Purbeck Gazette 291

What’s inside this issue...

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EDITORIAL

Paul Jones

Editor-in-chief

We love hearing your news and views. Get in touch with us by emailing ed@purbeckgazette.co.uk

Lloyd Armishaw Publisher ed@purbeckgazette.co.uk 01963 400186

About the Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette prints every fortnight and delivers throughout the region from Swanage to Dorchester, Lulworth to Bere Regis. The Purbeck Gazette is published by The Blackmore Vale Ltd. All editing, graphic design and lay-up is completed in-house by The Blackmore Vale Ltd.

The Purbeck Gazette is printed by Blackmore Ltd of Shaftesbury. The Purbeck Gazette website is managed and edited by The Blackmore Vale Ltd. Blackmore Vale Ltd also publishes The Purbeck Guidette, the Purbeck Visitor Guide. All rights reserved. All layouts copyright Blackmore Vale Ltd. No reproduction without permission.

OUR TEAM: The Gazette team consists of: Lloyd Armishaw, Debi Thorne, Donna Garner, Jane Toomer and Paul Jones.

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The legal stuff... Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this magazine, but the editor is unable to accept responsibility for any omissions or errors that may occur. The inclusion of any article or advertisement does not constitute any form of accreditation or approval by the editor.

No part, written or visual, of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the editor.

The services of Citizens’ Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck (right) have been in high demand during the cost-of-living crisis Page 9

Five Dorset towns and villages could get 20mph speed limits (above) Page 16

Time to bunker down for an unusual summer break on the Dorset coast!

DURING the Second World War, people were glad to avoid one particular Dorset property. But now, visitors are happy to fork out to stay.

Commissioned in early 1941, the Transmitter Bunker, in Ringstead, is proving popular with county visitors.

The Grade II-listed property, which retains the concrete walls from its previous use, is available for booking on the travel site, Sykes Holiday Cottages.

And far from being the sparse, dank bunker you might imagine from 1941, it now boasts two bedrooms, an open-plan living space with an open fire, shower room with a heated towel rail and a dishwasher.

The listing reads: “You can practically feel the history emanating from every part of the property with original features throughout.

“Formerly the home of one of two

transmitter blocks serving RAF Ringstead during the Second World War, the Transmitter Bunker was part of the Chain Home radar, a coastal early warning system which stretched from Cornwall in the West to Norfolk in the East.

“The station was commissioned in early 1941 and finally decommissioned in 1956.

Solar

retained.”

The quirky accommodation has proved popular, with dates largely sold out for the rest of the summer - and reviewers have sung its praises.

“I will miss that splendid view,” wrote one. “The property is quirky but beautiful and well equipped.”

Compiled by National Coastwatch Institution, Swanage

Compiled by National Coastwatch Institution, Swanage

Another said: “I loved the history of the building, and the way the bunker has been refurbished, while keeping the original feel.

- Mar '23

“The renovation has had regard for the fact that the Bunker is listed Grade-II, with the original concrete walls and other features

Drawing the line at parking

DRIVERS have been warnedthis parking spot is not for you!

Double yellow lines have been repainted on a tiny stretch of Tarmac in Commercial Road, Swanage.

The small segment of street –and the new lines – were caught on camera by resident Donna Glave and provoked a big reaction on social media.

One person wrote: “Don’t worry, someone will still park there.”

Another said it is the ‘little things that count’, while one commentor had a unique take.

“I’ll have to find a new favourite spot to park my unicycle,” they said.

However, one reader took a more sober view.

“Utilities are obliged to repaint lines,” they said.

Dorset Council has been contacted for comment.

Solar & Tidal Predictions - June '23

“The views over the sea from the living room and patio are remarkable. Excellent for a holiday – and even better if you’ve got an interest in World War II history.”

For more details, visit sykescottages.co.uk.

Solar and Tidal Predictions - Feb'23

Solar & Tidal Predictions June 2023

Peveril Ledge, Swanage

How nature reserve is helping the threatened nightjar...

THE number of nightjars at RSPB reserves across England and Wales – including at RSPB Arne in Dorset – has hit a record high.

The news follows decades of conservation work to help turn around the fortunes of the threatened species.

Some 198 territorial male nightjars – including 60 at RSPB Arne – were recorded during surveys last year, up from 178 in 2021.

Nightjars migrate to the UK each year from their wintering grounds in Central Africa.

Typically found on lowland heathland in the UK, their numbers fell in part because of habitat loss and the resulting break-up of connected heathland areas.

Work by the RSPB and other conservation organisations to halt the decline has seen the species move from the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List, to the Amber List.

The number of territorial males at RSPB Arne – which has been featuring this month as the lead filming location for this year’s series of Springwatch – was a record.

Thanks to a team of conservationists, aided by four-legged helpers including cattle, pigs, ponies and donkeys, nightjar numbers at Arne have tripled from the 20 males

recorded in 1990.

Conservation work at RSPB Arne has succeeded in encouraging nightjars to breed successfully in increasing numbers, with the 630-hectare reserve restored to a mosaic of heathland, grassland and woodland.

Creating a variety of habitats for the birds is key and a herd of native Red Devon cattle are doing exactly that, assisted by ponies, donkeys and pigs.

RSPB Arne senior site manager Peter Robertson said: “This type of wilder grazing system is all about using animals to help create a dynamic mosaic of habitats.

“They are constantly changing things on a small scale – breaking up vegetation, creating bare ground as they pass through, and moving plants around in their dung and hooves.

“It’s the dung that attracts insects such as dung beetles, which are great nightjar food.”

Nocturnal and exceptionally well camouflaged, nightjars are notoriously difficult to see.

They nest on the ground, creating a small depression in the ground for their eggs, and use their camouflage to stay hidden during the day.

The birds feed on the wing, flying with their mouths open to catch insects in the air.

Similar to bats using echo location, they make a small clicking noise to track prey including moths, cockchafers and other large insects.

Counting the number of nightjars on site requires the conservation team to set out at dusk and listen to where the male birds are ‘churring’ from perches or on the ground.

In flight, they make a call which sounds like a prop plane with its engine slowing down, spluttering and getting slower and slower with a final ‘splut’ at the end.

Males in display flight also make a clapping noise as their wings hit each other on the upstroke.

Peter added: “On the heathland on a summer evening the sound of churring nightjars is everywhere. Their calls carry quite a long way and now there is nowhere you can stand and not hear one, and in most cases half a dozen.

“It’s a repetitive reeling sound – incredibly distinctive and an amazing wildlife experience.

“Being able to hear those calls is the perfect reminder that

the hard work is paying off. Helping to maintain then increase numbers, and reverse population declines of species like nightjar is very rewarding.”

Along with many other species, nightjars are sensitive to human disturbance. The camouflage that hides groundnesting birds from natural predators can make it hard for people to spot nests, so to minimise the risk at RSPB Arne, visitors are asked to avoid areas closed to the public, stick to permitted paths and keep pets on leads in areas where people are allowed to walk dogs.

Nightjars are just one of the star species to feature during three weeks of live programmes that started at the end of last month with RSPB Arne playing host to the Springwatch team, including presenters Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan.

Up to 30 remote cameras have been capturing wildlife spectacles across the reserve, giving viewers the chance to observe many different species from Green Woodpeckers and Dartford Warblers, to tunnelling bees.

RSPB Arne is also one of the few places in the UK where all six of the UK’s native reptiles can be found, including the rare Sand Lizards and Smooth Snakes.

A nightjar adult roosts during daylight hours perched on a log, relying on camouflage and immobility for disguise PHOTO: Andy Hay

Chris Packham has been filming Springwatch at RSPB Arne

Hundreds at illegal rave

POLICE have thanked the community after an estimated 1,500 people attended an illegal rave near Corfe Castle.

The gathering – branded an ‘unauthorised music event’ by Dorset Police – was reported on Saturday, May 27, at about 10.40pm with an estimated 500 vehicles in the area.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan, of Dorset Police, said: “Officers have been working throughout the days and nights to ensure that this event was brought to a safe conclusion.”

Stragglers were ordered to leave the scene on Sunday morning.

“On Sunday, police officers gave a direction for people to leave the scene using powers under the Public Order Act,” Asst Chf Con Callaghan added.

“Due to the large-scale nature of the event, we anticipated this process would take some time.

“While the large numbers were dispersing, we have had to

balance the safety of our officers and all those involved, as well as any risk to the local community and our road network during a busy Bank Holiday weekend.

“By the early hours of this morning, only a small proportion of individuals remained on site and the music had been turned off to minimise any further disruption to residents.”

He said the site had been cleared by about 2.30pm on Monday.

“Dorset Police will not tolerate unlicensed music events due to the increased risks and impact they have on our communities and those visiting the area,” he added.

“The distress and upset this has caused to residents and visitors is not underestimated and we will be carrying out an investigation to identify those responsible for organising unauthorised events such as these.

Flower show date

GARDENERS can now register to enter Owermoigne and District Horticultural Society’s autumn show.

The show this year will feature five food sections including one for juniors to show just one cupcake decorated on a horticultural theme.

Youngsters will also have a chance to shine in a competition called ‘What’s at the Bottom of My Garden?’ Judges will be looking for original and imaginative creations including floor standing entries.

Competitions cover floral design and an edibles class using any kind of home grown, seasonal fruit, vegetables or herbs in a

vdecorative manner.

A class for hanging baskets using any suitable container planted up with only the six plants supplied will be judged by the visiting public on show day.

The show is in Owermoigne’s recently refurbished village hall on Saturday, September 2. Entry into the competitions is free, as is entry to the show.

All competitions are open to society members and non-members and the closing date for entries is August 31.

For a copy of each competition’s full description, including the entry forms and rules, email show organiser Pat Butler at patmbutler. hotmail.com.

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Oly’s back in the swim in battle against plastics pollution

DORSET eco swimmer Oly Rush is gearing up for his next dip to raise awareness of the plastic pollution problem.

Oly, from Upton, is training for a 24-hour swim around the Greek island of Ithaca.

The plunge will follow similar swims that saw him break the record for swimming

around the Isle of Wight –going non-stop for 37 hours.

His latest adventure, the 46 miles around Ithaca, is set to take place in September.

Oly has also picked up a new backer, in the form of recruitment firm Green Folk, which contacted him after his Isle of Wight swim.

Green Folk, headquartered in Hook, Hampshire, is sponsoring Oly’s swim, as well as supporting regular beach cleans on the Dorset coast after Oly’s efforts caught the eye of company owner Chris Payne.

“Chris contacted me after seeing publicity about my swims and offered to get involved,” said Oly.

“He helps fund my beach cleans and comes and joins in, along with his staff.

“He really walks the walk – he means what he says and puts his money where his mouth is.

“Without the generosity of sponsors and supporters I

wouldn’t be able to do the work I do, or raise the profile of plastic pollution through my swims.

“The Ithaca challenge is 46 miles and will take me between 22 and 28 hours.

“I chose this island because a friend showed me the work the Healthy Seas charity had been doing there.

“It is a good size to swim around and because the sea is warm it means I won’t have to wear a wetsuit.

“I will be out there from the middle of August and the swim will be in the first week of September, and I hope to get the locals involved and even visit schools over there.”

Chris said: “Our recruitment business is carbon neutral and we use profits to help the environment – so far we’ve planted nearly 6,000 trees.

“When I saw what Oly was doing I had to get in touch and help him. His beach cleans align with what we are doing

Chris Payne of Green Folk and marathon swimmer Oly Rush

a huge difference by removing plastic.

“We are getting behind his next swim enabling him to raise more awareness about plastic in the oceans – and money to help combat it.

“We’d urge anyone who is concerned about the environment to get behind Oly, give him their support and

School in call for new governors

COMMUNITY-MINDED people are being urged to consider becoming a school governor.

The Purbeck 11-18 Academy School has issued an invite to people in the area as vacancies are expected in the coming year.

The governing body said volunteers would have the opportunity to ‘make a positive contribution to the life chances of our young people’.

“We welcome potential governors who have experience in one or more areas such as finance, personnel, buildings, business or other skills, or you may have past experience as a governor.

“We would like people who know their communities well and live in the catchment area which includes the Isle of Purbeck, Wool, Lulworth, Bovington and Wareham.”

donate some money.”

Thanks to the sponsorship of Green Folk, all money donated will go to Project Planet and Greece-based Healthy Seas.

For more details of the swim, visit the ProjectPlanet. earth website and to make a donation, log on to https:// gofund.me/a2c63c3d

The school is part of the Wessex Multi-Academy Trust of Dorset schools.

The governing body provides challenge and support for the school, which is fully subscribed and boasts results above expectations.

“You do not need to have work experience in the education sector,” a spokesperson said.

The governing body meets about seven times a year and governors are also asked to adopt an area of interest which is in the School Development Plan. Those new to the role, which is not paid, will be given training and a DBS check will be required.

To find out more, call vice-chairman Steve Clarke on 01929 480095. Expressions of interest in the role, with contact details and experience, are sought by June 30.

These should be sent to the clerk, Karen Hall, via Khall@ purbeck.dorset.sch.uk.

Chris Payne of Green Folk and human fish Oly Rush (centre) with volunteers during a Dorset beach clean and he makes

Playground gets £10k makeover

THE playground at Lilliput Infant School in Poole has been given a new lease of life thanks to a £10,000 donation from the Talbot Village Trust, a charity that supports worthy causes across south-east Dorset.

Together with funds raised by the school’s PTA, the trust’s donation has helped to revitalise the outdoor space by replacing irreparable wooden play equipment.

Up to 350 school children, aged four to seven, are now enjoying the new outdoor equipment designed to meet their physical, social and wellbeing needs.

Lilliput Infant School head teacher Christine Chambers said: “We are grateful to Talbot Village Trust for its assistance with this project. The children absolutely love the new play structures. Importantly to us, the new area is in memory of a Lilliput pupil who continues to

inspire us and whose motto in life had been ‘Be kind, be brave and never give up.’ He always enjoyed playtimes.

“Without this generous donation, the children would have seen the deteriorated wooden play equipment dismantled for safety reasons, and we would have been unable to replace it for a good number of years. The play equipment is not only there for our current children but for future generations to come.”

The play equipment is designed to inspire role play and children’s imagination, and includes a wooden train and a play tower.

Talbot Village Trust chairman Nicholas Ashley-Cooper said: “Outdoor school playground equipment has long been recognised as a beneficial tool for a child’s development. Not only does it give children an opportunity to interact with

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peers in a safe and stimulating environment, but it also encourages physical health and well-being.” He added: “It is incredibly important to the trust that we continue to support projects which encourage positive health and wellbeing. We’re delighted to hear that the children love the new play area.”

Talbot Village Trust donates up to £1million every year, supporting various causes to youth organisations, education groups and community-focused projects. The charity is encouraging further local causes to apply for funding ahead of its application deadline on July 31. For more information visit www.talbotvillagetrust.org

Lilliput Infant School head teacher Christine Chambers (right) and Louise Jones, grants manager of the Talbot Village Trust, with pupils

CITIZENS Advice helped a record 94,000 people access food banks and charity grants in the first four months of this year.

The staggering figure, a 178% increase on 2020, was revealed by the charity during National Volunteer Week, which ran from June 1-7.

In East Dorset and Purbeck, the charity said people were ‘struggling to stay on top of household bills as the cost-of-living crisis continues to make life incredibly difficult’.

The branch has helped in excess of 11,000 people with more than 39,000 problems including debt advice, housing, benefits and employment issues.

Citizens Advice East Dorset & Purbeck highlighted the ‘incredible work’ its 40-plus volunteers do and thanked them for their contributions.

Linda Cowling, a volunteer adviser, said: “I have had the pleasure of working as a

at sharp end of cost-of-living crisis demands ISLE

volunteer Citizens Advice adviser for nearly five years now and not only has it been educational and motivational for me personally, it has also been a rewarding experience helping the general public.

“Although challenges exist, especially with the more vulnerable clients, there is nothing more satisfying than a positive outcome to their worrying concerns.”

Helen Goldsack, chief officer at Citizens Advice in East Dorset & Purbeck, said volunteers were invaluable to the work of the organisation.

“We’re forever grateful to our wonderful team of volunteers who willingly give up their time and skills to ensure people in East Dorset & Purbeck can get the support they need,” she said.

“I’m particularly proud of the dedication they’ve shown during the ongoing cost-ofliving crisis, when demand for our help is

so high.

“Their hard work, dedication and commitment is incredible. We simply couldn’t do it without them.”

Staff were set to be treated to a special thank you picnic, she said, in a bid to show the charity’s appreciation for their efforts.

Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering with Citizens Advice in East Dorset & Purbeck should contact sue. bristow@edpcitizensadvice.org.uk.

No experience is required and full training and support is provided for volunteer roles.

For more information about the types of roles on offer, visit www.edpcitizensadvice. org.uk/volunteer.

PURBECK GOLF CLUB

Citizens Advice East Dorset & Purbeck volunteer Linda Cowling

Fire service recognises firm’s support

A DORSET firm has been recognised by the fire service for its support to on-call firefighters.

Sunseeker International, based in Poole, has received an award from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service for its support to crew at Hamworthy, Poole and Portland fire stations.

The luxury yacht company allows six members of staff to respond to emergencies from their workplace.

Sunseeker has altered the factory layout and workstations at its Dorset sites to help the on-call firefighters, as well as allocating dedicated parking bays close to the site entrance.

The presentation was made at the service’s annual awards ceremony.

Greg Berrisford and Oliver Smart from Sunseeker received the award from Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell and sponsors Andy Kerr and Fiona Clayton,

from SSS Public Safety.

Steve Timms, production director at Sunseeker International, said: “Sunseeker is honoured to have been recognised in the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service Awards 2023.

“With a 2,000-strong workforce living in Dorset, we take our commitment to the local community very seriously. We are proud to support such a worthwhile local service and, in particular, honour the Sunseeker employees who volunteer their time to serve the local community.”

Andy Kerr said: “SSS Public Safety is honoured to continue our association with these awards, to pay tribute to firefighters and staff across the service, and to thank local employers for allowing their staff to be released from duties to attend fire calls.”

Group manager Stuart

Gillion, who manages the fire stations in the BCP area, said: “Sunseeker’s support for our on-call firefighters has included allowing time for training and providing flexibility in working hours.

“In return, our firefighters use their knowledge and expertise in areas such as fire marshal duties, first aid and guidance

with risk assessments. “I’m delighted that Sunseeker is being recognised for its outstanding contribution to our service.”

For more information about being an on-call firefighter with Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, visit www. dwfire.org.uk/on-callfirefighters.

Sunseeker International, with sites in Hamworthy, Poole and Portland, allows six staff to respond to emergencies from their workplace

Triples teams riding high

The highs and lows of fostering

“There are always highs and sometimes some really tough lows, but each one brings new rewards and new challenges”

MEMBERS of Swanage Bowls Club are continuing to enjoy success in the Bournemouth and District leagues with two sides top in the mixed triples and leagues.

“Mixed triples is definitely the club’s forte,” said Nadine Evans, from the club.

The hustle and bustle of a busy household can provide so much joy and fulfilment, seeing others achieve or just sharing experiences over a heart-warming breakfast. Yet, that does not mean there are no challenges involved, with any household regardless of size and make up has its own unique challenges – and that is the same for fostering households.

season by a good Poole Park contingent.

Nadine added: “Alongside the competitions, the club enjoys a great social life. Every Friday at 5pm the club night welcomes anyone interested in finding out more, including relaxed and enjoyable roll-ups with welcome food and bevvies.

The men play in Dorset’s Division One East and fly high in the Percy Baker Dorset League.

The ladies play in the Dorset Edna Paisley League and sit third in Division 1 of the Bournemouth and District League.

After winning the Area Championship in the 2022 National Ladies Top Club,

When children come into your life, whether that be short term or long term you know as a carer that, at some point, it is more than likely this child may move on to a more permanent home. It can be emotional to see a youngster move on but our carers highlight that it is nice to see when they become settled and happy in a new home. One carer notes such moment is “a high and a low together! … A high as we know we have made a difference in their lives, but a low, because they are leaving

“Regular friendlies mean clubs from across the country come to enjoy bowls in Swanage. We’ve also had our own friendly trip to Sidmouth.”

That is why Footprints pay close attention to this transition, giving the support required for all individuals. Over the last years, more special guardianships have been approved, allowing carers to look after youngsters on a more permanent basis, this is a great outcome that Footprints are proud of.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the club should contact the secretary, Barrie Tatman, on 01929 421162 or visit the website at www. swanage bowling club.org or

If you are up for a new challenge fostering could be your next step, but remember it does not always go swimmingly, but it promises rewards! That is why Footprints are the best choice for anyone that would feel content in a small supportive

Toney case ‘symptomatic of a gambling epidemic’

SPECIALIST lawyers in Swanage have warned that a high-profile gambling case involving a top footballer is the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of a wider epidemic in society.

The comments came from Ellis Jones Solicitors after Brentford FC and England striker Ivan Toney admitted 230 breaches of Football Association (FA) gambling rules.

He has been banned from all football activities for eight months until January 16, 2024, ruling him out of a large part of next season. Mr Toney was also fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct.

Ellis Jones, which has offices in High Street, Swanage, has a specialist sports law department and a betting disputes team, which has recovered more than

£5million for gamblers to date.

Partner Paul Kanolik, from the betting disputes team, said: “This high-profile case has highlighted the strict rules on betting for professional and semi-professional footballers.

“All players are made aware of the rules but with the increase in online betting apps and the constant bombardment of betting adverts on TV and ground advertising, together with shirt sponsorship deals from betting companies, it does not come as a surprise that these charges have been raised and dealt with.

“The education of players will no doubt be highlighted as a result of this case. The FA works tirelessly to educate players but gambling is a culture issue in today’s world.”

Digital help on offer

NEED help with your digital device? Do you have a technical issue you’d like solved? Want to learn more about online services?

Then a number of digital champions are on hand to help you.

The Dorset Council volunteers hold free face-to-face sessions at Corfe Mullen Library on Mondays, between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

You can book an appointment by going into the library or calling the Digital Hotline on 01305 221048. You can also call the hotline if you prefer to receive advice over the phone.

If it’s wanting to learn how to use a laptop, tablet or smartphone, or finding out how to use online banking or to book a doctor’s appointment via the internet, no problem is too big or too small.

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He added: “Ivan Toney’s case is the tip of the iceberg and symptomatic of a gambling epidemic emerging in wider society which can affect people from all walks of life.

“Clearly more needs to be done to protect the most vulnerable, and it is important that measures announced in a recent government White Paper about gambling laws result in meaningful changes.”

Mr Toney fell foul of FA Rule E8 which does not permit any participant – player, match official, manager, coach or match observer – operating at Step 4 or below in the National League system to bet, either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on the result, progress, conduct or any other

aspect of, or occurrence in or in connection with, a football match or competition or any other matter concerning or related to football anywhere in the world.

The charges came after the Government’s publication of its long-awaited white paper on gambling reforms and the Premier League announcement of a ban on front-of-shirt betting sponsorship from the 2026/27 season.

Ellis Jones’ betting disputes team specialises in dealing with gambling claims and complaints to recover monies clients have lost as a result of the failings of betting operators.

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Ellis Jones partner Paul Kanolik

Brownsea Island celebrates its 60th anniversary

THE 60th anniversary of Brownsea Island being opened to the public was celebrated when members of the local community were invited to visit free of charge.

The National Trust, Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Scouting Association have worked together to secure Brownsea’s survival since its acquisition in 1962.

The island is a valued wildlife haven and refuge from surrounding urban areas following careful conservation work over many years.

It is also a symbolic destination for Scouts and Guides as the birthplace of the Scouting movement.

In 1963 the island opened its doors to the public, and to mark its 60th anniversary, the island partners including Dorset Wildlife Trust, the Scouts and Guides, St Mary’s Church, Brownsea Island Open Air Theatre and John Lewis & Partners came together to run a series of events and activities for the public.

Senior volunteering and community officer Dania Schmitz-Vaughan said: “The day was a great success, with many locals taking the opportunity to explore Brownsea’s diverse ecosystems, search for the rare red squirrels and to learn all about the history of the island and its flora and fauna.

“For some it was a chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, while for many others it was the first time they had set foot on the Island.

“The weather was calm and sunny, so the visitors saw the island at its very best.

“The feedback on the day

was overwhelmingly positive, with fantastic reviews of all the activities and special events that were set up for visitors to enjoy.

“Many people said they would be coming back to Brownsea Island again soon.

“It was wonderful to share the beauty of Brownsea with our local community on this special day of celebration.”

Family visitors board the Brownsea ferry.

Family visitors check out bugs

Children relax in a hammock

Family activities on Brownsea Island

A family walk past squirrel shuttle

A group of young women go for a stroll

Brownsea Island Scouting activities

PHOTOS: National Trust/Sophie Bolesworth

DURLSTON in June is a great time of year to come and visit! The park is full of colour and life, from wildflowers in the meadows to butterflies, such as Adonis, Small and Common Blue, or our local speciality, the Lulworth Skipper. Keep a watchful eye on the sea as Bottlenose Dolphins may also make an appearance, while down in Durlston Bay fishing Sandwich Terns can be seen and heard.

It’s been a beautiful few weeks and the weather is reminding us that summer is just around the corner! The rangers are working hard preparing for the summer and steadily making their way through the long list of jobs that senior ranger Katie keeps giving them! The rangers have also been tackling the

stampedes of school groups heading to the park, teaching them all sorts of important things in the discovery sessions from ‘Adaptations and Ecosystems’ to ‘Birds of the Cliff’, to help engage and inspire some budding young nature enthusiasts!

Our seabirds are still out and about on the ledges at Durlston including guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and shags. Why not join the rangers on a

are inviting Business Proposals for a unique café/restaurant

With the concession for the highly successful 1859 Pier Café & Bistro at Swanage Pier finishing in September 2023, the Swanage Pier Trust is looking for an experienced catering business to operate at the Pier.

To register your interest and to obtain more information please contact Sidney Phillips on 01460 259100 or wessex@sidneyphillips.co.uk

‘Seabird Boat Trip’ to spot some of our favourites. Boat trips are every Friday through June. They depart from Swanage Pier for a beautiful cruise along the picturesque Jurassic Coast. Book your places through www. citycruises.com/poole/ summer-birdwatching-cruises or phone 02077 400400.

In the Fine Foundation Gallery until June 7, the fantastic exhibition ‘A Visible

THREAD’ will be still open daily from 10.30am-5pm, then from June 20, The Guild of Glass Engravers will be showcasing some remarkable pieces of engraving works. In the Learning Centre we’re very pleased to have the return of Heather Gibbons with her exhibition ‘This Living Land’ until Sunday, June 11. Making June the perfect time for a visit.

Whether you come up for a coffee or an hour-long walk, Durlston is a beautiful location for everyone to enjoy, so we hope you enjoy June as much as we do.

For further information on events and more visit our Durlston website https://www. durlston.co.uk/. Visit the Seventhwave cafe website at https://7eventhwave.com/

Durlston Country Park has a lot going on in February

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, it’s so much more than just a great music festival!

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival have an amazing line-up again this year: The Magic Numbers, Newton Faulkner, 4x Grammy winner Sarah Jarosz, UK folk royalty - Seth Lakeman, Radio 2 favourite Kathryn Williams, the ultimate jumping Euro-folk group - Sheelanagig, Lady Nade, The Destroyers, Old Baby Mackerel, and loads more!

PVFF is a festival that’s loved by everyone because there’s loads for kids to do, loads for parents and loads for the old folkies!

As well as four evenings and three full days of outstanding, original young folk, roots and world music across five stages, Purbeck Valley Folk Festival brings music workshops, sessions, comedy, a massive craft area, a healing area, fire shows and loads for kids. Children’s activities include storytelling, The Circus of Science, theatre workshops, fun crafts, puppet shows, bubble displays, baby/toddler Rhyme Time sessions, facepainting, a treasure hunt, bouncy castles, fancy dress, maypole dancing and Morris dance workshops, family ceilidh, spacehopper obstacle course, welly wanging, and Circus skills performances and workshops including juggling, diablo, devil’s sticks, unicycling, stilt walking, low level trapeze, an inflatable tumble mat. And all kids activities

are included in your ticket price, so there are no hidden costs!

PVFF’s craft area is growing year on year too. This year it’s better than ever with workshops available in, rope-making, crochet, wicker modelling, macrame, cyanotype printing, clay modelling/pottery, bunting printing, tie-dye, blacksmithing, traditional woodturning, pebble painting, origami, and more. Music workshops this year include guitar playing with Newton Faulkner, harmonica with Ed Hopwood and ‘Come and Try’ instrument try-outs which allow youths and adults the opportunity to try out instruments that they might not get a chance to otherwise without having to invest in them first.

One of the things that makes Purbeck Valley Folk Festival really unique is its beautiful setting. Bang in the middle of the Purbeck hills with views across Corfe Castle, and the Swanage Steam railway running alongside the

family camping field, and just down the road from the Jurassic Coast and landmarks such as Durdle Door; it’s absolutely idyllic. A brilliant musical line-up, loads of stuff for kids, a huge craft area for adults, perfect location, and a great selection of real ales and ciders...

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is so much more than just a great music festival.

Tickets have been selling fast already with record numbers of festival-goers buying tickets for this year’s festival before they even left the site last year!

Tickets are on sale now from £135 (£70/£30) for the weekend Thu-Sun, including camping. www.purbeckvalleyfolkfestival.co.uk

17-20 AUGUST 2023

THE MAGIC NUMBERS

4X GRAMMY AWARD WINNING

NEWTON FAULKNER

SETH LAKEMAN SARAH JAROSZ MICHELE STODART KATHRYN WILLIAMS

SHEELANAGIG THE JEREMIAHS THE DESTROYERS

LADY NADE - HANNAH MOULE & THE MOULETTES - PONS AELIUS - MAN THE LIFEBOATS

FARGO RAILROAD CO - TOUKI - FAITH I BRANKO - CARRIVICK SISTERS - SOUSOU & MAHER CISSOKO

MAZ O’CONNOR - LUKE JACKSON - JON DORAN & THE NORTHERN ASSEMBLY - FILKIN’S ENSEMBLE

MISHRA - OLD BABY MACKEREL - HONEY AND THE BEAR - ATLANTICO - ALDEN & PATTERSON

KATIE SPENCER - OWL IN THE SUN - MA POLAINE - MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO - THE MODEL FOLK

BLUE LASS - BIERFASS BAND - WAREHAM WHALERS - QUINNS QUINNEY + LOADS MORE!

CRAFT AREA KIDS’ ACTIVITIES

MORE THAN JUST GREAT MUSIC...

GIANT SCRABBLE

FANCY DRESS - RHYME TIME - TOY SWAPSHOP

THEATRE & GAMES WORKSHOPS - CRAFTS

WISHING TREE - WELLY WANGING

HOOLA-HOOPING - TREASURE HUNT

SPACE HOPPER OBSTACLE COURSE

CIRCUS AREA:

JUGGLING - UNICYCYLING

DIABLOS - DEVILSTICKS

STILT WALKING

ACROBATICS WITH INFLATABLE

TUMBLE MAT

WEEKEND TICKETS FROM

£105

CAMPING

2 CEILIDHS - OPEN MIC - SESSIONS - WORKSHOPS - HEALING AREA - FIRE SHOWS

Hospice charity volunteer appeal for busy summer

LEWIS-MANNING Hospice Care is making an appeal for ad hoc fundraising event volunteers to support the hospice in its busy schedule of events planned throughout 2023.

Volunteers manager Nicola Garsden said: “Following the King’s Coronation and The Big Help Out volunteer initiative, which is encouraging businesses, organisations and individuals across the country to help out and volunteer in their local communities, we are looking to reach out to anyone who is considering volunteering to come and join our enthusiastic team of fundraisers.

“We’d love to encourage volunteers to get involved in their local community hospice.

“We have a diverse calendar of community events and campaigns taking place over the coming year and are really keen to grow our team of volunteer helpers for different events.

“Events include our Nightingale Ball,

Sand Polo, Wimborne Folk Festival, Swanage Classic Car Show, Fire Walk, Community Candles Remembrance Events, Christmas Tree Recycling Service, Wreath Making Workshops and the return of the Muddy Dog Dash in 2024.

“It’s brilliant how the hospice is being embraced with so many community events choosing to support us and allowing us to

have a presence.

“Having event volunteers onboard will certainly allow us to ensure that the Lewis-Manning name is getting out there and will make a real difference to us and increase awareness of the services that we offer to patients and their families with lifelimiting illnesses.

“We also have opportunities in other areas of the charity, including support our E Commerce Manager and our Complementary Therapy team.”

Nicola added: “In line with The Big Help Out message, we urge would be volunteers to ‘do something amazing, join in, lend a hand and make a change!’”

Anyone interested in learning more about volunteering opportunities with LewisManning Hospice Care is urged to email Nicola.garsden@lewis-manning.org.uk

Lewis-Manning Hospice Care

Lewis-Manning Hospice Care volunteers will be able to help at the 2024 Muddy Dog Dash

Telling It Like It Is

Radio station needs to hear from YOU!

IT’S been announced Langton Matravers village has been awarded a long overdue 20mph speed limit.

Panorama Road in Swanage already has a similar limit but no speed calming so no way to enforce it.

So how do Langton Matravers plan to enforce it? Maybe the same way that they enforce the hated 30mph limit in Harmans Cross, which seems to rely on the occasional camera van parked just around a blind corner? Or how about doing what they do in some villages; elderly local residents with imitation speed guns?

The Government and the council can bluster and bang on about safety, just the same as the council and the National Trust can try and stop people with their horrible portable barbecues and put up notices and road signs for too many people to ignore, but talking at people when there’s no followup is just so much hot air.

And then of course the recent ‘illegal rave’ in Corfe Castle which could be heard as far away as Sandford and which kept a large number of residents and visitors awake until the small hours, having their sleep disturbed by noise coming from the unauthorised event.

The police suggest there were approximately 500 cars at the location but by the time that they’d shut off the approach roads, the horse had well and truly bolted. Officers at the scene made enquiries, working alongside other partner agencies, and were in contact with the landowner, probably as annoyed as residents.

They said: “We would like to send a direct message to those at the event – you are trespassing, please leave and go home immediately.”

Except with the huge volume of the music, it seems unlikely that most of the ravers heard the message or read the police’s social media posts.

So we were left with a field

By David Hollister

full of ‘illegal ravers’ who by the time they were told to leave, were quite possibly in no state to drive, so were then asked not to leave...

How did the ‘ravers’ find out about the event and how come the police didn’t find out until it was too late?

The police then arranged for Portaloos in an attempt to save the farmer’s field from the vast amount of excrement left behind after these events, provided water for those who needed it, and hopefully made a few arrests and confiscated the equipment. But the good old general public hasn’t been informed. We live in hope. Same as we live in hope of hearing of prosecutions for using portable barbecues, for night-time vandalism and moped theft. For open drug dealing on the streets.

I do hope these items are discussed at tonight’s meeting with the PCC. Watch this space.

Nice little signs among some of the overgrown grass on the A351 suggesting the local wildlife loves it because ‘it’s their home’. And so many people, me included, don’t want the verges to look like golf courses. But not only does a lot of the long grass look scruffy and unkempt, it’s used as an excuse by a council unable to allocate sufficient funds for the upkeep of our highways and byways. ‘Welcome to Purbeck’ we say to our visitors. With potholed roads, broken pavements, filthy road signs, overgrown foliage, litter blowing around insufficient overfilled rubbish bins, and so forth. Need I go on? Come on Dorset, you call this the ‘gem of the Dorset Coast’. So clean it and show it with pride.

And it was with pride that on August 19, 2019, mine was the first voice heard on the new Community Radio Station, Purbeck Coast, based on the pier.

I’d thought that my radio DJ

days were long past, but since then I have been privileged to present more than 1,000 shows; Drive Around Purbeck and –when Covid intervened – Home Alone from my studio in Harmans Cross. I know it’s more than 1,000 because most of them have been recorded on my computers.

Community radio differs from commercial radio in that the Radio Authority put a strict cap on the amount of paid advertising that we can do. A limit which hardly covers the fees, the software we need, the electricity, and of course our program controller’s very reasonable – nay, unreasonably low – salary. The rest of us, the voices you hear, are volunteers who work for the love of the station and our towns. We bring in music from our own collections. We are really fortunate in being able to use our small but perfectly formed studio on the pier, by courtesy of Swanage Pier Trust.

The whole ethos of Purbeck Coast radio is to engage everyone from across the area, both as listeners and volunteers, enthusing them about the Radio Station, Swanage Pier, and the area that they live in.

The purpose is to act as a community hub, raising awareness of local services, publishing events, and providing the perfect platform to give everyone a voice.

Lots of visitors say they used to come to Swanage on holiday as a child with their family, so our aim is to provide visitors with a mix of music and chat to rekindle those happy days.

The radio is here to connect

our listeners to everything that is going on in their community and to provide an engaging link without having to step outside the front door.

If you want wall-to-wall music from the 60s to the 90s interspersed with advertising and pre-recorded presenters then you’re in the wrong place. Our area is literally flooded with it. But if you want proper current local news, local opinions, guests from the many and various businesses and groups in Purbeck, music from many different genres and eras, then Purbeck Coast is for you. But nothing lasts for ever. We started with a small legacy, grants from the National Lottery and the Co-op, and the minimum of advertising - albeit nowhere near the Radio Authority’s imposed limits - the generosity of the Pier Trust in letting us use the studio and equipment rent free, the kind hilltop landowner who lets us put our aerial on his land. But most of these sources have now run out. Unless we can turn that corner, we have a few months left, probably a few weeks. My voice was the first. I really hope it’s not the last!

If you have a business that would benefit from radio advertising, or you feel you’d like to get involved with your community by physical or financial involvement, this would be a really good time to let us know. Email us on studio@purbeckcoast.com, we would be very happy to meet up with you and tell you why community radio is such a great benefit for your area. Hope we hear from you soon!

News from Wareham Town Council – May report

By Julie Bradshaw

THE first meeting of the council year was presided over by the mayor, Cllr Turner, and alongside her, the deputy mayor, Cllr Cotton.

The recently co-opted Cllr Robinson asked about the response to Mr Randall’s questioning of the skate park’s demolition and was told that the matter had been referred to the amenities committee.

Dorset Council had also held its annual meeting at which cabinet members and lead members are named.

There will be some disruption to traffic in North Street in June as ivy is cleared from the wall near St Martin’s Church.

The extra summer buses are now running: 30 – Swanage, Lulworth Cove, Weymouth; 31

HUMPHRIES KIRK

– Wool Station, Durdle Door, Lulworth; 35 – Wareham Forest (Bere Road), Harmans Cross, Swanage; and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays 2RN to Arne. The bus shelter by Savers, North Street, has been replaced.

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays four trains a day run from Wareham to Swanage.

During the appointment of councillors to outside organisations, the town clerk

said that if council representatives were also trustees of the organisation, a conflict of interests could arise in that the first duty of a trustee is to promote the aims of the organisation whereas the first duty of a council representative is to promote the interests of the council.

The amenities committee has not yet finalised the site for a new skate park because amended regulations preclude the use of Hauses Field.

The clerk advised councillors that although the accounts were looking healthy and had benefited from savings on staff costs, the figures were distorted by the £250,000 Public Works Loan in income and that expenditure needed to be carefully controlled.

The auditor had noted that

the council had no investment policy and savings were all held in one bank which could lead to a large loss if the bank failed.

The clerk said that many local authorities used the Public Sector Deposit Fund, which paid good interest and protected the investment.

The council also has some work to do on health and safety.

The public is welcome to attend the next council meetings on Tuesdays July 11 and August 22, 7pm in the Council Chamber.

For more information, contact the town council office on 01929 553006 or consult the council’s website, www. wareham-tc.gov.uk.

POP UP LEGAL CLINICS

WHEN: Third Wednesday of every month, 9.00am to 1.00pm (next event is 21st June)

WHERE: Studland Village Hall, Health Green Rd, Studland, Swanage BH19 3BT

Drop in and meet local legal experts for Family Law and Estate & Lifetime Planning

Martin King Solicitor

To make a booking, call 01929 423301

Initial 30 minutes will be free of charge…

…that’s refreshing | www.hklaw.uk

PHOTO: Simon Barnes

Out Of The Blue

WELL, here we are – the first month of the summer season and looking forward to the longest day. Before you hit the sun lounger with your Pimm’s please take five minutes to send us your feedback, so if you can, use this link and have your say: https://www.surveymonkey. co.uk/r/PurbeckEmail.

Listening and acting upon what you have had to say enables us to target both our resources and patrols.

So, what have we been up to? Well, in the period April 6, 2023, to May 6, 2023, we dealt with 433 occurrences in Purbeck, of which 205 were recorded crimes, resulting in 52 arrests.

The longer summer days and warmer evenings see people staying out later and in Purbeck we also start to see an influx of tourists coming down to enjoy this beautiful part of Dorset. Sadly, the summer months also see an increase in thefts from vehicles. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious activities immediately. For general advice regarding thefts from unattended vehicles visit https://www. dorset.police.uk/help-advicecrime-prevention/home-

property-belongings/vehiclecrime-removeitlockit/

We will be increasing our patrols around popular tourist spots but you can help by taking a few simple steps before you leave your vehicles:

Remove everything of value from the vehicle prior to arriving at your destination – thieves will see you hiding things in the boot, glovebox or foot well.

Take items with you if possible, including any removable stereos and sat-navs, and wipe off any marks left by your sat nav.

Ensure your windows and doors are secured and secure before you walk away.

Double check the central locking has worked and the vehicle is secure.

Keep driving documents and personal correspondence at home.

Where possible park your vehicle in a busy, well-lit area.

Never leave your keys in the vehicle, even if you are just leaving it for a few seconds.

And finally, if you need to contact Dorset Police, call our Police Enquiry Centre on 101 or email 101@dorset.pnn. police.uk. Always call 999 in an EMERGENCY when there is a risk of HARM or a CRIME in progress. Alternatively, call the free CRIMESTOPPERS line on 0800 555 111.

You can also use our website to report a number of issues, from full crime reports to lost property – just use the following link: https://www. dorset.police.uk/do-it-online/

Don’t forget to visit us on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/Purbeckpolice, and Twitter, @ PurbeckPolice – we really value your support and comments. You can also see our latest priorities and up and coming events at https:// www.dorset.police.uk/ neighbourhood-policing/ purbeck/

Why not register on Dorset Alert, by registering for the free Dorset Police community messaging alerts you will receive information on local crime and incidents where we believe that sharing information with you will help to prevent further offences occurring; crimes and incidents where you may be able to help by providing vital information; current crime trends; crime prevention advice and Safer Neighbourhood activity; and opportunities to meet the team.

You can also receive news from our partner agencies such as Dorset Fire and Rescue Service and Trading Standards, and community safety messages.

PURBECK NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM

Community chest open to good causes

COMMUNITY groups in the Purbeck area could benefit from grants of up to £3,000 thanks to local brewer Hall & Woodhouse.

The independent familyowned business has launched its 22nd Community Chest Awards with a pot of £50,000 to support charitable organisations.

A range of charities and community projects from across Dorset and the south-east can apply for help, including everything from village halls and cultural organisations to charities that assist with poverty,

social isolation and specialist health needs.

Grant applications for £300-£3,000 should be submitted by Saturday, July 15, and the money can be used on a wide variety of initiatives including educational activities, assisting charities with running costs, and increasing the reach of charitable activities.

Mark Woodhouse, family director of the brewery, said: “Hall & Woodhouse’s company purpose is to enrich our local communities and I hope that the

Community Chest will once again play an important role in supporting the many great voluntary organisations in our trading area across the south.

“It’s a privilege to support charities and the vital projects that make such a difference to their local communities.

“This year, we look forward to learning about all the amazing work being done in our trading area to improve living conditions for people in need.”

Since the Community Chest was established in 2002, H&W

has given more than £750,000 to 900-plus good causes and works in partnership with both the Dorset and Sussex Community Foundations.

Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in November 2023, with an awards ceremony held in January 2024.

The grants application form can be downloaded via www. hall-woodhouse.co.uk/ community-chest and emailed to communitychest@hallwoodhouse.co.uk.

Bursary encourages artists of the future

YOUNG artist Kitty Hayward from Parkstone Grammar School has won a £100 bursary launched this year by Broadstone Art Society.

The society, which recently celebrated its 70th year with an exhibition at The Gallery Upstairs at Upton Country Park, set up the annual award to inspire young artists to follow their passion.

Kitty responded to the invitation for first year A-level students to submit examples of artwork.

Her submission of three paintings was supported by her Head of Art, Ann Batley, and two of the paintings went on display at the exhibition.

The two paintings reflect Kitty’s curiosity and creativity, and exciting use of skills and materials.

The bursary is established in the name of retired president of the art society, the celebrated local artist Dennis Hill, who personally presented the award referring to Kitty’s wonderful

work.

Kitty said: “I have always loved making art, and so I am very thankful for this opportunity to share my artwork.

“It was so lovely to meet all members of the Broadstone Art Society as well as Dennis Hill, whose bursary will allow me to take my art further in the future.”

Simon Merry, from Broadstone Art Society, said: “We hope the small bursary will offer encouragement and make the point that although science and technology is critical, sustaining creativity has a part to play as well. Kitty’s work is refreshing and shows great potential.”

The Dennis Hill Painting Bursary will be offered annually to A-level students at Corfe Hills, Poole Grammar and Parkstone Grammar schools.

For more information on the scoiety visit www. broadstoneartsociety.com

Bursary winner Kitty Hayward and celebrated local artist Dennis Hill

Arrow words

Crossword

Wordsearch

Ancient Greek Map

9 3

9 1 1 8 3 5 5 6 8 9 3 8 6

Brain chain

Teams urged to take aim at annual Purbeck charity fundraising challenge

A CHARITY challenge will see participants take aim at a large fundraising total for a worthy cause.

The annual Country Challenge, in aid of Dorset’s disability charity Diverse Abilities, returns for its fourth year at Purbeck Shooting School near Wareham, sponsored by Town and Country Communications & IT Solutions.

Teams can take part in the event, on Friday, June 23, putting themselves to the test in a tournament involving five different activities; clay pigeon shooting, target rifles, archery, fly fishing and more.

Mariana Swain, events executive at Diverse Abilities, said: “This is a great team building activity.

“Over the last few years, everyone has learnt new skills and had a great laugh along the way.

“It’s the perfect balance of competitive spirit and fun so there’s no need to have tried any of these activities before.”

Lee Butler, managing director at Town and Country, added: “This is a great opportunity to support a local charity who do so much to support children and adults with disabilities in the Dorset area.

“We are looking forward to getting

involved and meeting the other teams who will be coming together for a day of challenges.”

Teams of four can enter from £500, which includes a bacon sandwich and lunch, and each activity will come with expert tuition to maximise chances of winning.

Money raised by the teams will help to provide vital support at the charity, including days out for children, muchneeded equipment at Langside School, and activities for adults who attend The Beehive – the charity’s activity and day centre.

Purbeck Shooting School was established in 1955 and has been voted as the Best Shooting Ground in the UK.

For more information, and to sign up, visit diverseabilities.org.uk/countrychallenge.

Puzzle solutions (from pages 22-23)

Brain chain (hard)

Britain needs more than charity

BAD weather meant that the ‘Big Help Out’ event planned for Swanage after the Coronation had to be postponed.

On a bright Friday in May, however, volunteers from local charities and organisations were able to highlight the good work they do at a ‘Volunteers’ Fayre’ held in the town’s main beach car park.

The town market was taking place, which added to the atmosphere, and meant that a wide audience could talk to volunteers and visit their stalls.

The event was organised by the Swanage Volunteer Bureau and Swanage and Purbeck Rotary.

A wide range of local need was met by the groups represented in the fair – from supporting those who were lonely, to those who were disabled. Volunteer Centre Dorset, which supports and facilitates volunteering across Dorset, was there to offer guidance to all would be

volunteers.

It was a good morning, with plenty of good energy and good will.

But a thought struck me, as I spoke to passers-by and volunteers alike – that Britain needs more than charity.

Volunteering is a wonderful thing – with charities and local groups being more creative and innovative than ever before, with food banks, warm spaces, community pantries, swap shops – and now fuel banks, clothing and bedding banks, toiletries banks and baby banks.

Just as we applauded our key workers – especially our health workers – during the pandemic, so we should the thousands of local heroes who are stepping forward to help those in need.

But volunteering, no matter how praiseworthy, is not enough.

Last year, the Trussell Trust donated a million food parcels to children, and the number of British children in food poverty almost doubled. A fifth of the country is going hungry.

The Government’s own figures show that the number of food banks in the UK has soared since 2010. Between 2008/9 and 2020/21, the number of food bank users has risen every year, from just under 26,000 to more than 2.56 million.

Food banks, though, are not meant as a permanent solution – and by their very nature charities cannot be comprehensive in their coverage of need, nor can they guarantee that their donations will always be there.

FareShare, the national organisation which supports Food for Thought Purbeck, has already found it increasingly difficult to source quality

surplus food for its mobile larders in Dorset.

Local councils are underfunded and have no choice but to cut local services. Dorset Council in 2010/11 received £80m from the Government in Rate Support Grant. By 2019/20 it received nothing by way of this grant.

Cuts followed – for example, the Youth Service virtually vanished – with centres only kept going through the work of local trusts and loyal volunteers. Austerity has left us a bitter legacy. We are all aware of the severe challenges faced each day by our underfunded NHS and schools.

Government ministers have spoken fine words about the work of volunteers. But what is needed is a re-commitment to the Welfare State – the provision of well-funded decent services for all.

CHRIS BRADEY Chair, Swanage & Rural Purbeck Labour Party

The future of the High Street

WHEN people talk about today’s town centres, it is rarely positive. They bemoan empty units, high rents, complain about charity shops and mutter about the excessive number of barbers and cafes. I ran a business on a high street for 14 years and led a Chamber of Trade for close to a decade. These issues have been part of my daily work for all of this century.

One assumes that the high street of the late 20th century –with Woolworths, Radio Rentals, a string of banks and W H Smith – always existed but they themselves were a snapshot of their time.

Woolworths probably bankrupted the independent haberdasher and ironmonger that would, a couple of generations earlier, sat side by side on the high street. The pick ‘n’ mix in a paper cup superseded the white paper bag

of toffees eagerly chosen from the traditional sweetshop and its Ladybird children’s clothes probably saw off a local clothing store.

Modern high streets do look different but what if we stop and think – charity shops allow us to buy inexpensive clothes in streets that could not support a range of fashion stores; we can give new life to toys and homewares that would otherwise be hidden in a cupboard, or worse, thrown in the bin. Barbers and salons reflect our interest in personal grooming, and cafes provide a fantastic hub for improved wellbeing.

The 20th century high street is gone and rather than yearn for its return we should imagine what a 21st century town centre should be. One hundred years

ago, people lived in towns – above the shop or next door. Then we built homes on the edge of town, the high street would empty at 5pm and became deserted. From the outside looking in this seems like a waste of time and space – separating businesses from their customers, employers from their staff for no real reason.

If we rethink town centres as communities, we can reduce the space used for retail and encourage the reuse of buildings for other purposes. Bring in homes, GP practices, nurseries and community centres, re-imagine towns where people co-exist with business, work can be just a stroll away and workshops or offices can abut a park, church or cafe.

Those living in towns will

want businesses on their doorsteps but not in a 20th century way. A new normal may develop – one where we don’t use shops but instead buy from people; online shopping may become even more popular with deliveries by drones or robots; or our desire to buy things may reduce altogether?

We can either embrace change as previous generations did and design the towns of the future or we can cling to the past and be dragged there anyway, reacting to necessity rather than proactively creating spaces to love.

We do not know what the future holds for our high streets, but the current model seems to be broken beyond repair and I hope we have the courage to grasp change.

VIKKI SLADE Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate

Mid Dorset & North

Vikki Slade

Chris Bradey

Pets

Weather warning: 20C is plenty

THE nation’s largest dog welfare charity is warning dog owners that ‘20 is plenty’ when it comes to exercising dogs this summer.

Dogs Trust says taking dogs out in temperatures as mild as 21C can be problematic for dogs, particularly brachycephalic, or ‘flat-faced’, breeds such as English Bulldogs, Pugs and French Bulldogs.

In fact, according to recent research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University, English Bulldogs are 14 times more likely to suffer heat-related illness compared to Labrador Retrievers.

Over a third of owners of flat-faced dogs reported that heat regulation is a problem for

their pet.

Most dog lovers will be aware that extreme weather and heatwaves can be dangerous –sometimes even deadly – for dogs, but many will be unaware that exercising dogs in early summer temperatures as low as 21C can cause heatstroke in dogs. In some cases, heatstroke can prove fatal.

The symptoms of heatstroke can include panting heavily, drooling excessively, appearing lethargic, drowsy or uncoordinated, vomiting, diarrhoea and collapsing.

Paula Boyden, veterinary director of Dogs Trust, said: “It’s great to see the sun shining – it feels like summer has finally arrived.

“But while this weather might be great for us, hot

weather can cause problems for our canine friends.

“Most of us know not to walk or exercise dogs in extreme weathers, but even temperatures as mild as 21 degrees can cause problems, especially for those dogs with flat faces or underlying health conditions.

“There are so many things we can do to make sure our dogs stay happy and healthy in hot weather, but it is crucial we keep a close eye on them, even if we are playing indoors.

“That way, hopefully, we and our dogs will be able to enjoy a long hot summer.”

Dogs Trust advice to support dog owners this summer includes to avoid walking at the hottest times of the day, to take plenty of water with you when out with your dog and to avoid taking your dog out in the car on a hot day, even if travelling a short distance

To find out more about how to keep your dog safe this summer, visit www.dogstrust. org.uk/summer-weather

Margaret Green Animal Rescue All the fun of Country Dog Show

Can you help?

WE are super excited to welcome our fabulous supporters back to our Country Dog Show on Sunday, August 6.

We are on the lookout for prizes to add to our everpopular tombola and raffle, which will be wonderful additions to the event and a fun way to help us raise vital funds for our rescue animals.

We would be incredibly grateful to anyone who could drop off or send a prize or two to our Church Knowle centre near Wareham (BH20 5NQ) or one of our charity shops across Dorset.

Do you have any unwanted gifts hanging around that you’d like to re-gift to a great cause? Now is your chance to

donate your items to a fantastic event and help make a difference to rescue animals in need.

Sponsor a class!

WE also have a fantastic opportunity available for local businesses and our amazing supporters to sponsor a class at our Country Dog Show. Sponsoring a class is a brilliant way to support your local charity and get that special ‘feelgood’ factor in return. Your sponsorship will help us to care for many rescue

animals that come into our care each year and will give you the chance to receive positive promotion for your business.

From Best Rescue to Most Appealing Eyes, Goldie Oldie and Waggiest Tail, there are

plenty of ‘paw-some’ classes for you to choose from and be a part of this special day for all the family and their fourlegged friends.

To find out more about sponsoring a class or donating a prize, please email comms@

Flat-faced dog breeds can find hot weather especially difficult

PHOTO: cocoparisienne/Pixabay

Can you give a home to these dogs?

Name: Bella

Breed: Collie X

Age: 6

Beautiful Bella is the belle of the ball.

She has a really playful nature and is in her absolute element when it comes to having off lead fun with other dogs.

Bella is looking for a calm and understanding adult-only family that lives away from the hustle and bustle of busier areas.

Her ideal new home would be somewhere more rural where she can enjoy some quiet and peaceful walks as she bonds with her new family.

She loves the company of other dogs and would benefit from living with a calmly confident dog who’d not only enjoy playing with her, but would also be able to act as a kind, and reassuring guide as she starts to explore the world a bit more.

Name: Brian

Breed: Lurcher

Age: 3

Brian is a very friendly and welcoming chap and his new family is going to be spoilt rotten by all the fuss and affection he gives them.

One of Brian’s favourite times of day is when he gets to interact with other dogs, he loves to play and run around.

He will need some ongoing help with his recall and lead manners, so it’d be hugely beneficial to him if his new family had access to some enclosed places where he can practice and also have a chance to stretch his legs safely.

Brian would be happy to live with a canine friend, but would be most comfortable in an adult only home without any smaller pets. He will nudge at you to make sure you continue giving him a good neck or ear scratch!

Name: Rocket

Breed: SBT X Rottweiler

Age: 0

Rocket is a lively, cheeky and happy-go-lucky youngster.

A fairly big chap, he is still very much a puppy. He is a sucker for food - loving chicken and peanut butter, making training exciting. His new family should enjoy continuing a training journey with him, perhaps by going to training classes initially and then progressing on to some trick training as we think Rocket would be in his element doing this.

Rocket’s new family will be patient with him as he gets to know them. His new home would be either adult-only or a family with older teenagers. Being the only pet in the home would be very beneficial, but it’d be equally as important for him to have opportunities regularly to socialise with other dogs.

A fun and challenging day out for two of the Purbeck Lynwood Vets team, who volunteered as judges at the Walled Garden Moreton dog show. With so many happy dogs taking part, Deputy head veterinary nurse Bex and Student veterinary nurse Izzy both seen pictured told us that deciding the winners wasn’t easy. When they weren’t judging the classes, they were busy demonstrating dog CPR on a training model and talking to the visitors about their dog’s health. Pictured clockwise is 2 year old best rescue entry Otis, Lynwood veterinary nurses Bex and Izzy, 2nd in waggiest tail and judges favourite winner 9 month old Arthur and top 2nd in young handler and winners of the best in show Amelie with her 11 year old dog Mollie. Those who entered the children’s drawing competition from the show please send your pictures to Purbeck@Lynwoodvets.co.uk by the 20th June.

For all your pets needs in Dorset, the friendly Lynwood Vets team are here for you.

Wareham

Leanne Business Centre, 9 Sandford Ln, Wareham, BH20 4DY 01929

Raise your garden to new heights: The wonderful world of climbers

TREE CONTROL Tree & Garden

CLIMBING plants are a fantastic way to add height to your garden. They can grow on trellises, walls, pergolas and many other structures, making them a versatile choice for your outdoor space. Whether you have a sunny and warm, or cool and shady spot, there are many suitable plants which can make the most of your vertical spaces.

A shady spot

THE self-clinging Hydrangea petiolaris is an excellent choice. This is the most common climbing hydrangea, with large white lacecap flowers in early summer and heart-shaped, dark green foliage that turns yellow in autumn. They are extremely hardy and very easy to grow.

Some lovely wall shrubs would be an excellent choice, too. Garrya elliptica, which is tall growing and vigorous. Pyracantha, which will bring you white spring flowers and colourful berries in autumn and winter. Then we have Chaenomeles, which will produce their lovely blooms on a framework of bare twigs in late winter or early spring. A sunny spot NOW, there too many to mention in this category so, I will choose a few of my favourites.

The ideal climber for gardening novices is Trachelospermum, also known

as star jasmine. This is an evergreen climber with rich, dark green leaves and pure white, fragrant flowers.

Wisteria, a long-lived climbing plant with cascades of blue, pink, white or purple flowers, that look spectacular hanging from a pergola or archway.

Then we have clematis, also known as the queen of climbers for their beauty of shape and colour. There is a clematis for every season, so with careful selection you can enjoy these delightful and impressive blooms all year round.

Clematis wilt

THIS is a fungal disease that will cause your stems to rot. This usually happens to younger plants that haven’t developed their thicker brown stems.

Planting your clematis deeper can help with this, along with keeping the roots cool.

Clematis wilt does not mean that your plant is going to die –the roots will still be alive. Cut back the stems, water well and watch for new growth.

When to prune climbers and wall shrubs

AS a rule of thumb, plants that flower on the previous season’s growth are pruned immediately after flowering. These plants often flower in winter, spring or early summer.

Plants that flower on the

current season’s growth are often pruned in late winter or early spring. These plants usually flower in mid- to late summer or in autumn.

If you would like to find out more about the wonderful world of climbers, pop into Goulds Garden Centre where our friendly team can give you all the advice you need. Happy gardening!

Sue Butterworth GouldsGC.co.uk

n Sue Butterworth is in her 25th year at Goulds Garden Centre. She is the plant manager for this busy store and has been sourcing plants for awardwinning gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show since 2018. She is an avid gardener, leading to numerous Britain in Bloom awards, including a first.

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SUMMER has finally arrived, and all our gardens, patios and balconies are ablaze with colour.

New flowers, foliage emerging every day. Roses, perennials, trees and shrubs full of blossoms, scents and busy insects buzzing and humming, pollinating as they go.

All your summer bedding, patio and basket plants can be planted out now. They come in every colour, trailing, upright for full sun or shade.

Check with your nursery or garden centre staff to select the best for all your baskets and containers.

Choose from hundreds of varieties – geraniums, begonias, bizzy lizzie, marigolds, lobelias, fuchsias, petunias, trailing, upright and bush to suit every situation.

Vegetable plots, greenhouses, all your tender beans, tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, chillies and many more can now all be

safely planted or potted out to get the summer sunshine for strong growth and heavy cropping.

Fruit bushes and plants may need to be netted to protect from birds and mammals so that fruit is in tip-top condition for eating.

Sowing of vegetable seeds can still be carried out for later crops of fresh carrots, lettuce, spring onions, peas and beans. Late planting of seed potatoes can still be done.

Lawns can be fed and weeded. Seed can be sown, for repairs and renewals.

Feeding of all your pots, baskets, containers throughout the summer with liquid or granular feed will be essential for more flowers, fruits and health.

Make the most of these summer days, sit back and enjoy all your gardens and plants – it’s a wonderful time of year.

Goulds plant manager Sue Butterworth with clematis

Trachelospermum is the ideal climber for gardening novices

Put your garden to the acid test

By Sally Gregson FOR many gardeners working

out the pH of their soil can be perplexing and confusing. And yet it is important. We all know whether or not our soil is heavy, wet and sticky clay; light, sandy and free-draining; or an ideal loam. We appreciate the direction of the sun on our borders or whether the garden is shady and north-facing. But knowing whether the soil, or more accurately the soil-water, is acid or alkaline is a little more mysterious.

There are plenty of kits at the garden centre to test the pH, but be wary of any that require tap-water to make them work. Tap water is sometimes a different pH from the soil and can mislead the reading.

In the context of garden soil, the pH runs from 4 (very acid) to 8 (very alkaline). 6.5 to 7 is neutral. And it is logarithmic. That is, pH5 is ten times more

acidic than pH6; and pH4 is 100 times more acidic than pH 6. Which means that it is virtually impossible to change the pH of soil without damaging it. The message is to ‘go with the flow’.

A simple way to ascertain the pH of a new garden’s soil is to look around at other, mature gardens in the neighbourhood. If an older garden is full of healthy, green-leaved rhododendrons, camellias and pieris, and their hydrangeas have blue flowers, their soil is almost certainly acid, probably below 5.5. If on the other hand they grow sycamore, yew and clematis and their mopheads are pink and red; the soil is almost certainly alkaline, with a high pH.

However, confusion can arise. If the garden is close to a plantation of conifers, or even under a beech tree, the soil beneath can be alkaline, but the top layer of leaf-litter is acid.

Gardeners could take advantage of this anomaly and grow a few heaths (calluna), blue gentians or even Tropaeolum speciosum with its flame-red flowers in late summer. Clambering up through shrubs, this herbaceous climber can be grown from seed, or

bought as a young plant early in the season. If it is happy, it will be a knock-out in August and September. Bees and butterflies will flock to its brilliant blood-red flowers – a celebration of the end of summer.

It is important for gardeners to know the pH of their soil

PHOTO: pinus2/Pixabay

How to let an ambulance get past

ROAD safety organisation GEM

Motoring Assist has put together tips to help keep drivers safe when making way for emergency vehicles.

The tips, available as short animations, cover locations and situations where confusion can occur. These could be traffic light junctions, roundabouts, motorways without hard shoulders and stretches of road with solid white lines where overtaking is not allowed.

The 10 animations provide simple-to-follow advice, approved by the emergency services, on what to do and what not to do when helping an emergency vehicle.

At traffic lights

AN ambulance won’t want you to go through a red traffic light. So don’t break the law or take any risks by moving past the light. If you’re first in the queue at a red light, stay where you are, and leave the ambulance to find

its way around you.

Roundabouts and junctions

IF you’re approaching a roundabout or a junction and you see an ambulance, look at its position, as this will let you know where it wants you to go. If you’re already AT the junction, be patient and wait for it to come past. There may be more than one emergency vehicle approaching the junction, so check before moving off.

Solid white lines

ON a road with a solid white line system, an ambulance will probably switch off its siren as it follows you. This is because overtaking is not allowed. So keep going – at the speed limit if it’s safe – until you’re clear of the solid white lines. When the siren goes on again, that’s your cue to let the ambulance go past. Motorways and dual carriageways

ON motorways and dual

carriageways, move to the left to allow an ambulance to pass in the outside lane if it’s clear. In slow and stationary traffic, emergency vehicles usually use the motorway hard shoulder, so you should only go onto the hard shoulder if you have an emergency of your own.

If there’s no hard shoulder, make way for emergency vehicles by creating an ‘emergency corridor’ – as shown in the picture. When you’ve let an emergency vehicle through,

stay where you are, as other vehicles are likely to be coming through.

Smart motorways

ON a smart motorway, one or more lanes may be closed because of an incident ahead – you’ll know because of red X signs above the carriageway. Emergency vehicles will use these lanes if they can. Keep out of these red X lanes. If no lanes appear to be closed, be prepared to help create the emergency corridor.

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D ouble yellow lines needed

TWICE in the last month I have joined a queue of traffic in High Street, Swanage, by the library, waiting for large lorries to struggle past the parked cars opposite the Red Lion.

Both lorries had to mount the pavement to proceed up the High Street.

Has no one from the town council noticed this growing problem – surely it is time for double yellow lines all through this very narrow section of our busy High Street or is the council waiting for a serious accident before acting.

Someone hard of hearing or poor eyesight, walking out of a shop there, could be hit by a vehicle driving on the pavement, with the unfortunate driver being blamed.

I expect the town council will reply that it is the responsibility of Dorset County Council to manage the application of new double yellow lines, after numerous meetings to discuss this issue.

Reader’s picture

Tim Deacon Swanage

TO balance some of the recent Royalist propaganda surrounding the Coronation, here’s a reminder that 25% of us are Republicans – mostly Scots and Irish but also many English people too.

The Royals have got to go!

I’m sorry but the Royals have got to go

They hoard the nation’s wealth and cause us woe

The biggest owners of our country’s land

With riches, cash and properties in hand

Hundreds of billions locked up in ‘private’ wealth Money that could help our national health Money that could help the sick and poor

The homeless and our charities galore

This cruel, unfair divide should make us know...

We’re sorry but the Royals have got to go!!

Martin Hobdell Swanage

Factoid of the fortnight

IT’S been hot recently and many of us were among the throngs throwing ice lollies into our baskets at the supermarket over the bank holiday.

But did you know, you probably wouldn’t be enjoying your refreshing lolly if it hadn’t been for an 11-year-old child called Frank Epperson and a mistake that probably earned him a telling off?

In 1905, little Frank left some soda powder and water outside in a cup, with a wooden stirrer.

The chilly San Francisco air

meant when he returned to it, it was frozen solid.

He called it the Epsicle and sold it around his neighbourhood, at nearby amusement parks and even patented the recipe.

Years later, he changed the name, to popsicle.

However, as with many a lolly, the ending wasn’t a happy one.

A broke Epperson sold his patent to the Joe Lowe Company in the 1920s, and regretted it as his invention became a huge success.

Robin Boultwood recently took this photo of Corfe Castle

Antiques & Collectibles

Long history of signet rings

By Amy Brenan, director of Heirlooms Jewellers, 21 South Street, Wareham

THE signet ring dates back to Ancient Egyptian times when the Pharaohs used to dip them, engraved with a specific hieroglyph, in hot wax to seal important documents, and were a sign of hierarchy.

Traditionally, this type of ring was worn on the ‘pinky’ finger of the opposite hand to the one that is dominant – so if a person was right-handed, it would be worn on the little finger of the left hand.

Nowadays, however, it is worn however the wearer chooses.

Signet rings that have been engraved with a family crest or

motif can be passed down through generations.

It was King Edward II who introduced this style of ring to England in the 1300s and insisted that all royal documents be sealed with his ring.

Interestingly, because this was a such a personal mark of authority, the ring used to be destroyed after the death of the wearer to prevent fraud.

In the 19th century, gemstones began to be added, and the gold and ruby signet ring worn by Edward, the Black Prince, is actually on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

King Charles III famously wears a signet ring on his little finger which bears the inscription of the Prince of

Wales feathers motif.

This particular ring was worn by King Edward VIII when he was also Prince of Wales.

Modern signet rings continue to be popular, especially as those made from plain metals can be engraved and personalised, meaning they

make a fantastic gift. Although we tend to associate signet rings with being worn by men, there are many designs suitable for women, again engraved or set with a gemstone, that are traditionally given on an 18th or 21st birthday.

Rolex watch could sell for £35,000

RENOWNED luxury designer brands such as Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Patek Phillipe and Louis Vuitton will be on offer when Duke’s holds its biannual Fine Jewellery, Watches and Luxury Accessories auction.

The sale is on Thursday, June 15, from 10.30am and the option to follow bidding live online provides no excuse to miss it!

A circa 1960 stainless steel Rolex Explorer with all the original boxes and Rolex guarantee dated 27.03.1968 carries a pre-sale estimate of £25,000-£35,000.

And a lady’s 18ct gold and ruby set cocktail watch by Rolex is a daintier and slightly more inviting option at £1,200£1,500.

The jewellery line up features

ample large gemstones set immaculately on choice pieces.

Vintage Luis Vuitton trunks alongside a mature collection of wines and spirits will bring the day to a close.

Viewing begins on Saturday, June 10, with bidding available on three online platforms. Find more information and the catalogue at www.dukes-auctions.com.

The gold and ruby signet ring worn by Edward, the Black Prince is on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris

Disabled entrepreneurs get helping hand into business

By dorsetbiznews.co.uk

A BUSINESS start-up service has helped 50 unemployed people with disabilities gain valuable self-employment skills with 15 successfully setting up their own businesses.

The SAMEE (Support And Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship) charity

introduced a 12-month Disabled Entrepreneurs Business Start-up Service (DEBSS) using a £13,000 charitable donation from the Talbot Village Trust.

The grant-giving trust supports worthy causes across South East Dorset while the SAMEE charity is dedicated to supporting people with disabilities gain selfemployment skills.

A diverse range of businesses have been set up by individuals taking part in the DEBSS project. They range from gardening to dog walking services.

Clair Lawrence launched her aromatherapy oils business, Lavish4Me, in March.

She suffers with multiple health conditions, including trigeminal neuralgia and fibromyalgia.

They prevented her from working as an employee so she sought support from the SAMEE charity to realise her dream of self-employment.

Clair said: “Building a business from scratch by yourself can be daunting and lonely but having the SAMEE charity by my side from start to finish has been crucial in the success of launching my business.

“My business mentor helped put a structure to my ideas with an easy to complete business plan and step-by-step guide on how to launch my business.

“During the project I had up and down moments but my mentor kept me feeling positive when I was having challenging days of depression.

“Each step I took, some quick some slow, got me to where I am today.

“A single mother with trigeminal neuralgia, fibromyalgia and depression – and still a successful business owner!

“When I reflect, I’ve come such a long way and the pride and achievement I feel is incredible.

“I appreciate the support the SAMEE charity team was able to give me.”

The DEBSS project offered 12 hours of free flexible support to participants.

It included guidance on the reality of self-employment, access to mentors in sales, marketing and accounting, and direction on essential confidence building techniques to empower individuals to create comprehensive business plans.

Wayne Ingram, chief operating officer at the SAMEE charity, said: “The kind donation from the Talbot Village Trust has enabled our charity to help transform the lives of many disabled adults in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

“Since 2016, we have taught more than 450 people with disabilities selfemployment skills so they can create an income, boost wellbeing and gain further independence through a self-employment start-up.

“This recent project has seen more than 40 per cent of participants either start their own business or gain employment for the very first time.

“Our mission is to narrow the disability employment gap and help make our local disabled community stronger.

“We could not have made this huge social impact for the disabled community in this area without the support of the trust.”

Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, chairman of Talbot Village Trust, said: “It’s tremendous to see how many participants have since gone on to set up their own businesses.

“Our purpose is to support organisations in the community that are making changes for the better and the SAMEE charity is certainly achieving this vision.

“We’re delighted to support the DEBSS project.”

Talbot Village Trust donates up to £1 million every year to youth organisations, education groups and community-focused projects.

Clair Lawrence, who has founded her own aromatherapy oils business called Lavish4Me

Nicholas AshleyCooper, chairman of Talbot Village Trust

Wayne Ingram, chief operating officer at SAMEE

Winners with dignitaries at the 2023 Dorset Apprenticeship Awards (from left) Rod Davis from the Dorset and Somerset Training Provider Network, Superior Seals managing director Tim Brown, Dorset Chamber president Caron Khan, Nicky Sayers of Avon Magnetics, Katie Smith of BBD Boom, Dorset Chamber chief executive Ian Girling, Florence Hudson of JPP and HM Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset Angus Campbell

Awards celebrate top apprentices

TOP apprentices have been celebrated for their commitment, resilience and excellence at the Dorset Apprenticeship Awards.

They claimed honours in the second annual competition held by Dorset Chamber and the Dorset and Somerset Training Provider Network with sponsorship from manufacturing firm Superior Seals.

The winners were:

n Intermediate Apprentice of the Year: Nicky Sayers from Avon Magnetics in Christchurch (training provider, Bournemouth & Poole College)

n Advanced Apprentice of the Year: Katie Smith from BBD Boom in Bournemouth (training prover, Intequal)

n Higher and Degree Apprentice of the Year: Florence Hudson from Poole office of JPP (training provider University of Portsmouth)

Dorset Chamber chief executive Ian Girling said: “Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists.

“Judging was very difficult and we read some inspirational stories from people of all ages from many different sectors across the whole of Dorset.

“The success of the winners is testament to just how important and valuable apprenticeships are to businesses, the local economy and professional development.

“The annual awards go from strength to strength with a greater number of entries this

year and an incredibly positive response from the business community.

“Many thanks go to all those who entered and worked to make the awards such a success.”

Dorset Chamber launched the awards last year to promote apprenticeships, recognise the contribution apprentices make to business, and celebrate their achievements and successes in the workplace.

Winners were announced from a 12-strong shortlist of finalists at Superior Seals in Ferndown.

Tim Brown, managing director of Superior Seals, welcomed guests to the ceremony at the company’s Superior Seals Academy training centre.

Dignitaries also included HM Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset Angus Campbell who presented the trophies alongside judges Mr Brown, Mr Girling and Rod Davis from Dorset and Somerset Training Provider Network (DSTPN).

Guests also included finalists, families of finalists, employers, training providers and Dorset Chamber president Caron Khan. The awards are free to enter with entries invited from apprentices and their employers. Plans are already in place for next year’s competition.

Visit https://dorsetchamber. co.uk/dorset-apprenticeshipawards/ for more information and to enter.

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Meditations in nature: Mountains are calling

By Susie Curtin

AS much as I love the gentle rolling hills of the Dorset countryside, there are times when I yearn for the mountains, and the way they make you look up, and look up again, allowing your eyes to linger on the shape-shifting horizon between the clouds, the rocks and the sky.

Whether you just like looking at them from afar, or climbing them, mountains have a strange magnetic allure. When life seems tedious or overwhelming, I long2 to be amidst them so that I can experience that profound sense of being insignificant. It affords me some perspective. As John Muir (1838-1914), one of the most important early conservationists and nature writers of his time, proposed, when ‘the mountains are calling, I must go’.

Iyengar Yoga: Try This Classic Style Of Yoga With Many Health Benefits

And so they were for my son and I as we drove up to the Lake District in order to scale

the heights of these romantic and culturally significant mountains. There is a joint sigh of relief as we eventually leave behind the last of the northern cities. The motorway clears and the land opens up before our eyes. It is like coming home. By the time we begin our first climb, it is late afternoon. From the still waters of Buttermere, we begin our

“Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life.” BKS Iyengar. Iyengar yoga is known for its focus on the correct alignment of the postures. Props such as blocks, belts, chairs and blankets are used to enable people of all ages and abilities to practise safely. Studies have shown Iyengar yoga can have a positive effect on general health and wellbeing, increasing strength and flexibility. It can also help stress, depression and anxiety, healthy ageing, asthma, back pain, Long Covid, arthritis and much more.

Born in India in 1918, Mr Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar Yoga, was a sickly child who suffered from tuberculosis, typhus and malaria as a child. Later on in life, he said: “So frail was I, in fact, that I was not expected to survive.” He started practising yoga to improve his health. He could not have chosen better. Not only did his health improve but he helped many people to live a healthier life. He practised and taught yoga until he died at the age of 95.

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ascent of Red Pike, through the fresh-smelling pine forest and up to Bleaberry Tarn, where we pause for a while to watch a shoal of young trout glistening and leaping on the surface. It is hard to imagine that any life could exist in this tiny, dark pool that is shadowed from the sun by the towering Chapel Craggs. Above the tarn, the summit of Red Pike beckons, its

red syenite scree flanks giving rise to its name. At 2,476 ft, it is a steep and strenuous climb as the stone path suddenly turns to shifting scree. For the last 200 metres, my feet have struggled for purchase, and an energising medley of fear and excitement spur me to the summit from where the wild, verdant green of the Ennerdale valley suddenly springs into view. As my mind,

The Lake District is remarkable – it is a land of constant change

lungs and legs recover, I stop for a moment to gather my thoughts. To the right of me I can see the coast and to the left the fells and valleys of the Lakes unfold. Up here, I feel strong and invincible as though I can deal with whatever obstacles stand in my way.

We then follow the classic route along the Buttermere Ridge, up to High Stile, along to High Crag and down the Scarth Gap between Gamlin End and Haystacks. By the time we reach the peak of High Crag, the day is drawing to its close, the pressure has dropped and clouds are forming in the valleys, bubbling up the mountains’ flanks only to be rebuffed by the rugged cliffs that send them skywards.

And this is why the Lake District is so remarkable. It is a land of constant change. Light, weather and atmosphere shift continuously making it an ethereal and unknowable landscape with no two experiences ever being the

same. We watch as the clouds close in and it begins to drizzle. If I was nervous on the ascent of Red Pike, the descent of High Crag’s scree slope down Gamlin End instils greater fear as a slippery, rough scree path zig-zags into the mist. As we stop for a rest halfway down, the clouds begin to part, and the sky turns crimson and yellow. Suddenly, a beam of orange light shines on the moraines of the Ennerdale Valley. The sun’s last hurrah for the day. By the time we return to Buttermere, it is dark and the rain has settled in. We say goodbye to the Daubenton’s bats who are still swooping past our faces to capture the moths attracted by our head torches. This has been a remarkable adventure, no wonder the mountains call us here.

n Dr Susie Curtin is a nature writer and qualitative researcher; wildlife travel blog at rewildingjourneys.com/; email curtin.susanna@gmail. com

Health & Wellbeing

Taking control of our inner critic

By Alice Johnsen LEADING psychotherapist

Julia Samuel was talking recently about self-acceptance being a precursor to self-love. She also made reference to that critical voice we all know so well. Her point I wanted to share was based on the true theory that we all focus on bits of us – characteristics and physical attributes – that we’d all like to change. Samuel was suggesting that instead of feeding our inner critic we should consciously turn our attention to the parts of our bodies or characteristics that we do like.

This links with a thought I have been talking about recently on my Instagram page – @ alicejohnsencoaching if you want to follow me there. Can we change how we react to things or people in our life, and can we control or change our emotions? I would define an

emotion as an instinctive or intuitive feeling and there perhaps lies the nugget. It is an instinct, so to change how we feel or react, we need to change that instinct. Knowing this, you will not be surprised when I tell you while we can change how we feel about things, it is a slow change. It is a constant retraining of our minds to think about something in a new way. That is possible – but it takes time. Years.

Robert Kiyosaki, an American entrepreneur and businessman, says you should ‘learn to use your emotions to think, not to think with your emotions’. This links us back to the division in our brains between logical and emotional thinking. When we are under stress the emotional side of our brain takes over from the more sustainable logical side.

So maybe the thread here is that if you can focus more on

your positives and quieten down that inner critic in your mind, you will find it easier to remain logical and calmer in all your thinking? Surely it will also help fight those feelings of imposter syndrome I wrote about recently?

That’s the thing. Everything to do with mental health and well-being is linked, which

means any steps you take to improve one aspect of your life will naturally start supporting other areas too. That’s why the small steps I talk about so regularly are the key to just feeling a whole lot better about your life.

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

Hawthorne an extremely special tree

by Fiona Chapman

I DON’T know if it is the odd spring we have had, wet and not particularly warm, that means the May or Hawthorne looks as though it is going to be a bumper year.

Some trees are out already and some are just about to flower with a huge number of buds waiting to burst open. It is a tree of spring, and to me a wonderfully ancient and magical tree.

I am sure I have mentioned before that Hawthorne or Crataegus monogyna is specific for the heart.

There has been lots of research into Hawthorne, particularly in Germany, and it is the young leaves and flowers that have such an effect on the cardio system. It is a cardiotonic and increases myocardial contractility - positive inotropic – meaning it increases the force of the muscle contraction in the heart giving it a stronger and

more rhythmic beat while at the same time reducing vascular tension and so allowing the blood to move much more freely around the body. This is obviously extremely good for blood pressure and circulation issues such as Raynaud’s disease and varicose veins.

The flowers, together with the red fruit berries in the autumn, help to reduce cholesterol and have a protective effect on the heart muscle and also helps to prevent inflammation in blood vessels or atherosclerosis. This antiinflammatory action is also good for gout and arthritis as with the blood moving more freely around the body, it means that toxins can be removed and excreted.

Crataegus is also good for the emotional heart and a flower and top tea can have a calming, soothing and gently soporific effect. The berries are nutritive

and full of anti-oxidants and vitamins so help with metabolism and digestion. It is an altogether extremely special tree.

The tops and leaves should be harvested now, just as the flowers open, any older and they start to smell of death – this is to attract the blow flies that will pollinate it.

Young tender flowers and leaves – picked in the dry – can then be left to dry in a northfacing room – ideally well

spread out on brown paper – to make a calming herbal tea, or can be added to brandy or vodka to make a tincture. If making a tincture you can then add the berries in the autumn and make yourself an extremely effective heart tonic. Obviously, this should not be taken if you are already on heart medication such as digoxin or beta blockers as it may enhance their effect.

n Fiona Chapman is a Naturopathic Herbalist

Instead of feeding our inner critic we should consciously turn our attention to the parts of our bodies or characteristics that we do like

Crataegus, the common hawthorne PHOTO: jhenning/Pixabay

Mixed bag of results for Swanage’s three league teams

SWANAGE 1st XI have won two of their four matches in Division One to occupy fifth place.

The highlight of their batting was Craig Wells’ century against Poole – he has also made two other half-centuries.

Both captain Ben Hodder and wicket-keeper/batsman Tom Wells have also registered half-centuries.

The stand-out bowler has been Ryan Stearn, well supported by Charlie Dyke and Sid Nash.

CRICKET

The 2nd XI have also won two of their four games to lie sixth in a very competitive Division 4.

The highlight of their batting was Mike Nash’s unbeaten century at Cheselbourne. He has also scored a half-century.

David Alcock, Phil Eades and John Lewis have also recorded half-centuries.

The outstanding bowling performances have come from Ross Carroll, James Harding

and Sam Marks.

The 3rd XI have won two of their three games in Division 6 to occupy third position.

The highlight of their batting was Tim Ives’ century against Dorchester. He has also made two other half-centuries.

The highlight of their bowling was Ethan Stacey’s four-wicket haul in the same

Cherries captain celebrates football from a bygone era

DAVID Stocks played professional football in a bygone era – one before agents, multi-million-pound contracts and global TV deals were prevalent.

In The Shadows tells the story of his life, from his early days as a sought-after youngster for London schoolboys, to his debut for Charlton Athletic against Liverpool, where he pitted his abilities against the likes of Roger Hunt and Ian Callaghan.

After a season at Gillingham, he went on to star for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic – later to become AFC Bournemouth, as we know them today – where he experienced both relegation and promotion while captaining the Cherries for a number of years.

Upon finishing his career at Torquay United, he returned to Dorset, where he became a fixture on the local non-league circuit for the likes of

BOOK

Wimborne Town and Parley, all the while forging a successful second career in financial services.

David’s story is an exciting recollection of time spent playing with and alongside the game’s greats while not quite managing to reach their level, and is essential reading for those who fondly recall football as it was in the 1960s and 70s.

The book is edited by Steve Wright, who said: “Having lived next door to David for a number of years, it was a great privilege to be able to assist him commit the story of his life to the page.

“I hope anyone who buys this book will enjoy reading it as much as I did helping him to put it together.”

In The Shadows, published by Troubador, is available to pre-order from Waterstones, WH Smith and Troubador’s

website, priced at £12.99, for release on June 28, 2023.

If you would like to get hold of a copy sooner, follow and direct message Steve Wright on

game but Andrew Hancock and Alan Marks have also performed consistently.

The club’s seven youth sides and the Women & Girls Team have all performed admirably during the first month of the season.

For all the latest news/results, visit the club’s website www. swanagecricketclub.co.uk

his Twitter account, @ stevewright22 for more details. All profits from sale of the book will be donated to Alzheimer’s UK.

Mike Nash hit an unbeaten century for the seconds at Cheselbourne

David Stocks played for Bournemouth & Boscombe, later to become AFC Bournemouth, Gillingham, Torquay and Charlton, among others

Castle Inn plans on a new look

A CORFE Castle pub is seeking permission for a makeover.

The Castle Inn, in East Street, has applied to Dorset Council for permission to change the exterior of the building, including a new painted colour.

Signage and lighting would also be updated, if the plan is approved.

“When selecting the signage, lighting and paint colour for this listed building, consideration has been given to its historical

nature in terms of the sizing and design of the new signage,” the application said.

“The name of the pub house name on the front elevation will be now traditionally sign written. This will give a more traditional effect. In addition, a traditional typeface has been selected for the name.

“The amenity boards are simple so as not to detract from the features of the building. They will be wrapped in a wooden effect print and will complement the building

colour.

“Finally, the wall light fixtures chosen are a classic sleek design.

“The illumination will be warm white and the lights will be angled to light the signs only to avoid any kind of light pollution.”

For more details, and to comment on the application, log on to www.dorsetcouncil. gov.uk and search for reference P/ ADV/2023/02753.

The shape of things to come?: The Castle Inn at Corfe Castle as it is now (left) and after the planned makeover

Liz extols benefits of outdoor swimming

THE writer and performer of a production coming to Lighthouse Poole is offering an unusual invite to members of the audience – to go for a swim the following evening. Swim, written and performed by Liz Richardson, is a tender tale based on a true story.

Liz rediscovers outdoor swimming and how it can keep both her and her new friends afloat when her new community is rocked by tragedy.

Swim is filled with humour and heart, live music and projection, and is Lighthouse Poole on Tuesday, June 20, at 8pm in the Sherling Studio.

Liz likes to swim in open water with local swimmers at each venue on her tour and in Poole she plans to lead a Solstice Swim the evening after the show.

She said: “No matter where in the UK I was swimming, the story of why these swimmers

Tank museum turns down the volume

QUIET Morning is returning to The Tank Museum at Bovington next week to support visitors with sensory needs.

All sounds and interactives will be turned off on Saturday, June 17, between 9-11am, allowing visitors to explore the story of tanks and their crews, and the collection of armoured vehicles, in a quiet, calm environment.

Quiet Mornings are designed for adults and children with autism, adults living with dementia and visitors with sensory needs who may prefer a more relaxed experience.

Visitor Experience general manager Rosanna Dean said: “As part of our accessibility programme at the museum, we are delighted to offer a series of Quiet Mornings that provide a

quiet environment for those with sensory processing needs.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors, who will be able to enjoy our incredible exhibits in a more peaceful setting.”

The museum has developed a sensory backpack for children with neurodivergence and special educational needs –backpacks are available to borrow free of charge every day. Tickets can be purchased on the day or pre-booked online from tankmuseum.org/quietmornings

swam was nearly always the same – for mental wellbeing and for joy.

“I met such a wide range of people who had come from all walks of life, but they all talked to me of how the cold water has held them through or after some of their harder times in life so far.”

Liz plans to swim at

Hamworthy Park beach on Wednesday, June 21, at 9pm, summer solstice, and has invited any swimmers who would like to join her to email marketing@lighthousepoole. co.uk.

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

Traders in the picture

SHOPKEEPERS and traders past and present are the subject of a new exhibition at the Museum of East Dorset in Wimborne. ‘Tinker, Tailor, Cappuccino Maker’, showcases historical photographs and portraits from the museum’s collection, alongside newly commissioned images of current day traders. Visitors can reflect on how society, lifestyles, and the nature of the ‘high-street’ have changed over time.

The exhibition runs until October 7.

Queen’s hits al fresco

LIVE music in the open air is on offer at Athelhampton House and Gardens with 21st Century Queen.

All the hits will be on offer from Bohemian Rhapsody to Under Pressure and Don’t Stop Me Now.

21st Century Queen is on Saturday, August 19, at 7pm – for tickets visit www.seetickets.com or phone 0871 220 0260.

The humour- and heart-filled Swim, written and performed by Liz Richardson, is coming to Lighthouse Poole

Panto star Chris to ‘frock ‘n’ roll’

MAGIC is in the air with panto favourite Aladdin set to be performed at Lighthouse Poole in the run-up to Christmas.

CBeebies star Chris Jarvis is returning to write and direct the show, as well as appearing as

panto ‘genie-us’ and we’re delighted he’s back with us this Christmas, alongside our brilliant technical director and lighting designer James Smith, who’s Poole born and bred.

“Panto is such a massive part of the Lighthouse year and we know our audiences look forward to its special blend of escapism and family entertainment, so having been pipped at the post by Sir Ian McKellen in the Pantomime Awards, we’re doing all we can to go one better this year!”

Aladdin runs from Thursday, December 7, to Sunday, December 31. For tickets and information phone 01202 280000 or visit www. lighthousepoole.co.uk

Box Office: dorsetopera.com

07570 366 186

CBeebies star Chris Jarvis is writing and directing Aladdin at Lighthouse Poole

Coade Theatre, Bryanston, Blandford Forum

The home of Country House opera in South West England featuring renowned soloists, a full orchestra and a large chorus of emerging young artists

Original design by Augusto Ferri for the first Italian production of Le roi de Lahore in 1878 | Archivio Storico Ricordi

Marquee bar | Picnics | Formal Dining

Amadeus Mozart

Discover a different Dorset

LOCALS and tourists alike may think they know Dorset, but in his new book author and publisher Jon Woolcott proves there’s plenty more to learn about it.

In Real Dorset, Woolcott criss-crosses the county, making connections and uncovering the hidden and forgotten, to reveal what lies beneath the tourist-friendly façade.

Dorset is famous for its spectacular coastlines, historic towns, eco-foodie reputation, for Hardy and Fowles.

Yet, there’s much more to this popular county –subversion, rebellion and revolt, wealth and poverty, ghost stories, rich folklore, film and music.

Woolcott travels the whole county in this discursive, humorous, idiosyncratic and personal exploration.

A huge and lost Neolithic earthwork contrasts with Victorian pleasure gardens and nightlife in Bournemouth.

The legacy of the black GIs, the Cerne Abbas Giant, the

BOOK

model village of Milton Abbas, vie for attention with the importance of Dorset for writers and artists including William Barnes, T E Lawrence and Sylvia Townsend Warner, John Piper and Elisabeth Frink.

Tombstoning at Durdle Door, exploring the beguiling strangeness of Portland, climbing the famous Gold Hill, delving into holloways – Real Dorset covers all aspects of life past and present.

Sure to delight tourists, locals and armchair travellers alike, Real Dorset is an alternative guide to this richly historical and much-visited edge of south-west England.

Jon Woolcott has lived in Dorset for 14 years and grew up nearby in southern Wiltshire and among other roles was communications officer for Cranborne Chase AONB.

Real Dorset is the latest addition to the Seren Real Series, a set of illustrated offbeat guides to places across the UK.

Quick-fire gags and the attic box Take That tribute

QUICK-FIRE humour is on the menu when comedian Mark Simmons performs at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne.

Mark has been a semiregular on BBC2’s Mock The Week, and appeared on BT Sport’s DIY Pundit and The Rugby’s On.

He has also appeared on other television shows such as ITV’s Out There, a Channel 4 pilot starring alongside Bridget Christie and BBC3’s One For The Road, and BBC Radio 4ExtraStands Up.

He also hosted News-ish and Film-ish on Fubar Radio alongside co-host Seann Walsh.

Now he is enjoying success with his solo podcast Jokes with

Mark Simmons in which he invites a fellow comic, such as Gary Delaney and Milton Jones, to discuss jokes they have written but have not worked.

Simmons’ new show, Quip Off The Mark, goes beyond the one-liners with a running theme throughout.

This year Mark’s parents sold the house he grew up in and he has to collect his box of stuff from the loft – the audience will discover what’s in the box!

Simmons is in Wimborne on Thursday, June 22, at 7.30pm and tickets priced £18 are available from the box office on 01202 885566 and online at www.tivoliwimborne.co.uk

perform at The Regent in Christchurch.

The group, who have been together a decade, claim to be Take That’s most popular and recognised tribute act.

In their ‘Greatest Hits Tour’ they will sing many of Take That’s 12 number ones and 28 top 40 hits, including songs like Pray, Relight My Fire, Patience,

iconic dance routines.

‘Robbie Williams’ will perform fan favourites Rock DJ, Candy and the iconic song that launched his solo career, Angels.

The Take That experience are at The Regent in Christchurch on Thursday, June 22, and tickets priced £24 are available online at www.theregent.co.uk

DORSET writers and poets are invited to enter all forms of poetry, flash fiction, short stories and even novellas up to 10,000 words for The Paul Cave Prize for Literature. Prizes are: Best Novella – £100; Best Short Story –£50; Best Poem – £25; Best Flash Fiction – £25. Entries close on September 30. The winners of each category will also receive a complimentary copy of The Paul Cave Prize for Literature 2023 book. More information is available at www. tsaunderspubs.weebly.com/the-paul-cave-prize-for-literature

Author and publisher Jon Woolcott criss-crosses the county in his new book Real Dorset, which looks beyond the tourist-friendly facade

44 Purbeck Gazette June 12, 2023 purbeckgazette.co.uk

Spotlight Diary

in association with: Karl’s Kabs – 07751 769833

Diary entries are £6 plus VAT per entry, per month. The deadline for June 12 is NOON on June 9. Call on 01963 400186 or email adverts@blackmorevale.net

KEY: * = Start time not known or n/a; Ffi = for further information; Sw = Swanage; Wm = Wareham; VH = Village Hall, Telephone code 01929 unless otherwise stated.

JUNE 2023

Please call prior to attending events listed to ensure they are still on.

MONDAY

18:00 - SWANAGE TENNIS CLUB at Beach Gardens, Swanage. Free cardio tennis taster. Till 7pm.

19:30 - WAREHAM CHORAL SOCIETY. Lady St.Mary Church, Wm. Till 9.30. New singers always welcome. 01202 632678. warehamchoral@gmail.com

Wanted

BOOKS HARDBACK, FOUNTAIN PENS, coins and stamps, costume jewellery. Cash paid. Tel Mr Jones 01202 733550

09:30 -

SWANAGE

01929558139

Karl’s

SERVICING info@dorsettractors.com 07590 116 017 Purbeck 07714 289408

Advertise with us Call us

UK workers ‘spend less time in the office than almost any other country’

UK workers spend less time in the office than any other country - and want to further reduce it, according to a new report.

A new study by global workplace creation firm Unispace shows unhappiness in the office environment is growing in the UK.

Returning for Good, a Unispace Global Workplace Insights report – which combined the results of an in-depth survey of 9,500 employees and 6,650 business leaders from 17 countries worldwide – found just 34% of employees in the UK are in the office four or more days a week, less time than workers in any other country.

Despite the comparatively low attendance levels, employees want to reduce the number of days spent in the workplace even further, with just 21% of workers in the UK currently happy to spend four or more days per week in the office.

Hot-desking is prominent in the UK, with 56% of employees indicating their office is set up to work in this way, above the global average of 48%, according to the data.

Of those who do hot-desk, 76% would be more inclined to head into the office on a regular basis if they had an assigned desk.

The data did highlight a misalignment between employers and employees that suggests a lack of communication.

Only 53% of UK workers expect to eventually be in the office at least four days a week, but employers are more likely to perceive that a return is on the cards, with 74% expecting this to happen in the near future.

While 75% of employers highlighted career progression including pay rises, promotions and bonuses will be negatively impacted for hybrid workers,

employees are less aware of this risk, with only 59% stating that they believe this to be the case.

Workers in the UK also recorded the lowest level of company loyalty (68% versus the global average of 77%), though this was also underestimated by employers, with 74% believing their employees were devoted to their organisation.

Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO, EMEA at Unispace, said: “Results from the UK highlight that employees are now in the driver’s seat and are better able to make demands of their employers more than ever before over where and how they choose to work.

“However, there is a clear lack of communication between employees and businesses, with views around future office returns and the impact of hybrid working on career progression differing between the two groups.

“Businesses need to find a way to strike the right balance to encourage people to form new habits and head into the office but, equally, employees need to be given a compelling reason to do so.

“With 58% of workers across the country still reluctant to return to the office, even if it impacts their career prospects, businesses will only continue to face recruitment and retention issues if they do not address the underlying challenges around workplace returns.

“This includes listening to what employees want in the UK, including creating more private spaces, mimicking the benefits of home working environments, whilst still gaining from the benefits of collaborative and social workspaces.”

The Blackmore Vale Ltd is looking for an experienced Sales Executive to join our team.

About You

• You’ll need to be target driven.

• Have a proven track record of B2B sales.

• Have the ability to work independently sourcing your own leads, through competitive media, online and social media.

• An understanding of both print and digital advertising.

• The personality to build a strong customer base.

• Your own transport is a must with mileage paid. This is a full time role.

• You’ll be joining a friendly, supported team, where you’ll be selling across a range of regional magazine titles.

• We DON’T do hard sell, these are local magazines, supporting local communities, success is key, but we’re also building a reputation we’re proud of.

• We DO recognise and reward success especially team members who exceed their targets. Be nice, but be successful!

• You’ll need to be based within and familiar with the Blackmore Vale area.

• You’re welcome to work from our Wincanton office or work from home within Dorset, Wiltshire or Somerset.

For more information or to apply, please contact; debi.thorne@blackmorevale.net

DOMVS launches stunning 17th century country house with equestrian facilities, on behalf of local author.

Azrea is a beautiful country estate with almost 3,500 square feet of 17th Century charm, not including the vast outbuildings. The Grade II listed farmhouse and converted barn is complemented by approximately 20 acres of land and a fully equipped equestrian yard with 11 internal and seven external boxes, as well as an all-weather menage.

The property, which is located in Winfrith Newburgh, a popular Dorset village close to the Jurassic Coast, is being sold by DOMVS on behalf of Dilara Patudi, an Equine Craniosacral Therapist and author. Dilara’s passion is to spiritually connect horses with humans and, up until recently, the Azrea estate has facilitated this vision. Her book ‘The Healing Language of Horses’ is a message of unity, highlighting the inter-connective experience that’s possible with our equestrian counterparts. Dilara is now moving, with her horses, to another equestrian centre in the New Forest, making way for another investor to reap the rewards of a home with significant income potential.

Trish Ashby-Rudd from DOMVS comments “Azrea offers an exceptional opportunity to own a beautiful home that is ripe for a variety of different uses. The estate was previously used as an organic dairy farm, which could easily be revived, and the equestrian facilities are hot to trot, so to speak. The new owners could utilise the estate as a stud farm for breeding or retain as a livery and the home itself is in impeccable condition, ready to move straight in.”

The four-bedroom house retains many traditional and modern features. Vaulted ceilings, a galleried landing, oak beams, a wood burner within an inglenook fireplace, underfloor heating throughout and floor-to-ceiling windows in the drawing room make this a very special home. Every room has a different, yet stunning view across the grounds and the two separate staircases add a sense of grandeur to the property.

A quiet country lane, which passes over a bridge crossing the River Win, leads to a gravel driveway, where there is plenty of parking and a double garage adjoining the stables. A courtyard to the front of has a striking water feature and the enclosed gardens have a west-facing terrace at the rear of the home, accessed from the garden room, dining room, and sitting room. A covered Cow Byre is used for external storage, and there is also a sheep house and converted office in the stable block, with adjacent WC and shower facilities.

For more information visit: https://www.domvs.co.uk/ properties/domrps-WAM230031

Media Contact

Trisha Ashby-Rudd Consultant, DOMVS

T. 01929 555300

E. trisha.ashby-rudd@domvs.co.uk