult covid times we depend on a safe and secure NHS to protect us. I hope you will be able to reassure your readers the Yeatman continues to operate in the current circumstances to the benefit of those who need it’s services. “We remain grateful to the NBV for continuing to draw the closure of the MIU to the attention of your readers.”

Can you help update donated laptops and boost home schooling? Kind hearted villagers in Milton on Stour have donated laptops and iPads to families who need them to home school their children. However, many of the computers are older machines, which are unable to 12

support the software needed for home schooling. Help is needed to update them to enable Microsoft Teams to be installed. Greer Tilbrook from the village is appealing for anyone who could donate

some time to help update the equipment in order to support Microsoft Teams to get in touch. If you are able to help refurbish or update the laptops and iPads, please ring Greer on 01747 825319.

By Karen Bate newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

The extraordinary life of Beth Peill was celebrated on January 25 at her Compton Abbas home as she marked her 106th birthday with a gin and tonic, haggis, neeps and tatties followed by cranachan for pudding. Born in Jedburgh on the Scottish borders in 1915, Beth has survived two world wars and seen two global pandemics. More BIRTHDAY GIRL: Beth Peill with her greetings from The Queen and, right, on her wedding day remarkably, this ‘feisty’ in 1943. Below: With her four daughters and, right, a postcard featuring her father JT Mabon lady is still living who played rugby for Scotland independently with the help of carers and her daughter Lucy, who lives opposite Beth with her family. Lucy said: “Beth still lives just opposite me with the help of carers now. We still see her every day and she enjoys a gin and tonic with my husband Tim every evening. Beth has always attributed her great age to her Scottish blood.” Beth ventured south when she was 18, and trained to become a nurse at Charing Cross Hospital in London. After completing her Captain in the air force until postings abroad and went family. Beth has lived in nurse’s training, she went he retired in the 1970s. on to have four daughters Dorset for more than 30 onto study midwifery at “Beth told many stories of and a son. The family lived years, first in Fontmell Bournemouth. being taken up in the in many countries, Magna and then in Lucy said: “After finishing Spitfires by young pilots at including Germany and Compton Abbas, where she her training in Bahrain. has been so happy.” Bournemouth, Beth decided the flying station,” said Lucy. “Beth remembers that “Beth would always take a Beth has 15 grandchildren to cycle all the way back to when looping the loop, the pair of brass candlesticks and 30 great grandchildren, Scotland for some home dust from the floor of the with her to make wherever one of whom is named leave!” aircraft would fall into her they were posted in the Ralph after Beth’s beloved When the Second World eyes.” world feel like home. husband who passed away War broke out, Beth joined Ralph and Beth married on “When my father left the in 1992. In brighter times, the RAF as a nursing sister. September 25, 1943 and air force in the early 1970s, Beth always celebrates her Romance blossomed when Beth wore a dress she we relocated to New birthday with all her family Beth met Ralph, a doctor borrowed from Ralph’s Zealand, which was quite an and every year they tuck and a young pilot, also sister Heather. After the war adventure. We then decided into haggis, neeps and serving in the RAF, who to return home to be with tatties. went on to become a Group Ralph and Beth had many

Haggis and gin for Beth as she marks 106th birthday

NBV’s Alice hosting Zoom session on how to beat stress One of the New Blackmore Vale’s columnists is holding a Zoom ‘Power Hour’ on stress and how to manage it on Wednesday, February 10. Life coach Alice Johnsen aims to arm you with the tools to stop stress becoming overwhelming and destructive.

She said: “I want to tell you about ways you can manage the stress in your life and in the lives of your family. “We are living through a time of greater anxiety and stress but sadly, stress is part of all our lives, all the time. “But with a bit of knowledge and some simple tools, you can keep stress

under control.” The hour’s session costs £20 per person and will be held from 12 to 1pm. Book your tickets at eventbrite.co.uk/e/stress-and-how-tomanage-it-tickets-137828142685. Or you can contact Alice: 07961 080513, alicejohnsen.co.uk. 13

Have a green Valentine’s at Red Panda! Valentine’s day has come around again and some of you might find yourselves a bit stumped as to what gift to buy for that special someone in your life. What might be a bit different, more vibrant and also ethically produced? The focus right now is firmly on shopping sustainably. We are very conscious of our plastic consumption and of purchasing products from far away as we need to be asking ourselves if we can find what we want closer to home? At Red Panda, we champion British products that are sustainably sourced, plasticfree and use natural materials and packaging. We love all things organic, compostable, recyclable, eco-friendly and where possible, handmade. We are very excited to launch our new skin and hair care products by ZWP on Red Panda for Valentine’s! These luxurious bars are handmade by sustainability

Pic: @zero waste path

graduates Giulio and Bianca along with their Zero Waste Path team in Cambridge, and make your hair and skin feel amazing. All products are 100% biodegradable, zero waste, vegan, palm oil free and lovingly made by hand. Even the boxes are made with 100% recycled cardboard and labels are printed on unbleached paper. Also, all tins are made without a plastic lining and a natural almond-

based glue is used on all labels. All ZWP products are gender neutral and unisex. The range includes: Sumptuous soaps, which are suitable for hands, body and face; due to their creamy lather the bars can also be used as shaving soap, with or without a shaving brush. Solid lotions bars that are brimming full of natural, pure and simple ingredients that will deeply moisturise and nourish your

skin; these are extra concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Cream deodorant that keeps you fresh while moisturising the skin. Lastly PH balanced 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner bars that will gently wash your hair while organic unrefined oils will help to condition it. Or maybe can we tempt you with some of our ‘I Do’ wellies (better known as Weddies!) for those who are intending to pop the question? Available in short and tall lengths, these beautiful boots are 100% natural rubber and perfect for those planning a country wedding and come complete with a pretty cream ribbon. Pair your boots with some of our organic bamboo welly socks in Pink Punch or Big Red Bus for some serious welly luxury. Wishing you a romantic and greener Valentines Day from all at Red Panda! redpandatrading.com

ON SONG: Sam Hurst with Rosemary Cottrell, Linda Porter and Reverend Pat Stear. At the back are Elaine Lunn, left, and Marianne Watch the video: YouTube.com/ ColtenCare Blackhall

Residents’ starring roles Staff and residents at Newstone House in Stur recorded a music video about covid prevention. Hands, Face and Space is an original song written by team member Sam Hurst. In a video posted on YouTube, Sam sings and plays guitar as two colleagues and three residents sing and perform dance moves to the tune. More residents are shown doing hand movements while others are seen enjoying puzzles and playing bingo. Sam, whose musical interests include hip hop and R&B, said: “We had been planning a Newstone House variety show and our kitchen colleagues suggested we should perform a

song about coronavirus. We wanted to make it all a bit of fun and involve residents, and then the idea of filming a video came up. It was lovely to do.” Sam joined the companionship team at the end of 2020 having studied music at both Wiltshire College iand the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford. He said: “I love working with the residents.” Sam was helped by Fiona Pritchard, Colten Care’s music and arts partner, who offered lyric suggestions, choreography and did the filming. Resident Linda Porter, who appears in the video, said: “We really enjoyed taking part, singing along to the song.”

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How to prevent your house being sold to pay for care costs 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 be sold by the local council to pay for your carefees. As an example, let’s say you own a home jointly with your partner and you live there until one of you dies. The surviving partner continues to live in the house until they must go into a care home run by the local authority. At that point, the local authority will assess the surviving partner for care fees. If their capital and savings are worth more than £23,250, they will have to fund their own care. Councils place a charge on the property, which is paid when the house is sold. Alternativly you may be required to sell the house immediately to raise the cash. Money raised from the sale of the house will fund your care until your savings get down to £23,250. That won’t leave much of an inheritance for your family and loved ones. There are two solutions to the problem available to you. One is a will trust which protects 50% of the value of your home from care costs. The second is a living trust which shields 100% of the property. Both

are relatively inexpensive to put into place. Every trust is administered by trustees, the trustees can be the partners or surviving partner and children. 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.

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“If their capital and savings are worth more than £23,250, they will have to fund their own care.”

It’s your chance to be lifesaver with defibrillator training What is a PAD? A PAD is a Public Access Defibrillator – life-saving piece of equipment which is available in most villages in North Dorset where groups of people meet for sport and recreation. PADs are a vital part of the ‘chain of survival’ that is necessary when someone has a heart attack, collapses, or has a serious accident and stops breathing. But do you know where your nearest one is? And do you know how to use it? The Dorset Village Defibrillator Scheme charity was set up over a year

ago and in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation, it has provided 20 defibrillators to villages and towns in North Dorset. And the charity has provided training in defibrillation. While direct training has stopped following covid 19 restrictions, the charity will be introducing internet training for those people who would like to learn how to use a defibrillator to potentially save a life. Chairman of trustees John Lewis said: “There are many different types of

defibrillator available, but they all have one thing in common. They tell you what to do. “While it would be useful to have some training to reduce the panic that occurs when the life of a member of your family may need your help, but once you have summoned the Ambulance Service, they will also help you to use these vital lifesaving pieces of equipment.” If you would like to take part in the training, email John at dvdefib @gmail.com or ring on 01258 817241

Honoured arts chief’s tribute to team By Nicci Brown newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

Blandford resident Trish Wheatley, who was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year Honours for her work with disabled artists. has paid tribute to the team working with her in what was already a charity working remotely. Trish, who has been chief executive of Disability Arts Online (DAO) since 2011, was honoured for providing a range of support to disabled artists during the coronavirus pandemic, Trish had previously worked in the arts and on the Disability Arts programme for disabled artists at Holton Lee, and during 2020 she spearheaded the support given to disabled artists through one-to-one sessions and streamed digital events, providing work for artists and writers, and helping to apply for emergency funds. DAO is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, and has received funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Worshipful Company of Grocers and Sussex Community Foundation’s Crisis Fund. Her co-chairs Dennis Queen and Amy Zamarripa Solis said: “We are so proud of Trish and all our staff and board at DAO, who have worked extra hard in 2020, 16

HUMBLING: DAO Trish Wheatley has paid tribute to her team

due to the pandemic. “Trish has managed us all through this period, and not only has DAO stayed on target, but we have also continued to improve our reach and run exciting new projects. “Her idea of creating covid commissions for disabled artists has been a literal lifeline, as many of us have lost all, or most of, our work.

“We are delighted that covid commissions have been so successful and look forward to running more commissions very soon.” Trish said: “It’s extremely humbling to be recognised in this way after a year when thousands of people have shown extraordinary acts of kindness to support their communities. “As already a remote

working organisation DAO was in a strong position to support where it was needed. “I recognise that many are uncomfortable with the terminology still used by the honours system for recognising individuals and projects that have gone the extra mile, but feel strongly that this is a rare opportunity to spotlight and celebrate DAOs work nationally. The public service for which I am being recognised was in truth 100 per cent a team effort and I am using this platform to ensure the whole team is recognised for their contribution this year.” “I’m honoured to be part of the UK Disability Arts community, having found a vocation working for disabled artists over the last 15 years. “This year has been particularly hard on disabled artists with the vast majority long-term shielding and the arts industry facing the worst of times. “We’ve lost dear friends and colleagues too, and 2021 is going to be tough in a different way. “We have set up a new covid commissions fundraiser to support disabled artists with more commissions in 2021 and continue the great work that artists and Disability Arts Online did in 2020.” To contribute, go to givey.com/covidcommissions 2021

A new roll for popular bakery mice By Nicci Brown newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

Residents and visitors to Blandford who have been entertained over the past five years by the display in the former shop window at The Old Bakery at 21 East Street will be sad to hear the owners responsible for the antics of the ‘bakery mice’ are moving on. They have become a popular addition to Blandford’s unique features, similar but much smaller to the Badgers on the Tesco roundabout and perhaps more akin to the Borrowers. They’ve been celebrating key events and have become a sometimes expensive hobby for Paula Young, who said when she and husband Gary moved into the listed Georgian property there was only a vase of dead flowers in the window. “I thought ‘It’s an old building, it must have mice’” – and so began a tradition. It also became a sometimes demanding part-time job for Paula, alongside the restoration of the property which bears the oft-seen plaque saying nothing happened there on September 5, 1782, but which has been transformed to reveal the old oven and other original features. She first found three little bronze mice with which to decorate the window shelf, and one of the early creations in the window was the chess match between two little black mice. Over the years she has purchased all sorts of tiny props

FESTIVE MICE: The 2019 commended Christmas display

to accompany the mice, including broomsticks, bunting, and miniature pumpkins and skulls for Halloween. “They have a fan club of people who write to them, send them cards, and even send them chocolates and cheese,” she said. “I have written back to some of them as mice. It has sometimes been quite difficult to think of things the mice could be doing, often reflecting current affairs at the time. “But we were thrilled to receive a special commendation from the town council for our Christmas celebration.” The final display, removed at the beginning of January, was a solitary and possibly inebriated white mouse sitting in front of the

television and celebrating New Year surrounded by bottles. But Paula had some good news for the Bakery Mice fans – the new owners of The Old Bakery have said they want to continue the tradition she has started. A

formal agreement and certificate was drawn up, not with Social Services but with ‘Mouse Services’, for the mice to be officially ‘adopted’ at the end of January when the bakery was due to change hands.

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Legion’s appeal for relatives of those named on memorial March this year marks the anniversary of the unveiling of the war memorial plaques in front of Blandford Town Hall (Corn Exchange) and of the Cross of Sacrifice in Blandford Cemetery. In view of the current covid pandemic and restrictions, the Royal British Legion and town council have agreed to plan for the anniversary to be

commemorated as part of Remembrance in November this year. In the meantime, Terry Clarkson, chairman of the RBL Branch, is anxious to contact descendants of those named on the memorial so that they can be specifically invited. If you are one, or know of one, please contact him at terryyvonne@hotmail.

co.uk or call 07914 067709. He is also researching the background to the memorial— a newspaper report of the unveiling on Sunday, March 6 1921 by Lt-General Sir Thomas Snow KCB makes reference to a memorial fund and War Memorial Committee, and lists many of the large attendance by name.

Pedestrianisation plan set for run-out A three-month trial of pedestrianisation of part of Blandford Market Place, subject to sufficient relaxation of the covid-19 rules to allow the trial to achieve its full potential, has been approved in principle by Blandford town councillors. Funding remaining from the S106 agreement with Lidl for town centre enhancement will be used for the purpose. Pedestrianisation of the markets area was one of the top recommendations made

by the town centre enhancement group to the town council at their meeting in December, together with a programme of activities and events, and signage to reduce the amount of traffic through the town. Also recommended was fuller engagement with businesses in the town centre and beyond to seek their views on proposals which might be put forward. The recommendations come partly as a result of responses to the survey

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By Steve Keenan newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

A teacher and amateur film hobbyist has embarked on a mission to video the best old churches in Dorset and Wiltshire. Nick Swann, 52, has already filmed 15 churches and posted them on his YouTube channel. His films average about six minutes and show the interior, exterior and location of each church – and Nick’s name is beginning to be noted. After visiting and posting his film of St Michael’s church in Beer Hackett in October (188 views), the rector of St Andrew’s in Yetminster rang to ask if his church could be next. PRAISE BE: All Saints at Kington Magna and, below, Nick Swann and the graveyard The coronavirus has Picture: PAUL VYSE restricted his ability to film in recent months but Nick will be out and about again when possible. “It’s a fun hobby, something I tend to do on Sundays,” said Nick. “I am only an amateur, no specialist lighting or anything like that.” His motivation is to film while it’s feasible: half of England’s 16,000 Anglican churches now have fewer than 26 adults attending on a Sunday, and numbers are lower in rural areas. Some 30 churches close for public worship every year. Nick said: “Sadly, some of our churches are becoming community centres. I hope that in years to come these films are a point of reference just in case they don’t survive.” The private maths tutor One of his favourites is All church and I sat on the little, they could look down lives in Warminster but 11 Saints in Kington Magna. bench overlooking the pond the whole fair sweep of the of the 15 churches he has “My wife and I first came and the Blackmore Vale.” valley.” filmed are in North Dorset. across the church two or In his 1906 book Highways The church is currently only The first was in three years ago. I came and Byways in Dorset, Sir open for individual worship Cucklington, near back six times but it was Frederick Treves wrote of on Tuesdays, 10am-noon. Gillingham, and he has closed, then in September All Saints: “Such is the n Search ‘All Saints’ since recorded churches in the weather was too dull to situation of the church on Church Kington Magna’ on Ashmore, Chetnole, Frome film. its precipitous incline that, YouTube to find Nick’s St Quinton, Thornford, “I finally came back in if the recumbent dead could channel, England’s Old Sherborne and Shaftesbury. December. It is a lovely but lift up their heads a Churches.

Nick on a PewTube mission to feature counties’ old churches

A documentary film inspired by the Sherborne Pageant of 1905 is being made by Windrose Rural Media Trust. Led by Professor Paul Readman, Professor of Modern British History at King’s College, London, the film traces the history of pageants throughout Britain. Prof Readman said: “Working with Windrose has drawn our attention to the kind of rich filmic heritage around pageants and we have become more aware of it now.” The new pageant film will take the viewer to locations from Carlisle to Guildford and to pageants dating from the 1900s to the present day. Filming has stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic but will be resumed once restrictions are lifted. It is part of a larger project, The Redress of the Past, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The aim of the film is to reach a wider, non-academic audience. Prof Readman met Windrose’s director Trevor Bailey by chance in 2015 after giving a talk in Sherborne about the town’s extraordinary pageant, which involved an unpaid cast and organising team of 900, an audience of thousands, lavish costumes, orchestra, band, choruses and 50 horses. In 2001, Windrose made a documentary, Mother of All Pageants, about Sherborne’s event. It was presented by local historian Gerald Pitman and featured the 1905 film of the pageant. The film is now available on DVD. Mr Bailey said: ‘“Archives around the country have discovered films in their collections that show exactly what these extraordinary community performances were like and 20

Glory days of the pageant FLYING THE FLAG: Making the film Redress of the Past, which focuses on the history of pageants

how they developed. “A lot of this old film will be incorporated in the new film. From the 1905 Sherborne Mother of All Pageants onwards, cine film and pageants were natural artistic partners. “Such tremendous team efforts demanded to be recorded in moving image. “After all, they became part of their community’s history in their own right. “The people who took part remembered the experience as an important episode in their lives – a time when they achieved something out of the ordinary.” Music was a vital element in all pageants and it will be

in the new film. Folk musician Amanda Boyd, who has worked with Windrose extensively over the years, is recreating original pageant music, which was often specially written, so that the film can bring to life something that was otherwise lost in old paper scores. Back in 1904, the Daily Express described Sherborne as ‘a dull enough place to live in’, bypassed by tourists heading for the coast of Cornwall and Devon. But that all changed with the Sherborne Pageant, which has become the Mother of All Pageants. The event made a profit –

used to create today’s Pageant Gardens – and set an example which was taken up by communities across Britain and abroad and continued over generations. To discover more about The Redress of the Past, a major Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project examining historical pageants in 20th century Britain, visit historicalpageants.ac.uk. For information about the Windrose Rural Media Trust go to windroseruralmedia.org. The site includes archive film and audio from Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.

River group’s work ‘trout-standing’ By Karen Bate newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

At a time when our open spaces are more important than ever, members of the River Group CATCH in Wincanton have been honoured with a Gold Level for caring for the River Cale. With careful planning and compliance with government guidelines, working parties were able to carry out litter picks, balsam bashing, kick sampling, wildflower meadow management, digital mapping, website development, online talks and participation in workshops, environmental meetings and maintenance work to the rock berm and flow deflectors. CATCH is one of only two urban river groups in the UK to have received official accreditation as a ‘Trout in the Town Gold Level Chapter’ from the Wild Trout Trust (WTT) in recognition of the group’s professionalism in community engagement, governance, health and safety, along with delivering projects which benefit the river and local people. WTT is a conservation charity working across Britain and Ireland to help anyone interested in making a better world for our rivers, lakes and their wildlife, including our native trout. Flourishing wild trout populations are a sign of the health of our waterways and the land around them. WTT’s team of expert conservation officers work with landowners, local communities, fishing clubs, rivers trusts and government agencies to offer practical advice and hands-on habitat improvement projects. (See wildtrout.org).

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER: The river group CATCH by the River Cale in Wincanton. Below: their certificate and before and after pictures of their work

Steve Lee of CATCH said: “It was also a great honour to the group that one of the town’s local schools, during their program of home learning, used videos of CATCH at work as part of their ‘Rivers’ study topics. Education has always been seen as key to helping to ensure the longevity of the voluntary group.” Steve added: “Last year was a year none of us shall forget, the impact of covid19 has been felt by us all;

individuals, families, businesses, communities and so many other groups and organisations. “Despite the challenges of a worldwide pandemic we as humans have learnt to adapt and from the hardship positive stories emerge. “Community spirit and resilience, as they have so often in the past, once again continued to be carried out in abundance. “Although the necessary restrictions prevented

CATCH from carrying out many of their usual tasks, work continued as best it could on ensuring the local River Cale was well cared for, along with much that lives and grows within the river habitat.” n If you’d like to learn more about CATCH or get involved please visit their website rivercale.org or find them on Facebook at ‘CATCH - Community Action to Transform Cale Habitat’. 21

BREAKING NEW GROUND: Gillshed members at the site. From left, Dave Smith, Phil Wheatley and Roy Green

Chaps! Get away from it all and head for the shed By Miranda Robertson

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A space for men to escape the stresses and strains of life and brush up on their skills is nearly up and running in Gillingham. The Gillingham Men’s Shed, or ‘Gillshed’, is hoped to open around Easter time after volunteers started preparing the ground at Orchard Park Garden Centre. The sheds are on order and all that remains is for them to be erected on the site… and for the pandemic to ease. Once all the ducks are in a row men in the area will have somewhere to gather and take part in activities – or just chat and drink coffee. Men’s Sheds are

springing up around the country as awareness increases of the need of an outlet for the chaps. The Gillshed won permission to site several sheds at the garden centre last year, and undeterred by lockdown after lockdown its committee pushed ahead with the project, launching a Community Interest Company (CIC) to oversee it. Gillshed chairman Phil Wheatley said: “Gillshed, our own Men’s Shed in Gillingham, aims to bring together likeminded men of all ages, to promote friendship, good physical and mental health, particularly for those approaching or

already in retirement. “When that longawaited retirement arrives, many men can find themselves missing a daily routine and the camaraderie they enjoyed during their working lives. “Although women are well catered for with WI and other women’s groups, Men’s Shed is designed to fill a gap to give men similar opportunities to meet in a relaxed and safe environment, practise practical skills, learn new ones and make new friends. Or just come along for a coffee and a chat.” If you are interested in becoming a member, talk to one of the committee members or contact Phil Wheatley on 07784 777282 or pajcw@btinternet.com

College pioneers ‘lateral flow’ testing

TESTING TIMES: Students at Yeovil College help administer the lateral flow covid tests

By Karen Bate newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

Yeovil College is one of the first colleges to introduce a ‘lateral flow’ test and trace testing centre to a college environment in Somerset. Community lateral flow testing is used to find people who have covid-19 with no symptoms and those who test positive can then isolate to prevent the virus from spreading. The centre will form part of the measures currently being rolled out across the country to enable staff and students to return to site safely. Yeovil College has employed a trained, independent testing team, alongside volunteers and some higher-level students, who will support staff and students to safely

administer the lateral flow tests. Results take about half an hour from testing and are shared directly with the individual, who will also receive a text or email notification from the online NHS system. Up to one third of people who have coronavirus are asymptomatic. Testing reduces the spread and enables onsite delivery, examination and assessment as soon as possible. Along with the other protective measures Yeovil College is taking, testing will allow the college to take further measures to help protect students and staff to remain in teaching and learning within the college campus. CEO and principal of Yeovil

Arts venue now a jabs hub Sturminster Newton’s community building The Exchange is being used as a vaccination hub. Assistant manager Sharon Clifton said: “We are immensely proud to be playing our part in the monumental national effort to roll out the vaccine as quickly and safely as possible.” The vaccination hub was

made possible thanks to the hard work of Dorset CCG, The Blackmore Vale Partnership, The Exchange Trustees and the army of volunteers involved in the daily running of the clinics. For the latest information on what is happening at The Exchange, email your name and address to info@sturexchange.co.uk and enter ‘Please keep Me up to date’.

College Mark Bolton said: “The Yeovil College team have worked tirelessly to develop a safe and professional onsite testing centre, which along with other strict covid safety measures, will give our community the confidence to recommence essential onsite learning and examination.

“I am proud of the relentless effort colleagues have injected into this latest project to limit the spread of coronavirus, and my team have once again implemented changes, at very short notice, with skill, professionalism and for the greater good of South Somerset.”

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Home visits at any time, evenings and weekends included 23

Nick’s cold snaps of Wincanton snow Nicholas Dibben braved the cold to capture Wincanton in the snow and here are a couple of his shots. Nick is a self-proclaimed ‘keen amateur’ but his wildlife photographs

have been used by The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph and in magazines across Germany and Spain. “I go out as often as I can when the weather and lockdown allow. I’m

recently retired and walk most days and always take my camera,” said Nick. Nick’s photograph’s can be found on Facebook Nick Dibben and nickspics47

MP in plea to PM to aid self-employed By Karen Bate MP for Somerton and Frome David Warburton is urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to help those selfemployed workers who have been denied financial support throughout the pandemic. Mr Warburton appealed directly to the PM, outlining the plight of those who became self-employed in the year prior to the onset of the pandemic and, due to ‘no more than a quirk of timing’, have not been given the support he believes they need and deserve. He said: “There have been exclusions that have caused distress and suffering for many: the newly selfemployed, freelancers, company directors and entrepreneurs who have taken great risks to start new businesses, thereby creating jobs and opportunities. 24

COVID SUPPORT PLEA: MP David Warburton

“Those people have worked hard, but when they were most in need of support, they found themselves left behind.” Mr Warburton has long been appealing to government ministers to address this urgent issue, having previously written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak. He said: “I have written several times to the chancellor in support of those excluded from Government support

and have lobbied Treasury ministers. “I wroteand on behalf of a specific group of those who have been excluded. I feel strongly that they must not be failed by the Government in a way which would represent a failure to adhere to adhere to our Conservative values. “These are the more than 500,000 newly selfemployed people who, through a quirk of timing, found themselves ineligible for the help they needed. “With the March budget fast approaching I urged him to correct this wrong and to provide newly self-employed people with the financial support which they have been deprived of until now. “I told him that entrepreneurs will fuel our economic recovery I felt sure he would want this

government to value and support them.” Parliament’s spending watchdog has called on the government to explain and fix issues with the tax system that has denied freelancers and self-employed workers financial support during the coronavirus pandemic. Campaigners have estimated that as many as 10 per cent of the workforce have fallen through gaps in the support system and have received no help since the start of the pandemic, with selfemployed workers and freelancers among the most likely to be excluded. A group of MPs said the HMRC should publish an explanation of why it cannot help freelancers and other groups excluded from financial support, and asked for steps to be taken to overcome those obstacles.

£250k bus service to Lidl to be scrapped By Nicci Brown A half-hourly bus service around Blandford which was paid for by Lidl when the company was given planning permission for its out-oftown supermarket three years ago is due to be withdrawn. The service averaged only 48 single journeys a day, and half that number since the covid pandemic restricted usage and is set to end on Saturday, February 13. The ‘Lidl bus’ was provided with a subsidy of more than £250,000 as a condition of approval for the building of the supermarket in Shaftesbury Lane. The contract for the service with Morebus expired on December 31, and Morebus have advised that they are

unable to continue running it without funding. It has run half-hourly on the same route around the town but in the opposite direction to the hour X8 return service to Poole, frequently within minutes of each other. Town clerk Linda Scott Giles told town councillors at their meeting in December that she had asked for more information on costs and numbers using the service. Members agreed that the £91k pa provided by Lidl was beyond their means. Councillor Steve Hitchings said engaging with a different supplier might have reduced costs, but the service level agreement was drawn up with Morebus. Councillor Byron Quayle

said: “The service could have been so much better. “It was always going to struggle for the numbers and obvious that it wouldn’t be viable just going round the town. “It is very frustrating that we are now exactly where we thought we would be.” Both he and his fellow county councillor Nocturin Lacey Clarke and the Blandford Town Team challenged the wisdom of the service when it was introduced, and Town Team chairman Nic Nicol said: “The expiry of the X8A sees the end of an inflexible Service Level Agreement, and an invariably empty bus service. “The aspiration for less

traffic in the town centre was a top priority in the responses to the recent Town Centre Recovery Survey, and the overriding priority for Blandford and the long held view of town councillors and Town Team members alike is for a traffic plan that removes the requirement for vehicles to pass through the town centre to get to the north of the town, and key locations like the Community Hospital and the Blandford Group Practice. “Bus services are important as an essential part of transport policy, to reduce town centre traffic congestion and motor vehicle pollution which is hugely detrimental to the health of young people in particular.”

Food & Drink

Get a Wriggle on with our special ales By Karen Bate A hobby born of necessity was why Matthew Glide began brewing. A decade on, this music graduate from Mere is now the master of his own brewery in Stalbridge. Creating ‘home-brew’ at university in 2011 as a costcutting experiment soon turned into a passion and one Matthew was unable to resist. “After graduating in music, I went into accounting,” said Matthew. “But my heart was in brewing. Brewing has always fascinated me.” After a stint at Flack Manor Brewery in Romsey Matthew became assistant brewer to Chris Clark, who launched Wriggle Valley Brewery in 2014. And when Chris retired, Matthew took over Wriggle Valley on November 1st, 2020. “The timing really was terrible, taking over in the middle of a pandemic, but I absolutely love it. Chris taught me so much and I enjoy every single unpredictable day.”

Wriggle Valley Brewery boasts five core beers: Dorset Nomad, Dorset Pilgrim, Valley Gold, Golden Bear and Copper Hopper. He also brews seasonal beers, including the summer Liberty Pale and winter porter Night Owl. Matthew said: “People just keep asking me for Liberty Pale, which is one of my summer varieties, but I think this year spring will come early and I will get it ready for the end of February.” Matthew brews in 500-700 litre batches from the brewery at The Sidings on Station Road. Each brew is created using the finest ingredients creating some of the richest flavours offering everything from mild tastes, pale ale, American style, bitter

and fruity flavours. And of course, like most alchemists, Matthew possesses his own magic formula. “I use malt from Warminster Maltings, which is just one of a handful of places which make traditional floor malt and Maris Otter barley, which is the backbone of our beer, an autumn sown superior product which gives Wriggle Valley beer exceptional taste. “Real ale is what we do and I want to be able to offer people something inspired and more exciting. Wriggle Valley keeps the beer familiar but gives people something to talk about. I want to inspire people to try something a little bit different.” It is said that every town needs a good brewery and Stalbridge is home to this brewery which in brighter climes, opens its very own taproom, which is like a bar, where customers flock to taste Matt’s beer fresh from the cask. “Lockdown means our taproom is closed, but when it is open, we are very popular and have a

HOP TO IT: Matthew Glide

loyal following. It is from here where we sell our beer directly and there really is nothing fresher as it is brewed just ten yards away.” As well as supplying pubs, when they are open, farm shops and off licences, Wriggle Valley Brewery sells direct to the public from its premises, and can deliver within a 20-mile radius of the brewery, or further by arrangement. If you would like a taste of what Wriggle Valley Brewery can offer, ring Matthew on 07599 677139 wrigglevalleybrewery.co.uk wrigglebrewery@gmail.com 25

Food & Drink

Lockdown turnaround for catering firm By Miranda Robertson A popular wedding and events caterer in the Piddle Valley has found a ready market of people wanting treats and meals delivered. Rebecca Green Catering had to put large-scale events to one side during the first lockdown and come up with an alternative offering to keep the kitchens open. But Rebecca fully expected life to return to some kind of normal by now. Sadly, the ongoing pandemic is putting even this year’s weddings and events in doubt. However Rebecca and her team are still busy, sending out treats such as brownies or three-course meals to the community. They are now getting ready for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, when they expect demand will be high, with pubs and restaurants shut until goodness knows when. Rebecca said: “Many in the hospitality and events industry have been having to find new ways of doing business, and although weddings have been

postponed and we can’t all be with our loved ones at the moment our little business is finding a way to send love this Valentine’s Day.” Before the pandemic hit, the firm was well known for weddings, corporate, VIP and shoot catering. But weddings, county shows, private parties and corporate lunches were postponed – happily, every client rebooked for 2021. Determined to keep going, Rebecca started to supply readycooked meals to the locals and neighbouring villages. The new business model also meant that she could continue to support her local suppliers and producers, including Foot’s Eggs, Wyke Farms, Portland Shellfish, Capreolus Foods, Chesil Smokery, Reads of Sherborne, and her local butcher and grocer. The third lockdown sparked a new drive to adapt and Rebecca launched a sister company, Plush Pantry Ltd. She said: “We discovered that there was a demand for home-

MAKING A MEAL OF IT: Rebecca Green and right, a Valentine’s Day offering

cooked meals to be delivered to the door.” Plush Pantry provides delicious, nutritious, handmade, homecooked, meals and treats to most UK doorsteps, using only the best ingredients from Dorset’s local suppliers, farmers and fishermen and the small, local artisan suppliers and producers. Rebecca added: “The hospitality industry contributed over one hundred billion pounds to the UK economy in 2019. We are a resilient and dynamic industry, it’s just what we do, and the

team here will continue to evolve our businesses to suit the demand. We are essentially a bespoke catering service trying very hard to bring a little joy. “We serve everyone, from those that can’t get out of the house; anyone wanting to send edible gifts; seasonal or special occasion hampers; corporate meals and nibbles for Zoom meetings or game pies and seasonal feasts. We are excited to have just launched our Valentine’s three-course menu and our Racing Calendar Experience menu. There is no cooking involved – just reheating meals our talented chefs have lovingly prepared, and enjoy with friends and family, in person or on Zoom.” plushpantry.co.uk shop@plushpantry.co.uk Tel: 01300 348526

Enjoy the joys of Jerusalem artichokes in soup Rebecca Vincent is a Wincanton nutritionist

This time we are going to look at Jerusalem artichokes and leeks from the bounty of February’s produce. Jerusalem artichokes may look slightly weird and unkempt (and have a reputation for causing flatulence in some), but they have a lovely nutty taste and are a rich source of minerals including iron, copper, potassium, and magnesium and B vitamins. Leeks are also good sources of the B vitamins B6 and folic acid as well as vitamin C, manganese, and iron. Both have good levels of fibre, especially Jerusalem artichokes which are a rich source of inulin, a prebiotic, and desirable food source for beneficial bacteria in our gut. While they may not be a 26

pairing that immediately springs to mind, this soup brings them together beautifully in a warming and comforting dish to fight off the cold snap. Jerusalem artichoke and leek soup (serves approx. 4-6) 500g Jerusalem artichokes (rinsed and cut in 2cm chunks) 2 leeks (cut in half lengthways, then sliced thinly)

1 white onion (diced) 3 garlic cloves (crushed/diced) 1 bunch of thyme (leaves stripped from the stem) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 litre chicken/vegetable stock (fresh or made with stock pot/cube) pepper to taste drizzle of cream (or cashew cream if making it vegan) Optional toppings: bacon

lardons or cooked chestnuts sautéed until lightly crispy. Preheat oven to 180⁰, coat the Jerusalem artichokes in a little oil and spread on a baking tray. Roast for approximately 15 minutes, until tender. Sauté the diced onion and leeks with a little olive oil on a medium heat in a saucepan big enough to hold the soup. After 10 minutes add the garlic and thyme leaves. Stir in the cooked artichokes, add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Lastly add a drizzle of cream (you don’t need much as artichokes are creamy) and blend until smooth. Enjoy with bacon or chestnut “croutons”! n Rebecca Vincent BSc BANT registered nutritionist rebeccavincentnutrition.co.uk

Food & Drink

Cooking... Ginger Shortcake This lovely simple recipe is ever so quick and easy to make and just the thing for a little pickme-up during the week – and don’t we all need a little pickme-up at the moment! Perfect for a morning break whether in your WFH ‘office’ or to take with you if you are working out in the thick of it. They keep well in an airtight tin for 8-10 days. And if it’s more of a weekend treat you are after, then drizzle or cover with melted dark chocolate: the combination of crunchy-crumbly ginger shortcake and dark chocolate is irresistible! See below for details. Ingredients 175g (6oz) salted butter, softened 75g (3oz) golden granulated sugar 225g (8oz) plain flour 1 level tsp baking powder 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger, according to taste Method 180C (160C fan ovens) gas mark 3 or equivalent You will need a greased 23cm

with Mrs Simkins

(8 inch) brownie tin or similar, the bottom lined with greaseproof paper cut to fit Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy by hand or whiz in a food processor. Combine the flour, baking powder and ginger, and sieve into the butter mixture, in 5-6 batches, working in each batch as you go: you can do this by hand with a strong arm and a

wooden spoon or whiz in a food processor, again in batches. Press into the prepared tin: this is the hardest part as the mixture is quite stiff. Smooth the top evenly with a dampened tablespoon. Bake for around 40 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool and cut into squares in the tin. Dark Chocolate Covering Postpone cutting the shortcake

Mum’s Kitchen... Venison in Red Wine This tastes so much better made the day before and reheated, and it freezes brilliantly. Mashed potatoes are a good accompaniment. Ingredients Olive or rape seed oil for frying 1kg (2lb 4oz) casserole venison, cut into chunks 1 x 75cl bottle full-bodied red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon Zest and juice of 1 orange 3 medium carrots, sliced 12 shallots, peeled 2 sticks celery, chopped 1 onion studded with 6 cloves Bouquet garni

Method Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and then brown the venison in batches. Place in a non-metallic casserole dish with a lid. Deglaze the pan (providing it is not full of burnt residue) with a little red wine, scraping up any meat residue. Add to the venison with the rest of the wine, orange zest and juice, carrots, celery, shallots, onion. Cook at 180 degrees, 160 fan oven for 2 hours 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

into squares until after coating. Use half the quantities if you would just like to drizzle rather than cover 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) broken into pieces 20g salted butter Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a heatproof bowl, on high, in 30-second bursts, resting briefly in between. This should take two to three minutes of melting time altogether. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water: choose a bowl that will fit comfortably in the top of the saucepan but without the bottom touching the hot water.) Stir the butter gently into the melted chocolate. Microwave for another 30 seconds if necessary. Drizzle or pour immediately over the cooled shortcake whilst still in the tin. Cut into squares once the chocolate is almost set. n Check out Mrs Simkins’ website for more recipes: MrsSimkins.co.uk twitter.com/MrsSimkinsCooks info@MrsSimkins.co.uk

with Diana Holman

ENFORD FARM SHOP Home reared Lamb, along with locally produced meat, veg, fruit, deli & game Follow us on Facebook for all of our latest deals & offers including weekly meat pack deals

Half lamb £65 Open All day, everyday outside shop Fri, Sat Farm Shop Open 8.30am-5pm also Arts & display Durweston, near Blandford

01258 450050 27

Public Notices David Marsh Trading as Marshway Contracts Limited of Winbrook, Peacemarsh, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4EU is applying for a licence to use Unit 2 Mampitts Farm, Mampitts Lane, Shaftesbury, SP7 8PG as an operating centre for 2 goods vehicles and 0 trailers. Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings) near the operating centre(s) who believe that their use or enjoyment of that land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Hillcrest House, 386 Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS9 6NF, stating their reasons, within 21 days of this notice. Representors must at the same time send a copy of their representations to the applicant at the address given at the top of this notice. A Guide to Making Representations is available from the Traffic Commissioner’s office. Licensing Act 2003 Notice of application for the VARIATION of a PREMISES LICENCE Name of applicant: Mr Christopher Roberts & Mrs Rebecca McClelland Address of Premises: 3A High Street, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0AB SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF VARIATION BEING SOUGHT: To commence the selling of alcohol at 08:00 and finish at 22:30 Monday to Sunday for “off sales only”. Current permitted hours to sell alcohol are 12:00 to 22:30 Monday to Sunday. “On sales” of alcohol will remain the same. To amend licence condition so that persons under 18 years will need to be accompanied by an adult from 08:00. Last Date for receipt of any representations: 25/02/21 A record of the application made to the Licensing Authority will be kept on a register at the address given below and the register may be inspected during normal office hours. All representations regarding this application MUST BE IN WRITING and relate to the Prevention of Crime & Disorder, Protection of Children from Harm, Public Safety or Prevention of Public Nuisance and sent to: South Somerset District Council, Licensing Team The Council Offices, Brympton Way Yeovil, BA20 2HT or email to licensing@southsomerset.gov.uk It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application and is subject to an unlimited fine on summary conviction for the offence. Copies of representations are given to the applicant as required by the Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005.

Keep on talking to each other! An American friend of mine from the State of Oregon has emailed about events in the US. He finished his letter: “I hope you and Sandra are getting reacquainted with each other since it’s hard to be in touch with anyone else!” Actually, as I have worked from home for over 40 years, and Sandra has been retired for about nine, I think we were pretty well ‘acquainted’ when lockdown began! Nevertheless, my friend Steve touches on an important dimension of relationships. If, because of work or other pressures, two people see little of one another, they can soon end up communicating mostly by text. Gradually they can drift apart – only realising what has happened when it’s difficult, or even too late, to row back. Finding quality time is essential to any relationship. Currently it may be a real challenge, including for those whom the pandemic has forced apart, or forced together in a small home full of demanding children. But it’s important to find a way of getting some ‘us’ time. St Valentine’s Day is on Sunday week. Quite why 14th February has become a

Our Loose Canon...

with Canon Eric Woods DL

day for the celebration of love and romance is something of a mystery. The first reference to the 14th as a day of romantic love comes from the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382, in his ‘Parliament of Fowls’: “For this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” Whatever the reason for it, the fact remains that last year we bought in the UK over a billion roses on Valentine’s Day, and the number of cards, e-cards and other romantic messages sent is said to be too many to count. Yet a waitress once told me that, although her restaurant was always packed on Valentine’s Day, it was also one of the quietest evenings of the year. “It’s full of people who think they ought to do something romantic but haven’t anything to talk LICENSING ACT 2003 about,” she said. That’s sad. The great secret Notice is given that RANDOLPH FEAR has in any relationship is to applied to Dorset Council for a new premkeep talking. When ises licence in respect of BREEZY RIDGE disagreements happen – as VINEYARD , BUDDENS LANE, WEST they are bound to – deal MELBURY SP7 0LY for with them straight away before they escalate into RETAIL SALE OF ALCOHOL FOR real conflict. “A gentle CONSUMPTION ON & OFF THE answer turns away anger”, PREMISES 08.00 TO 23.00 DAILY the Old Testament tells us. Any interested party or responsible And when tempers rise, the authority may make representations by New Testament advises emailing: licensingteamb@dorsetcouncil. “do not let the sun go down gov.uk or writing to, Licensing, Dorset on your anger.” Try to put Council, South Walks House, South Walks yourself into the shoes of Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1UZ within the other person – husband, 28 days from the date of this notice. wife, partner or friend – to The licensing register and details of this discover how they are application may be inspected by contacting feeling, and why. Conflicts the licensing section during normal office often happen over hours via email or phone on 01305 838028. apparently trivial issues, It is an offence under Section 158 of the but all sorts of feelings lie Licensing Act 2003 to knowingly or beneath them. recklessly make a false statement in conAnd have the grace to recognise that occasionally nection with an application, the maximum you might be the problem fine on summary conviction is unlimited. – and do something about it! DATE: 27TH January 2021

Education

Learning to cope with teaching stress

DIFFERENT CLASS: Peter Radford with his book

By Miranda Robertson A former teacher from Marnhull has written a book to help others facing the same strain he did. Peter Radford left teaching in 2016 after a breakdown. He had been a teacher for 20 years, nine of those in the leadership team. He had been head of year at The Blandford School and RE teacher at Shaftesbury School before taking a job as assistant head at Poole High School. Sadly, he hit a wall after four years in the job. Many teachers will identify with his struggle – a recent UK

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survey showed 40% of teachers plan to leave the job in the next five years. Peter said: “That survey was before lockdown happened. “The past year has shown just how significant a role teachers play in the economy, but more importantly how crucial they are to our children’s development, well-being and future hopes. “The exams fiasco showed a lamentable distrust in our teachers by government. This is not a new thing. Ongoing results-focussed pressure, top-down leadership and excessive, ever-changing directives have, for thousands of teachers, utterly destroyed their love of teaching and led to mental and physical breakdowns on a level unseen before. Teachers are leaving schools in unprecedented numbers.” Peter believes the exodus is reversible. Having started his own educational business, Beyond This, providing student workshops and staff training, Peter’s first book – Love Teaching Keep Teaching: An essential guide to improving well-being at all levels of school will be published by Crown House Publishing this month. Velbon Camera tripod SE-4 aluminum with three extensions. £15. Dinghy anchor £5, 01935 863954 Full length unisex sheepskin coat size 16. Made by Fink. At least 30 plus years old and in excellent condition. £95. 01747 840519 for details. Hoover upright TH71, Modern GWO bagless £50 - Phone 01963 220464 Queen size bed headboard, side cabinet £40, exercise machine £75 ono, buyer collects, 01747 6812249 Electric recliner armchair, Green very good condition £75ono 01747 824660 House and run for bantams, rabbits, lift off roof £38 - 01258 268810

“We need to radically reBranching Out guides and supports think the young people through their interviews, way we do equipping them with the tools to engage school,” meaningfully and with genuine self assurance. If your child is unsure or apprehensive about says Peter. the approaching interviews for Senior School “We can’t and Scholarships, I would love to help. address The 1 hour Zoom session costs £45 well-being and includes follow up notes. by shoewww.branchingoutmentor.com horning in caroline@branchingoutmentor.com some extra Mobile 07983 786650 lessons on one at the centre of mental health for students. We need, as teachers, to learn everything we do is the starting point to re-create how to model sustainable, schools that do what they are balanced lives so we can supposed to: namely prepare enable our young people to our kids to live life well and do the same.” build a better future.” He added: “The mental Love Teaching Keep health crisis amongst young Teaching provides practical people is growing. No insights and guidance to generation before this one teachers on how to manage has had 24/7 direct access via their phones to gambling, their own mental and emotional wellbeing as well gaming, porn, friends, as offering guidance on enemies, fake news and becoming more emotionally advertising. We have not literate leaders who can equipped students for this shape an inspiring future. world. We aren’t equipped n Love Teaching Keep for it ourselves. But Teaching – An essential education has to be the answer. Re-thinking not only guide to improving wellbeing at all levels of school our curriculum but also the culture of our schools, is now by Peter Radford is available on Amazon and from Crown essential. Valuing and acknowledging every student House Publishers. For school workshops and training see and staff member and placing the wellbeing of each beyondthis.co.uk

Branching Out

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Announcements Birthdays

In memoriam

MEGAN ELIZABEH ISGROVE

Fred Evill: 3/2/1921, Died 4/2/2013 Valerie Evill: 14/2/1925, Died 29/6/2020

To our darling Megan, Happy 17th Birthday Megs on the 13th February. Love and miss you Megs from Nanny and Grandad Isgrove xx

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY WENDY ON SUNDAY GOOD HEALTH & HAPPINESS BE YOURS AS YOU START ANOTHER PAGE IN YOUR BOOK OF LIFE Love from Penny, Heather and Sylvia and all the family Oh - but for lockdown! We would've rung them bells, them bells, them bells We would've rung 'em high we would've rung 'em low Rung 'em in the Church and rung 'em in the snow Rung 'em fast and rung 'em slow For Wendy, that ol'bell ringer born 80 years ago!

Wendy Horne is 80 on 7th Feb – who knew! Happy Burpday to the best mother, sister, aunt, great and great great aunt, friend and bell ringer and caterer known to the Vale !

Both sadly missed and always in my thoughts Their son, Rupert

Acknowledgements ELLEN KING

24th April 1936 – 25th January 2001 Gardener Late of Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place. Give fools their gold, and knaves their power; Let fortune’s bubbles rise and fall, Who sows a field or trains a flower or plants a tree is more than all.

GEORGE AMEY – much loved dad and grandad, missed by Jane, Bridgett, Adrian, Gareth, Marc & Jess

Aged 90 years of Wincanton. On 20th January 2021 peacefully at his home. A much loved one in a million dad, uncle and friend. Private cremation.

John, Rachel, Wendy, Terry and Families wish to express their thanks for all the kind messages of sympathy and support from family and friends for the sad loss of Ellen. Please accept this as our personal acknowledgement. Donations of £275 were sent to Parkinsons UK. Special thanks to Ian of Merefield & Henstridge, funeral director, for his help and support.

Donations in memory of Dennis are being invited for the RNLI, c/o Harold F Miles, Funeral Director, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES. Telephone (01963) 440367

EVELYN MASKELL Linda and family wish to extend our gratitude for all the kindness expressed following the death of Mum. Also many thanks for your kind donations to the Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Deaths

In Memoriam GREENOUGH FRANK GEOFFREY

CHECKLEY Dennis Stanley

CLIVE RAYMOND 15.03.1937 – 20.01.2021 Of Winterborne Kingston. Much loved husband of Jacky and true friend to many. In spite of the incredible care he received from the doctors and nurses at Dorset County Hospital ICU, Clive lost his battle against covid-19. He will be sadly missed by family and friends. Private funeral service due to covid restrictions, but donations, if desired for the Injured Jockeys Fund, may be made online by visiting www.close-funeral.co.uk or cheques payable to the charity c/o Colin J Close Funeral Service, Peel Close, Salisbury Road, Blandford DT11 7JU. Tel: 01258 453133

BRYANT Ronald Leslie Aged 90 years of Wincanton. On 21st January 2021, peacefully at Cary Brook Care Home, Castle Cary. A much loved husband, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and friend. Private cremation. Donations in memory of Ronald are being invited for Cary Brook Comforts Fund, c/o Harold F. Miles, Funeral Director, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES. Telephone (01963) 440367.

Announcements CYNTHIA HOSKINS (née Williams) Of Gillingham, Dorset formerly of Baltonsborough, Somerset, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, 16th January aged 80 years. A loving and much loved mum and nanny. Enquiries to Peter Jackson Funeral Services. Tel: 01747 833757.

JOAN IRENE BRYAN Passed away peacefully at her home on the 21st January aged 91. Joan loved nature, loved her birds and animals and supported many of these charities. She will be sadly missed by her neighbours and many friends in Stalbridge. Private funeral service, donations if desired for Cinnamon Trust C/o Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High Street, Henstridge, BA8 ORB.

GEOFFREY RAYMOND PARSONS On 24th January 2021 suddenly at home aged 90 years of Shaftesbury. Uncle to Bob, Jenny, David, Derek, Tina and Nick, who will be sadly missed by all family and friends. Private family service but donations if desired to the Royal British Legion, Shaftesbury may be sent to Merefield & Henstridge Funeral Directors, Ridgemount, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset. SP7 0BU. Tel: 01747 853532

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Announcements

A J Wakely& Sons Independent Family Funeral Directors Choice of Hearses available including our Land Rover Hearse

– 24 Hour Service –

Sherborne Tel: 01935 816817 Wincanton Tel: 01963 31310 Pre-payment plans available

Please contact Richard Wakely, or a member of our dedicated team for any advice or guidance.

BOWDITCH Cynthia Florence

ANDREWS SHEILA AMY Aged 80 years of Gillingham (formerly of Galhampton). On 26th January 2021, peacefully at Yeovil District Hospital. A much loved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. Private funeral. Donations in memory of Sheila are being invited for Bruton Methodist Church, c/o Harold F. Miles, Funeral Director, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES. Telephone (01963) 440367.

Peacefully on the 29th January 2021, at home with family. Cynthia aged 93 years, formerly of Rampisham. A much loved mum, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend to many. Private funeral service due to covid restrictions. Enquiries to Peter Jackson Funeral Services. Tel: 01963 362570

GOFF LEONARD ARTHUR On the 21st January 2021, peacefully at Yeovil District Hospital. Len, aged 87 years of Sturminster Newton. Devoted husband of the late Coral, father to Amanda & Melanie, grandad to Adam, Karen, Nicola & Christopher. Private funeral due to the current restrictions. Donations if desired for Cats at The Mill. C/O Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge, BA8 0RB. Tel: 01963 362570.

LAKE KATHLEEN MYRTLE “KIT”

Family Run Caring & E cient • Private Chapels of Rest Personal Day & Night Service “Golden Charter” Pre-paid Funeral Plans available Memorials in Stone Marble & Granite, etc.

Shaftesbury (01747) 853532 imere昀eld@aol.com Gillingham (01747) 835335 www.mhfd.co.uk “Ridgemount”, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset. SP7 0BU

Passed away peacefully at home with her family on Sunday, 24th January 2021, aged 94. One in a million mum, nan, and sister. Will be very much missed by her family and friends. Funeral service to take place at Test Valley Crematorium on Wednesday, 17th February at 3.15pm. Very limited attendance due to current restrictions. Family flowers only. Donations, if desired, to Dementia UK, c/o Beestons Funeral Directors, 13-15 Warren Avenue, Shirley Warren, Southampton. SO16 6AS. Tel: 02380 776625

PETER JACKSON FUNERAL SERVICES

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OBITUARY Quentin Craddock, who died in hospital in January, was a former teacher at Bryanston School described as a muchloved Bryanstonian as pupil, maths teacher, housemaster, Young Enterprise pioneer and cross country, rugby and cricket coach. He and his family lived in Blandford for many years

Announcements GRACE EDNA HOOPER

NEAL DOUGLAS TREVOR

On 17th January 2021 peacefully in the Mellowes Care Home aged 78 years of Gillingham (formerly of Shaftesbury). A much loved mum to Susan, Richard and Michelle. A loving grandmother to Lee, Janine, Daniel, Gemma & Thomas and great grandmother to Evelyn, Teddy & Kyron. Private family service but donations if desired to Dementia UK may be sent to Merefield & Henstridge Funeral Directors, Ridgemount, Pitts Lane, West Melbury, Shaftesbury, Dorset. SP7 0BU. Tel: 01747 853532

Passed away unexpectedly on 22nd January 2021 at Signature House Care Home. Dearly loved husband of Cindy. Much loved dad, grandad and great grandad. Due to current restrictions a private family funeral will take place. Family flowers only please, donations in memory of Doug for Alzheimer’s Society. C/O Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Mons, High St, Henstridge, BA8 0RB. Tel: 01963 362570.

COLLIS ANDREW (ANDY)

CLIVE RAYMOND 15.03.1937 – 20.01.2021

Dearly loved Andy passed away on December 15th 2020. Cremation service was held on January 4th 2021. Donations made in memory of Andy to Make a Wish Foundation and our sincere thanks to all who donated. Our sincere thanks also to the members of The Royal Engineers who honoured Andy at the service. Interment service to be held later in the year. We all miss and love him so much. Mum (Gwen Rowland), wife, Tracey, children, Ben, Hayley and Tom and grandchildren, Moss, Jenson, Ajay and Alia, Sister, Thelma (Philip) and Billie.

Of Winterborne Kingston. Much loved husband of Jacky and true friend to many. In spite of the incredible care he received from the doctors and nurses at Dorset County Hospital ICU, Clive lost his battle against covid-19. He will be sadly missed by family and friends. Private funeral service due to covid restrictions, but donations, if desired for the Injured Jockeys Fund, may be made online by visiting www.close-funeral.co.uk or cheques payable to the charity c/o Colin J Close Funeral Service, Peel Close, Salisbury Road, Blandford DT11 7JU. Tel: 01258 453133

OLIVE ELLEN COUTURE (The Hat Lady) Peacefully at Whitecliffe House on 25 January 2021. Olive's family would like to thank Whitecliffe House and the many individuals and businesses in Blandford who have been so kind to Olive, particularly in the years since Mike died. There will be a private family funeral. Donations, if desired for Alzheimer’s Society, may be made online by visiting www.close-funeral.co.uk or cheques payable to the charity c/o Colin J Close Funeral Service, Peel Close, Salisbury Road, Blandford DT11 7JU. Tel: 01258 453133

after his father, Dr John Craddock, became a GP in the town in the 1950s, and Quentin returned to the area in 1976 to join the teaching staff at Bryanston where he remained until his retirement almost 40 years later. After retiring he joined the Singing

REILLY Royston William (Roy) Peacefully on 22nd January 2021 at home in Gillingham, aged 88 years. Beloved husband of June. Loving father and granddad. He will be sadly missed, but forever remembered by all who knew and loved him. Private Cremation due to the covid-19 pandemic. All enquiries to Bracher Brothers, Gillingham Tel. 01747 822494

for Pleasure choir at Dorset Rural Music School and became a volunteer at Kingston Lacy, meeting and greeting visitors with his unique brand of humour and enthusiasm. He also continued his lifelong love of exercising in the Dorset countryside by riding with

local cycling groups. Quentin died quietly at the University Hospital Southampton on January 9 2021 and is survived by his wife, Caroline, and children Victoria and Tristan.

MORRIS HOWARD DRAKE Passed away peacefully at home on 22nd January, aged 91 years. Much loved husband to Joan and father to Paul and Lynne. Morris will be sadly missed by his family and all of his many friends. Private funeral service. Donations, if desired for Marie Curie and Weldmar Hospicecare Trust, may be made online at www.close-funeral .co.uk or cheques payable to the charity c/o Colin J Close Funeral Service, Peel Close, Salisbury Road, Blandford DT11 7JU. Tel: 01258 453133

KNIGHT Dorothy Edith Aged 89 years of Sherborne, formerly of Charlton Horethorne. On 27th January 2021, peacefully at Yeovil District Hospital. A dearly beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and friend. Private cremation. Donations in memory of Dorothy are being invited for Milborne Port Surgery Equipment Fund, C/O Harold F. Miles, Funeral Director, South Cadbury, BA22 7ES. Telephone (01963) 440367.

Antiques & Collectibles

Market still busy despite lockdown Since the lockdowns began auctions have moved very successfully to online platforms only, and with more people moving out of the city into the country, period furniture is making a return to popularity, along with the ongoing trend for mid-century design. In their first sale of 2021 to be held online on Saturday, February 13, Clarke’s Auctions have a selection of both styles for sale, including Ercol blond furniture, a dining table, a nest of ‘Pebble’ occasional tables, a coffee table and day bed. There are Arts and Crafts pieces including an oak armchair by the renowned furniture designer William Birch and a 1927 Gordon Russell footstool. Other furniture includes an early 19th century oak dresser, always popular, an 18th century style mahogany chest on stand and the usual assortment of sideboards, chest of drawers, cupboards and coffers from all periods. There is a stylish Arts & Crafts Tudric pewter and glass preserve or pickle dish with original glass liner, designed by Archibald Knox for Liberty, plus silver, jewellery, collectables,

Toys, Collectables and General Sale Thursday 4th March 10am Accepting entries now

Clockwise, Two French silk upholstered armchairs, an Ercol sofa day bed, and an Archibald Knox for Liberty Tudric pewter preserve or pickle dish

ceramics and glass, Middle Eastern and Oriental items, paintings, rugs and garden furniture. Following their inaugural sale in November, they are pleased to confirm the date of their next sale of Classic Cars, Motorcycles and Automibilia as Sunday, March 14. They have already received instruction to sell items from Cornwall to Staffordshire. One of the rarer motorcycles is a BSA B21 250 overhead valve motorbike, only produced for two years before the war. Having been part of a private collection for nearly 30 years, it has

recently had an engine rebuild and has original documents and cherished registration number. Estimate £3,000 £5,000. Other marques to be offered include Triumph, Norton and Velocette. For all enquiries for this sale please call Matt Whitney on 01747 955109. Despite the lockdowns the housing market does not seem to have slowed down. Clarke’s are extremely busy with valuations of probate, insurance and single items. Covid safe appointments are still being made to appraise items. Call Richard Clarke or Karen Marshall on 01747 855109 at the Semley office.

CLARKE’S AUCTIONS Auctioneers & Valuers NEXT SALE Saturday 13th February

Free valuations & home visits House clearances arranged Probate & Insurance valuations www.busby.co.uk Contact info@busby.co.uk 01308 420 100 The Old Hemp Store North Mills, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3BE

Viewing by appointment Sale at 10am

An Art Nouveau Arts & Crafts enamel plaque depicting a lady. Sold for £1,350

Please contact Richard Clarke or Karen Marshall on 01747 855109 Station Road, Semley, Shaftesbury, SP7 9BU enquiries@clarkesauctions.co.uk clarkesauctions.co.uk

WE BUY RECORDS COLLECTIONS LARGE and SMALL. Call BILL on 07967 816506 or 01747 811100 Email bill@reborn records.co.uk OLD BOOKS BOUGHT also autographs, diaries, photographs & postcards. £10 per volume paid for decorative leather bindings. We call by appointment entirely without obligation. We have been buying in Dorset for over 50 years. Bristow & Garland 01747 855666 ANTIQUE FURNITURE AND COLLECTABLES WANTED Tel: 01935 891681 0r 07826 612819

Home & Garden WONDERWOOD LOGS All Seasoned Hard Woods, Oak, Ash, Beech, £75 for 1 cubic sq metre or £140 for 2 cubic sq metres, 07990 511340 or 07847 659881

The BSA B21 250cc motorbike, est £3,000-£5,000

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

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LES BENHAM GARDEN PROPERTY MAINTENANCE All hedge/tree work, rubbish clearance, gravel driveways, pressure washing, patio and fencing work. Fully insured. Free quotes 01258 458849/ 07788 907343 lesbenham@yahoo.co.uk

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DANNY'S GARDEN & PROPERTY MAINTENANCE All trees, hedges, fencing, gravel paths/ driveways, pressure cleaning, concrete bases, free quotations, fully insured, 07545 619735 / 01258721376 VAX hard floor steam mop £25. VAX carpet washer, scarcely used, £50 ono 01747 852832

GUTTERS CLEARED Windows, fascias, soffits, gutters cleaned, repairs, free estimates 07788 376752

SEASONED HARDWOOD LOGS £145 double load £85 half load 01258 880892 07980 036250

WELL ROTTED MANURE £50 per transit load, phone Roger on 01202 826502 or 07885 826396

Nattuzzi red leather sofa £595, chair £295 EXCELLENT CONDITION 07588 053555

UNWANTED PALLETS REQUIRED Any condition. Free collection. 07971 298562

THE VIEW RNA VA HUSQ D MORE A E N RANG OUR IN ROOM SHOW

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SALES SERVICE REPAIRS

Home & Garden HEDGING PLANTS

40-60cm Green Beech £128/100 Hornbeam £134/100 Quickthorn £126/100 & Blackthorn £143/100 For list and availability Call WILLIAMS GARDEN CENTRE

01963 362355 williams-florist.co.uk Station Rd, Stalbridge, Dorset DT10 2RQ

Season Barn Dry Logs 20 miles radius of Sherborne

Tel: 01935 815534

Treecare Co. Tree Specialists

TREE STUMP REMOVAL Pruning, bracing, shaping. Preservation of mature trees. Hedge cutting. Trees supplied & planted. Landscaping & maintenance. Heavy duty winch hire available. Tree Surgery BS.3998 Contractors to local authorities.

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Tales from a February, with its frosty mornings and bitter winds, always reminds me of summer berries. Or more specifically, of summer berry bush management. The half-wild garden is home to an CALL DUCKS £20 07887 692394 IS YOUR CONSERVATORY TOO COLD IN WINTER & TOO HOT IN SUMMER? We turn conservatories into really comfortable rooms you can use every day of the year, whatever the weather, guaranteed For a free quote call 0333 242 3870 conservatoryinsulationspecialists.co.uk OLD TOOLS WANTED FOR CASH: BEST PRICE IN UK VINTAGE,COLLECTABLE & GOOD USED TOOLS, boyshilltoolsandtreen.co.uk Tel 07977298834 danletts51@gmail.com

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01747 824015 Monday – Saturday 9am – 5.30pm Sunday 10am – 4pm

Seed potatoes and onion sets now in Time to plan the veg sowing! Pots of cheery colour to brighten a day 32

Snowdrops in the green Bare root and rootballed hedging Soft fruits and fruit trees

Home & Garden

a half-wild garden... abundance of berry bushes planted long ago, and they’ve been left on their own to colonise the area at will. It’s a mini-madhouse-wilderness down in Berry Bottom, and February is the only time of year the vegetation dies back enough for me to get in there with intent to prune. When we first took on this overgrown acre, we didn’t even know the berries were there. All by themselves in that first year, those bushes did their crazy half-wild thing, rewarding us with buckets of plump, ripe blackcurrants and raspberries throughout the summer and autumn. It’s become a sort of tradition, now. I prune once in February, then completely neglect that area for the rest of the year. The bushes self-mulch with a dense

mat of nutritious decomposing weed material, which feeds them and helps them store water in dry months. And we, in turn, reap the ridiculously healthy harvest, with plenty of fruit left over on hard-to-reach branches for birds and insects to enjoy. It’s a good system. If only we could figure out how to apply it to cauliflowers. But I suppose this berry example is essentially what the Japanese

...with Carrie Triffet

natural forest gardening folk must be talking about: Letting Nature do virtually all of the work, and just showing up in time to collect the harvest. This wouldn’t work in every garden, of course. It takes plenty of space, a pretty high tolerance for uncultivated chaos (at least in certain designated areas), and a willingness to leave well enough alone. But oh, those glorious berries, bursting with

goodness. Not to mention the butterflies and bees, the wildflowers and dog roses, the brambles and toads and grasshoppers and a thousand other species I can’t begin to name, all of whom thrive cheek by jowl with unchecked abandon. The thought of it cheers me even now, in the stark February chill. So I’m off for a hot date with a cold pair of secateurs, for my annual bit of controlled berry bush meddling. I’ll be pruning out the deadwood—bringing the temporary illusion of order to chaos, as I dream of berrylicious summers to come. Carrie Triffet is an award winning author of four books, none of which are about gardening.

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Your local kitchen and appliance specialists... 37

Home & Garden

Gardening... ...with botanist Dr Dave Aplin

smile

MAKE SOMEONE

THIS

VALENTINE’S DAY Open Saturday 13th 9-4 & Sunday 14th 10-2

FREE DELIVERY SATURDAY & SUNDAY Williams Florist, Station Rd, Stalbridge, Dorset DT10 2RQ

Tel: 01963 362355

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Normal Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm

Curtain Circuit We turn your unwanted top quality Curtains, Rugs, Small Chairs into CASH. Our stock changes daily so come to see us soon. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am to 1.00pm The Old Cycle Shop, Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BS 01935 815155 info@curtaincircuit.co.uk Instagram curtaincircuitsherborne

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Spring will soon be upon us, heralding more favourable conditions that tempt dormant seeds out of their winter slumber. The chances are you will be planning what to grow and perhaps opening a few packets of seeds over the next few weeks. I thought it an appropriate time to highlight several aspects about seeds that may fascinate. Time travel may be a popular subject in science fiction, but where plants are concerned this journey is science fact. Most plants produce seeds – packages of life that under certain circumstances remain dormant until tempted to wake by more favourable conditions. The amount of time seeds remain dormant and viable depends on the genetics of the plant and on the environment they experience during dormancy. Gardeners know that parsnip seeds (and their related kin) lose viability within a year or two, so fresh seeds are best purchased annually. At one extreme some plants (mainly from tropical regions) lack dormancy. These germinate when still attached to the parent plant. You can investigate this yourself the next time you eat a fresh mango. Carefully open the tough fibrous seed coat and you will discover an emerging root and shoot. Pot them up and you will have

a houseplant for free. Plants that come from areas where seasonality is more pronounced often experience less favourable growing conditions. These plants adopt a range of mechanisms (hard seed coats, chemicals that need to be broken down prior to germination) that ensure their seeds do not germinate at the wrong time of year. Seedbanks, scientific laboratories specialising in saving the world’s flora, adopt clever techniques to extend seed dormancy without affecting their viability. The most used is careful drying then placing them in a freezer at 20˚C below zero. Under these conditions some seeds should remain viable for several thousands of years. While this may seem a bit fanciful and hard to prove, the natural world has demonstrated just this. In 2007, seeds from a type of campion were discovered in frozen arctic tundra. Radiocarbon dating revealed the seeds to around 32,000 years old. Amazingly, scientists were able to coax them to germinate and flower. This just goes to show the remarkable resilience of seeds, so if you happen to discover a long-lost packet of seeds it might be worth giving them a go. In this instance, select just a few seeds and sprinkle them onto damp tissue, place them somewhere warm. If they germinate then you’re in luck, follow the directions on the packet for the remaining All services include: Professional soil testing service seeds and enjoy the ✓ l aboratory analysis of nutrients, pH fruits of your labour. For gardeners, landscapers, Next week we will farmers & small holders ✓ bespoke, detailed report investigate how to make Visit: www.soilvalues.com a wildflower meadow. soilvalues.com

Home & Garden ASBESTOS REMOVAL Garages sheds lean tos roofing and cladding, collection and dismantling by registered hazardous waste carrier. Call 07973 444620 or 01722 414478 GARDEN RESCUE 01747 821 726 SEED POTATOES AND ONION SETS now available. Also stockists of Kings, Franchi and Fothergill Budget Seeds. 01258 452513 - Langton Nurseries Blandford.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY HEDGE CUTTING, pruning, coppicing and land clearance using Stihls electric equipment causing less noise and pollution. Call David 07786 658708 DORSET RURAL GARDENING MAINTENANCE Hedge trimming, strimming, leaf clearance, lawn work etc. Please call or text 07787544626

ADVICE SOUGHT FOR RECONDITIONING AGA OVEN. Happy to pay consultancy fee. Please call 07979 958162.

SEASONED HARDWOOD LOGS Barn stored, delivery up to 20 mile radius, Sherborne. Call 01935 815534

KINDLING WOOD, £30 for 25 nets free local delivery. Phone 07971298562

LOGS R US 1 ton pickup load of logs £90, double load £150 dumpy bag £60. All hardwood. 07790 404593 01258 818081

MAN WITH MICRO-DIGGER Garden clearance, patios, fencing, decking, landscaping, driveways 30+ years’ experience Contact Ken - 07882 441873 01963 32034 KEVIN MITCHELL PROPERTY SERVICES Property maintenance, refurbishments, brickwork, stonework,carpentry, ceramic tiling, painting, decorating, bathrooms, kitchens, City & Guilds qualified. Free estimates, no VAT, Gillingham 01747 824664 or 07957882003 kevin.mitchell63@yahoo.co.uk

SEASONED LOGS FOR SALE: Barn stored ash, beech and oak, dumpy bags delivered £70. 01963 23733 07967 929055 07903 535745 BARE ROOT HEDGING now available, 01258 452513 - Langton Nurseries, Blandford

TREEWISE Experts in all aspects of TREE SURGERY, HEDGECUTTING & STUMP REMOVAL NPTC qualified & fully insured No job too small, Friendly, personal advice and free quotations. Make a wise choice and call David Merefield today on 01747 850906 / 07966 522361

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BARE ROOT HEDGING now available, 01258 452513 - Langton Nurseries, Blandford

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Local services

LOGS LOGS WELL SEASONED HARDWOOD WELL SEASOND HARDWOOD

Local Services GRAHAM'S WINDOWS & DOORS More than 15 years’ experience installing high quality UPVC windows and doors, conservatories, warm roofs & aluminium. We provide the very best products with a wide range of colours and designs.

See our reviews on Facebook: facebook.com/GrahamsWindows We are a Yeovil-based, family-run business, covering Dorset, Somerset and the South West. Reasonable prices and friendly service!

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SMALL FENCING JOBS, new or old including repairs, no VAT, low rates for February, phone Alex on 07388 038650 for a quote.

PAINTING & DECORATING

Phoenix Chimneys

& Property Maintenance Clive Young carries out Chimney Sweeping Solid Fuel Stove Servicing & Repairs All Chimney Work Birdguards & Cowls Repointing & Leadwork

Call 01258 455947

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R&W FENCING SERVICES All types of fencing, agriculture and domestic 01258 880892 07980 036250 HAND PICKED FIELD FLINT. Available in 1 ton bags. Various sizes, unknapped, Call Tim on 07543 666197

Concrete & Floor Screed Mixed On site Any Quantity Delivered Sand Gravel Stone Cement Blocks etc Supplied Loose or in Big Bags Good Quality Top Soil in Stock

Now available... Rockery Stone

Competitive Rates 01747 853687 or 01747 855630 www.hardimanconcrete.co.uk 40

Local, Quality Painter & Decorator 35 Years Experience Free Quotes • No VAT Call Richard on

Home: 01258 880670 Mob: 07825 512 627 ‘Your home in safe and capable hands’

LES BENHAM Painting Services Property maintenance domestic/ commercial Inside or Out. Fully Insured/Free Quotes 01258 458849/ 07788 907343 lesbenham@yahoo.co. uk / checkatrade

LOCAL LOCKSMITH 2 Counties Locksmith Covering Shaftesbury & Gillingham Tel 07747 488587 Member of the master Locksmith’s Association

D&T Plumbing and Heating Oil servicing and repairs, plus all other aspects of plumbing and heating carried out

t:01747 854887 m:07525 755 696

VALE COMPUTERS Repairs, Servicing, Upgrades If we can't fix it, we don't charge. New & used computers for sale. Broadband installations, Microsoft Qualified Staff, Call 01258 880442 or valecomputers.2006@btinternet.com 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. 01749 677440 - 07921 074602 -

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HOUSE CLEARANCE SPECIALISTS enquiries@back2market.com Tel: 01258 440838 Freephone: 0800 2425012 PICTURE FRAMING at reasonable cost. Contact Malcolm on 01963 363380 or 07775 805859 for quotes

PIANO TUNING, REPAIRS, sales of reconditioned pianos. Julian Phillips BA CGLI 01258 471194

PLANNING CONSULTANT 01963 371180 0789 4020 735 Site appraisals Planning applications Appeals Planning drawings Advice www.whiteacreplanning.com

Local services

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ADVERTISE HERE: CALL 01963 400186

Wobbly broken chairs? Consult the Chair Doctor. Any period. Call Alan Baldwin 01747 870 118 Also caning, upholstery and antique restoration

Davies & Sons – Builders All aspects of building works undertaken Over 20 years of experience FMB Registered since 2002 For a free no obligation quote Call Mark on 07525834551 or Email: davies.mark66@yahoo.com Find us at fmb.org.uk

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DORSET LIME Specialists in all external & internal lime work. Lime crete flooring. All aspects of traditional building Call Dave or Dan 07492 181788

Tom the Roofer I cover all aspects of rooﬁng work, gutter replacement, cleaning and repair work

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SHINY STOVES OVEN CLEANING Ovens,Ranges, Aga’s, etc. Independent Family Run Business Covering The Blackmore Vale Area

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Joseph Crocker Computers Custom built gaming & office PCs Desktop, laptop and mobile device diagnosis and repair General computer and IT advice

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Health & Wellbeing

Bottoms up! A way to use coffee to perk you up Coffee, for me is one of the hardest things to give up during a detox. It is not just the coffee itself, but the routine of making it; the smell and then the hit from drinking it. Plus, giving it up can make you feel awful with a splitting headache and aching muscles. Obviously the more you drink, the more severe the symptoms. Naturopathically, we have been told that coffee should not be drunk at all as it is so bad for us. Drinking too much may contribute to osteoporosis as it can stop calcium absorption in your bones. It can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure, confusion, diarrhoea and nausea. Your body cannot store excess caffeine, so getting rid of it puts a strain on your liver and kidneys and increases urination which can lead to bladder instability. It can also contribute to insomnia and

anxiety. How depressing! However it is a very powerful herb and can do a lot of good. Not only can it be used for asthma, as it a potent bronchodilator, but it can also be excellent for detoxing the liver and cleaning the blood. But you need to put it up your bottom! I can hear gasps of horror and repulsion, particularly from my family where the very idea is abhorrent. It is a very controversial subject with some people swearing by it and others saying it is very unsafe. Whatever, it is not recommended without prior consultation with either a naturopath or health professional. The reported benefits of having a coffee enema are that coffee will travel through the colon wall into blood vessels that transport blood from the intestines to the liver. This is called the portal system and

A walk around... HALSTOCK Halstock is on the western edge of the Vale. The locals are very proud of their Saint: Juthware. She was decapitated by her stepbrother and carried her own head to the church and placed it on the altar! There’s space to park near the village hall. Head north, crossing the stream, and you’ll soon be at the church, which is worth visiting. Then carry on up the road for a mile, climbing Abbot’s Hill. At the top of the hill is a pond, which is on the border with Winterset, so go no

further but turn back and enjoy the wide views over the Vale as you descend. At the foot of the hill, by a stream, turn left, north-east, and continue for half a mile until you come to a T junction. If you’re interested in watching aquatic birds, turn left and you’ll soon come to the Sutton Bingham Reservoir where there’s a bird watchers’ hide next to the road. Otherwise, turn right and head south for a while back to the village, passing a road sign with a picture of Juthware and the former village pub, now a B&B, the Quiet Woman. Turn right and you’ll soon be back at your car. Now you have the choice of

avoids the digestive tract. There it stimulates the liver to dump bile by dilating the bile ducts and promoting glutathione, a 2.5 minutes, so if you can very important antioxidant hold the coffee enema for 15 and detoxification pathway. minutes the blood will have Together this helps the liver a thoroughly good clean. to rid itself of toxins. It also Being British, we rather removes excess fermentation giggle and shy away from from the caecum, part of anything to do with our your large intestine and bottoms, but many cultures stimulates peristalsis swear by enemas for (contracting of longitudinal cleansing and detoxing the and circular muscles) across system. I however am the transverse colon. It can British, so would rather my help with constipation and coffee in a cup! people have reported feeling lighter and brighter and energised after having had one. 4.5 Fiona Chapman is litres of studying naturopathy blood pass through your and herbal medicine at the College of liver every Naturopathic Medicine

with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

walking or driving west for a couple of miles through Lower Halstock Leigh to Higher Halstock Leigh near which, to the south, is the Bracketts Coppice Nature Reserve. There are a couple of entrances, the first up a track to the left of the road,

the second further along and up a road to the left past an industrial unit. The Coppice is worth taking time to explore, maybe on another visit as it’s quite large. There are some lovely longhorn cattle grazing there. 45

Health & Wellbeing

Try not to stress over remote learning Since the first lockdown there has been a visible difference in what schools across the country have been able to offer. Whilst some schools have been able to set up a workable programme from the get-go, others are still struggling. There are many reasons why this is the case and clearly this is unfair. I think we have reached a point in this lockdown where reality has sunk a little deeper – this is what is going to define our lives for some time. A language teacher at a secondary school in Somerset commented: “We can’t support our pupils as much as we would like to. We know parents often feel their children are not getting enough interaction or support in lessons. “Then there is the uncertainty of exams.” But looking at how teenagers are coping as far as social interaction with their friends and how their social development is being affected, she was very clear. “Don’t forget,” she said,

“they will have learned about making friends, communicating, bridge building and sorting out arguments with friends in their primary years. They won’t lose those skills – they will still be there when they hit the big wide world again.” I also spoke to a primary school teacher. She is adamant that, for this age group, parents’ concerns about children being left behind are understandable but not necessary. She recommends a Montessori style of learning for

young children, incorporating everyday life into learning. Sorting out vegetables into different colours or number groups. Making their beds. Planting seeds to grow on a windowsill. Online tools such as BBC Bitesize are also helpful – but for younger children she made a plea to keep them off screens as much and as often as your own situation allows. My secondary school teacher in Somerset told me whilst they are missing out on school-taught soft skills such as learning or

social boundaries and work ethics, they are learning independence, to think ahead and self-sufficiency. They are learning to work from different remote platforms. So it’s not all bad. Everyone I spoke to had one piece of advice in common. Encourage your child to keep reading and talking. Reading will compliment and enrich all their other learning. Even at a very early stage reading a book together and talking about it afterwards. Consider your own behaviour patterns. Your time management and communication. Children thrive on support and structure. There WILL be life skills they are learning that they would not have learned in school. They WILL recover and they WILL be looking to us and following what we do. Alice Johnsen is a life coach based just outside Sherborne. 07961 080513 alicejohnsen.co.uk

Looking after your mental health as important as physical Our newest columnist is psychotherapist David Stanton, who lives near Sherborne. This pandemic has taken its toll in lots of ways on many of us – including our mental health. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s been traumatising, in one way or another, for all. I certainly believe it’ll be remembered in history and the consequences to both our mental and physical health will be felt for generations. I’ve been working in mental health for 40 years; in many countries and cultures around the world. I’m an international senior psychotherapist, mental health consultant, clinical supervisor and trainer of other professionals in this area of health and wellness. I have a private practice and travel extensively; giving talks 46

and facilitating workshops/ retreats on mental health awareness and understanding emotional intelligence – and everywhere I go there’s still stigma and shame attached to this incredibly important area of our health. What does remain fairly constant wherever I go and with whoever I meet; are our thoughts, feelings and subsequent behaviours. We are products of our lived experiences; but even if they’re markedly different, our reactions to them are often similar, even in differing situations and environments. I often equate our mental health to a car. Nowadays most cars are pretty comfy and often luxurious inside and attractive on the outside; but if you don’t keep the engine serviced it will not operate at its optimum level and can eventually break down –

therefore leaving the car looking okay but not working. Our bodies are the same. If we don’t keep our minds healthy and working well our cognition, emotions and subsequent actions will suffer, and all sorts of unpleasant things can happen. It always amazes me how much time, effort and money people will spend on their physical health (exercise/gym) and even their appearance – but they’ll only invest in their mental health if something goes wrong. Surely prevention is better than cure? Mental health is a very hidden illness and often misunderstood. Those reporting problems with it has jumped 29% since the pandemic began. Fear, anxiety, guilt, anger, depression have all increased. Relationship problems, domestic violence, physical/sexual abuse, addictions/dependencies, grief

and loss, confusion and panic are all rife. Our world has been turned upside down. Maintaining good mental health is essential in coping with what we’re all experiencing. If we keep our minds clear, calm and in good working order; our organs and bodies remain healthy and functioning better. It’s well-known that poor mental health often manifests itself in poor physical health – so please don’t neglect your mind; it’s the ‘engine’ to your body. If you have a question on mental health you’d like David to address, email newsdesk@ blackmorevale.net or contact him direct: David Stanton IAC ICPT BACP FDAP ISOCCS ISSUP. Senior psychotherapist, mental health supervisor, trainer and consultant. tatvacenter.com edas-addictionservices.com 07584 711488

Health & Wellbeing

Meditations in Nature: The magic of the night How easy it is to stay in the warm on a cold winter’s night, but what magic we miss by doing so. It is not only the seasons that paint the earth in different colours but also the time of day. After the rooks have headed home to roost and the sun has sunk below the horizon, the sky turns into an indigo lake. The constellations emerge, and with them, a vision of infinite time and space. As Galileo once exclaimed: “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” In the midst of a wet and icy spell, I wait until the moon is nigh and the stars are bright, don my boots and head out for a night walk accompanied by the melodic, soothing notes of a singing blackbird; his the only song in the darkness, I hope his beloved is listening. One of the joys of night walking is that it leaves little room for mundane concerns and personal anxieties and greater room for immediacy, that is, existing entirely in the moment. Accompanied by a sense of adventure, it forces you to heighten senses as you interpret the unfamiliar shapes, shuffles and sounds that emanate from the shrouded landscape. Tonight it is a waxing gibbous moon. It is so bright and vibrant that I do not need a torch. Moon-shadowed trees create inky tributaries beneath my feet whilst around me, the silverwhite light creates new dimensions as it sparkles indiscriminately from every puddle, water droplet or ice crystal in an enchanting choreography of light and land. As my feet instinctively find their way along the track and into the fields beside the River Stour, I scan

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the landscape for signs of life. Here by the riverbank, my eyes stop on a sleek, lithe, dark ‘ottery’ shape by the riverbank. I keep perfectly still. But alas, having spotted my presence, bright, beady eyes look in my direction before bounding across the fields towards the meandering river. The taste of this sweet, brief encounter lingers in my mind way beyond the moment. In folklore, otters symbolise friendship, kindness and family; an affable creature full of playfulness and gladness. How fitting, I think, as I make my way home, my heart full of joy and inspiration at having seen one of our most shy, elusive and charismatic mammals in the Vale. Dr Susie Curtin curtin.susanna@gmail.com

IT AIN’T ARF OTTER MUM: Photograph courtesy of Tim Balmer Photography

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Arts & Entertainment

Definitely, maybe or no way Jose: The organisers of North Dorset’s 20 best festivals are understandably feeling a bit jittery in 2021 after last year’s wipeout due to coronavirus. Watching the news and waiting as long as possible, then deciding to postpone again, is brutal for organisers already making huge losses. Two events look to have disappeared completely this year – Dorset Midsummer Music Festival at Bulbarrow and the Last

of the Summer Cider bash at Cranborne. The Larmer Tree Festival and Sherborne Classic and Supercar show also announced before Christmas that they would give 2021 a miss, understanding the vast logistics and costs involved. Those events which largely rely on market stalls, food and crowds in Blandford and Shaftesbury are also likely to hit the dust, while others are watching and waiting: The Great Dorset Steam Fair says it will make a

final decision at the end of February. But it’s not all gloom. The organisers of the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show in August believe they can manage numbers and space by going to two days for the first time. Events planned for August and September also remain optimistic. Here is the latest news from The Big 20. Clearly, things could change at any moment…

APRIL/MAY

Apr 30-May 2: Teddyrocks Festival, near Blandford New sponsors helped save this 10-year-old festival after it had to call off last year’s event. The festival takes place at Charisworth Farm and has grown steadily since it started in 2011, raising money for children’s cancer charity Teddy 20. Feeder and Ash appeared in 2018, The Darkness and Zutons (2019) and last year’s delayed headliners, The Amazons and Fratellis, appear in 2021. The festival has raised £350k and is named after Ted Newton, who died aged 10 from a rare bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. All tickets purchased last year valid for 2021 – tickets are still available at £70 for the weekend (from £92 including a tent pitch). n teddyrocks.co.uk

May 3: The Blandford Georgian Fayre It’s been going for 25 years, IT’S IN taking over the town’s DOUBT streets with a carousel, music stage and covered market, alongside street food and drink traders. There’s a traditional dog show, rural crafts and farmers’ market. If the weather is fair, cider, hog roasts and live music play a larger part in the 48

READY TO ROCK: The Teddy Rocks Festival is scheduled for the end of April

proceedings, which is long supported by town brewers Hall & Woodhouse. But if covid conditions remain as they are, well… Georgian Fayre chairman Colin Stevens says it is “extremely unlikely” as the fair doesn’t think it will be able to come, and neither do the stall holders. n blandfordgeorgianfayre. co.uk May 9: Shaftesbury Festival of Food and Drink In normal years, the highlights are the cheese races up Gold Hill: men, women, kids and team events which doff a cap to the

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tradition of cheese making in the Blackmore Vale. The men carry truckles of cheese measuring 35cm in diameter, each of which takes 500 pints of milk to make – that’s a lot of effort from the cows and the competitors (BV Dairy are the main sponsors). Stallholders are members of Dorset Food & Drink, Dorset Farmers’ Markets and the Anonymous Travelling Market, with live cookery demonstrations on the High Street by local chefs. One of the chefs, David Shepherd at Le Fleur de Lys says: “The festival has been cancelled till 2022 at present – although we may run some sort of food market later in the year but, at present, we cannot make any plans.” n shaftesburyfestival.co.uk

May 7-9: The Ox Races Dorset-based White Star Running has put the county on the map for running. The outfit organises a brilliant series of running events, not just marathons but a mix of distances: short runs, night runs, 50-mile runs… Fun plays a huge part, with love stations on route, big barbecues and some races with kids or dogs. Two events hit the dust this year but 10 more are planned, starting with The Ox at Rushmoor Estate – a marathon, daytime and nighttime 10K, halfmarathon, 50-mile race and a ‘do-as-many-laps-as-you-

Arts & Entertainment

Your guide to the 20 best festivals access performing arts festival (after Manchester and Brighton) and in 2019 there were 170 performances over the weekend. After last year, the organisers pledged to be back “bigger, better and brighter” this year – but that is in the balance. A meeting planned two weeks ago didn’t happen and there’s no news yet on the website or any social media platform. n shaftesburyfringe.co.uk

ON YOUR BIKES: The North Dorset Cycle Ride on May 16 is going ahead

fancy’ 12-hour Frolic event for teams and solos. Events follow in 2021 at The Larmer Tree, Moreton, Ansty, Sydling St Nicholas, Cranborne Chase and Sherborne. n whitestarrunning.co.uk Early May: The North Dorset Marathon A picturesque race along country lanes through the villages of Hinton St Mary, Marnhull, Stalbridge, Todber, Stour Row, Margaret Marsh, West Orchard, Farrington, Child Okeford and Hammoon, this has run for years. Not last year, nor this one. It has been rescheduled for May 1, 2022. n ndvm.co.uk

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May 16: The North Dorset Cycle Ride This is a brilliant event that really showcases how glorious the cycling is in North Dorset. It’s organised by Shaftesbury Rotary Club,

and is split into three categories: a 12, 25 and 50mile ride (this is not a race). The shortest is for beginners and/or families, with the longer routes designed to show off the stunning Blackmore Vale countryside around the town. The finish is up Gold Hill (can you ride it?!) with hot food and music on Park Walk to finish. Everyone gets a medal and it raises money for Prostate Cancer UK. Registration open (£20 for adults, £10 juniors, under-10s free with adult). n shaftesburyrotaryclub.org JUNE

were either born, lived or resided in and around the town. There is Thomas Hardy, the star of the show; William Barnes, the Dorset poet and the highly influential Robert Young. The day was such a success that 2020 had been looked forward to – that went and now plans are to stage what will probably be a virtual or podcast-based festival. “It will happen in some form or other,” says Councillor Pauline Batstone. A garden festival is also mooted for June – keep checking the website. n sturminster-newton.org.uk JULY

June 19: Sturminster Newton Literary Festival It was a new event in 2019, put together by a group of townsfolk and in part inspired by local author Terry Townsend. The gang decided that the town needed to better remember, commemorate and celebrate its literary heritage: a number of Victorian authors

July 2-4: The Shaftesbury Fringe It would have been MAYBE the fifth year of The Fringe in 2020, which has established itself as a major event pulling in thousands of visitors and used by performers as a warm-up gig for Edinburgh. It is England’s third largest open-

Early July: The UK Boogie Woogie Festival, Sturminster Newton There’s a new website on the way but no news yet about whether it can MAYBE go ahead. The last event in 2019 was the biggest yet, with many international players crossing continents to play, sing, dance, teach and entertain. Sturminster has it covered with open sessions, workshops, and masterclasses all over town. There is also a separate swing dance event and tuition. Events are held in 10 venues from Sturminster Mill to tavern to teahouse to church to outside cafes and it was growing each year, with fans returning since the first festival in 2004. n ukboogiewoogiefestival. co.uk Mid-July: Sherborne classic and supercars The organising committee decided in October to cancel the show in 2021. “The decision to cancel the show has to be made now at the beginning of the planning process,”

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Arts & Entertainment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49

said a statement. “Increasing costs as the show date approaches severely impact our ability to donate to charity, which is the purpose of the show: through our sponsors, exhibitors and visitors support we have been able to donate circa £250,000 over the past five years.” The show is now scheduled to be back at Sherborne Castle on July 17, 2022. n classic-supercars.co.uk July 16-18: The Larmer Tree Festival For 30 years, up until 2019, the festival has been the summer party of music, comedy and theatre, set in the most beautiful festival site in the land. But having lost 2020, organisers took the decision last September not to attempt a 2021 event. “We know that it will still be a year of uncertainty full of challenges for the live events industry and society as a whole,” says a statement on the website. “We know that the level of risk will be higher than normal and unfortunately it’s not a risk we’re able to take. We wish all those events happening in 2021 the best of luck. Sorry that we cannot make Larmer Tree part of that.” n larmertreefestival.co.uk

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AUGUST

August 18-19: Gillingham and Shaftesbury show The show is planned to be held over two days for the first time in its century-old history. “The decision allows the show to spilt visitor

WAIT FOR IT: A decision on the Great Dorset Steam Fair will be taken at the end of this month

numbers over the two days, complying with social distancing and all event regulation requirements come August,” says organiser James Cox. Day ticket prices arre £11 if booked before April 30 but there will be NO sales on the gate – a move designed to control numbers. The show is one for the farming community, with cattle, sheep, horse, dogs and classes. There is a food hall, 500 trade stands and 100 stands with tractors, machinery and farm suppliers. Show jumping in the Turnpike Ring; in another, ferret and terrier racing, birds of prey, sheep dogs and the dog & duck display. n gillinghamandshaftes buryshow.co.uk August 2630: The MAYBE Great Dorset Steam Fair In 2019, the show marked its 51st anniversary, a triumph in the longevity and enduring appeal of steam. It’s the world’s biggest steam and

heritage event: threshers, rollers and lorries, a steamdriven funfair with carousels and dodgems. Add in fairground organs, illusionists, heavy horses, ploughing competitions and classic tractors showing for five days on a 600-acre site with 200,000 visitors. Martin Oliver, managing director, says: “The ongoing problem the GDSF board face is what statutory restrictions will be in place at the time. The safety and wellbeing of everybody is our primary concern, combined with the effect to the parish and residents. We are also conscious of the impact the event would have on emergency services: we do not want to unnecessarily stretch resources any further.” A final decision will be taken at the end of February. n gdsf.co.uk August 28-29: The Stock Gaylard Oak Fair The annual Oak Fair is for anyone interested in

woodcraft, timber, conservation and the countryside. There are workshops and log splitting, logging and carving on all 180 timber-related stalls. Expect to see the British Heavy Horse Logger’s team, Mere Down Falconry, HaveA-Go Archery, zip wires and axe throwing. Market Square is for local food and drink producers. “As it currently stands, we are going ahead as normal,” says organiser Jack Langmead. “We haven’t formulated any ‘special’ plans so to speak as our show is not until the end of the summer – we just don’t know what the virus threat will be like by then, so we will adjust accordingly closer to the time.” n stockgaylard.com SEPTEMBER

September 2-5: End of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens For the last three years of operation, EotR has won an award for Best Small Festival in the NME

Arts & Entertainment Vale of the Dairies,’ and its heart is Sturminster Newton where, two decades ago, 80,000 litres of milk was used daily in cheese production. Then the cattle market closed after 700 years followed by the creamery in 2000. Still, the town’s dairy heritage continues with the cheese fair and voted best food event at the Dorset Food, Drink and Farming awards in 2016. There is a mountain of cheese and food on show with fountains of beer and cider, food demonstrations, music and crafts. More than 10,000 people packed into the tents in 2019 paying £6: children under 14 are free. n cheesefestival.co.uk

CHEESE TO PLEASE: The Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival is lined up for September

Awards. It’s restricted to 16,000 in the Larmer Tree Gardens, with four stages in use over four nights, as well as a piano in the woods. It has run since 2006 and has sold out every year from 2008. This year the headliners are The Pixies, with King Krule and Big Thief among the acts – as they planned to be in 2020. The Guardian says: “End of the Road is the sophisticated family camp-out where herds of Pitchfolk singersongwriters roam wild and inventive alt-rockers scare the peacocks.” Tickets currently selling fast – just £199 prices left for the weekend. n endoftheroadfestival.com September 45: The Verve Wellness Festival Held in 2019 for the first time, at Manor Farm in the Chalke Valley, it offered workouts in the woods, spas, forest bathes and the chance to dance the night away under the stars. An astronomer from Cranborne Chase AonB

staged a stargazing evening to teach festivalgoers about the night sky above the Dark Skies site. The festival clearly went well: “One of the best wellness festivals in the UK this summer” said GQ magazine. And with mental health and wellbeing very much in the thoughts of many, it should be well attended – if possible. Tickets held over from 2020 still valid (they cost £45): no new ones currently available. n feeltheverve.com Mid-September: The Gillingham Walking Festival “We hope to be back with a bang in 2021,” says the website (Google Gillingham Walkers Are Welcome). There is no more news but that’s not surprising for this lovely little festival that usually publishes its programme a matter of weeks in advance of the walks. It has run for seven years and grown from small acorns to be an oak. There are usually 12 walks of

differing lengths and themes – in 2019 it was local produce and walkers enjoyed smoked trout pate, bullace gin, local wine, ice-cream made with local milk, local honey, cream teas and more on their walks. Sign up on the website (where you will also find eight regular walks) and book early if all goes well. Mid-September: The Last of the Summer Cider MAYBE An annual music and cider festival hosted by Cranborne Chase Cider and Myncen Farm, there are two evenings of drinking, singing and general revellery. In 2019, early bird tickets cost from £10 for Friday up to £35 for Friday, Saturday and camping. Whether it re-emerges again this year, we can only hope – no news yet on social. September 11-12: The Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival Thomas Hardy referred to the Blackmore Vale as ‘The

OCTOBER

October 20-22: The Sherborne Literary Festival The programme of events has been suspended for now but the dates have MAYBE been set for the annual event. Says the website: “We have considered ‘virtual’ events but we do not feel that we have the technical expertise or capabilities within our organisation to create these and we all have access to major festivals and other national events that are putting together fascinating talks, many from authors who we have not been able to attract to Sherborne in the past. Unless there is some remarkable developments in the situation, realistically I cannot see us holding further events this year. But we live in hope... n sherborneliterarysociety. com 51

Puzzles Arrow words

Crossword

Reading onscreen text, perhaps

Leaped

Large wading bird

More badtempered

Persian Gulf state (inits)

Lip of a cup

The sale of goods

Flameretardant

Nuisance

10 Retiree (inits)

Pace

12 Onion relative

Brooch

Snare

Local fair

Gentle

US tax institute (inits)

Fate

Well known

Video speed (inits)

Mineral

Butting animal

Amiss

Moderately sized company (inits)

Gym unit

Wordsearch English Counties

T Y N E A N D W E A R R R R O

E E E N N A F R S I I I I I T

S B K E E S I T H H H H H H L

R D R S T H S S S S S S S S A

E R S S S U N T E K K D E R I

CAMBRIDGESHIRE CHESHIRE CUMBRIA EAST SUSSEX GLOUCESTERSHIRE HAMPSHIRE KENT LANCASHIRE

M E R P S L L G R N R R H E T

O K M S O I D O I R O O C T S

S A E C W I Y A H O Y F U S N

H X N N R H L G S S T F M E T

E I D B T S S Y A O S A B C H

L H M U O O S N C L E T R U U

Across 1 Drew out (6) 5 Do not allow (6) 8 Otherwise (4) 9 Disappears (8) 10 Keeps you dry (8) 11 A smaller amount of (4) 12 Form a queue due to congestion (4,2) 14 Chooses (6) 16 Musical legato mark (4) 18 Limits (8) 20 Everlasting (8) 21 Atop (4) 22 Unwind (6) 23 Fade with age (6)

Marries

E C X S M S N F F R E E E E E

H A O H O A S H N S W S I O E

LINCOLNSHIRE RUTLAND SOMERSET SOUTH YORKSHIRE STAFFORDSHIRE TYNE AND WEAR WEST YORKSHIRE WILTSHIRE

C S L E R U T L A N D I A L O

Corny

Copy

H E M S D E A H L H T M S G O

Down 2 Quandary (7) 3 Obvious (5) 4 Educational (13) 5 Basically (13) 6 Settle (7) 7 Units (5) 13 Bar-based singing activity (7) 15 Wavering singing effect (7) 17 Citrus fruit (5) 19 The same as (5)

Sudoku

4 1 5 1 7 8 3 8 3 1 9 7 5

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

For the solutions turn to page 56-57

8 Brain chain RESULT

+11

-3

-50%

+32

+50%

Puzzles (for cleverclogs)

Jumbo 3D Sudoku

Cryptic Crossword 1

1 9 1 7 5

3 8 2 9

9 5

1 4 7

2 5

7 8

8 4

7 5 4

7 9

5 8

5 5

5 4

26+

7 4

13 14

8 4

3÷

12×

16+

13+

17+

120×

560×

14+

2÷

12×

20+

11+

40×

112×

810×

3÷

Brain chain (Hard version) RESULT

110

-60%

×1/2

63×

Killer Sudoku Pro:

24+

1 2

9 7 1

Place 1 to 9 once each into every black-bordered 3×3 area as well as each of the 54 rows indicated by the coloured lines. Rows don’t cross the thick black lines. 12+

2 4 8

7 6

9 1

+50%

×2

-3

Can you solve these brain chains entirely in your head? Start with the bold value on the left of a chain, then follow the arrows and apply each operation in turn. Write the result in the box.

Place 1 to 9 once each into every row, column and bold-lined 3×3 box. No digit may be repeated in any dashed-line cage, and each dashed-line cage must result in the given value when the stated operation is applied between all of the digits in that cage. For subtraction and division operations, start with the highest number in the cage and then subtract or divide by the other numbers in that cage. NB: We accidentally mixed up the instructions and puzzles with Killer Sudoku in our last few editions. All should now tally up!

Across 7 Central parts in clue analysed (6) 8 Conservative aristocrat recalled unknown character that’s chilling (6) 9 Father certainly in brawl (4) 10 Eyes, say, sections of a newspaper? (8) 11 An elemental science? (11) 14 Lack of constraint in intimate friendship (11) 18 One in power losing power is living in place (8) 19 Basil, perhaps, is woman’s boyfriend initially (4) 20 Corn, maybe, in confines of crate of a genuine character (6) 21 It’s used for erasing section of bridge? (6)

Down 1 Lodge in town district (7) 2 Ruse in place over yard (4) 3 Pair of fellows in exotic ride to be at variance (6) 4 Unclear writing named by unprepared lecturer (6) 5 Budge mistakenly German computer ) programme (8) 6 Plausible story from priest amid unusual lies (5) e 12 Educational authority to dismiss revolutiona underground worker (8) 13 Salad, possibly, and pastry dish featured in series (7) 15 I traffic first of scrupulous moral principles ( 16 Trainee successively in reports (6) 17 Something to prize in Latin always (5) 19 Country yokel, old vagrant (4)

MPs’ round-up

We only want fairness in vaccine contract dealings Reflecting on the cataclysm that befell Europe in 1914, Churchill said of the Balkans that they “produce more history than can be consumed locally”. And it’s difficult not to feel that we’re living through a period in which the newspapers are the first draft of a history that will be pored over for generations to come. But as the vaccine roll-out signals (we hope) the approach of the closing chapters, I’m conscious of the enormous logistical efforts that are underway across the country – as well as in our part of Somerset. Having been in touch to offer my support to those tasked with delivering the vaccine in Wincanton, Bruton and beyond, I know the very

Somerton & Frome MP David Warburton real challenges they face in delivering those vaccinations we so vitally need. And as someone with a background in establishing and

running small businesses, I find this renewed focus on action rather than rhetoric both refreshing and sobering. It is in the aggregate of thousands of individual efforts (from NHS workers, the human myriad links in the supply chain and the individual responsibility of the public) that deliverance from this latest iteration of lockdown will be found. We’ve now delivered more than 7 million vaccines, with four out of five of those over 80 having received their first dose. And in the last 24 hours, we’ve seen diplomatic daggers drawn as the European Union have suggested they may prevent some of the 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine entering the UK – this

to overcome shortages of the vaccine consequent upon the EU’s delay in placing their order. Of course, the pandemic is a global problem – and will only be eradicated through concerted, supra-national action. But as the UK placed its order three months before the EU belatedly did so, a more smoothly operating distribution network is to be expected. In insisting that AstraZeneca honour their contract with the UK Government, we are not asking for preferential treatment, only fairness. And that’s the least NHS staff – and the vulnerable to whom this vaccine offers so much hope – deserve.

Ignore spite from Paris – we’re doing well So, we continue on our pandemic rollercoaster. Deaths recorded with covid have tipped over 100,000 but the good news is that 8 million have now been vaccinated and case fatality due to medical advances appears to be improving. Of course, the UK press is always more interested in the blame game than reporting success. That’s in its nature. But even the good old BBC has to concede success in the vaccine rollout. In the south west we are reaping the benefits even more than in other regions. In England 80% of over 80s have been jabbed. In the south west it’s 83% – the highest number of the seven regions. It gets better, because in Wiltshire the figure is over 85%. A big well done to all involved. None of us should take any pleasure in the contrasting shambles of the EU’s vaccine procurement programme. No schadenfreude please. We are all in this together and we 54

MP for South West Wiltshire Dr Andrew Murrison should be as angry with the EU as its own citizens, who are now asking what on earth the point of it is. When its creaking inadequacies were exposed, instead of working with bestin-class, the EU Commission attacked it, defaulting to vindictive, protectionist rhetoric and lashing out at Astra Zeneca. Sadly we have come to expect spite in spade loads from Paris in recent years – though I’m truly sorry

the French Sanofi vaccine has run into the buffers – but was disappointed that Germany decided to confect a story about the Oxford jab being ineffective for the over 65s. Its complete nonsense that will strengthen the anti-vaxers who are nibbling away at confidence in all of our lifesaving vaccine programmes. There’s no place for vaccine nationalism. Indeed, I’m proud of the leading role taken by the UK in COVAX, the international body for helping everyone get jabbed up regardless of nationality and have raised it in the Commons. On the relative success of the UK vaccine programme, the truth is that nation states are inherently nimbler than lugubrious bureaucracies like the EU that have to consult 27 jurisdictions and move at the pace of the slowest. The vaccine rollout has made this as clear as it is obvious. The benefit will be counted in lives saved and hopefully an earlier

release from this terrible lockdown than would otherwise be the case. In other news, I have been talking roads with Wiltshire councillors and officials. Locally we have a big stake in the national Road Investment Strategy (RIS) in the form of improvements to the A303. But whilst east-west infrastructure must be improved, we can’t forget traffic going north-south, chiefly along the A350. So, I’m pressing for a M4Dorset improvement scheme which is only briefly touched on in the Department for Transport’s RIS policy document. I know Wiltshire Council is focussing on it right now and am heartened that the Department of Transport is working up proposals that are due out next year. Improving the A350 and the completely hideous A350/A303 junction at Willoughby Hedge is a high priority for me and for my constituents living in the Blackmore Vale.

MPs’ round-up

Lessons to be learned about democracy Democracy: Back when I was allowed to visit schools across North Dorset (which I did regularly and always learning something new in the process) a question asked more often than not in the primaries was: what do you need to be a MP (the other was usually have you met the Queen). My answer to the first was that there was no exam to pass or certificate to secure merely that you received one more vote than the person who came second. I have relied upon this answer since I was first elected in 2015. Recent, terrifying events in America illustrated how fragile the democratic flower is. Moreover, it highlighted the dangerous destination of the demagogic, populist path. As democracies mature we are inclined to take its workings and civility for granted. What Washington showed was that we ALL

recognises your victory. It sounds so easy. So obvious. The Trump rabble reminded us of the complexities of simplicity and, unfortunately, created the need to remind ourselves of the majesty of democracy. Let that lesson never be forgotten.

MP for North Dorset Simon Hoare have a role to play to nurture the democratic plant. Those events have changed my answer to the question asked. Hitherto it will be that there are two things that allow one to serve as a MP: first, you have secured at least one more vote than the person who came second and, second; the person who came second accepts that fact and

Volunteering: The challenges of covid have placed pressures on many services. As a result the call has gone out for volunteers. I have been given what I consider a huge honour of going along and mucking in to help support the delivery of lateral flow tests at two of our high schools and helping with the vaccine programme at my local doctor’s surgery. I have had the pleasure of working alongside fellow parents, local residents, Rotary and others. The quiet efficiency from a standing start that the schools and surgeries have provided has

been nothing short of a breathtaking miracle. On several cold mornings it has been my privilege to see some of our older North Dorset residents on frames, in chairs, walking slowly, unaided or assisted to get their jabs. Differing ages, health conditions and the like but utterly united to get themselves vaccinated. I asked a lady who I’ve got to know quite well over the years whether she was anxious: “Simon” she said, “I’m 92. The day before I was evacuated to Devon I was told my father had been killed. We did what was right then and we must do so now.” Now, I blame the cold wind that hit me as I walked back to my car at the end of my shift. It must have wafted a speck of grit into my eye. I am so humbled to have been allowed to be a tiny cog in this enormous wheel.

well served by enormous new housing developments of the scale planned for the north of Dorchester. New housing should go to support our local market town and village economies by protecting the future of our village shops, schools, pubs, garages, and churches – rather than enabling urban sprawl. Please respond to this consultation; you will find more details on my website at chrisloder.co.uk/localplan In Westminster, the Environment Bill came back to the House of Commons last week, along with my call to the Government to further reduce the use of single-use plastics. The UK’s ten biggest supermarkets are still putting nearly 900,000 tonnes of plastic packaging into the

market. When I was a little boy, I would go with my parents during the school holidays to Sturminster Newton’s Monday cattle market. I remember vividly a huge delicatessen in the back of the supermarket there but, in the early 90s, the deli was closed because plastic packaging was more costefficient. We have lived to regret the environmental impact ever since, with 50% of all plastic made in the last 15 years and only a third being recycled. So, in Westminster on Tuesday, I tabled my plastics amendment to the Bill. You can see more about this, including my speech in full at chrisloder.co.uk/plasticpollution For my latest updates please sign up to my newsletter at chrisloder.co.uk

4,000 homes would just be ‘urban sprawl’

Dorset Council’s Local Plan sets out the targets for future housing development in Dorset and identifies areas where they can be built. The plan is now open for consultation until 15th March. The Local Plan considers not only where houses will be built but how many; and these decisions will, of course, have an impact on the future of our employment, community services, schools, retail, leisure and much more. I have a strong view about the Local Plan. It needs to support our village and local economies and we should not be planning for large scale developments such as the 4,000 houses proposed to the north of Dorchester. If you feel strongly about it, you must act now to ensure your view is taken into account, by making

MP for West Dorset Chris Loder sure your local Dorset Councillor knows your view; and you must also respond to the consultation. Your elected councillor will be able to vote on the plan in due course. Our rural economies are not

Pets

Ask the vet...

with Lynn Broom

Can my pet catch coronavirus ? To put things into perspective, corona viruses have been around for many years and we have not become infected from our pets. Corona viruses have been identified in many species and vaccines have been developed in several domestic species. The diseases they cause vary hugely between and even within species. There are already a number of corona viruses which cause mild coldlike symptoms in people. Covid-19 is a type of coronavirus which is closely related to viruses found in bats and pangolins. The original virus present in these species does not

produce illness in humans. It has mutated, enabling it to infect people and cause disease. Covid-19 is more of a concern because of its potential to cause life- threatening infections in people. Corona viruses are found in a number of domestic animal species including pigs, cattle, cats, ferrets and chickens. Most of these viruses are species specific. Coronaviruses mutate at different rates within different species and vaccines vary in their degree of protectiveness and cross immunity (the ability of a

vaccine for one strain to protect against a different strain) within individual species. Mink (which are related to ferrets) have caught covid 19 from humans when in close contact and it has mutated within them. Several people in Denmark became infected with the mutated strain â&#x20AC;&#x201C; note that this has only happened in high-density mink farms where repeated close contact with large numbers of animals exists. There have been no other confirmed cases of people becoming infected directly from animals. A few confirmed cases of covid-19 in dogs, cats and zoo animals were all caused by infection transfer from people. There have been a few confirmed cases of cats catching covid-19 from

people and, experimentally, they can shed the virus but no known human infections have occurred due to this. Cats (domestic and zoo), in particular, can be infected with coronaviruses from other species including Covid 19. There is a theoretical risk that domestic animals could infect people both due to shedding the current covid 19 virus or by allowing virus mutations to occur within them. But this is very much a theoretical risk and, given that corona viruses have existed within these species for many years and not caused human infection it will, hopefully, remain theoretical. It appears, therefore, that pet animals do not currently present a risk of covid 19 infections to people and we should continue to love our pets and care for them as normal.

Puzzle solutions (From pages 60-61) Crossword

Sudoku

5 7 9 6 3 1 4 8 2

2 8 3 5 9 4 1 7 6

4 6 1 7 8 2 3 5 9

1 5 4 8 2 3 9 6 7

6 3 7 9 1 5 2 4 8

9 2 8 4 6 7 5 1 3

8 1 6 2 4 9 7 3 5

3 9 5 1 7 8 6 2 4

E D I E L E U M M B A

7 4 2 3 5 6 8 9 1

Brain chain 20

S L E I M O U N

U C E D F L E U S E V A N A E D B R E L L A O M C K U P E A M N U R E X T A N A M O R T A L K A L R E E L Y

O R E I S O L V L E R E Q U A E L

I D T H E S M E S S C T R M E M P O L L O

S S N W

Any problems with these puzzles? Email newsdesk@blackmorevale.net Arrow words S C G R O L L P I N G

J I F U B R I U M P I E R A P S T E E E K A P D I R N F L O O T E D O O A T O F S M E R E T W E E W E D

M P E S T F P S

Pets

Marvellous moggies need rehoming Two adorable pusses are looking for homes through Blandford Cats Protection this week. Ollie is an eight-year-old black and white boy who was abandoned six years ago and has only recently come into the charity’s care. He has come a long way in just a few weeks and they need to find him a quiet home with someone that can continue his rehabilitation. George is three years old. He is a ginger tabby and white boy. George has behavioural issues so needs the right person to help him. Lost & found cats These are the most recent cats that have been lost or found. Please check out the charity’s Facebook page or give them a call if you have lost or found a cat so they can reunite cats with their owners:

George, left, and Ollie, right, are looking for new homes

Lost Cats: Berwick St John – outside cat tabby and white boy new to area just started exploring missing since the beginning of December. Corfe Mullen – tabby white boy since Christmas . Elizabeth Rd, Blandford b/w boy. Stourcastle, Sturminster Newton - tabby white boy missing since mid-Dec.

Downside Close, Blandford – calico tortie since 5/1. Winterborne Kingston – stocky tabby boy missing since 2016. Found Cats: Ludwell – fluffy tabby & white timid. Cann – fluffy tabby & white very wary. Shaftesbury – older black unneutered boy been around since 12/12.

PERCY IS LOST from Longford Road, Thornford, Sherborne DT9 6QN since 30/12/20. He is chipped & neutered, without a collar. Percy is a large confident cat who could have got himself in a vehicle & could be anywhere. Please contact 07866 691017

MALE LABRADOODLE NEEDED for our bitch. Must be non-shedding, good temp. Sturminster Newton area. Needed March/April. Fee if pups. Labradoodlefluffpups@outlook.com, text or call 07802 611559

Puzzle solutions Jumbo 3D Sudoku

Killer Sudoku Pro 12

3 14

7 8 12

2 14

4 3

1 15

9 11

6 4

Brain chain (Hard) 110

4 2 9 6 5 1 7 5 3 4 2 3 1 7 5 9 1 9 4 6 6 7 8 6 9 3 8 5 1 3 7 7 3 1 9 2 3 2 8 8 3 7 4 9 8 8 5 6 2 7 6 5 6 2 9 8 2 4 7 4 1 5 2 9 1 3 2 6 4 1 6 4 1 1 9 44 9 8 7 5 67 5 3 8 2 9 5 2 6 1 3 4 3 7 5 8 1 4 3 7 4 9 1 5 3 8 2 2 9 7 2 1 6 5 9 2 1 8 6 3 6 8 7 6 4 7 5 1 5 8 8 3 7 5 6 9 5 5 4 1 4 7 9 2 3 9 4 8 3 2 4 6 4 3 6 8 8 2 1 9 7 7 9 6 6 5 3 3 9 2 8 1 2 8 1 9 2 7 5 3 1 9 4 1 5 3 7 4 5 8 1 6 7 6 1 6 8 2 4 7 6 2 4 5 9 3 74 2 5 5 4 83 8 2 2 3 9 6 1 9 9 4 7 7 3 4 6 5 8 2 7 1 5 8 3 1 6 9 8

1 12

8 16

Any problems with these puzzles? Email newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

Cryptic Crossword Q P N U C L E A O F R A Y T M E T E O R X F A M L M R E S I D V N C E R E A R R

D S I C R F R F E A T E W R O L O

D E B U G G E I L I A R D N E N T H A E O L R O B S N O

S E P I R E L Y S I T A E R T B E R

Y S

Y B R

Motoring MOTORBIKES WANTED Non runners and Unwanted Phone Keith on 07966 213344

4x4, 2004 (54), KIA SORENTO, CRD, ISX, 5 Dr Estate, selling on behalf of customer, £1,750 01935 872421

Bygone drays: Looking By Karen Bate newsdesk@blackmorevale.net

Badger Beer is the jewel in the Hall & Woodhouse crown, woven into the fabric WANTED ALUMINIUM of Blandford for two-and-half centuries. CAR TRAILERS, TRAILER Flat, 5ft Its transport has evolved too, with many long x 3ft 6 wide. HORSE TRAILERS ways of ferrying the much-loved ales to 01258 830474 thirsty punters. AND CATTLE Since Charles Hall opened a brewery in TRAILERS, ALL the village of Ansty in 1777, Hall & TYPES INDEPENDENT LAND Woodhouse has weathered the Industrial Call 07736 871092 ROVER SPECIALISTS Revolution, two World Wars, The Great Parts, repairs, Depression and a pandemic, not to servicing, MOT preparation, 42 years’ mention the motoring and technological revolutions. experience, The lofty shire horses which pulled the 01749 880817, Mobile Caravan carts in the 18th century were stabled in nicholaspaxton.co.uk Servicing & Repairs the brewery – which today houses the Please call brewery’s IT department. Over the years Hall & Woodhouse has or Tarrant Valley Classics used every possible form of transport – road, rail, sea, and even air to deliver its Classic car repairs and servicing Local service for local enthusiasts famous Badger Beer and drinks. Quality work at competitive rates Keeping you on the move... Today Hall & Woodhouse sell 12 million 01258 398881 07960 433284 bottles of Badger Beer globally. Deliveries started in 1793 when the Napoleonic wars had begun and the British government gave their troops a daily allowance of five pints of beer. Charles spotted an opportunity and soon won the licence to supply Wellington’s troops Passionate Meticulous Straightforward quartered in Weymouth. Every drop of beer supplied to the troops was delivered by horse-drawn drays and, given the large daily allowance the drayman would make the journey across the Dorset countryside every day. The first recorded pub owned by the brewery was The Ship Inn on Weymouth Quay, although it is more than likely more houses had been snapped up before then Secure, dehumidi昀ed and dust controlled by the entrepreneurs Edward 25 minutes west of Stonehenge along the A303 and Hannah and their sons. Mark Woodhouse said: “The journey from Ansty to the troops stationed in Weymouth is actually quite a long one.

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“The drayman would drop off the full casks and pick up the empties on the way back. “An empty wooden cask was as heavy as a full cask today. “The drayman would use the same route to get from Ansty to Weymouth and back again, and they were known for having a pint in every pub, so the horses, knowing the route, would very often make their own way back to the stables and the drayman would have to go and pick them up the following day.” While the horse and cart was used by Hall & Woodhouse until 1955, the brewery purchased three Foden steam waggons in 1912, which trundled from pub to pub on the Dorset roads, hauling casks of Badger Beer at

Motoring

back at brewery’s transports of delight

Directors in front of the 1899 brewery

DRIVING DRINK TO YOU: Blandford brewery Hall & Woodhouse has been delivery beer for two and a half centuries using a wide range of transport

some 5mph. Between the Great Depression and the Second World War, Harold and Charles stood at the helm of Hall & Woodhouse and oversaw the purchase of petrol-driven drays during the 1930s and 40s. This mode of transport was a welcome addition to the brewery, which had increased its portfolio to 150 pubs during this time. Today, Hall & Woodhouse use one 26 tonne dray, four 18 tonne drays and one 7.5 tonne dray, delivering 10,000 drinks to 180 pubs every year. Mark said: “Lots of breweries have contracted out their distribution, but we have always maintained that

the draymen are vital part of the team. “The draymen provide a vital service to our houses, delivering with care and consideration to make sure our guests have the perfect pint. “From the beginning of our brewery, the drayman were treated like royalty. In the days before drink driving they would have a pint in every pub and a fried breakfast – little wonder some of them were on the large side. “Today, our draymen are still held in high regard and have an extremely important role. They not only deliver the casks, but they also set them up in the cellar. “It’s a proper service.”

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Motoring & Mobility

Fire service: Don’t drive through floods By Karen Bate Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service is reiterating its warning about the dangers of driving through flood water. A team from Sturminster Newton Fire Station was called to Lower Road in Stalbridge, near Bibbern Bridge after a vehicle was stuck in flood water on Saturday, January 30 at about noon. Fortunately there were no casualties. The message from the fire service is – don’t drive through flood water. Over recent years, we have seen more and more properties affected by flooding during periods of significant rain. Flooding can be caused by

rivers and watercourses overflowing; it can also be caused by drains and culverts being unable to cope with excess surface water on the roads. The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service website dwfire.org.uk/safety/flooding

has advice on flooding. When travelling in flooded areas the advice is: Don’t drive through standing water – as well as the water damaging your car, there may be hazards under the water you can’t see. If you see a sign to say that the road

is closed due to flooding, remember the sign is there for a reason. Don’t try to drive through or you might get stuck. If you are driving a larger vehicle, do not go through flood water at speed as this creates a ‘bow wave’ that can then cause flooding to adjacent properties When driving, if heavy rain is making visibility difficult, pull over if possible. Remember that roads will be slippery during wet conditions. Don’t try and walk through floodwater that is above knee level, as the force of the water could easily knock you off your feet. There is also a danger of open manholes, trenches or other hazards that you can’t see.

Business

ARE YOUR RETIREMENT PLANS ON COURSE? Contact us for a pension review.

PETER HARDING WEALTH MANAGEMENT Principal Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management

30 Haven Road, Canford Cliffs, Dorset BH13 7LP Tel: 01202 830730 40 High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8JG Tel: 01747 855554 9 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PU Tel: 01935 315315

Email: peterhardingwm@sjpp.co.uk Web: www.peterhardingwm.co.uk The Partner Practice is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the title ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives. Peter Harding Wealth Management is a trading name of Peter Harding Practice Ltd.

Business

How to get nosey elephants to buzz off Bright ideas sometimes have dire unforeseen consequences. Cane toads were introduced into Australia with the aim of controlling a sugar cane pest, the cane beetle, but they overmultiplied and became a serious ecological problem. For many years the Common Agricultural Policy gave grants for removing hedgerows to enlarge field sizes and increase agricultural production. The unforeseen effects were to destroy habitat for creatures and mammals, disrupt the ecological chain, enable crop-eating pests to multiply, and result in reduced crop yields. Costly spraying followed, with pesticides draining into streams, affecting fish and plant life. Without hedgerows to absorb rainstorms, water drained faster into rivers, causing greater flooding. Eventually the EU began to give

grants to restore hedgerows. Sadly the damage had then been done. The results are around us, with fewer small mammals, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, bees, wasps and insects. Herons, woodpeckers and various other birds are a rarity. When I was a boy, you could catch salmon and trout in the River Stour, and there was a salmon leap beside the weir at Throop Mill; today both the salmon and the salmon leap have gone. This makes the story of the

Elephants and Bees all the more inspiring. In 2009 Dr Lucy King started a pilot project in Kenya, using elephants’ fear of African honeybees to help reduce crop damage and minimise humanelephant conflict. Beehive “fences” were built, with lines of beehives suspended above the ground. The Beehive Fences proved a natural elephant deterrent, helping protect farmers and farmland. Farmers could cultivate without their crops being trampled or their families harmed, so were not violent towards the elephants. Beyond the fences, elephants could roam without being hunted. The beehives provide an economic boost to farmers through greater pollination and the harvesting of ‘ElephantFriendly Honey’. Soon Beehive Fences were built at 24 farms on the frontline of

crop raiding events in the Sagalla part of Kenya. Under the leadership of Dr Iain DouglasHamilton CBE, CEO of Save the Elephants, beehive fences are now spreading across many parts of Africa. We live in a wonderful but intricate world, where simplistic responses sometimes do more harm than good. But where we do the science meticulously and work with rather than against nature, we can unlock new and exciting opportunities – the more natural the better. Does your business have the scope to work imaginatively with nature, to solve a longstanding problem, improve productivity, or develop a new product or service? It’s worth giving the idea a buzz! n Adrian Fisher is an awardwinning maze designer in Durweston.

Engineers secure curd table contract By Miranda Robertson A Sparkford firm has secured a deal to build processing equipment for a cheese manufacturer in India. The order of four open curd tables secured by Sycamore Process Engineering is believed to be just the start of a very productive relationship with a leading food packaging and processing company. The company’s growth plans include expanding manufacturing and sales internationally. Sycamore has designed, built, and delivered numerous open curd tables already. The tables perform curd conditioning, whey drainage, curd salting and mellowing for milled cheddar and stirred curd type cheeses. The tables currently being built at Sycamore headquarters will be shipped to India in March 2021. 62

WHEY TO GO: Sycamore Process Engineering directors from left, Jerry Redman, Paul Manning, Tim Sharp and Joe Routledge

Paul Manning, project director at Sycamore Process Engineering, said: “International expansion was the natural next step for Sycamore and this deal really helps establish us in the global market. We have a really robust and competitive offering; we’re absolutely thrilled to get the global agreement signed and look

forward to delivering these great open curd tables worldwide and continue to support the cheese industry as we have done for many years. “The team have been working hard on the design updates and improvements over the past few months and have landed on a superior offering, that now puts us ahead of our competition and

gives us a competitive advantage in the market which we can now share and benefit our clients with.” The tables are available in a range of different sizes and options, producing up to 2,450 KG of cheese on the largest model. You can watch a video of them in operation at youtu.be/bhFRy7GML-g. Made in Britain members Sycamore were winners in the 2019 Somerset Business Awards. The firm is a trusted provider of process solutions in dairy, food and drink industries. With over 30 years’ experience, they pride themselves on delivering quality to every customer, regardless of complexity, size, or location. COMMERCIAL WORKSHOP TO LET, Mid Dorset, 1800 sq ft with HGV Inspection Pit, Office and Toilet, Good Access, 07973 142254

Recruitment SITUATIONS WANTED CARE WORKER AVAILABLE, experienced in dementia, Parkinson's, palliative care. Good cook & housekeeper, DBS & references available, live in or out call 07775 211891

LOOKING FOR WORK? Advertise here: Call 01963 400186

EXPERIENCED GARDENER looking for 1-2 days per week. Please call 07833 755135 or email: kim587@sky.com

EFFICIENT CLEANER with availability, Call Jo on 07513 982722

URGENTLY NEEDED TUTOR for two grandchildren 6 and 7 years old. Remote location thus covid risk slight. 2/3 periods per week of 3 hours. Terms and pay to be discussed and agreed. Location Wincanton area. 01963/33580 or 07974743512

Castle Cary COOK: PART-TIME – Must be experienced and skilled with a good knowledge of safe food hygiene legislation and practices. £10 per hour. 17.5 hours per week with optional additional shifts. 8am-1.45pm. CARE ASSISTANT: PART TIME – Must have experience of working with elderly people and be kind-hearted. Excellent rates of pay and ongoing training provided. 25 hours per week with optional additional shifts. 6.45am2:15pm or 2pm-9pm or 2pm-10pm. CATERING ASSISTANT: PART TIME – Must have catering experience & a good knowledge of safe food hygiene legislation and practices. 20.5 hours per week with optional additional shifts. 6.45am-1.45pm or 10am-1.45pm or 2pm-6.45pm. DOMESTIC ASSISTANT: PART TIME – Must have previous experience. 10 hours per week. 9.30am-12pm for 4 days a week. PLEASE CALL 01963 350697 (CASTLE CARY) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE ABOVE VACANCIES.

Finance and Administration Manager Wimborne Minster, a benefice comprising one of the Church of England’s Major Churches and 7 village churches, is seeking a Finance and Administration Manager, responsible for day-to-day management of the Minster Benefice finance, and management of the Minster buildings and churchyard. As this is a new post, the post-holder will work closely with the Minster leadership team to develop his or her role. This newly defined position would initially be for 15 hours/week but may expand as churches reopen post-lockdown, subject to need and negotiation. The post would suit someone with experience of management looking to apply their skills to a good cause, working part-time in a flexible and friendly working environment. Salary at or near £16/hour, depending on experience. The preferred start date is the week of March 1, 2021. A full job specification can be found at http://www.wimborneminster.org.uk/publications/other/Finance_Admin_Manager_job_spec.doc Applications by email to parishoffice@wimborneminster.org.uk, or by post to Parish Office re: Finance post, Church House, High Street, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1HT, by February 15, 2021. 63

Recruitment SITUATIONS OFFERED

Millbrook House R E S I D E N T I A L CAR E H O M E

TRACTOR DRIVER REQUIRED on busy sheep, beef and contracting business. North Dorset area, start Mid Feb. All enquiries 07540 537907

in Child Okeford is recruiting for a

PART TIME LAUNDRY ASSISTANT

to join our team working every Friday and Saturday 9am to 3pm. No previous experience is necessary as full training will be given. Rate of pay is £9.25 per hour. Please call us on 01258 860330 or email gini@millbrookhouse.co.uk to request an application form.

CARER/COMPANION NEEDED Live in, kind with sense of humour, DBS & covid tested, References, non smoker, no agencies. 07501 784473

We have vacancies for:

Experienced GRP Fiberglass Laminators/Finishers and

Trainee Laminators/Finishers Full on site training will be given. For further information apply in writing or phone 01747 871232 Wessex Building Products Station Works Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6JT Manufacturers of GRP Building Products

PART TIME HELP with stables and sheep required, North Dorset, Please contact 07810 350908

Millbrook House R E S I D E N T I A L CAR E H O M E

in Child Okeford is recruiting for a

PART TIME CARE ASSISTANT Approximately 18 hours per week, £9.50 per hour. Previous experience preferred but not essential. We also have a Bank care assistant position available to cover sickness and holidays. The bank position does not have guaranteed hours.

Please call us on 01258-860330 or email gini@millbrookhouse.co.uk to request an application form. SANDY'S FURNITURE WAREHOUSE is looking for shop/office help, approx 25-30 hrs a week, must be computer literate and be able to update website, training given for right person, good customer service skills needed, if interested please call 07831 236278

EGG PACKERS Required to work as part of a team Manual work so must be physically fit Contact Paul – 07967 388895

STEEL ERECTOR/ CLADDER REQUIRED for industrial / agricultural buildings - experience preferred but not essential as training would offered to the right applicant. phone john guttridge 07860570258 jdg structural steel ltd

QUALIFIED BUTCHER REQUIRED to join our happy team at our retail/wholesale butchers shop. Good rates of pay. Tel: Andrew 01963 34880

Independent Co-educational Boarding and Day School Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form IndependentIAPS/GSA/CISC Boarding and Day School

for Pupils aged 4 -18 GSA/CISC

FULL TIME TEACHER OF PHYSICAL Driver Required EDUCATION

REQUIRED 2021 PART TIME,FROM TERMAPRIL TIME ONLY (Maternity Leave Cover)

We are seeking a well-qualified and dynamic full time teacher to teach PE throughout the Nursery, Prep School, and Senior School. Expertise in coaching hockey would be an advantage in addition to the ability to deliver a range of activities including athletics and swimming. The ability and willingness to contribute to the extracurricular life of the school, including weekend matches, is required. Applications are welcomed from both NQTs and experienced teachers.

For further information and to download an application pack, please visit our website https://www.leweston.co.uk/information/work-with-us

R&S FOUNDATIONS LIMITED due to increased workload Ground Workers Required, experience preferred, self employed with own transport preferred, willing to travel, good rates of pay for experienced men, ring 07557 418616

Closing date for applications: Monday 22nd February 2021 Interviews: Week commending Monday 1st March 2021 Leweston is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required. A Catholic Foundation which welcomes pupils of all Denominations Leweston School Trust is a registered charity number 295175

Recruitment Multitex and Wessex Building Products Station Works, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6JT Manufacturers of Standard and Bespoke GRP Building Products have the following

Full and part time Administration vacancies Job entails General Administration, customer sale interaction and support to Accounts ofﬁce. Good IT & Phone Skills required

Apply by: email to

office@wessexbps.co.uk or Tel: 01747 871232

has a vacancy for a

PARISH SECRETARY Hours of work: 20 hours a week Salary: £13,520 per annum Outline of Role: Duties will include general o ce administration, dealing with bookings for baptisms, weddings and funerals, liaising with Parish clergy and o cials, and preparation of documents for services. We are looking for a trustworthy, 昀exible, independent worker with excellent interpersonal skills. They should have good IT skills, an understanding of o ce procedures, and be sympathetic to the Christian faith. For more information, please contact

The Reverend Jane Craw on 01963 251527 or email jane@jubileecottage.plus.com Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LQ

ASSISTANT EDITOR Required for the New Blackmore Vale. Are you a journalist with experience in every aspect of putting a print publication together? Do you want to be part of a winning formula loved by readers and advertisers alike? Then we have just the job for you. The ideal candidate can write engaging news stories and features to style, be able to design pages and advertisements and have a keen eye for detail. They will be meticulous, organised and be able to oversee the overall quality and content of a 96-page news magazine. Pages are currently designed in Quark 2020, but there may be a move to InDesign on the cards. Full training will be given, subject to covid restrictions. The job will ultimately include the launch of a sister publication (maybe more than one), so you’ll need to be calm under pressure, love deadlines and be brimming with ideas for content. You’ll have time to get your feet under the table beforehand. But you’ll need to be undaunted by the challenges of establishing a new publication. Apply via email to publisher@blackmorevale.net and miranda.robertson@blackmorevale.net

Letters

Picture of AA box brought back memories Although she could clearly remember these events she had no recollection of the place itself, which was where it all happened nearly 70 years earlier. Richard Kinnibrugh Stalbridge

I was greatly interested in the photograph of the AA box at Blackmarsh Farm in your No.9 issue, and I will tell you why. When they were courting, my parents, who lived in south London, owned a tandem and in 1931 and `32 toured the west country. They were returning from one of these trips, which had been to Honiton and Porlock respectively, when they decided it was time to stop somewhere for the night. They asked an AA man at Milborne Port for assistance, who consulted his wife, who was presumably standing nearby, and for some minutes they were deeply engaged in discussion. Then the AA man returned to my parents and said that he and his wife would be happy to put them up for the night. It transpired 66

that the discussion had been as to whether or not my parents were married; and at that time they were not. So it was agreed that my father should sleep with the AA man and my mother with his wife! And so it was. The next morning my parents set off again for London and then stopped for refreshment at Shaftesbury where my father discovered that he had no wallet. So, assuming that it had been left at Milborne Port, they turned round and went back the way they had come. Having retrieved the wallet, they set out again for Shaftesbury and home. Nor is this the end of the story. Every Christmas for some years now my elder daughter has sorted a dozen photographs appropriate to the ending year and had them printed commercially into a

calandar as a present for me. In 2020, having no suitable new photographs because of the lockdown she thumbed through the family albums to pick out some pictures for the 2021 calandar. Surprisingly, the photo for January is of my parents on their tandem, very probably on one of these tours: it could conceivedly have been taken at Milborne Port, perhaps even by Jack Voss, the AA man! And since 1st January this picture has been loking down on me every day while I eat my breakfast. I had not even seen the BVM article in your mag until a neighbour, to whom I had related the story last year, drew it to my attention yesterday. When I retired we moved to Stalbridge and In 2000 I took my mother, who was then aged 93, to Milborne Port.

n I wish to comment on the two letters in the last edition of the NBV objecting to the Lyndon Wall cartoon of the previous edition. Why do people, when they do not get the joke, always adopt a superior attitude? To fully get the joke you would need to understand that it takes a practice from the past, which you would need to be over 50 years old to remember, or have studied recent history. Also, you would need to be abreast of current affairs on radio and TV. If either writer would like to have the joke explained to them I would be happy to oblige, but don’t criticise what you don’t understand. Meanwhile, please do not think of criticising Lyndon Wall – he is simply brilliant. When I look at his page of the NBV, I always cover up the clues and guess at the characters and so good is he that I usually get them in one. Finally, if they don’t get the latest cartoon, then they must have a sense of humour problem. Name and address supplied n Firstly, it is so great to have you back, the BVM is such an interesting magazine in all aspects, I hope you get all the support you deserve. With the ever increasing population in Stalbridge, together with an increase of dog owners whose dogs need exercising. It is time to bring to people’s attention the amount of DOG MESS left on the ground. This is such a

Letters hazard, not to mention a health danger to children. There have been bags of dog poo left at the entrance to the badger setts in the small wood off Wood Lane (WHY?) Do these people realise if identified and reported there is a fine for this habit? The public are so lucky to live in this lovely part of Dorset, therefore they should appreciate where they walk and give a thought to the owners of the land on which they walk. Please buy poo bags clear up the mess your dogs leave and bin it – there are plenty of bins around the area. Let’s have some co-operation and put an end to this DISGUSTING behavior, so everyone can enjoy a clean countryside. Marcia Forman Stalbridge n I expect like me that many North Dorset elderly patients who are being vaccinated at Sturminster Newton Health Centre are very grateful and impressed at the efficiency with which this has been arranged and conducted. There were many helpers guiding us and I would not have known I had had an injection if I had not seen it happen – perhaps the E for effort cheekily given should be upgraded to A+! I even nearly came away with a new ‘partner’ being mistakenly thought to be with the gentleman in front of me... but the nurse explained she wasn’t running a dating agency! The whole process was pleasant, efficient, I had my injection four minutes before

then Human Rights wouldn’t allow it. May I propose Simon Hoare as the next Prime Minister. BJ Churchill Shillingstone PS: Many congratulations on your super magazine.

Cartoon by Lyndon Wall justsocaricatures.co.uk

my time but no one was rushed or flustered. I wore a loose buttoned up, knitted top, loose buttonthrough coat and undoing a few top buttons could easily slip the top of my shoulder out; this meant no pushing of a scrunched-up band of sleeve, especially more difficult shirt sleeves. The injection given into loose exposed muscle at the top of my arm did not and does not hurt afterwards. I have taken the view that I will eat well, rest and keep warm for 21 days to give my body the best chance to make the best use it can of the vaccine. Do have a woollen scarf as with this vaccine there is a 15-minute wait and doors are open for

ventilation. Many thanks again – until March. Anne Cunningham. OND ENT RGN CMB. n I’m sure Simon Hoare felt good when he got that off his chest. Good on him – I quite agree with his comments. There are far too many people like Laurence Fox, who flout the law, either refusing to wear a mask or travelling miles to visit the seaside or faraway beauty spot. When they are caught I suggest they are sent to a covid ward to sit beside seriously ill patients to see how hard our NHS members are working.PREFERABLY without masks or PPE, but

n Land owners should be more tolerant during lockdown. In my opinion petty signs preventing off road parking at designited footpaths is not only petty it is not in the spirit of we are all in this together The example shown is of the mean spirit of a large landowner and the benevolence of a small wood owner Steve Topliss Tarrant Keyneston n How refreshing to read the words used by MP Simon Hoare when he gave a verbal lashing to mummer Laurence Fox over his negative attitude toward protecting against Covid, and not a single offensive word in sight, not one. However it is a mystery to me that at least two obviously woke soaked local snowflakes could read anything 'shameful' into Mr Hoare's crystal clear comment. Well done Simon, and the New BV mag for printing the statement in full. David Gilby Shaftesbury 67

Church

Light at the end of the tunnel Luke 2: 22-40 is well worth reading before you read this: We celebrate Candlemas on the Sunday closest to or before February 2. It is a time of light and encouragement, the days are getting longer and hopefully we will also get warmer. Having said that, I have seen and read a great deal of very discouraging things lately, have you? Petrol and power seem to cost more every week. My accountant has told me my pension is not going to be worth having, so I will have to work until I am older than Simeon and Anna.. I could go on and on but I am sure that on several occasions I have turned on the radio and heard them tell me ‘today is the most depressing day of the year.’ Are they just making stuff up or

are days getting worse and worse? I guess it is not the most depressing day of the year, it just feels like it. But there is good news – winter is halfway over! Candlemas is halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Spiritually there is also good news. We have this beautiful story of the aged Simeon and of Anna in the temple. They were really old in that time. Old people who knew how difficult it was. Anna has also been a widow a long time. So they have much to teach us about being old. I talk to many people who are complaining about life today. There is a common theme to many of those complaints – things are just not what they used to be. Once things were so much better. Now I have some sympathy for this line of thought because I can

remember a time when my savings, my pension and my house were worth something. But some are not looking back to specific times of well being. There is a general despair. They have been so dragged backwards they no longer hope for the future. There are lessons to be learned for all of us. Do not allow these thoughts to imprison you in their dungeons of despair. When this episode took place, the Romans were occupying the land as a military force. Taxation was an issue, the high priests tried to trap Jesus with the question about paying taxes to Caesar. And we know also from the life of Jesus that if you stepped out of line you could be punished on a cross. It was when times were so much worse than today, that Jesus was brought by Mary and Joseph to

CHURCH SERVICES

Sunday 28th February, 2nd Sunday of Lent 11.15am: Hazelbury Bryan, Morning Prayer CW 6.30pm: Woolland, Evening Prayer BCP

when we are able to safely re-open. If you have a prayer request, are feeling lonely and need to chat, then please leave your message on our answerphone 01258 577 030: we will keep your information confidential and observe data protection regulations. We aim to return calls within 24 hours.

Sunday 14th February, Sunday next before Lent 10.30am: Fifehead Neville Morning Prayer CW 10.30am: Hazelbury Bryan Morning Prayer BCP Wednesday 17th February, Ash Wednesday 7pm: Hazelbury Bryan, Service of prayer and reflection Sunday 21st February, 1st Sunday of Lent 10.30am: Hazelbury Bryan Family Worship

Blandford Methodist Church With the rising number of people testing positive for covid-19, coupled with advice from the Methodist Church, we are unable to hold Sunday services until further notice. We will keep you updated

Shaftesbury Team Ministry There are no public services in the Shaftesbury Team Ministry during the lockdown but we will be

with the Rev Richard Priest, of Stour Vale Benefice

Vicar in the Vale the temple, 40 days after he had been born. We are told the Holy Spirit rested on Simeon. The Holy Spirit leads us into the future with hope, because the future is God’s. The challenge for each of us is to put our trust in God in the same way Simeon and Anna did We must, like Simeon, have the faith to recognise God at work, have the faith to trust that God has a plan. We do not know what lies around the corner. However we do know that God has not abandoned us in the dark. broadcasting a service on our Facebook page each Sunday at 10.00am – do join us: facebook.com/ShaftesburyCofE n Mass times for Catholic churches in Marnhull on Sundays and Thursdays, 9.30am; in Gillingham on Sundays at 11am and Wednesdays at 10am.

WHERE AND WHEN YOU CAN WORSHIP Here is the latest information on worship in the Blackmore Vale nSt John’s Church, Yeovil Church Services on Sunday and Tuesday will be going ahead, but only attend if you feel it is safe to do so. Sunday 10:30am – booking is required to attend or watch on the live stream. Book at sjyeovil.org.uk. Tuesday, Communion – You are able to attend in person, there is no need to book nSt Mary’s the Virgin, Gillingham Sunday at 10am – Sunday Service For more details go online at achurchnearyou.com or ring Carole Blackmore on 01747 821598

nSt John’s Church, Shaftesbury Church Services are returning online. More details at facebook.com/ShaftesburyCofE nBlandford Parish Church Services have been suspended at both churches during January 2021. There is an online service each Sunday at 10am on the Blandford Parish Church Facebook Page followed by Zoom Coffee from 11am. View our Thought for The Day here on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays on our Facebook Page led by members of our congregation. If you require any assistance during this new period of

lockdown or would like someone to pray with you, please contact us or email pastoral care@bfpc.org.uk or prayer@bfpc.org.uk nSt Mary’s Church, Sturminster Newton The church remains open for individual prayer from 2pm until 4pm on Wednesdays. We are also open for Sunday services. Some services may vary from our usual, so please check our latest information online at stmaryssturminsternewton.org.uk nWincanton Parish Church Sunday Communal worship has been suspended during lockdown. The

church is open for private prayer on Sundays between 9am and 11am and on Wednesdays between 12noon and 2pm. You are very welcome to come inside the church for private prayer and contemplation, distancing and wearing face coverings. Rev Alison Way can be contacted on 01963 33151 or 07515 958988 or rector@wincantonparishchurch.co.uk nSherborne Abbey Worship in the five churches of the Sherborne Benefice has been suspended. The Parish Office is closed but the parish secretary can be contacted on 01935 812452 between Monday and Friday, 9am - 4.30pm.

Sport a social spin Turbo swimmers set sights on Take with Wincanton Wheelers in 2021 resumption of competition

OFF THE BLOCKS: The Turbos’ practice started in December with new competition blocks and ropes installed at Gillingham’s RiversMeet

No sooner had North Dorset Turbos’ Swimming Club planned its official club time-trials for late February when Lockdown 3 came along and “knocked that idea out of the water”, NDTSC head coach Rich Brocklehurst this week told The New Blackmore Vale. “Although we may not get there as soon as we’d all like, we can now at least see light at the end of the tunnel, with the progress of the national vaccination effort,” he said. “We have to be ready for what may feel like a relatively sudden resumption of competition later this year.” The sport’s governing body, Swim England, now says it can see a return to competitive action “on the horizon” as vaccinations roll out across the country. Rich said that Swim England is also working on a programme of possible events for 2021 as covid-19 restrictions are eased. “But there’s still no telling

exactly when that will be,” he added. The Turbos will reschedule time trials for a few weeks after swimming restarts, hopefully in early spring, to give swimmers a chance to get back to their own personal peaks in the water. “As with last year’s lockdowns, how long that takes will very much depend on how much dry-side work they’re doing now. Listen up guys! “Thanks to the installation in December of starting blocks and anti-wave lane ropes at RiversMeet, we’ll be holding our club championships [time trials] there for the first time, rather than Port Regis.” Like other sports clubs the Turbos are completely dependent on volunteers, including parent helpers, and members’ monthly fees that range from just £24 for preTurbo beginners to £44 for the elite Performance Squad who would normally also train at Millfield’s 50-metre Olympic pool twice a month.

“If the lockdowns have taught us one thing, it’s how important sport in general is for children’s well-being, and of course in our sport, swimming,” said Rich. “Some clubs simply ceased to exist after their operators failed to reopen – so once again we’re very glad to be in such a close partnership with RiversMeet. “For the sake of swimming generally, I’d wholeheartedly endorse what Swim England has been saying, which is that third lockdown round, pools must be allowed to reopen the second it’s safe. “In the near future we’ll be reaching out to school PE departments and families with an interest in swimming to build up our club, and get as many children as possible into organised sport, and eventually perhaps Dorset county championships and even regional contests.” n Learn more about swimming in North Dorset at northdorsetturbos.co.uk

Wincanton Wheelers was established in 2017 by four people with a love for cycling. The idea grew from a belief that cycling should be for everybody, irrespective of age and ability and we welcome all types of pedal power. Whilst the majority of our members are road cyclists, it does not exclude those who have e-bikes, mountain bikes or hybrids. Rides are geared to accommodate everybody. We have two evening rides: Tuesday is for beginners: the ride is no more than an hour and as slow and steady as it needs to be. Thursday targets the faster rider with a Hare and Hound ride (the ‘hare’ sets off and the ‘hounds’ try to catch) around a short sixmile circuit. Saturdays are a social ride of about 25 miles and are very much for those who are able to cycle slightly longer distances but at a steady pace to suit everybody present. Sunday club runs are longer and quicker. The club has organised charity rides, birthday events at the recreation ground and day trips (riding the Isle of Wight; 100 mile rides, Weymouth). In future they aim to host events for juniors and youths to encourage the younger element of Wincanton into cycling by providing a safe environment to learn to ride. The club boasts numerous qualified first aiders; registered British Cycling Welfare Officers and accredited road race marshalls. It is also hoped that by the end of 2021 we will have our own qualified cycling coach. n wincantonwheelers.co.uk 69

Sport By Steve Keenan sport@blackmorevale.net

Shaftesbury skier Lloyd Wallace is back on the slopes and on track to qualify for his second Olympics, the 2022 Games in Beijing. Lloyd, 25, has recently taken part in World Cup events in Belarus and Russia, competing in the Aerials discipline which involves a terrifying triple twist and somersault 50ft in the air. He made the finals on both days of the Russia event, held in -18C temperatures in Yaroslavl, four hours north of Moscow. All his results have been encouraging with a 15th, 12th and 11th place in the World Cup events so far. It means Lloyd is currently ranked 16th in the world. His parents, Robin and Jilly Wallace from Semley and former Olympians themselves, said: “These results are really solid and certainly puts him in good stead to qualify for next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing. That would be amazing.” Lloyd has come a long way from Port Regis school, where Lloyd started his sporting career as a gymnast, coming ninth in the national championships when he was just 10. He gave up gymnastics at 13 and got into skiing whilst a student at King’s School, Bruton, and later turned his attention to acrobatic skiing. His parents encouraged Lloyd to try the somersaults he had learned at Port Regis gymnastics on the waterramp and on snow on a family holiday. He rose up through the ranks of national, and 70

junior competitions to Europa Cup where he became the first Briton to ever win a Europa Cup aerials in 2015 with tripletwisting double somersaults. Moving up to World Cup level in 2016 he had to increase the complexity of his acrobatics and perform triple somersaults. At this stage he was invited to train with the Swiss team in summer and winter where aerials athletes practise their jumps on a dry ski slope ramp, landing in a swimming pool. Lloyd said: “My parents never needed to push me, I loved jumping from day one. Flying through the air is an incredible feeling. Scary sometimes but rewarding. Crashing is part of the sport, you need to be strong to avoid injury. I’ve taken plenty of crashes, and some days everything hurts, but no broken bones so far.” No broken bones maybe but Lloyd did have a nasty accident in August 2017 when he bashed his head on the water ramp and was pulled out of the water unconscious. He was placed into an induced coma and took four months to fully recover, only qualifying for his first Olympics, at

HIGH FLYER: Lloyd with a teammate, Swiss coach Mich Roth, dad Robin, mum Jilly and sister Elodie. Below: With the Great Britain team in South Korea in 2018

Pyeongchang in South Korea, two weeks before the 2018 Games. After South Korea, Lloyd took two years off skiing to complete a Masters degree at the University of Bath before resuming training with the Swiss camp in the summer of 2020. “It was an unforgettable experience and absolute honour to represent Great Britain at the Winter Olympics,” Lloyd said. “I wasn’t sure if I would continue to compete afterwards so I went back to study a Masters in Management and Finance.

“Then I got a job as a sports agent at the sports marketing agency, Sports Sphere. We manage Olympic and Paralympic athletes and I’m working with some of TeamGB’s top athletes, some of whom were teammates from PyeongChang, which is awesome. “When the pandemic hit, the sports industry was affected pretty badly and ultimately I lost my job. So I used the opportunity to try again in Freestyle Skiing and I’m on track. I’m trying very hard to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, I have one year to go!” His ability to travel and train in 2020 was obviously curtailed by the pandemic

Sport

The ups & downs and the twists & turns of Olympic aerial ski star Lloyd Wallace but thanks to an exemption for elite athletes, Lloyd was able to travel to Finland in December and Russia and Belarus last month, competing in the World Cup tour. “It was pretty tricky getting all the right paperwork, visas, invites and covid tests, and even then I had some worrying moments at checkin and on arrival in Moscow. I take about three covid tests a week. “But it was great to be able to travel and the Russians were very welcoming.” He is having to pay his own way, with no British team funding. Sleeping on the floor of a friend’s flat, or buying second-hand

equipment is second nature – but he has the backing of his family all the way. His father Robin competed in freestyle skiing from 1981-89 and represented Great Britain at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. His mum Jilly scored 29 podium places and competed in two Olympic games – Albertville in 1992, where she placed fourth, and Lilliehammer in 1994. Robin went on to coach the British freestyle team for seven years, taking Lloyd as a baby to World Cup events. He told The New Blackmore Vale: “It’s really nice to see Lloyd enjoying this extreme sport in the same way Jilly and I did 30 years ago.

“Being a fairly obscure discipline, you get to do it without the pressure and hype of other sports, you do it for yourself, and you meet the most amazing people from around the world doing the same thing. “They become lifelong friends.” Lloyd will be on the road again next month, taking part in more World Cup events in America and Kazakhstan. “It isn’t easy doing it on my own, there’s no British Team or coach for aerials and certainly no funding,” he says. “Sports Sphere has taken me back on as a remote sports agent to sell sponsorship for other athletes while I’m

training and competing abroad, so I’m trying to juggle both at the same time!” Lloyd is looking for sponsorship to help him get to all qualifying events. The tour now goes on to Deer Valley in Utah and then Almaty, Kazakhstan, for the World Championships in March. “If anyone can help, please do get in touch with Lloyd – you can find him on Instagram at @lloydwal. n Lloyd’s speciality is a triple twisting, triple somersault, which looks terrifying. You can see him action on YouTube. 71

Equestrian You can’t bridle at the price – these are made just for you By Jade Leahy Lisa Hoskins is a Master Saddler, Master Bridle Maker, Master Harness Maker and qualified saddle fitter. She began her path to saddle fitting as an apprentice of Bob Thomas in Dorchester, completing a City in Guilds and starting out as an apprentice making and repairing driving harnesses for shire horses, later undertaking further training to expertly fit saddles and becoming a member of The Society of Master Saddlers. Lisa ensures saddles and pads are fitted to ensure the fitness and comfort of both horse and rider, based on the age and breed of the horse and the purpose of the saddle. Each fitting starts with Lisa viewing the horse’s movement at liberty in walk, trot

and canter, as well as in walk and trot in hand, to identify any potential asymmetry. She also feels each horse’s back to check for tightness, soreness and favoured side dominance. Today, saddle manufacturers are accustomed to, and willing to adjust saddles to customer/ saddler requirements and recommendations, so more and more saddles are bespoke rather than off the peg. Many will adjust gussets to 2.75 inches to

achieve the perfect fit. Lisa will re-flock and stitch and adjust clients’ saddles on site. Saddles should be checked twice a year, more frequently for a young and developing horse. She recommends regular tack cleaning with glycerine free and non-oily products such as Rapide leather gel, or Albion leather balm. Correct saddle fit is essential to horse comfort and performance and so is a correctly fitting bridle, with British Dressage, British Show Jumping and British Eventing carrying out compulsory tack checks that include the bridle before competitions. Research has proven the importance of correctly fitting bridles – pressure testing identified the negative impact of pressure on the base of the ears

and the jaw, with ill-fitting bridles frequently causing pressure on the trigeminal nerve and the temporo-mandibular joint. Templates and correct fitting, padded head pieces and bigger brow bands ensure health and comfort. As both a judge and winner at the Master Saddlers open bridle competition, Lisa knows her stuff. Priced at about £300 Lisa uses the highest quality leather for her bespoke bridles, from either The English Leather Company or Sedgwick’s Lining leather is sourced locally from Pittards in Yeovil. Lisa’s bridles feature no machine stitching and take a week or more to handcraft. 07799 061358 bespokesaddlery.co.uk

You heard this from the horse’s mouth By our equestrian columnist Charlotte Williams Stanley has made it to 25. It seems like just yesterday he came into my life, in fact it was some 20 years ago. Stanley has a very special place in my heart. Within weeks of his arrival he broke his back leg and because horses cannot stay off their feet for long periods, broken bones often do not have the chance to heal and sadly, the kindest way to help a horse with a broken leg is to put it to sleep. But in Stanley’s case, the wonderful Liphook Equine Hospital took great care of him and he survived surgery. And after many months of box rest and rehabilitation, Stanley defied all my expectations and went on to lead a very competitive life, retiring just two years ago. Unfortunately, during his rehabilitation, Stanley became 72

very spoilt and developed a sweet tooth. Consequently I have been very strict with his dental appointments. This time, I enlisted the services of trainee equine dentist Ryan Withe. Ryan has a wonderful relaxed and confident manner and as he was working on Stanley’s teeth, he told me about his training as an equine dentist and how he used to be a jockey, but suffered

a nasty injury, which put an end to his racing days. Consequently, Ryan had to rethink his future and got in touch with the Jockey Educational Training Scheme (JETS), a charity which was set up in 1995 to help current and former jockeys plan and achieve a secure future. JETS has helped more than 800 jockeys with career advice, grants and training in new skills,

in order to gain employment after race-riding given that early retirement is inevitable and the injury risk is high. Ryan expressed an interest in dentistry and JETS put him in touch with training school’s to learn the skills, complete the courses and sit exams to become a fully qualified dentist. Stanley is just one of Ryan’s 350 case studies. I must admit, when I first thought about using a trainee, given Stanley can sometimes be a little difficult, I was a little worried. But Ryan’s professional, calm and confident manner stopped any fretting immediately. This year, I bought charity Christmas cards for the Injured Jockeys Fund. The organisation make such a huge difference to jockey’s whose careers may be stopped short. And thanks to Ryan, Stanley’s teeth are once again perfect.

Equestrian

Rachel’s photography is truly on-brand

MAGIC MOMENTS: Rachel Bragg’s work features a varied set of subjects

By Jade Leahy Rachel Bragg is a local equestrian and business brand photographer based in Chard Somerset. With a successful career in global sport, she picked up her camera about 10 years ago, producing action shots of ultra-distance athletes as a hobby. Rachel is a life-long horse lover so turning the lens to horses was a natural progression. She began doing freelance photography at a variety of shows and by the time she stopped freelancing she’d covered events from local Pony Club rallies to international British Eventing circuit. As many of us do, Rachel regretted not capturing more beautiful images of her own beloved mare – the catalyst for offering portraits for private clients. Rachel describes herself as a storyteller and a ‘detail person’, seeking to capture the relationship between horses and their owners interacting in a natural way. Photography, like fashion, sees trends. Trends Rachel recognises as having their own market and audience, such as the popular ‘fairytale’ editing style with human subjects in ball gowns,

however she prefers to work in a more naturally styled way highlighting those glimpses of the relationship between horse and owner as they unfold before her. She says if she could photograph any horse today it would be the racehorse Frankel at liberty in his stallion paddock. Rachel loves a story and the one that Frankel created with his legendary Trainer Sir Henry Cecil and the quiet breeding genius of his owner Prince Khalid Abdullah, is one that united so many along the way. Realising that a diverse

portfolio of work would ensure the magic creating portraits endured for her, Rachel set about developing the commercial brand strand of her business, which also supports business viability and security. Her commercial work ranges from brand photography for local businesses such as wellknown Hiho Silver, leather workers, butchers, builders and tree surgeons. Each very different, keeping her challenged and loving her career. ‘Never have I

met or worked with someone who in a single photograph can capture the personality behind a brand so completely. Always going over and above, Rachel understands the importance of high quality, impactful imagery for brands like no other and the client experience is second to none’ Emily Mumford, Inkpot and Press. Having lost my own beloved Fjord Horse aged 35 and realising that I only have poor snaps taken on a Blackberry, I’d certainly suggest that pet owners capture regular images of their horses and pets over the years and it’s certainly something that I’ll be doing with my new pony Rosie. rachelbraggphotography.co.uk hello@rachelbraggphotograp hy.co.uk

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Field & Stream

Fascinating world of a sheep scanner THE FIELD with Tria Stebbing On a very muddy Sunday two weeks ago, Alex the sheep scanner came out to the field. We had managed to get the girls up to the road gate and rather surprisingly they did exactly as we wanted them to do. Alex had been out to the flock before and the ewes that he was scanning were the babies that he picked up on his scanner two years ago, otherwise known as the Sheep Circle of Life. Sheep scanning is fascinating: Alex arrives with his kit, sets up and we coax the ewes into the scanning area. Everyone holds their breath whilst the first goes in, the images come up on the screen and we can make out faint heartbeats. It has been a long journey, from flushing them through last

September to putting the ram in last October, then waiting. What excellent results…. Three sets of twins, one set of triplets and two large singles. That is certainly going to be a busy couple of weeks. Ironically, my mis-marked Disney princess who failed miserably to meet the breed standard is carrying triplets, it will be interesting to see who had the strongest gene pool there. As the ram was wearing his raddle, we have a good idea of due dates, but I am sure there

where and who needs what. Heat lamps, hot water bottles, iodine, gloves, disinfectant, and bales of straw are next to organise. After the excitement of the scanning, him indoors spent the weekend laying the road hedge. It was a bit of a AMAZING SIGHTS; Alex beast as it had got very thick and at work and, unkempt, lots of blackthorn inset, a scan thorns in the fingers. on screen Having finished we were able to will be the usual surprise. update the villagers on the So now the fun begins. exciting news as most were They are on good grass, which taking their daily walk. I should we had managed to save by add that we really appreciate the keeping them on summer interest that the villagers show in grazing for longer, so not having what we are trying to achieve to supplement yet. The hay with the field, and we are which we cut and baled grateful to them for keeping a ourselves on a hot day last July, watchful eye on the ewes too. they go mad for, quite rightly so Having sorted the hedge, the as it is lovely meadow hay. They view of the lambs should be have a lick bucket to provide the much better for people walking extra minerals and occasional past in the spring. I really hope treats of a few brussels sprouts. that the arrival of the 11 lambs We will now spend time will herald the start of safer and planning the nursery, who goes happier times for us all.

Nature treats us to a winter spectacle By David Bailey Heralding in the New Year with the glowing thought that warmer and longer days are just a few weeks away it is the time to explore our natural world in its naked winter glory. One such January day I spent filming kestrels for a BBC series just along the ridge from Compton Abbas Airfield. Capturing footage of a black silhouette outlining this skilled hunter, hovering with car headlights passing behind was worth every freezing minute. That’s one of the many natural beauties that can be spied from our high downland viewpoints. Looking down on the backs of buzzards hovering on updrafts wafting through the coombes and red kites swooping down behind tractors working the land uplifts 74

A short-eared owl

the heart. On the chalk downlands rare hen harriers hunt the hedgerows of fields, the male bird looking spectacular with its black, white and grey plumage. A rare but more regular visitor to the area are Great Bustards from Salisbury plain. Enduring a severe cold winter, hungry species may be seen desperately searching for food such as foxes, with their red coats looking even more resplendent in snow. It is also

their mating season when their screaming call is heard at night. Roe deer add winter magic, often seen around the Vale. At lower levels short eared-owls are known for hunting during the day and are often seen quartering areas of marsh. Another owl, the tawny famous for its comforting ‘twit-twoo’ call is often heard at night in town and country. Love or hate them it is the breeding season of the red squirrel’s nemeses – the

dreaded grey. Readily seen in town or country the grey drove out our native reds, who cling on in small areas of England due to the marvellous work of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust. Large numbers of chattering migrant fieldfares gather in fields after returning from Scandinavia. Starlings, which can be seen here all year round, are boosted by numbers from Europe gathering in huge numbers, offering the most intriguing sight of murmurations in the dying light of day. Forming swirling and everchanging black shapes in the sky before falling earthward in vast funnel shapes to roost. Why? Several theories abound the one I see fit for purpose is safety in numbers from predators. However for once it’s nice for nature to keep its secret.

Farming

Country Festival now postponed until August The Bath & West Country Festival, which replaces the traditional agricultural highlight this summer and was set for early June, has been postponed until August 27 and 29. Organisers of the Bath & West Show said the coronavirus pandemic was “making it a challenge to host mass public gatherings safely and securely” until later in the year. Chief executive Rupert Cox said: “While we had hoped to run our iconic event on our usual dates in early June, it has become apparent that even though a large percentage of the population will have been vaccinated, it is felt that the potential for

MAKING PLANS: The Bath & West Country Festival

continued safety restrictions will limit our visitors enjoyment. “While our new Country Festival will feel slightly different to the usual Royal Bath & West Show, we know that the entertainment and

diverse interests being promoted will provide a great day out for all the family, in a covid19 secure environment.” The Country Festival will feature a plethora of activities, demonstrations

and entertainment, including interactive farming activities, fast pace excitement in the main ring and a muchenhanced food hall experience. As ever, there will be a strong focus on cider and honey exhibitions, with competitions still being a highlight for many of the visitors. The society will continue with its plans to run the agricultural trade show, Grassland UK on May 6, 2021 and the Bath & West Equine Showing Show on May 21 and 22. However, both events will be constantly reviewed in line with Government guidance.

Young Farmers’ talent show invitation Young farmers in Dorset are taking to Zoom for three minutes of fame as they warm up for a hotly contested county competition. From comedy sketches and choreographed dance routines to music and theatre, teams of six or individuals aged between 10 and 27 are practicing their performance pieces before the closing date on February 19. County organiser Tracy Hounsome said: “You can have a lot of fun with this and it could be a musical, singing, instrumental, dancing or a comedy sketch for example. Props are permitted in the videos. “We are doing this as we lost our main fundraiser being our pantomime evening in December and have been looking for interactive ways to help raise funds to keep you all as active as possible over these difficult times and also as soon as we can get social again.”

BALEFUL LOOK: Young farmers are encouraged a talent contest

To judge for the Dorset YFC Entry a Talent Weekend is being held on the Dorset Young Farmers Facebook page on the February 27 and 28. Friends, members, relatives will have a chance to vote for their favourite Dorset YFC Talent to go forward to the National Federation of Young

Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) final with the results announced on the evening of February 28 To find out how to vote, follow the links online at form.jotform.com/210124875 270349. Anyone wishing to take part in the competition has until Friday, February 19 to send

in the three-minute video clip via the Dorset YFC Facebook Messenger Page or email the county office at office@dorsetyfc.org.uk Find more details at dorsetyfc.org.uk. If you would like to enter the county competition, see the entry form at: form.jotform. com/210183307200337 75

Farming

Quality produce from a family devoted By Karen Bate

newsdesk @blackmorevale.net

Five generations of the Cossins family have been farming at Rawston Farm since 1877. The farm, which stands in the heart of the beautiful Tarrant Valley on the edge of the Cranborne Chase, is on chalkland, allowing the animals to graze all year long on the lush, green, mineral-rich grass, perfect for beef cattle and dairy cows. Farming is in the blood of Barbara, a farmer’s daughter who married fellow farmer James Cossins. A FIELD OF THEIR OWN: The Cossins family have been at Rawston Farm since 1877 James began his work on Rawston Farm in 1978, and together, the family handrear their Aberdeen Angus, Hereford and Rawstar dairy cows. Rawston Farm has a long tradition as milk production suppliers since 1910 and in 1950 the farm’s very own Rawstar dairy herd achieved pedigree status. Barbara said: “We still have the passport cards drawn out of the first heifers born in 1951 with the bloodline grass pastures for our herds meat of the highest quality in rearing lamb and pork that name Rawstar Sandy. in the country. Rawston animal welfare, traceable were of the highest quality in “We also raise traditional Farm is now being farmed direct to her own farm or the animal welfare and cattle breeds of by the fifth generation of the very best farmers in the traceability.” Aberdeen Angus Cossins family, with the county. The meat at Rawston Farm and Herefords. sixth generation already The scandal, which saw has been farmed, butchered, All our cattle are very involved in the farm. horses entering the supply and prepared onn the grass fed all year “My real passion was chain labelled as beef and premises. Beef is matured round on the always cooking and since sold in many products in the and hung on the bone for at naturally lush and 1992 I have been UK, resulted in thousands of least 28 days, which allows mineral rich grass running The products being withdrawn the fibres of the meat to that the Langton Arms.” and a huge loss of consumer break down. Tarrant The horse meat confidence. All meat sold in the shop has Valley scandal of Barbara said: “The shop was been expertly cut by hand, affords us 2013 launched in 2012 as we were by their very own skilled and we prompted fed up with getting poor butchers in the farm’s own believe Barbara to quality meat. butchery, leaving only the this to open Rawston “We had our own beef on best meat and fat for a be Farm Butchery the farm and friends or other superb taste. some of and Shop selling family members were Barbara said: “This natural the best 76

Farming

to keeping it local process makes our beef incredibly tender and it is how our meat gets its ‘old fashioned’ superb flavour. “Keep your food miles low and your taste experience high, is the motto of the Cossins family. “At Rawston Farm Butchery and Shop we offer full traceability on all our meat, which has been either reared on our own farm or sourced from only the best local farmers and suppliers. “Home-grown quality is everything to us.” In 2018, Barbara launched the Love Local Trust Local brand, developed after noting that many visitors at their Open Farm Sunday wanted to know the provenance of what they were eating. She said: “Our visitors love

knowing the story of their food, the miles it has travelled and that they are buying and eating genuine local produce.” Barbara is passionate about quality, honesty and proximity in all we eat and drink and preparing meals taken from the seasons. “We should also be eating the misshapen vegetables that the supermarkets reject,” she added. “The producers often leave these on the ground to rot, when there are so many people struggling to feed their families this should not be happening. “I have always believed small business should work together; it is not about being in competition with each other but supporting each other.” n rawstonfarmbutchery.

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Magical murmurations fill the winter’s skies Country Diary with AJ Selby Though February is short, it is filled with lots of love and sweet surprises. Charmaine J Forde. Early February sees the countryside still snuggled up for winter, but by the end of the month, with daylight hours increasing, it’s like a coiled spring ready to explode into life and colour. Winter, meanwhile, is still with us a little longer and I recall a visit last year to RSPB Ham Wall nature reserve in Somerset to view one of the great spectacles of the natural world. The scene and the

weather were appropriate for the occasion, with a brooding sky and scudding clouds up high and a brisk wind whipping up the water between the sedges and bullrushes. It had a Wagnerian splendour that was fitting for the opera to follow. As dusk descended, the slategrey sky filled with chattering and a million tiny specks grew into a huge flock of starlings, swarming across the reedbeds, rising and then falling, twisting and turning as one and making incredible patterns that were as fantastic as the ancient landscape that hosts their performance every winter. The sky blackened as the daylight slowly disappeared and en masse the

birds dropped into the undergrowth to roost. The sky emptied but the starlings kept chattering in the reeds until an eerie silence consumed the reserve; in the silhouetted outlines of the waving sedges, I almost expected King Arthur or a Magwitch to emerge from the gloom. The display takes your breath away, both in its beauty and its aerial execution as the birds swerve and dive this way and that without ever touching each other as though it were all perfectly choreographed. It is estimated that the flocks carry several million birds, many from Northern and Eastern Europe that winter here. A flock of starlings is called a murmuration and

many birds (and animals too) have strange collective nouns that can vary from region to region. Popular and well known names include the wonderful murder of crows, a parliament of owls and my favourite, a charm of goldfinches. I like to think of charm as a very apposite word for these charming birds, with their melodious song, often sung in a group. As I leave the reserve, the starlings are no longer murmurating, and a calming stillness falls over the marshes now engulfed in darkness. For me, it’s home, a hot drink and maybe something from another collective noun. An indulgence of chocolate! A.J. Selby 77

Farming

Veterinary paperwork, reports and why By Alice Miller, of Friars Moor Livestock Health When you imagine a farm animal vet you probably picture wellies, stethoscopes, and arm length gloves, and most of the time you would be right! However, like with many jobs there is always a mountain of paperwork to address too. This has become an important part of our work. The farmer’s role has developed over time, and many are able to diagnose and treat common conditions that once would have required the assistance of vets such as James Herriot and his peers. But with time, the farm vet’s role has also changed with a focus on consultancy, health planning and performance reviews. To help our clients achieve their production goals we look at everything from youngstock growth rates and genetic breeding decisions to antibiotic use and even beef cow efficiency. At Friars Moor Livestock Health, we are lucky to have a dedicated and specialised support team who work with the

vets to generate these bespoke reports for our clients. Liz Alford is our data manager who translates farm records into these concise reports and has created original formats for both our block calving, antibiotic, pence per litre and lameness reports recently. Fiona Legg is our milk recording analyst and generates documents such as monthly fertility and mastitis reviews for our dairy clients. These are important to assist the

vets to ensure we notice any changes, so they are picked up quickly before they may become a problem. Emma Hallett is one of the farm office receptionists who also works with the vets to produce the herd and flock health plans, ensuring the required data is included for the vet visit. These assessments are important and mandatory to ensure our clients meet the high standards set by the assurance schemes they

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www.friarsmoorvets.co.uk 78

belong to. The most well-known farm assurance scheme is Red Tractor (look out for the Red Tractor symbol next time you look at buying meat, eggs, and dairy products). To be able to sell produce bearing this stamp farmers must pass frequent assessments and prove compliance with the rules set by the Red Tractor farm assurance scheme. It was established 20 years ago to reassure consumers of the safe and responsible production of the food, and still represents this today. British farmers continue to produce food that is of the highest welfare across the world, whilst also importantly protecting the environment it is produced in. Currently these standards are being improved and reviewed and Red Tractor are inviting farmers and vets to review and feedback with their opinions on these changes until the consultation ends on March 5. To have your say visit: assurance.redtractor.org.uk. And, in the meantime embrace “FebruDAIRY” by looking out for farm assured, high welfare dairy products, enjoy!

Farming

A starling role in the production of milk Ruth Kimber’s Farmer’s Diary Lovely to see the beauty of snow and the fun it brought. Thankfully it didn’t cause much extra work for the farm, and most importantly, the milk tanker got through to collect the milk. Yet more twins arrived in the herd this week. The cattle are all looking well and content with no thoughts of spring in their heads yet. One of the grandchildren is doing a project on transport, this made me recall listening to my father tell of his dairy herd in Dorset, where he milked the cows by hand in the fields in summer and in the cow stalls in winter then went on his milk round to sell direct to the customers, using his pony and trap. The pony knew which houses to stop at and which to pass by. The customers brought out their clean jugs for dad to fill using a measure, which, in a funny sort of way, leads to our direct milk sales, which are going from strength to strength. The rise of milk stations found on many dairy farms

allows the public to enjoy fresh whole milk, raw or pasteurized not homogenised. Each farm’s milk has its own distinctive flavours reflecting the pastures on which the cows are fed, their breed and even the water they drink. Each winter we are home to many more starlings than during the rest of the year, they begin to show up in November and stay around till February/March as part of their migratory routine. In the main they don’t affect the farm too much as long as they don’t enter the farm buildings where the cattle are. Then they deposit a thick layer of poo all over the gates etc and more importantly the cattle’s food. With the ever-closer threat of disease carried by wild birds, it’s a worry, however Tom has fitted a bird alarm, which gives off a starling distress call every so often and scares the birds away. On a positive note, early morning and again at dusk we are treated to our own ‘murmuration display’. Yesterday I counted about 200 on the electric wires in the field behind my office, which are joined by more as

they take to the air. Then there are the resident starlings which visit the garden. Spending lock down here has many bonuses, but like everyone I miss family and friends. n KIMBERS FARM SHOP,

www.kimbersfarmshop.co.uk BA9 8HD. On B3081 between Wincanton & Bruton, Wincanton racecourse road. Winter opening. TuesdaysFriday 9.30-5pm Saturday 10-4pm.

Mob: 07966 244536 Hydraulic Hose Specialists and Stockists to the Agriculture, Forestry, Automotive and Transport Industry Pneumatic fittings Quick release couplings Air brake fittings Pressure wash hoses + lances Hose clamps Up to 1 ½ “Hose stocked Hydraulic Hoses Variation of oils Mobile service available

Cote Farm Works, Kilmington, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 6RF Email: hoses@ardiesels.co.uk

WESSEX METALS STURMINSTER NEWTON & BLANDFORD AREA WANTED

SCRAP METAL RECYCLING

Scrap Metal, Cars, Heavy and Light Iron Farm And Factory Clearance Weighbridge

TOP PRICES PAID Skips/HAIB lorry available for onsite collection Tel 01258 860 166 or 07974 822 243 79

Farming Free transition Q&A sessions WEDNESDAY 10th FEBRUARY SALE OF DAIRY TO INCLUDE: 12 FRESHLY CALVED FRIESIAN X AYRSHIRE HEIFERS & COWS HIGH HEALTH STATUS CATALOGUES IN PREPARATION More entries expected FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12TH OUR 2ND CANDLEMAS SALE!!!! DON’T MISS OUT Large numbers expected Entries now being taken FRIDAY 19TH FEBRUARY SALE OF STORE CATTLE INCLUDING ORGANIC WEDNESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY SUCKLER CATTLE SALE STARTING AT 2PM TO INCLUDE: A Quality selection of Cows & Calves & In calf heifers & Cows Large numbers expected Entries now being taken FRIDAY 26TH FEBRUARY BREEDING SHEEP SALE Entries now invited Strict Social Distancing rules apply. Everyone to provide their own face masks and gloves. Face masks to be worn at all times Website: www.fromelivestock.com Frome Livestock Market, Standerwick, Frome, Somerset, BA11 2QB Tel 01373 830033 Email: info@fromelivestock.com Website: www.fromelivestock.com

For those whose TV volume is now at 50!

The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) is holding two free Q&A sessions on the Agricultural Transition Period Policy Update next week. The 90-minute sessions are free for members, and will offer an insight into Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan 2021-2024. The update includes details Country Outfitters of changes to farm payments and grants (Justin J Frampton) R.F.D.13D New or Secondhand expected over the next three years. It Shot & Air Guns, Rifles will cover and Repairs. Game, Coarse & reducing direct Sea Angling Equipment payments and how environmental We provide a friendly, local service concerns, at competitive prices. Based at Redlynch near Bruton, we supply Car, Est productivity Commercial, Agricultural, Plant & 4x4 1886 tyres and offer a 24hr breakdown service. and animal We won’t be beaten on price. health will be 3 West Street, Blandford Forum, Call us on Dorset DT11 7AW addressed 01749 813957 or jay@conyers.biz after Brexit. 07971 012628 www.conyers.biz at us find Members will or Tel: 01258 452307 www.southwestyreservices.co.uk Mob: 07973 642278 also be able to put their opinions on policy to Mobile Service Defra via the Agricultural Specialist group. Over 35 year’s Experience FWAG has NIGEL MARTIN supported 07921 929891 farmers to be sustainable WANTED! and profitable Quads, ATVs, farm & plant machinery, compact tractors, mini diggers, for 50 years. dumpers, trailers, commercial mowers, The two Landcruiser 80s,fishingboats, caravans, forklifts, workshop clearances sessions will and more... be held this www.allterraintrader.co.uk 07912 346037 01963 363512 Tuesday (26) at 7.30pm and Thursday (28) AIR RIFLES FOR SALE at noon. From £50 Go to Webley Mk3 x 3 BSA Air Sporter Mk2 x 3 BSA Buccaneer x 1 Air Ri昀e Full Power £80 fwagsw.org.uk for more. 26 Antique BSA under leavers

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Farming G R E E N S L A D E TAY L O R H U N T Forthcoming Dairy Sale Telephone: 01278 410250. Email: livestock@gth.net SEDGEMOOR AUCTION CENTRE, NORTH PETHERTON, SOMERSET, TA6 6DF (M5, J24) Thursday 11 th February at 10.30am with the Heifer Calves The February Collective Dairy Sale of

304 DAIRY CATTLE Freshly Calved Cows & Heifers from Bettiscombe (x11), Clevian, Dorset, Hinton (x15), Hinxden (x10), Keevil, * 71 Lilylane, TI Miller & Partners Ltd (x11), Peacehay, Quantaock & Wapley Incalf Heifers from JF Cobb & Sons * 38 Bulling Heifers from Ashlea, TI Miller & Partners Ltd & Wrackleford * 79 Yearling Heifers from JF Cobb & Sons & TI Miller & Partners Ltd * 70 Heifer Calves from Loford, TI Miller & Partners Ltd & D Thorner * 426 This attractive sale presents an opportunity not to be missed - immediate volumes of milk for your tank and an excellent choice of replacements!

Forthcoming Deadstock Sale

FEBRUARY Wed 17th............... ** ONLINE MACHINERY AUCTION ** at https://gth.auctionmarts.com. The Dispersal Sale of 3 Tractors, Truck, ATV, Farm Machinery, Fodder, Dairy & Livestock Equipment & Effects for DJ & WM Warren (South Molton, North Devon). Viewing available by appointment only.

Forthcoming Fodder Sale

FEBRUARY Sat 20th.................. SEDGEMOOR AUCTION CENTRE. The Collective Fodder Auction of Hay, Silage and Straw. Entries to be in by Monday 8 th February 2021.

Sedgemoor Auction Centre

North Petherton, Somerset, TA6 6DF (M5, Junction 24). Telephone: 01278 410278 www.gth.net TOTAL STOCK FOR THE WEEK 5687 Stock from across the West Country, sold to buyers from throughout the Nation

Returns for Saturday 30th January 2021

DAIRY CATTLE (61) Heifers to £2280. Others £2150. Cows to £1680. Others £1550. (1115) STORE CATTLE & STIRKS - FORWARD STORES (751) Steers to £1400 (2x LIMX). Others £1385 (LIMX) £1355 (AA) & £1350 (LIMX). Heifers to £1320 (CHX). Others £1300 (AA) £1220 (2x BRBX & CHX) £1200 (3x LIMX & BRBX) & £1190 (CHX). GRAZING COWS (7) to £950 (BRBX). SUCKLERS (7) to £1120. STIRKS (357) Steers to £1095 (CHX). Others £1025 (LIMX) £980 (BRBX) & £950 (BRBX). Heifers to £945 (BRBX). Others £925 (LIMX) & £915 (LIMX). CALVES (307) Beef Bulls to £430 (3x CHX). Others £395 (BRBX) £368 (2x BRBX) & £360 (BRBX). Heifers to £370 (2x BRBX). Others £348 (3x BRBX) & £342 (BRBX). Black & Whites to £172. Others £170. (3156) SHEEP STORE LAMBS – Friday (1789) to £127 (2x). Others £122.50, £121.00 & £119.50. Overall Ave £97.13. CULL EWES & RAMS (974) Ewes to £146. Others £140 & £137. Rams to £137. Others £136 & £119. Overall Ave £87.89. COUPLES (46E & 61L) Doubles to £242 (£80.67/life). Singles to £170 (£85/life). Overall Ave £67.53/life. BREEDING EWES (229) to £142 (2x). Overall Ave £128.78. GOATS (43) to £133. Overall Ave £104.58. ORPHAN LAMBS (14) to £41. Overall Ave £31.14. (180) PIGS – WEANERS (73) to £24. CULL SOWS & BOARS (4) to £62. FORWARD STORES (102) to £110.

The West Country’s Gateway to National Abattoirs

Returns for Monday 1st February 2021

PRIME CATTLE (95) Steers UTM av 196.1ppk to 223.5ppk & £1,491.36. Others 214.5ppk, 214.0ppk & 212.5ppk. Others £1,431.72, £1,395.62, £1,388.85, £1,329.57 & £1,319.90. Heifers UTM av 197.3ppk to 224.5ppk and £1,486.28. Others 223.0ppk, 221.5ppk (2x) & 219.5ppk. Others £1,486.25, £1,440.56, £1,422.96, £1,400.70 & £1,400.44. BARREN COWS (71) Continental av 129.4ppk to 143.5ppk and £1,076.25. Others 130.5ppk. Others £995.72. Native Beef av 129.8ppk to 139.5ppk and £1,101.08. Others 138.5ppk. Others £956.63. Dairy av 120.3ppk to 141.5ppk and £1,341.78. Others 140.5ppk. Others £1,325.86. FINISHED SHEEP (698) Hogg ave 277.94ppk to 290.0ppk and £142.50. Others 286.0ppk (2x) 285.0ppk & 281.0ppk. Others £133.00, £131.00 (2x) & £130 (2x).

FORTHCOMING SPECIAL SALES For full rules on market attendance and up to date sales list please refer to our website https://www.gth.net/sedgemoor-auction-centre and/or Saturday market report https://www.gth.net/market-reports. Please note with immediate effect and until further notice we are having to reintroduce a Drop & Go system.

FEBRUARY Sat 6th....................... Monthly Catalogued Sale of Organic Store Stock 10am Ring 2 Fri 12th...................... Store Lambs Gates Open 12 Sale 4pm Sat 13th..................... Monthly Seasonal Catalogued Sale of In Lamb Ewes 12pm Sat 13th..................... Monthly Catalogued Sale of Suckler Cows, Calves, Heifers & Bulls 12.30pm Ring 1 Sat 13th..................... Special Sale of Busk Calves 11am Ring 3 Sat 13th..................... Fortnightly Sale of Pigs 11am Fri 19th...................... Store Lambs Gates Open 12 Sale 4pm Sat 20th..................... Collective Fodder Auction 1pm Wed 24th .................. Orange Market Dedicated Sale for bTB Restricted Cattle. Store Cattle – 15 Months & Over, Prime Cattle & Barren Cows. Stock to be booked in with the market of昀ce by 17th February. Licences to be obtained from Truro Trading Standards on 03000 200301 or CSC.TBlicensing@apha.gsi.gov.uk Sale commences 4.30pm Fri 26th...................... Store Lambs Gates Open 12 Sale 4pm Sat 27th..................... Monthly Sale of Native Store Cattle 10am Ring 2 Sat 27th..................... Fortnightly Sale of Pigs 11am

Farming PROPERTY & LAND LIVESTREAM AUCTION WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2021 AT 3PM Scan code for further details

78 ST. JOHN STREET, BRIDGWATER A period terraced property in need of complete renovation. Situated in close proximity to Bridgwater Railway Station and the Town Centre.

An attractive semi-detached period cottage in need of some updating. Occupying a generous plot on the edge of this desirable village. No onward chain. AUCTION GUIDE: £250,000

AUCTION GUIDE: £50,000 Bridgwater Office: 01278 425555

2 STOWEY COTTAGES, NETHER STOWEY, BRIDGWATER

residential.bridgwater@gth.net

Bridgwater Office: 01278 425555

residential.bridgwater@gth.net

8 STATION ROAD, WILLITON, TAUNTON

LAURDINA, HOWLEY, CHARD

An excellent opportunity to acquire a substantial three bedroom grade II listed property in Williton in need of modernisation.

A bungalow dwelling set in a glorious situation with views down part of the Yarty Valley, now in need of full refurbishment and set in grounds totalling 1.07 acres.

AUCTION GUIDE: £185,000 Williton Office: 01984 632167

AUCTION GUIDE: £195,000 residential.williton@gth.net

Chard Office: 01460 238383

farms.chard@gth.net

THE DYE HOUSE, HOLFORD, BRIDGWATER A detached cottage requiring complete renovation. Situated in the peaceful village of Holford at the foot of the Quantock Hills. AUCTION GUIDE: £275,000 Bridgwater Office: 01278 425555 residential.bridgwater@gth.net

FURTHER ENTRIES INVITED For further information about selling by auction please contact: Justin.lowe@gth.net 01935 423474 G R E E N S L A D E TA Y L O R H U N T

w w w. g t h . n e t

Farming

PLEASE VISIT symondsandsampson.auctionmarts.com TO VIEW THE ONLINE CATALOGUES AND REGISTER PRIOR TO THE AUCTION

LOWER LANGDON FARM, BEAMINSTER, DORSET DT8 3NN Thursday 11th February 2021 Live Online Sale of Genuine Farm Dispersal commencing 11.00am On behalf of TR & LC Ford (surrendering the tenancy) In all 241 Lots of Tractors, Grassland Machinery, Livestock Equipment & Miscellaneous Tractors & Machinery Highlights including: 2008 John Deere 6430 with Quicke Q65 Loader (10,350hrs), 2006 McCormick CX95 (8,075hrs) & International 784 Tractors, 2017 Kuhn 15.1DL Mixer Wagon (3yrs old) with elevator, 2009 Krone Swadro 800/26 Twin Rotor Rake, Major 2400gln Vacuum Tanker, 2014 Storth 20’ Lagoon Mixer, 2003 Kverneland Exacta CL Fertiliser Spreader with Crane 12/24m Discs, 2014 Portequip 26’ Bale Trailer, 2002 McConnel PA59E Hy-Reach Hedgetrimmer (Electric Controls), KRM APV 600 6m Grass Harrows with Seeder, Browns Mole Plough, Twose 8’ Ballast Roller, etc.

Livestock Equipment including: John Shepherd Feed Trailer (new floor), Storth 6’6” Box Scraper, IAE Chieftain Full Access Cattle Crush, AG 150 Sand/Sawdust Dispenser, AG Maxi Sawdust Dispenser, 3 x 20’ John Shepherd TMR Open Base Feeders, 2 x 15’ John Shepherd 2 in 1 Feeders, IAE 10’ Box Feeder, 2 x Raised Troughs, Various Gates, Sowesco High Discharge Grain Silo (approx. 16t), etc. Workshop & Miscellaneous including: 8 x Silage Pit Secure Covers (various sizes), Gravel Bags, Fencing Stakes and Equipment, Chicken House, IBC’s, Deso 2500 Fuel Station, Countax 42” Ride On Mower, Stihl MS181C Chainsaw, Udder Wipe, Logic ATV Sprayer, Draper Jet Force Space Heater, Draper 50ltr Air Compressor, Mains and Battery Fencers, etc.

ONLINE TIMED COLLECTIVE AUCTION Closing Thursday 25th February 2021 from 12 noon All Lots are Direct Off-Farm Entries Close 12 noon Wednesday 10th February Tractors & Machinery including: 2015 JCB 531-70 Agri-Super Telehandler (6,850hrs), 2013 New Holland T7.270 Blue Power (7,500hrs), 2009 Massey Ferguson 6480 Dyna 6, 1961 Thames Trader Lorry, Bailey TB14 Silage Trailer (2014), Bailey TB15 Silage Trailer (2011), 2015 Kuhn HR304 Power Harrow, Sumo GLS Grassland Subsoiler (5 leg), 2017 Amazon ZA-V 2600 Profis Control Fertiliser Spreader, McConnel 2.8m Flail Topper, 2007 Krone 6.72/6 6 Rotor Tedder, Farm Force 3m Front Press, Ifor Williams TA510G-12’ Livestock Box, Ifor Williams 14’ Beaver Tail Trailer, Ifor Williams LM85G Trailer, Ifor Williams 6’ Ramps, Ransomes TS73A 4f Conv Plough, TowerLight 10kva 9m Lift Lighting Tower, Various Digger Buckets, Working Platform (Merlo Brackets), Vicon Haybob 300, McConnel Hy-Reach Hedgetrimmer, Claas Corto 185N Drum Mower, Parmiter Rear Digging Arm with 2 Buckets, Pallet Forks, Flat 8 Bale Grab. Kverneland Press Arm, 3’ Drag Harrow Beds, Ransomes Single Leg Mole Plough, Nicholsons Root Pulper, Penny Hydraulics Swing Lift Lini Hiab, David Brown Potato Spinner. Workshop, Garden Items & Sundries Harlequin 2500ltrs Fuel Station, Axminster Power Hacksaw, Axminster Pillar Drill, Axminster Table Saw, Axminster Thickness Planer, Lifting Jacks, Halogen Lights, EZGO Electric Buggy (732hrs), Protech P6000S 6kva Generator (3,691hrs), Gasoline 3000 Generator, Howard GEM Garden Rotavator, Cast Iron Corner Trough, Shelving Unit, Various Wooden and Metal Gates, Tureen 3 Cast Iron Rollers, Hay Rack with Trough, Horse Drawn Cultivator, Galvanised Tank, Milk Churn, 10’ x 4’ Water Trough, Priva DA13 Gas Heater, Landmaster Mk1 Rotavator, Maxilog Plastic Storage Crate, Railway Sleepers, Extending Ladder, Log Burner, Tow Chains, Space Heater, Heras Fencing Sections, Riveted Trough, Rolatruc Pallet Trucks, Perkins 4cyl Engine, Cast Iron Bath, Thames Trader Lorry Spares including Engine, Steering Rack and Axles, Laycock Oil Drainer, Chain Harrows 4’, Sheep Creep Hurdle, Root Chopper, etc.

Contact Mark Northcott 07798 645274, Greg Ridout 07817 517467 or Rachael Holder 07772 310482

Land at Marsh Court, Wincanton

Land at Binghams Marsh, Henstridge

90.24 acres available on a 5 year Farm Business Tenancy. Tenders closing 12 noon Monday 1 March.

46.21 acres available on a 2 year Farm Business Tenancy. Tenders closing 12 noon Monday 1 March.

For further information please contact Greg Ridout 07817 517467 or Lucy Carnell 07940 256550

VALUATIONS | AMC AGENTS | PLANNING | RURAL GRANTS

Property LIVESTREAM AUCTION 12 February 2021 DORSET DEVON HAMPSHIRE SOMERSET WILTSHIRE LONDON

Ludwell Hill Guide £25,000 A parcel of undeveloped scrubland extending to 0.13 acres (0.05 hectares) adjoining the Grove Arms on the A30.

Nr Stalbridge

Guide £230,000 A 3 bedroom former school house for modernisa on, set in 0.35 acre, surrounded by open countryside. EPC=G.

Wimborne

Guide £350,000 A detached 3 bedroom co age in 0.36 of an acre, in an secluded posi on on the edge of the town. EPC=G.

Yeovil 01935 423526

Sturminster 01258 473766

Wimborne 01202 843190

Entries invited for our March Property Auc on

Sherborne

Contact: Mark Lewis 01258 474266 or Contact: Meredith Holmes 01202 843190

Spe sbury

Sherborne 01935 814488

for your chance to beat the SDLT deadline

Blandford 01258 452670

W’borne S ckland Guide£275,000

Guide £300,000 A Grade II Listed former brewery, converted in the 1990’s to form an impressive 5 bedroom town house. EPC Exempt.

Guide £225,000 A character 23 bedroom co age with poten al, and a garden of 0.27 of an acre fron ng the River Stour. EPC=E.

Bishops Caundle.

Guide £95,000 A building plot with planning for a detached, 3 bedroom house with car port, garden and open views.

Silton

A decep vely spacious 3 bedroom picture postcard co age with garden of approx.230’. EPC=F.

Wimborne 01202 843190

Sturminster 01258 473766

Sturminster 01258 472244

PLANNING

Guide £290,000 (Lot 1) 2 bedroom bungalow (EPC=E) in 3.33 acres. Further lots of 12.41 acres, 5.04 acres & 2.84 acres with River Stour frontage.

VALUATIONS

BUILDING SURVEY

Property

QUALIFIED EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL

A stylish and spacious 4 bedroom 17th Century converted barn, situated on a working organic farm within this soughta er village. EPC=D.

Yarlington

£2,300pcm

Guide £860,000 A substan al Victorian former farmhouse with 5 bedrooms, an internal annexe, garage with oﬃce/workshop, all set in 1.45 acres and backing onto open countryside. EPC=F.

Yeovil 01935 382903

Sturminster 01258 473766

A highly eﬃcient 3 bedroom house within a few minutes’ walk of the train sta on and town’s ameni es, with parking & enclosed garden. EPC=A.

£265,000

Leigh

Guide £900,000 A ﬁne individual 4 bedroom house designed to take advantage of the southerly views, EPC=C. Generous room sizes and grounds of 1.51 acres including drive and woodland. Further 1 acre available.

Sturminster 01258 473766

Sherborne 01935 814488

Gillingham

Kingston

Shillingstone

An a rac ve, Victorian 4 bedroom farmhouse with large gardens, set in an superb rural loca on close to the River Stour. EPC=Exempt.

Guide £575,000 The former Post Master’s house in the heart of the village, which has been tastefully modernised and extended to provide a substan al 3 bedroom home, with garden and parking. EPC=D.

Sturminster 01258 474265

Sturminster 01258 473766

SALES

LETTINGS

£2750 pcm

AUCTIONS

Child Okeford

Property

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Property

Super opportunities for development Bathsheba’s Cottage

If you’d like your next home to be surrounded by unspoilt countryside, then Rachael James of Symonds & Sampson has the perfect rental properties for you. She is excited to offer two properties to rent at Bere Marsh Farm, Shillingstone, owned by the Countryside Restoration Trust. The trust, which purchased

Bere Marsh Farm

the farm in 2020 through Symonds & Sampson, will use both traditional and innovative farming methods sustainably and profitably but protecting the wildlife habitats and precious ecosystems. Their long-term intention is to turn the farm into an education and visitor centre. The trust intends to introduce a small herd of

milking cows, free range hens, and a small flock of sheep and orchard. The detached Victorian farmhouse is newly refurbished, has a 28’ kitchen dining room with Aga, and with 2 reception rooms and 4 bedrooms, offers the space for family and working from home. Rent is £2,750 per calendar month. A converted

WANTED TO PURCHASE within 15 miles Dorchester Approx. an acre of land as an allotment , safe area for grandson with cerebral palsey and bolthole. 01305 264285 ELDERLY COUPLE WISH TO RENT HOUSE OR BUNGALOW, radius of 10 miles of Castle Cary (country), 01373 813091

barn currently has 3 bedrooms and 2 reception rooms although is adaptable to suit the tenant’s requirements. The rent is £1,800 per calendar month. Contact Rachael on 01258 474265 for information.

The show will go on – in covid-safe way By Karen Bate The rural community are set to be reunited ‘safely’ at the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show on August 18 and 19. The show has survived two world wars, The Great Depression, and recessions, not to mention the great British weather, and now, after months of careful planning, organisers say they are ready for 2021. So, for the first time in its 161year history, the show will be held over two days, to allow visitor numbers to be split tfor social distancing and ensure the safe return of the much-loved show during the pandemic. Organiser James Cox said: “We announce this decision during these dark days of lockdown with our best intentions at heart. The show for over a hundred years has brought together the community and celebrated the very best of the British

countryside. Today, we bring you hope and optimism that better days will come. “If you are a visitor we will provide you with a safe and enjoyable family day out. As a farmer we will bring back your networking event, offering you the opportunity to meet buyers, suppliers, machinery dealers and of course fellow farmers after an isolated year. “If you are a business struggling during lockdown we will reopen our gates this summer and put you, the producer in contact with the consumer. We are proud to play our part in the recovery of our region’s economy and will do our bit by offering businesses a discounted rate to trade at the 2021 show, not only to assist with the costs associated with a two-day show but to help those businesses that have suffered over the past year.” Last year was the first time the

show had been cancelled since the Second World War, when animal restrictions made the event impossible. The first show was held in 1860 after a group of local farmers formed a society. It is believed the first show was held in one of the two livestock markets in Gillingham the same year. Over the ensuing years, the show was hosted in a field in Station Road next door to Hudson and Martin’s Saw Mills, which was owned by timber merchants, until it was turned into allotments, a car park and now it is part of La Neubourg Way. Today the popular attraction is held at The Turnpike Showground near Motcombe Organisers have been examining a range of options to safely return without having to cancel. A number of changes will be put in place for this year’s event, there is a strict capacity plan

Thinking outside the box since 1858 symondsandsampson.co.uk

with tickets available in advance and none available on the day. Some competitive classes may be unable to go ahead and livestock and equine classes will be spilt over the two days with livestock attending on the day of their class or the night before. Fewer marquees, wider avenues, sanitising stations along with strict cleaning protocols will be in place to ensure safety. James said: “While we live through a time of regulations and rules, just like any year we are dedicated to being an entertaining, relaxed rural day out for the whole family showcasing our traditions, heritage and modern life in agriculture and the countryside and the craftsman within it.” Early Bird Tickets will soon be available and trade stand bookings will open. To keep up to date go to: gillinghamandshaftesburyshow.co.uk

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