Try your luck with a duck!

The 23rd Annual Duck Race to be staged in aid of Wimborne in Bloom is all set to ‘float’ again this year.

It will take place on the River Allen on Saturday, August 26, at 4pm.

The ‘Ducks’ will be launched into the River at the bottom of Mill Lane, beside the Riverside Mews Café, by kind permission of The Slocock Trust and cross the finishing line beside the garden at the back of the Rising Sun in East Street.

Tickets (Ducks) at £1 each will be sold in Town on Saturday 19th, Thursday 24th, Friday 25th and again on Race Day itself Saturday 26th.

Owner of the first Duck home will receive £50, 2nd £25, 3rd £10 and 4th, 5th and 6th £5 each.

The proceeds will be in aid of Wimborne in Bloom Funds.

n Wimborne in Bloom needs help urgently for summer 2024 and beyond

After 10 years, the planting and watering contractor to Wimborne in Bloom will no longer be taking on the tasks beyond 2023.

At this time they will be looking to sell their bowser, pump and associated hoses. Whilst the plantings take place twice a year the watering requirements are substantial over the Summer months from mid June to the end of September.

As a result of this change we are seeking a contractor(s) to take on the watering over the summer season starting summer 2024 and annually thereafter.

It is fully appreciated that this will be a time of considerable change and Wimborne in Bloom is prepared to discuss alternative watering and planting schemes.

We are contacting potential companies to determine those interested in undertaking the work and are flexible to change and improvements.

Any potential contractor who might be interested in helping should please email info@ wimborneinbloom.org.uk so we can ensure you are on our contact list.

Anthony Oliver MBE Wimborne

Factoid Of The Fortnight

While many of us are glued to following England’s exploits at the FIFA Women’s World Cupone particularly important fan can claim a unique link to ‘the beautiful game’.

The oldest known surviving football dates from the 16th century, found at The Queen’s Chamber in Stirling Castle, Scotland. And who should have been visiting Stirling Castle at around that time? The infant Queen Mary, better known as Mary, Queen of Scots.

So it turns out, the oldest known football may well have been owned by royalty.

The Queen was known to love her sports; golf and tennis to name but two.

She also had a liking to an extremely early form of football. Finding herself at Carlisle Castle after her loss at the Battle of Langside, she’d watch football matches played on the green.

And it is quite possible she watched the first ever footballing encounter between Auld Enemy rivals, England and Scotland.

The royal link with football continues today with William, Prince of Wales, the president of the Football Association.

Thank you so much for help

More than seven weeks ago I fell over at the end of Station Road in Wimborne and broke my hip.

As I lay in the middle of the road a lady from the NHS who happenened to be passing by stopped and shielded me from the traffic and took care of all the arrangements to get me to hospital, meanwhile a young man stood between me and the sun and acted as a sunshield. What thoughtfulness. Through the New Stour & Avon newspaper I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for their humanitarianism and to say that I am in the process of running in a brand new hip.

Dave Tulk Wimborne

Put panels on the rooftops

On reading the July 28 political roundup, Greg states that Labour wants to see more solar farms in the countryside and I personally vehemently disagree with this. As I look at industrial units, supermarkets and new housing estates I am dismayed that the roofs of these buildings are not covered in solar panels. Why is this not the case ?

There are thousands of acres of uninhabited roof area, the fact that the panels stand off the roof would give shade to the building and offset its energy useage to boot. If energy companies want to provide solar energy (a good thing) then surely this would be better than raping the already overburdened countryside.

Paul Hockey Verwood