Stargazing

New Forest District Council has declared a climate change and nature emergency and has promised to set actions to address the situation. Leader Edward Heron said: “This is a clear signal that we consider it of such importance that we will be building on the actions already under way and taking a more fundamental look at our activities, with the target of reducing carbon emissions along with a plan to measure annual district-wide progress.” The council, which covers the Ringwood and Fordingbridge area, will be taking more actions in every area of its day-to-day activities and operation and aims to improve the natural environment to support nature recovery.

Night sky events with Bob Mizon MBE of the Wessex Astronomical Society

From mid to late November, watch a procession of three bright planets in the southwestern sky. We’ve read in my articles recently about the two giants, Jupiter and Saturn –now catch Venus, about the same size as Earth, as it pays a visit to the night sky. The ancients saw the pure white light of Venus and made it the Goddess of Love: little could they have known that it is a toxic planet with an atmosphere of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid.

Parade of planets!

It is the hottest in the Solar System with a surface temperature of 500C. How can Venus be hotter than Mercury (400C), which is closer to the Sun? Mercury has no atmosphere, but the thick clouds of Venus ensure runaway global warming. They reflect three-quarters of the sunlight that falls upon them making Venus so bright that, in a dark place on Earth, you can see shadows thrown by Venus. Clear skies!

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Design and Planning

By Lorraine Gibson

newsdesk@stourandavon.net When most people pick up a knife and fork it’s time to eat... when artist Gary Smith does it, it’s usually time for him to create his next metal masterpiece. By day, he works in Christchurch as a welder, but in his downtime he uses the skills he’s acquired over more than 35 years as a metalworker in the aerospace industry to transform unremarkable pieces of cutlery into remarkable works of art. Like some sort of Da Vinci of the cutlery drawer, Gary, also known as ‘Ginger Nutz’ on account of his Ed Sheerancoloured hair, takes inspiration from the nature he sees all around him in Dorset to form striking sculptures from everyday kitchen utensils and demand for his uniquely-quirky metallic pieces is growing. One of his earliest attempts was in 2018 when he made a gift for his wife, Lucy. “I made her a little sausage dog out of nuts and bolts! We have two very loved sausage dogs called Evie and Slinky,” he explains. “It was pretty simple, but it made me realise that I loved being creative with metal and by using my welding skills, I could really let my imagination take over. “I began seeing inspiration everywhere, particularly in nature, birds, flowers, and butterflies and I began to get requests for commissions.” Along with objects celebrating nature, these have included replicas of yachts and vintage cars, paddleboarders and other bespoke pieces, some of which have included cutlery belonging to the person the artwork was made for. Gary is a champion of Christchurch’s Macmillan Caring Locally cancer charity. He donated one of his most recent pieces, ‘The Flutterby’ to them, and was delighted when it raised a very useful £850 at auction. “It was great. People are so generous,” he says. “Lucy works at Macmillan as an aromatherapist and I really put my heart into making it because I know what amazing work they do. I wanted it to be as detailed as possible.” Being a professional welder, manipulating metal into the

Demand for inquiry into practice closure

Demands for an inquiry into the circumstances which led to the sudden closure of the Blandford Group Practice continued after services resumed three days later. The announcement on the practice website and Facebook page on October 11 that the practice and dispensary were closed and non-urgent routine appointments postponed and the eConsult facility unavailable sent shockwaves through the community, and a degree of panic from those expecting to receive Covid vaccinations or medication. The group practice has tens of thousands of patients across the DT11 postcode area, with surgeries at Whitecliff and Eagle House in Blandford, Child Okeford and the Families Medical Centre at Blandford Camp. In the event, the closure – said to be due to a lapse in the practice’s public liability insurance making it impossible for patients to visit the surgeries – was shortlived, and on October 14 came the announcement that the insurance issue had been resolved and that the practice would reopen the following day. Patients with medication due from their dispensaries were able to collect that afternoon. Blandford’s two county councillors, Byron Quayle and Nocturin Lacey-Clarke, joined by Jane Somper and Sherry Jespersen, members for other areas served by the practice, have called in the issue for investigation by Dorset Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee and NHS Dorset CCG.

HEAVY METAL: Gary Smith and some of his wonderful artwork created from steel knives, forks, spoons, nuts and bolts

Pictures: GARY SMITH

desired form comes naturally to Gary and under his expert touch, spoon handles become sunflower petals, nuts (the metal, rather than the edible variety) seed-heads and knife blades morph into the wings of an irridescent kingfisher. “Using Tig (that’s Tungsten Inert Gas to the uninitiated) welding enables me to work with more precision, primarily with stainless steel and new and recycled cutlery,” he says. “I now prefer using cutlery to the nuts and bolts and I’ve recently begun to experiment with mixing copper, brass, stainless and mild steel to give more contrast to the sculptures. “It gives me the opportunity to really challenge myself and this is where I feel most comfortable, doing something I really love to do.” Gary hopes to create another piece to help Macmillan’s fundraising and is currently working on his most prestigious commission to date. It’s a biggie, but it is strictly under wraps for now and the only clues he can give are: It’s inspired by a famous author who once lived in Dorset, their equally-famous, classic book and it will grace the front of a local building that’s nearing completion, so watch this space... To see Gary’s work visit gingernutz.com.

Care homes rated highly by public

Twelve Dorset care homes have staged celebrations after they scored highly on a public review website. Colten Care residents and staff held a series of themed parties to welcome their latest, independently-posted ratings on Carehome.co.uk. Three of the homes currently score the maximum ten out of ten, while six have achieved 9.9, two have made 9.8 and one is on 9.7. The various celebrations included a barbecue, hog roast, Oscars-style red carpet awards ceremony and an afternoon of traditional party games such as pass the parcel and musical statues. At Fernhill, Colten Care’s dedicated dementia care home in Longham – currently rated 9.9 – there was a westerninspired line dancing party with country music, hot dogs and burgers. The celebratory fun at Colten Care’s Mudeford home Avon Reach, rated 9.8 out of ten, featured an awards ceremony with categories such as ‘Warm Welcome’ and ‘Most Comical’ won by residents Doreen Walls and Donald Crocker respectively. Pictured right is Avon Reach resident Doreen Walls being presented with her ‘Oscar’ and flowers by home manager Jess Brolan.

Pudding club preparing for popular poet

Godshill Village Hall’s popular Pudding Club is a regular evening of entertainment and refreshments. You are invited to attend on Friday, November 12, at 7.30pm when Brian and Jacqueline Sutton will be talking about Dylan Thomas, the famous and infamous Welshman. As a poet and writer, he published 90 poems. However, his life gradually became one long drinking session, all encouraged by his wife, Caitlin, and his friend and fellow drinking companion, Augustus John, (of local notoriety!) Find out how it really did start with a kiss! Tickets cost £10 including puddings, from Anne on 01425 657664. Plans for a 111-home development on land near Fordingbridge have been lodged with New Forest District Council. Developer Pennyfarthing Homes has applied to build the properties on 32 hectares of land west of Salisbury Street in Burgate, with a ‘community hub’ comprising food retail and other stores. However, in its application, Pennyfarthing also made an outline application to build up to 405 units on the land, currently in agricultural use. It said: ‘The scheme comprises around 400 high-quality, New Forest-style homes which will include a good range of house sizes, types and tenures to deliver market and affordable housing for young people, families and the elderly.’ Pennyfarthing claimed the development would provide a ‘responsive new neighbourhood’ for Fordingbridge that would; ‘create a mixed community, accommodated within a carefully designed new suburban neighbourhood.’ However, the application documents acknowledged that the site is in an area at risk from flooding but claims it will not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere. Objectors complained that the new estate will have a detrimental effect on 16thcentury buildings nearby, and say it will damage the environment. Residents in Augustus Avenue raised traffic issues and others complained about the proposed new access point. Another complainant wondered if the alreadycrowded Fordingbridge town would be able to cope. “Further development is only going to put further demand on services are already above capacity,” he said.

by Faith Eckersall

newsdesk@stourandavon.net Pedestrians who are forced to use a ‘dangerous’ River Stour bridge, won’t get an improved crossing for ‘many years’, Dorset Council has admitted. After a summer of grumbles and alleged near-misses, Wimborne residents have repeatedly called for something to be done to help pedestrians who use the historic Julian’s Bridge to cross the River Stour. The Grade I listed structure is less than six metres wide, making it difficult for walkers and people in mobility scooters to cross safely in heavy traffic. During the summer, people attending events in the area, such as the inflatable theme park, took to social media to express fears over using the crossing, which dates back to the late 15th century. The council has confirmed funding to assess how pedestrian access could be improved after what it described as ‘an increase in active travel’. “Highway engineers have been tasked with assessing what viable options there are to improve walking and cycling access across the River Stour at Julian’s Bridge,” it said. However, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, Ray Bryan, admitted that engineers had not been ‘specifically tasked to design a footbridge’ but would be investigating all options that could make it safer for people on foot, bike, or using a mobility scooter, to use the bridge. “This is a very small step forward, but an incredibly important one to make it safer for people to cross the river at the western end of Wimborne,” he said. Asking for patience he added: “Any proposed solution will take time to bring through to the detailed design phase, with any changes at the location likely to be several years.” Dorset Council has also warned that recent changes to national bridge standards meant that any sort of shared footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists would need to be at least 4m wide. This is 50 per cent wider than the Canford footbridge built over 10 years ago and would have ‘significant impact’ on the heritage of the area and the environment. The council said the next stages of the assessment will be finished by the end of March next year, with detailed design work programmed to start in 2022/23.

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Tuppy Hill from Ferndown has been a keen swimmer since the age of four years old. But a life-threatening diagnosis of bowel cancer at the age of just 56 put paid to her regular dips in the sea or in her local swimming pool at Canford School. Following chemotherapy and radiotherapy to shrink the tumour, Tuppy wasn’t allowed to swim because of her immune system being so vulnerable. This treatment seemed to have worked but sadly, after six months, the tumour came back and Tuppy endured a five-hour operation to save her life. This traumatic operation left her coping with a stoma, an invisible disability. She said: “I found some people unsympathetic when I used disabled facilities, wondering why I needed to. “To the outside world, I look like I have nothing wrong.” Returning to her hobby of swimming was also a challenge. “I was so worried that things would go wrong with the stoma when I was in the pool and there is also a risk of a peristomal hernia if you

don’t wear the right support when you’re swimming, let alone other activities.” Thanks to the understanding of Canford Sports Centre and the support of ‘amazing stoma nurses’ at Poole Hospital, Tuppy started to swim again, just a few gentle lengths at a time and wearing a tummy controlled swimming costume as well as an abdominal support belt to give her support.

Tuppy recently completed 10k as part of a nationwide MySwimathon and raised £625 for Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie Cancer Care. She has been acknowledged as one of the top fundraisers for this event. Tuppy said: “I was able to complete the MySwimathon in three sessions, swimming for a total of four hours, 12 minutes.” At the same time, Tuppy’s brother Rick completed two 5km swimathons on consecutive days followed by a further 5K on the third day with his two grandchildren Judah aged 10 and Aliyah aged seven. This raised a further £500 for Tuppy’s charities. She said: “I thought I was going to die. When you get thrown that curve-ball, you realise just how important the work of these cancer charities are to research this disease and support those going through it.” She added: “Swimming is my go-to place. For me it’s both a great physical and mental health boost and gives me time when I don’t think too much – just enjoy the water.” Tuppy is now contemplating doing the Pier to Pier challenge, swimming in open sea from Bournemouth to Boscombe Pier.

IN THE SWIM: Tuppy Hill from Ferndown

Nurse students win scholarship funding

Three adult nursing students at Bournemouth University, who applied for the newlylaunched Lewis-Manning Hospice Care end-of-life care scholarship scheme will each receive £3,000 of funding for the 2021/2022 academic year. The students not only receive the financial support but will also receive a range of support from LewisManning, including travel costs, online learning, conference opportunities and the opportunity to shadow a member of the hospice care clinical team. Interest in the scholarship scheme was extremely high, with 25 applications received. Ten short-listed applicants were then interviewed by doctors Linda Thompson, of the Trust board, Sue Green, deputy head of department and Sue Baron, senior lecturer in adult Nursing at Bournemouth University. The successful students include Grace Shobbrook, 28, Abbie McQueen, 21 and Tallulah Webb, 27. Dr Baron said: “This is an amazing development opportunity for Grace, Abbie and Tallulah and we are extremely grateful to Clare Gallie, CEO of the board of trustees at Lewis-Manning, and the Burdett Nursing Trust for making this possible. Dr Thompson and I had our first meeting with Abbie, Tallulah and Grace this week when their excitement at being awarded these scholarships, and enthusiasm for making the most of the development opportunities that lie ahead was a delight to experience. “We are both looking forward to supporting their development during this final year of their BSc (Hons) in Nursing programme.” Dr Thompson added: “We were very pleased with the level of interest shown in the Scholarship scheme and extremely impressed by the talent and passion shown by applicants.”

SCHOLARSHIPS: Grace Shobbrook, Abbie McQueen and Tallulah Webb with staff

Explore a brand new Christmas Light Trail at Kingston Lacy from 3 Dec 2021 – 2 Jan 2022

A magical trail, featuring enchanting illuminations and classical Christmas tunes, will illuminate the beautiful garden of the National Trust’s Kingston Lacy. It’s the most wonderful time of the year when twinkling lights and seasonal sounds 昀ll the air with festive fun. Wrap up warm and be transported into a winter wonderland where you will discover sparkling tunnels of light, walk under giant baubles and beneath trees drenched in jewel-like colour. Spend time together and create everlasting memories as you wander between the specially chosen illuminations, all choreographed to a soundtrack of Christmas classics. Pause at the mesmerising 昀ickering 昀ames in the 昀re garden and don’t forget to glimpse Father Christmas along the way. Independent street food vendors bring a delicious twist to tasty treats on offer, maybe share a hot chocolate or spiced winter warmer with someone special. Christmas at Kingston Lacy provides a special way to celebrate the festive season with an unmissable outdoor experience. The trail is designed for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

The after-dark illuminated trail through festive gardens at Kingston

Lacy, 3 Dec 2021 – 2 Jan 2022 Open from 4.30pm, last entry 8pm and closes at 10pm. The festive trail is open on selected dates. Advanced booking: Adult £18, Child £14, Family £60 (2 adults & 2 children). Free entry for carers and children aged 2 & under. Parking £8 per car. Free parking for National Trust members when booking in advance. nationaltrust.org.uk/Kingston-Lacy Kingston Lacy, Wimborne Minster, Dorset BH21 4EA

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The magical after-dark illuminated trail

A brand new trail filled with after-dark festive fun

3 DEC – 2 JAN

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Running selected evenings only

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