The Purbeck Gazette - Issue 333

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Town backs skatepark with £20,000 donation

A PROJECT to rebuild Swanage Skatepark has received a £20,000 donation from Swanage Town Council.

The council has committed a further £20,000 to the skatepark from the 2025/26 budget, following on from a £15,000 donation from the 2024/25 budget.

The team behind the Swanage Skatepark Community Project (SSCP) said: “Over the past 1.5 years members of our

programme were filmed, all still available on BBC iPlayer.

“It’s got everything,” said Mr Packham, speaking about the nature reserve.

“It’s got broadleaf woodland, pine woodland, heathland, and grassland, and then – of course – it’s got Poole Harbour with its salt marsh and mud and everything else, Brownsea Island and its lagoon.

team have been working with councillors to raise the profile of our project and communicate the benefits.

“We regularly attend and participate in meetings representing the interests of

Swanage Skatepark users.

“We’re thrilled that councillors have listened to our community and understand the positive impact a skatepark has on our town.”

£81,000 has now been raised for the first phase of the project, and the group is now working with Swanage Town Council to finalise a tender document so park builders can apply to complete the work.

A SSCP spokesperson added: “Once we have a timeline finalised, we will share the details!

“Importantly, there will be an opportunity for local skatepark users to review and share feedback on the phase 1 design during this process.”

SSCP is looking to raise enough money to improve the site after ramps were removed for resurfacing works in 2023.

The town council, which had plans for the skatepark, stepped back to allow SSCP to take the lead and has supported it along the way.

Four episodes of the

“It’s an incredibly diverse range of habitats with a great range of species.”

THE hosts of television nature show Winterwatch, Michaela Strachan, Chris Packham and Iolo Williams – pictured – were at RSPB Arne towards the end of last month.

Swanage Skatepark Community Project also received £15,000 from the council last year PHOTO: SSCP

HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition calling for the restoration of services at Swanage and Wareham community hospitals.

The campaign, launched by Swanage town councillor Debby Monkhouse and supported by South Dorset MP Lloyd Hatton, is calling for the chemotherapy clinic in Wareham, closed in 2023, and the rheumatology clinic in Swanage, to be restored.

The campaign has several urgent asks and is calling in the

MP gets clued up on work of Salvation Army Campaign calls for chemo unit’s return

THE Salvation Army in Wimborne has welcomed Vikki Slade, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, to find out about how the church and charity supports the local community.

Wimborne Salvation Army brings local people together through its Sunday church services and coffee mornings, and a parent and toddler group for those caring for pre-school children.

Local people in need can get help through its food bank and emergency relief.

And, once a month, the church transforms into a

Renters Reform Bill seminars

PROPERTY services firm

Symonds & Sampson is inviting past, present and future

longer term for more services to be delivered in a community hospital setting.

The petition supporting the campaign has secured more than 2,000 signatures.

Mr Hatton, who has met local NHS bosses to push for action, said: “Patients face the unacceptable burden of travelling long distances to access chemotherapy.

“This is simply too far, particularly for those undergoing cancer treatment.

“I firmly believe that we

should deliver excellent healthcare on our doorstep, and not further and further up the road.

“Restoring the chemotherapy clinic in Wareham is essential as we bring healthcare back to our community hospitals.

“Working with Debby, I will continue to do everything I can to restore this clinic.”

The Labour MP championed the local community hospitals when he met Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, last year.

Following the meeting, he said: “I have made it clear that our community hospitals are an important local asset, where we can deliver excellent and accessible healthcare.

“I’m pleased that the Secretary of State shares this outlook, and I look forward to working with him to support all our community hospitals.”

Cllr Monkhouse said: “We have been out campaigning to restore vital services at our community hospitals.

“Our petition has already secured more than 2,000 signatures and has a range of objectives, including calling for the chemotherapy clinic in Wareham and the rheumatology clinic in Swanage to be restored.

“Thank you to everyone who has already signed our petition.”

barbershop as a local hairdresser gives free haircuts to people experiencing homelessness or poverty.

Vikki said: “It was a pleasure to meet with Major Denise and listen to her talk so passionately about the work the Salvation Army do to support the most vulnerable in our community, including the brilliant monthly barbershop and offer of food assistance.

“As someone equally dedicated to championing our community, I look forward to exploring ways we can work together to the benefit of the residents of Wimborne.”

landlords to seminars in Dorchester and Shaftesbury ahead of the incoming Renters Reform Bill.

The bill has caused concern among landlords and the seminar will try to predict its impact on the private rental sector as it makes its way

Major Denise Cooper, divisional area officer for The Salvation Army in the Central Southern and Channel Islands Division, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Vikki to The Salvation Army Hall in Wimborne and discuss the positive impact of our services within the community.

“Although a smaller church in the region, we greatly

through parliament.

The free to attend events are at Shire Hall, Dorchester, on Thursday, February 27, 5pm7pm, and The Grosvenor Arms, Shaftesbury, on Wednesday, March 19, 5pm-7pm.

Rachael James, partner and head of Lettings, who has over

appreciate Vikki recognising us as a valuable partner as she commences her work in the constituency.

“It was an invaluable opportunity to discuss issues affecting our community and look at ways that local people can be helped, and how the various local organisations can do that by working together and pooling resources.”

30 years’ of experience in the subject, will invite discussion about the bill and current legislation, and take part in a question and answer session.

Anyone who would like to go along should register in advance by emailing enewman@ symondsandsampson.co.uk.

Vikki Slade, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, chats with Major Denise Cooper, divisional area officer for The Salvation Army

Gardens open for good cause

THE award-winning gardens at Athelhampton House, Dorchester, are set to open for the National Garden Scheme charity.

The 20-acre gardens surround the Tudor manor house and include the Great Court with its 12 giant yew topiary pyramids overlooked by two terraced pavilions.

The Grade I architectural garden is full of vistas with spectacular planting, ponds with fountains and has the River Piddle flowing past.

The gardens date from 1891 when Alfred Cart de Lafontaine purchased Athelhampton to create an Arts & Crafts style architectural garden.

It was designed by Francis Inigo Thomas and more than 40,000 tonnes of Hamstone were bought to the site.

The Hamstone ‘rooms’

feature contrasting planting that changes with the seasons.

Subsequent owners have left their own mark on the gardens, enlarging, refining and enhancing.

The gardens at Athelhampton House will open for the National Garden Scheme four times this year and for the first time on Thursday, March 20, from 10am-5pm.

Admission – garden only –is £12.50, children free –entrance fees will go to the National Garden Scheme charity. A wheelchair map to guide visitors around the gardens is available and dogs on short leads are welcome.

Coffee, lunches and afternoon tea will be on offer.

Tickets can be purchased on the day or in advance via www. ngs.org.uk.

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New flagship venue promises 150 jobs

A NEW restaurant and entertainment venue will open in Sandbanks this spring –bringing 150 jobs to Poole.

Hospitality and lifestyle firm, Rockwater, has confirmed the new venue – its third – in the Dorset hotspot.

Rockwater Sandbanks will be the brand’s largest venue, spanning two floors, with the firm promising panoramic views across the Jurassic Coast and an outdoor terrace.

A spokesperson said it will offer dining, socialising, wellness activities and entertainment.

Luke Davis, founder and chief executive of Rockwater, said: “We are incredibly excited to open our third Rockwater in 2025.

“Sandbanks will be our

A ‘Mayfair-quality menu by the beach’ will be offered by the restaurant and entertainment venue in Sandbakns when it opens this spring

flagship venue that will set a new standard for luxury coastal hospitality in the UK. Rockwater is more than just a venue, it’s a lifestyle.

“Just as we have achieved in

READER’S PICTURE

Branksome and Hove, our Sandbanks site will become a sought-after destination in the local area and hub for the community.

“Under our roof, guests will

enjoy everything from beachside gourmet dining to wellness classes and live music, bringing a hospitality experience that’s aligned with Sandbanks’ prestigious reputation.”

The picturesque views are central to Rockwater’s “unique food and drink offer that will boast two dining concepts under one roof”, the spokesperson added.

A fine dining experience will deliver a “Mayfair-quality menu by the beach”, while a Britishstyle “open flame cookery area will serve large cuts of fresh fish and meat”.

“A high-end cocktail bar, incorporating a retractable roof, will be located on the top floor offering amazing sea views,” they added.

The Sandbanks site will also house a central production kitchen that supports the company’s Dorset operation, producing bread, pastries, and sauces for a sister venue in Branksome and Rockwater’s takeaway shacks.

Snowdrops by the million at historic house

MILLIONS of snowdrops are beginning to bloom at the National Trust’s Kingston Lacy in Dorset.

Flowering between January and March, snowdrops are one of the first signs of life in gardens after the long winter months.

The grounds at Kingston Lacy have more than 40 varieties of snowdrop, with carpets of these delicate white flowers to see across the garden and estate.

Visitors can find

Victorian Fernery, where raised beds provide an opportunity to see the flowers up close.

More snowdrops can be spotted along Lady’s Walk, where Henrietta Bankes (1867-1953), a passionate horticulturalist, first had her gardener plant snowdrops in the early 1900s. Thanks to Henrietta’s foundational planting, Kingston Lacy is now well known for its spectacular snowdrop displays.

Sunday Roast

However,

from around the end of February in the 1950s to early January in the 1990s.

Today, some snowdrops are spotted in early December.

“This flowering season has certainly started earlier than usual,” said Andrew Hunt, head gardener at Kingston Lacy.

“It’s been a mild, wet winter, so we’ve seen our early snowdrops coming out before Christmas whereas even last year they were coming out two or three weeks later.”

on the way.

“Kingston Lacy has a particularly splendid display of more than six million bulbs that are always popular with visitors.”

Snowdrops aren’t the only attraction in the garden at Kingston Lacy at this time of year.

Winter-flowering cherries bloom in the Japanese garden and the first camellias begin to bloom.

Elsewhere, colourful

Roast

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Kingston Lacy’s grounds contain more than 40 varieties of snowdrop

Tree collections help hospice and the environment

LEWIS-MANNING Hospice

Care’s Christmas tree collection and recycling campaign has helped reduce 13,600kg of carbon dioxide through tree recycling and enabled the charity to provide essential well-being services to its patients.

Some 1,088 trees were collected from the BH1-BH23 postcode areas from January 9-11.

Vicki Gray, head of fundraising at Lewis-Manning Hospice Care, said: “We are incredibly proud of the

collective impact we’ve made together with another successful year of Christmas tree collections and recycling.

“It’s amazing to see how something as simple as recycling a Christmas tree can have such a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need.

“The funds raised through this eco-friendly campaign will directly benefit patients by funding 1,200 virtual exercise and well-being sessions, led by the charity’s occupational therapists.

“These sessions play a

Arms in Alderholt to the hospital where they handed over gifts to staff for the young people to open on Christmas Day.

crucial role in helping patients maintain an active lifestyle, stay connected with others, and improve their mental and physical health.”

The charity said the campaign’s success would not have been possible without the support of its charity partners, Stewarts Garden Centres, local businesses and the volunteers who collected the trees, hosted a chipping hub or provided a vehicle.

1,008 trees were collected for LewisManning Hospice Care, helping to reduce 13,600kg of CO2

BIG-HEARTED bikers brought festive cheer to young patients on Kingfisher Ward at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester in the run up to Christmas.

More than 50 riders in festive fancy dress took part in Dorset-based charity DocBike’s first ever Santa Toy Run.

They set off on the 35-mile

Tanya Wynyard, DocBike volunteer and landlady at The Churchill Arms, said: “I am overjoyed with the amount of support we received for DocBike’s first-ever Santa Toy Run, especially as the weather wasn’t on our side first thing that morning.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who generously donated gifts, got involved or helped to make the event possible.

“I would also like to extend

One volunteer, Ben Piling, said: “Building relationships with local charities and businesses and giving back to the community is a massive part of my job at Hilton Bournemouth.

“The Lewis Manning Christmas tree collection is an amazing idea and it was loads of fun to be involved in, all for a great cause!”

More than 50 DocBike bikers rode to Dorset County Hospital

staff at Kingfisher Ward for providing us with the opportunity to hold our new brand-new ride-out for the biker community to enjoy.”

DocBike puts highly two wheels to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the UK’s roads due to motorcycle collisions. It receives no government funding and relies entirely on

Town care home reopens after residents’ deaths

RESIDENTS have returned to a Swanage care home after the deaths of three people.

Two men aged 74 and 91 and an 86-year-old woman died at Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road on October 23.

Dorset Police previously said detectives were investigating potential carbon monoxide poisoning as the main line of enquiry.

The investigation into the deaths is ongoing and is expected to take several months.

A spokesperson for the care home, run by Agincare, said:

“All agencies involved, including Dorset Council, the Care Quality Commission and Public and Environmental Health Services, have agreed

The Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage was closed in October following the deaths of three elderly people

that residents can safely return to Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage, following the conclusion of health, safety and environmental checks.

“We continue to

communicate and work closely with residents and their families, and the return of residents will be carefully managed, with their welfare being a priority.

“The home has been a core part of Swanage for many years and we would like to thank everyone for their valuable support during this difficult time.

“Our thoughts remain with all residents, families and team members affected.”

A 60-year-old woman was initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, but she was released from the investigation without charge.

Dorset Police said families of the residents who died are being kept informed with any updates in the investigation.

THIS February, Durlston is hoping for slightly better weather than last month! January had packed a punch with the cold, wind and rain, and the rangers are hoping for some early signs of spring to give them time to dry out their coats and boots!

If the weather does stay a bit wet, then why not take shelter in the Fine Foundation Gallery? This February, Durlston’s in-house Durlston and the Sea exhibition will run from Thursday, February 6, to Sunday, March 9, daily from 10am-4pm – a great opportunity to find out about Durlston’s wildlife and history beneath the waves. Why not finish your visit with a quick brew in the Seventh Wave restaurant – it has a few offers in store as well as a Valentines’ menu!

The live guillemot camera in Durlston Castle’s reception is full of life at the moment, with the guillemots returning to their breeding ledges in preparation for breeding season. While out for a walk around the Clifftop trail, razorbills, fulmars and even a sighting of bottlenose dolphins could be in store.

Durlston is in full preparation for the February half-term, to welcome visitors during this school break. The Treemendous Trees Children’s Trail will be up and running daily from Wednesday,

February 12, to Wednesday, February 26, inviting families to learn more about Durlston’s woodlands and the trees in it. Trail packs are available for collection from the Castle reception. Then, during half-term, Durlston has some fantastic events to keep everyone occupied – Glass Engraving Workshop, Drawing Workshop with Madelaine Devenay, Wild Wednesdays and a Delinquent Dinosaur Kids Activity. Make sure to check out the Durlston website to see what else is on at www. durlston.co.uk/whats-on.

As well as workshops, Durlston also has a couple of guided walks to drop in for. On Thursday, February 6, head to the Castle reception for a free Castle Tour, to learn about the history of Durlston, Durlston Castle and the Great Globe.

Then on Sunday, February 9, why not join a Park to Pier guided walk. Meet at the Castle reception and enjoy a walk through the park and down to Swanage Pier to learn about Durlston and Swanage’s interesting history and geology. Finally, on Sunday, February 23, there’s a Rough Guide to Durlston guided walk from 11am-12.30pm. For more information on all events and guided walks make sure to visit www.durlston.co.uk/ whats-on.

Whatever your reason for visiting Durlston this February, we hope you enjoy it! For more information on events and more, visit the Durlston website, www. durlston.co.uk. Visit the Seventh Wave cafe website at www.seventhwaverestaurant. co.uk.

Durlston Country Park has a lot going on this month

Scooter needs a loving home

THE scars across Scooter’s nose and face tell the story of his difficult past – but he’s a sweet and shy dog who is ready for a fresh start, and a new best friend.

Lurcher cross Scooter arrived at the RSPCA’s Ashley Heath Animal Centre, in Dorset, last year, after being rescued by the charity’s Special Operations Unit as part of a wildlife crimes investigation.

The scars on his face suggest he has been used for hunting wild animals.

Thought to be around five, Scooter may have had a difficult past, but the staff have all fallen in love with his charm.

RSPCA Ashley Heath kennel supervisor, Nicola Anthony, said: “Don’t let Scooter’s scars fool you, this gentle giant is a

true gentleman who can be a little shy to start with, but soon lets you see his soft, friendly and affectionate side.

“While he’s a big, strong lad, he walks really nicely on the lead and is sociable with other dogs when he meets them out and about.

“As we believe he’s been used for hunting in the past, we’ll be looking for a home without cats or other small furry pets, but he could live with another dog, preferably a neutered female.

“He doesn’t want for much and really just needs love, a nice secure garden to enjoy and a large sofa to curl up on. He’s a real snuggle bug!”

Scooter would initially like owners who can provide him with company during the day,

while he settles in his new home, and who could then teach him that it’s okay being left alone.

The team feels he would be best suited to a home with older children.

To find out more about Scooter, visit his online profile or contact the Ashley Heath team on ashleyheath@rspca.org. uk.

Scars show Scooter’s tough past – but he’s a ‘softie’, say RSPCA staff

EVENTS IN SWANAGE 2025!

Swanage Railway - Spring Gala - Friday 28th March - Sunday 30th March

MARCH

Swanage Carnival Classic Motor Show - Sunday 27th April

Blues Festival, 29th Feb - 3rd March

Swanage Railway - Victorian Weekend, 22nd March - 24th March

Swanage Railway - Diesel Gala - Friday 9th May - Sunday 11th May

APRIL

Coastal Barbarians Rowing Regatta - Saturday 17th May

Carnival Classic Motor Show, 21st April

Pirate Festival - Saturday 24th May - Sunday 25th May

Coastal Barbarians Rowing Regatta, 27th April

Purbeck Art Weeks - Saturday 24th May - Sunday 8th June

MAY

Fairy Festival - Friday 30th May - Saturday 31st May

Swanage Railway - Diesel Gala, 10th May - 12th May

Pirate Festival, 25th May - 26th May

Sea Rowing Summer Regatta - Saturday 7th June

Purbeck Art Weeks, 25th May - 9th June

Fairy Festival, 31st May - 1st June

Sea Rowing Supervets Regatta - Sunday 8th June

JUNE

Fish & Food Festival - Saturday 21st June - Sunday 22nd June

Swanage Railway - ‘Roads to Rail’ - Friday 27th June - Sunday 29th June

Sea Rowing Regatta, 8th June

Fish Festival, 15th June - 16th June

Swanage Railway - ‘Roads to Rail’, 28th June - 30th June

Coastal Rowing Regatta - Saturday 5th July

Coastal Rowing Regatta, 29th June

JULY

Jazz Festival - Friday 11th July - Sunday 13th July

Jazz Festival, 12th July - 14th July

Wild Swimming Festival - Saturday 19th July - Sunday 20th July

Wilkswood Reggae Festival - Thursday 24th July - Sunday 27th July

The Wild Swimming Festival, 20th July - 21st July

SWANAGE CARNIVAL WEEK! 27th July - 3rd August

SWANAGE CARNIVAL WEEK! - Saturday 26th July - Saturday 2nd August

AUGUST

Rotary Summer Craft Fair & Fete, 8th August

Rotary Summer Craft Fair & Fete - Thursday 7th August

Lifeboat Week, 10th August - 18th August

Lifeboat Week - Saturday 9th August - Sunday 17th August

SISATA outdoor theatre - Peter Pan, 11th August - 12th August

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival - Thursday 14th August - Sunday 17th August

Music by the Sea, 31st August

Harmans Cross Field Day and Fayre - Monday 25th August

SEPTEMBER

Folk Festival, 6th September - 8th September

Folk Festival - Friday 5th September - Sunday 7th September

Swanage Railway - Classic Steam & Vehicles, 6th September - 8th September

Planet Purbeck Festival, 20th September - 22nd September

Swanage Railway - Classic Steam & Vehicles - Friday 5th September - Sunday 7th September

Planet Purbeck Festival - Saturday 20th September

OCTOBER

Blues & Roots Festival, 3rd October - 6th October

Supervets Rowing Regatta, 5th October

25th Swanage Blues Festival - Thursday 3rd October - Sunday 5th October

Purbeck Film Festival - Friday 17th October - Sunday 2nd November

Purbeck Film Festival, 18th October - 2nd November

CHRISTMAS IN SWANAGE

CHRISTMAS IN SWANAGE

Artisans on the Beach, November - December tbc

Artisans on the Beach - Saturday 22nd November - Sunday 14th December

Christmas Lights Switch on, 30th November

Christmas Lights Switch on - Saturday 29th November

Swanage Railway - Christmas Events, November - December tbc

Swanage Railway - Christmas Events - November - December tbc

Rotary Christmas Market, 7th December

Rotary Christmas Street Market - Saturday 6th December

The Boxing Day Dip! 26th December

The Boxing Day Dip! - Thursday 26th December

Information Centre / 01929 766018 / welcome@swanage.gov.uk

For more events throughout the year see our website ‘Visit Swanage’

‘Visit Swanage’

Top speaker at business innovation conference

BEST-SELLING

business author and noted entrepreneur Nicole Yershon will speak at a conference at the BattleLab at Dorset Innovation Park in Wool next week.

She will make the keynote address at the STRIDE Dorset Innovation for Business Conference, titled Making the Change for Tomorrow.

Nicole, who will be among a dozen top speakers at the free event, has spent nearly 30 years in the creative communication and innovation sector.

She headed the ‘future thinking’ unit of the Ogilvy & Mather Group – now part of WPP – and is the founder of The NYC, a global business inspiration business.

Nicole has worked with some of the world’s biggest marketing agencies as well as brands

including Amex, IBM, BP, London Business School, E&Y, Accenture, Pfizer, Great Western Railways, Go Compare, Unilever, BA and Whitbread.

She has also written the best-selling business book Rough Diamond: Turning Disruption into Advantage in Business and Life.

Jessica Dennis, who is coordinating the STRIDE Dorset conference, said: “Nicole is a superb speaker who will inform, inspire and entertain in equal measure.

“Confirming her at the conference was a real coup and delegates will learn a great deal from what she has to say.

“Alongside Nicole, we have a number of excellent speakers from different backgrounds and experiences – from the worlds

of academia through to digital innovation and finance.”

The conference on Wednesday, February 12, from 9am-4pm, is free and coffee, tea, biscuits and lunch will be on offer.

Anyone from a business in the Dorset Council area is welcome to attend but they must register first.

Other speakers so far confirmed are: John Acton –businessman who helped set up ‘peer2peer global’ to support business leaders; Professor Sam Medhat – chief executive of the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange; Tony Welch – South West regional manager of Innovate UK; Sam Baynham – Conex Portal; Professor Katharine Willis –associate Head of School (Research) for Art, Design and

Architecture and a Professor in Smart Cities and Communities, University of Plymouth; Brent Treloar – South West Innovation Fund; Rupert Lorraine –director of the Arts Institute, University of Plymouth; Paul Gilbert – Oxford Innovation Advice; Professor Mike Phillips – director of i-DAT and Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts, University of Plymouth; Mike Robertson – lead Product Development Consultant, STRIDE Dorset.

M argaret Green Animal Rescue

WHETHER you are thinking about Valentine’s Day, a birthday or another happy occasion, we may have just the thing for you...

Join us on our animal rescue journey, by sponsoring our dogs, cats or farmies from £5 a month!

Setting up a sponsorship for a loved one is a wonderful way

to treat a fellow animal lover, while making a ‘pawsitive’ difference to the many rescue animals we look after every year.

As costs soar and the number of animals requiring our support continues to rise, we need your help now, more than ever.

Even if you’re not looking

for a gift, sponsoring is a great opportunity to treat yourself and gives Margaret Green Animal Rescue a regular income, meaning we have the ability to forward plan.

In return for your monthly donation, you or your loved one will receive a yearly

update with stories about our rescue residents, and how your support has helped us to change their lives for the better.

To get started, please head to our website at www.mgar. org.uk/sponsorship for all the details.

Entrepreneur Nicole Yershon

Coast to coast on two wheels

DORSET and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA), which this year marks its 25th anniversary, is calling on supporters to saddle up for its annual Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge.

The event seeks to be fun and inclusive rather than competitive, with long and short routes both finishing at West Bay.

600 places are available for the event on Saturday, May 10, and entrants are asked to raise at least £50 in sponsorship.

The 55-mile challenge starts at Watchet Harbour in Somerset at 10.30am and features challenging climbs and thrilling descents. The 11-mile challenge starts at the Royal Oak pub in Drimpton at 2pm.

Both routes include pit stops with refreshments.

Alana Hardy, events officer

at the air ambulance, said: “Our Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge has become a firm favourite over the years and we’re so proud to see how it brings people together from all walks of life.

“Whether you take part as a challengWe, in memory of a loved one, or simply to support our charity, you’re helping to make a real difference.

“This year is extra special as we celebrate 25 years of saving lives. We can’t wait to welcome everyone, not just along the route, but also at the finish line in West Bay, where the atmosphere is always electric.

“Every mission we undertake is funded by you, so every pedal stroke and every pound raised will help us to be there today, tomorrow and for many years to come.”

Entry fees for the 55-mile route are £40 adults and £20 under-16s; and for the 11-mile route £20 adults and £10 under 16s. To sign up, visit www. dsairambulance.org.uk/c2c.

An opportunity has arisen for someone to join the team!

Full or part time (Over 18s only)

You don’t have the be to work at The Castle Inn but it helps! No experience necessary, just a friendly personality mad

Pay negotiable depending on experience.

Tel: 01929 480206 or call in and speak to Mike or Livvy.

Shield your home from Care Costs & Inheritance Tax with a Living Trust.

A Living Trust, is a legal arrangement that allows you to protect your assets, including your home, from care costs along with potential inheritance tax implications. Here are a few key points to consider:

1. Asset Protection: By transferring ownership of your home and other assets to a living trust, can help protect them from certain creditors and potential claims, including care costs.

2. Care Costs: Placing your main home into a living trust can ring fence the property from any potential future care costs. Thus, protecting your inheritance

3. Inheritance Tax Planning: A living trust can be part of an estate planning strategy to minimize inheritance tax liability. By placing assets into a trust, they can be excluded from your taxable estate upon your passing, potentially reducing the amount of inheritance tax your beneficiaries would owe.

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One of the advantages of a living trust is that it is reversable, meaning you can make changes to the trust or remove your home from the trust during your lifetime. This flexibility allows you to adapt to changing circumstances or wishes.

5. Trust Administration: When you establish a living trust, you typically designate yourself as the trustee alongside one to three other trustees. Thus, maintaining control over the assets and allowing you to continue using and managing them as you did before. Surviving trustees take over the administration of the trust upon your incapacity or death. The effectiveness of a living trust in achieving your specific goals will depend on your individual circumstances. Oakwood Wills offer a free consultation in the privacy of our own home. Tel 07832 331594 email: info@oakwoodwills. co.uk

Sport

Players prepare for new season

PLAYERS at Swanage Cricket Club are busy preparing for the new season.

Winter training sessions are in full swing at The Swanage School on Sunday afternoons and early evenings for all three sections of the club – adult, junior, and women and girls.

These sessions will run until the end of March/April when the club can move back into their state-of-the art new outdoor net facilities.

The sessions are all run by fully accredited, English Cricket Board coaches.

Following the recent release of fixtures for the forthcoming season, the club's four adult sides, four junior sides – Under

Swans defence stands firm

CRICKET RUGBY

9s/11s/13s and 15s – and the women and girls all now know their opening matches for the first weekend in May.

Mike Nash, press and media officer, added: “If anyone is interested in joining our long list of sponsors or playing for this welcoming, inclusive club, please do not hesitate to contact Tim Ives at timswanagecricket @gmail.com.”

Match of the day for care home residents

THREE residents of Upton Bay care home at Hamworthy enjoyed an outing to a football match at Poole Town FC.

They received club scarves, had tea and cupcakes and met some of the players before the nil-nil draw against Bracknell Town.

The trio returned to the hospitality lounge at the half-time break and after the final whistle voted for the player of the match, named as Harvey

Slade.

Ben Edgell, commercial manager at Poole Town FC, who looked after the residents on the day, said: “Poole Town FC were delighted to welcome Upton Bay Care home to our home game against Bracknell Town. The feedback has been brilliant and as a club supporting the local community is hugely important. We look forward to seeing you again soon.”

Corsham 6 Swanage & Wareham 12 by Ron Butler

SWANS went home with the win in the end in this fixture that had been re-arranged after being called off at the start of December.

The game was fairly even in the first half, but it was a different story in the second when Swans gave away too many penalties, some to dubious infringements.

Corsham were awarded a penalty, which they put over after seven minutes, after Swans knocked on in their 22, then infringed in the scrum.

Swans full back George Crouch caught the ball when a Corsham penalty did not find touch and went on a run, passed outside and received the ball back to go over for a try close to the posts. Fly-half Tom Munns added the extras.

Both sides had chances to score but the defences were dominant. Crouch had another great run after 30 minutes but he was tackled into touch five metres out, and Swans forwards repelled a Corsham catch/drive towards the end of the first half leaving Swans 7-3 ahead.

Early in the second half a penalty took Corsham into Swans 22 and with a tap-go nearly scored. Swans forwards

Swimming club open evening

PARENTS of budding swimmers and existing club members are invited to an open evening by Wareham & District Swimming Club this weekend.

The event at Allstars in Purbeck Sports Centre will allow visitors to meet and speak with committee members to find out more about how the club functions and share their views

held them up and a penalty to the visitors relieved the pressure.

Swans then gave away a series of penalties which left them penned in their own half but were immaculate in defence for about 25 minutes.

At scrums, scrum-half Olly Peters went round the back, harassing his opposite number, and when Corsham got the ball away, Swans backs tackled with man of the match, centre Matt Roberts, and Kali Nakokidi bringing their opposite numbers down.

Swans rarely had a chance to break out but the defence won the game for them.

A penalty on 70 minutes saw Swans clear their lines, taking them into the Corsham 22, and from a scrum wing forward Isei Melala powered over the try line to put Swans 12-3 ahead.

Corsham got another penalty from the restart but this time instead of trying to get past Swans defence they opted for a kick at goal, which was successful, leaving the final score Corsham 6 Swans 12.

Swans: George Crouch, Rory Ferguson, Kali Nasokidi, Matt Roberts, Ollie Dillon, Tom Munns, Ollie Peters, Tony Crouch, Jay Phillips, Nick Audley, Joe Towers, Kian Salina, Tom Holland, Isei Melala, George Slack, Steve Waterman, Meli Yawailag, Charlie Orchard.

and meet other parents.

A spokesperson for the club said: “The club is expanding fast and has made a remarkable recovery following Covid, but we want to continue to grow.

“All our sessions are structured around each swimmer and their individual ability, and are under the supervision of our highly qualified, experienced and motivated teaching and coaching team.”

The open evening is on Sunday, February 9, from 5pm-7pm, and parents can go along at any time.

Swanage CC’s pavilion

Melody, Ben Edgell, Poole Town FC commercial manager, Chloe, and Upton Bay care home residents Anita, Graham and David

Go Halves at Monkey World this half-term!

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Kid’s tickets are half price from 15th- 23rd February. Bring your little monkeys to the park and see over 230 rescued and endangered monkeys and apes!

Most primates have been rescued from unbelievable cruelty or neglect, but at Monkey World they can enjoy the company of their own kind in safe and natural living environments.

Combining fun with conservation, half hourly keeper Q&A’s are available to explain all about man’s closest living relative. Visitors can see the stars of TV’s ‘Monkey Life’, then ‘monkey around’ in the south’s largest Great Ape play area for children with its huge variety of swings, slides, and climbing frames.

During half term, there’s even more things for kids to do; from trails, crafts or fun in the activity centre, there’s plenty to keep your monkeys busy!

Make your day extra special by booking a tour- and if you fall in love with the primates- which you’re sure to do- you can “adopt” an ape or monkey to get a year’s entry pass!

Enjoy the special sanctuary for less this half term. Book online at www.monkeyworld.org

Letters

Small Injuries Unit helps after fall

AS walks leader of the weekly walking group for older people – www.wareham-walkers.org.uk – I recently became very concerned with the nonexistence of medical support in Wareham.

This was highlighted early in January when one of our male walkers, and at 93 our oldest, tripped on a tree root during our walk and landed on the ground with a lacerated right hand.

His hand was bandaged with a simple dressing on site, but the gentleman rightly wanted to get medical attention to stop the flow of blood and have antiseptic put on the wound.

He first went to a Wareham pharmacy which fixed him up with a better dressing, telling him to go to Wareham Surgery – he is registered with a doctor there – for a proper assessment and necessary treatment.

On arrival at Wareham Surgery, he was told that no one there could help with him as it did not deal with emergency cases – ‘go home and dial 111’ it said.

This he did and 111 directed him to the excellent Small Injuries Unit at Swanage Hospital, which, after some time getting there – he is partially sighted – gave him the attention he deserved.

It seems that professional medical attention after a fall is a postcode lottery – so be thankful if you are in the BH19 area and not in BH20.

John Hale Wareham

Another tragedy on Swanage beach…

THE deaths of five children on Swanage beach in 1955, covered in a story in the Purbeck Gazette’s January 6 edition about a memorial plaque, were not the only deaths there.

I have carried out extensive research about activities on

Studland and Swanage beaches during the Second World War. Both were heavily mined by the British Army in the early years of the war.

In September 1943, the 12th Field Company of the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE) were tasked with removing all the mines on Studland beach and the mines at the north end of Swanage beach ready for the beaches to be used for assault training by the British and Canadian armies preparing for D-Day.

The first exercise, planned in August 1943, was for the Canadian Army and named Magnum.

The exercise prescribed that Studland beach would be the main assault beach, and that the north end of Swanage beach would be for Commandos to assault the cliffs and capture Whitecliff Farm, an imaginary enemy headquarters, and other points in that area.

The Canadian Engineers finished clearing Studland beach of mines on September 18, and on September 19, Lieutenant MacInnes (RCE), with a team of sappers, started mine clearance in the Burlington Chine area at the north end of Swanage beach.

On September 20, disaster struck. At 9.05am, 24-year-old Canadian sapper Allan James Fry was killed when he accidentality triggered a mine at the north end of Swanage beach

The Purbeck Gazette reported on January 6 that Seb Warner is seeking to create a memorial plaque at Purbeck View for five schoolboys who died on Swanage Beach after an unexploded bomb detonated in 1955

PHOTO: Seb Warner

while clearing the mines.

An inquiry was carried out and the war diary of the Chief Engineers Branch HQ 1st Canadian Army reported that a landslip had covered and shifted the minefield.

A record of death by misadventure was given by the inquiry. Allan James Fry was buried at Brookwood War cemetery in Surrey.

As a consequence, a special mine detector, giving greater detection depth, was requested.

It duly arrived with a civilian specialist, and it reportedly worked very well.

In fact, the north end of the beach was not used by the Canadians as a training beach.

In early September 1943, Exercise Magnum was cancelled and renamed Exercise Pirate. Exercise Pirate took place in October 1943.

The only major difference I can find between the two exercise orders, is that Pirate and other Canadian exercise orders, did not use Swanage beach.

The RCE unit carrying out the clearance work had not been informed the beach work at Swanage was not required at that time.

Although the main part of Swanage beach was cleared of mines at the end of the war, I do not know if mine detection and clearance was again carried out at the north end.

Numerous landslips have

occurred in the area since and before the war.

Robin Richards Wareham

Use

of facilities at

Swanage Hospital

YOU may find it hard to believe this!

Someone I know is a kidney donor and undergoing numerous tests at various hospitals to assess his suitability to donate.

A lot of these tests can be performed at Swanage Medical Centre or at Swanage Hospital, but he is being informed that policy does not allow him to have them around the corner from where he lives.

He has spent many hours on journeys travelling to Poole and Dorchester Hospital to fulfil the requirements.

Swanage Hospital has a 24 hour BP machine but can only be used if he is under a cardiologist.

He thus must travel to Dorchester one day and then back the next day for a fiveminute procedure – surely policy needs to change and allow more usage of this equipment?

I am concerned that this may also discourage donors, plus add extra pressure on residents to travel to get this service.

There is also widespread concern that measures that deter local people from accessing services at Swanage Hospital has led to decline in take up of those services.

There has been a 30% decline in outpatient clinic appointments since 2017, when the Clinical Service Review promised ‘more services closer to home’.

There has also been a 20% decline in use of the minor injuries service since the hours have been cut and local people have been advised to call 111, often only to be told that ‘Swanage Hospital is not in the drop-down menu’.

Thelma Deacon (retired nurse) Via email

Lewis-Manning Christmas Tree Collection Campaign Reduces Over 13,000kg of CO2 and Supports Vital Well-being Care for Local Patients

Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s Christmas Tree Collection and Recycling Campaign has made a significant impact, not only helping to reduce 13,600kg of CO2 through tree recycling but also enabling the charity to provide essential well-being services to its patients. With 1,088 trees collected from the BH1 – BH23 postcode areas on 9th, 10th, and 11th January 2025, the initiative demonstrated the power of combining sustainability with community care.

Vicki Gray, Head of Fundraising at Lewis-Manning Hospice Care, said, “We are incredibly proud of the collective impact we’ve made together with another successful year of Christmas Tree collections and recycling. It’s amazing to see how something as simple as recycling a Christmas tree can have such a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need.”

MUDDY DOG DASH

“ The funds raised through this eco-friendly campaign will directly benefit patients by funding 1200 virtual exercise and well-being sessions, led by the charity’s Occupational Therapists. These sessions play a crucial role in helping patients maintain an active lifestyle, stay connected with others, and improve their mental and physical health.”

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors and Supporters

Upton Country Park, Poole

Saturday 29th March 11am - 3pm

The campaign’s success would not have been possible without the incredible support of our charity partners, Stewarts Garden Centres, local businesses, including Bournemouth Pier and the extraordinary team of volunteers who collected the trees, hosted a chipping hub or provided a vehicle. Lewis-Manning Hospice Care would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to the following:

Sponsors:

Katie Fox Estate Agents, Stewarts Garden Centres, United Taxis, Eco Sustainable Solutions

Business supporters:

Abacus Vehicle Hire, Asda, Care South, Compton Acres, Hall & Woodhouse, Harvest Fine Foods, Hill Osborne, Hilton Bournemouth, Howdens Insurance, JSR Tree Care, Mauveworx, Tesco, The Print Agency, TM Solutions, Tower Park Leisure Complex, Trethowans, Tru Talent, TWK Scaffolding, Upton Tree Specialists and finally, Lewis-Manning Hospice Care volunteers: Wil Suthers, Dave & Bev Colbert, Bernard Merna, Martin Hughes, Harry McAuley, Toby Serkovich and Harry Hudson.

Hilton Hotel volunteer, Ben Piling, concluded by sharing his enthusiasm for the campaign:

“Building relationships with local charities and businesses and giving back to the community is a massive part of my job at Hilton Bournemouth. The Lewis Manning Christmas tree collection is an amazing idea and it was loads of fun to be involved in, all for a great cause!”

Upton Country Park, Poole Saturday 29th March 11am - 3pm

Your Health Matters

Dorset HealthCare’s monthly round-up

Volunteers needed for stroke recovery trial

STROKE patients from Purbeck and the wider Dorset area are needed to take part in a ground-breaking clinical trial into a new treatment to strengthen arm and hand function.

The Triceps trial is testing whether a device which delivers electrical pulses to the brain via an earpiece can help people make a better recovery.

More than 100,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year, with a third of patients left with permanent weakness, and rehab can sometimes offer only limited help.

With Triceps, instead of an implant inserted under a general anaesthetic, brain

stimulation is triggered via a lightweight, wearable pacemaker-like device which connects to a wired earpiece. The stimulation will be automatically activated as the arm is moved during therapy and the connected earpiece gently tickles the ear, meaning people can access the treatment at home and without the need

for invasive surgery.

Triceps trial participant

Ian Odd with Lucy Haynes, an occupational therapist in the Stroke Unit Therapy Team

Patients have already been enrolled via two local NHS trusts – Dorset HealthCare and University Hospitals Dorset –but researchers need more people to come forward.

You can join the study up to 10 years after a stroke, and the trial is being run from locations in Dorchester, Bournemouth

and Sherborne.

Consultant stroke therapist

Dr Louise Johnson leads the study locally.

She said: “This is an exciting and promising trial and it’s unusual to be able to take part so long after having a stroke.

“I am confident there are plenty of people out there who are eligible and would want to play a role in improving stroke rehabilitation, so please do come forward.”

The £2 million trial is led by researchers in Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield and is running in 19 centres around the country.

To find out more about the trial and how you can get involved, please contact 01935 601454 or dhc.dorsetstrokeand neuroservice@nhs.net.

Recycling foil trays, sheet foil, and foil wrappers

Dorset Council can now accept the following foil items in your recycling containers:

Foil containers (e.g. pie trays, take-away trays)

Foil sheets (e.g. to cover food or wrap sandwiches)

Confectionary wrappings (e.g. Easter eggs, the inner wrappings of chocolate bars)

Foil lids (e.g. yoghurts, noodles)

We’d be very grateful if you could carry out these simple actions before recycling your foil items please:

- Wipe clean any sheet foil as best you can

- Rinse foil trays

- Scrunch sheet foil or wrappers into a ball approximately the side of a tennis ball

Some items that look like foil are joined with plastic or paper, and should not be placed in your recycling bin:

Crips packets

Branded wrappers for chocolate bars

Pet food pouches

Drink pouches

Butter wrappings

Blister pill packs

Not sure if it’s foil? Scrunch the foil in your hand. If it stays scrunched, it’s aluminium and can be recycled. If it springs back open, it’s film (or a

mixed material) and cannot go in your kerbside container. Please check local listings, including shops and supermarkets, for where non-foil items can be taken for recycling. Otherwise, please place these in your black bin/rubbish bag.

National Coastwatch

Weather and climate –what’s the difference?

AFTER stormy conditions at the end of 2024, the calm spell of weather we had in mid-January came as a pleasant surprise. Slight winds and calm seas saw our local fishing and angling boats out on the water and, while the lack of wind hasn’t favoured the sailors, we’ve seen lots of kayakers making their way past the Lookouts. A check on the camera we have on Swanage Pier even revealed divers making the most of the calm seas.

It was great to add a new boat to our list of regulars, with San Gina 3 making some appearances. San Gina 3 is the latest addition to Swanage Sea Fishing’s small fleet of angling charter boats and will join San Gina and Three Wishes as regular entries in our logbooks. We wish skipper, Tom Greasty, all success over the coming season – which, incidentally, is the 25th anniversary of Swanage Sea Fishing.

Swanage is a relatively small seaside town, but the maritimerelated industries play an important part in the life of our community. Fishing boats, angling boats, dive vessels and pleasure boats all contribute to making the town what it is. The current skippers of these boats are carrying on a long tradition that goes back generations and we’re proud to be the ‘eyes along the coast’ helping keep them safe. It’s heartening to know that our local lifeboat crew counts some of these local skippers on the crew – Tom Greasty from Swanage Sea Fishing, Phil Palmer from Pierhead Watersports and Bryan Jones from Swanage Boat Charters.

I’ve mentioned Tom’s 25th anniversary but 2025 also sees some other important milestones. Both NCI stations celebrate their 30th anniversary

by Nick Reed

this year, while our RNLI station celebrates its 150th anniversary – perhaps more about these in a later article!

AS a watchkeeper, and regular water user, checking the weather forecast has become second nature and sadly the calm spell that I talked about seems to be coming to an end. The Met Office long range forecast is indicating that the end of January and early February seems to be reverting to a rather unsettled and windy period. There’s also the strong possibility that there will be at least one named storm during this period. Indeed, as I write this article, I see there’s a Met Office yellow warning for Storm Éowyn. The good thing is that the temperatures will be slightly above normal. These forecasts are generated

factors such as temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and visibility and cloud cover, all things that watchkeepers make observations about every two hours. If you radioed in on Channel 65, we could provide you with our latest observations. Our two stations are only about five miles apart, but their locations often mean that the weather can be strikingly different.

Climate, on the other hand, is the long-term average of weather patterns in a particular region over a significant period, typically 30 years or more. It includes the same elements as weather but looks at the overall trends and variations. For example, while the weather might be rainy and cool on a particular day, the climate of that region might generally be classified as temperate with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers.

by the Met Office’s supercomputer in Exeter. This computing behemoth gathers data from all sources from local weather recordings taken by volunteers to complex satellite data to create a series of ‘what if’ situations. By analysing thousands of these permutations, it can generate a likely probability of what our weather is going to do. As with any probability-based situation there are always times when the most likely thing doesn’t happen, and we get a freak occurrence. However, we are now light years away from the forecasts produced by Admiral Fitzroy, that I talked about in last month’s article.

We seem to hear almost daily about our changing climate and it’s very easy to confuse climate with weather. Weather refers to the day-to-day atmospheric conditions in a specific place at a specific time. It includes

I’ve always found the analogy of a man walking his dog up a hill explains the difference well. The path the man takes represents the long-term trend of the climate. He steadily ascends, indicating a general movement in a certain direction over time. The dog, however, is not constrained to this path. It darts back and forth, sniffing trees, chasing squirrels and occasionally running in circles, symbolising the daily fluctuations of the weather. Despite the dog’s unpredictable movements, both the man and the dog are ultimately progressing up the hill, just as daily weather patterns contribute to long-term climate trends.

THE weather at New Year meant we cancelled the ‘Tea and Cakes’ at Peveril Point but we’re hoping to run a ‘replacement’ day on Sunday, February 16. Look out for the posters around town advertising it.

This is Swanage NCI and St Alban’s Head NCI making regular weather observations and listening on channel 65, NCI out.

Tom Greasty, of Swanage Sea Fishing, and his two sons, and – inset – his boat, San Gina 3 PHOTOS: Tom Greasty

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Specks (5)

Cache (4)

Sudoku 3D puzzle

Across

PLACE 1 to 9 once into every black-bordered 3x3 area as well as each of the 54 rows indicated by the coloured lines. Rows don’t cross the thick black lines.

7 Signify limits to deference by celebrity (6)

8 Boringly traditional feature of a town? (6)

9 A team of workers restricted measure of land (4)

10 Complete struggle with general survey (8)

Sudoku

11 Avoid leader somehow however it is done? (4,2,5)

14 A secure feature about Thomas in charge of college – and sort of timer (6,5)

KILLER Sudoku Pro

18 Boy with gall excitedly detaining lecturer all over the place (8)

Down

1 Drink taken by US singer and instructor

2 Chapter on poem in secret symbols? (4)

3 Film is seen in dull diversion (6)

4 A second cathedral city falling short too

5 Virus spread by woman staying alive (8)

6 Inexperienced environmentalist (5)

12 US lawyer cheers headquarters providing source of information? (8)

13 City hospital with long time to accept line rank (7)

19 One busy parking giving sound of horn (4)

20 Glittery decoration in metal a deception largely (6)

21 Choice draught initially switched (6)

Place numbers 1 to 9 once each into every row, column and bold-lined 3x3 box.

No digit may be repeated in any dash-lined cage, and all the digits in any cage must add up to the value shown in that cage.

15 Ale lately deprived of substance in a gentle way (6)

16 Anglican church only demolished in former island (6)

17 Very reticent type pens current demand

19 Club by hotel has washing facility? (4)

Battle on for chemotherapy clinic

IT has been a busy start to this year here in Purbeck.

I have two big campaigns that – with the help of our fantastic local community – I am determined to win –restoring the chemotherapy clinic at Wareham Community Hospital and opposing the proposed toll hike for the Studland-Sandbanks ferry service.

First, I will do everything I can to reopen the chemotherapy clinic in Wareham. I firmly believe that we need to deliver excellent healthcare on our doorstep, and not only further up the road. The Government is determined to deliver healthcare closer to the patient wherever possible, so it is just common sense that we restore this valued clinic.

I know that the Friends of Wareham Hospital have been pushing hard to restore this clinic for an incredibly long time also. We should all be grateful for their tireless work championing our community

hospital and advocating for patients.

The team of Labour town councillors in Swanage have also been campaigning night and day. Councillor Debby Monkhouse’s petition to restore the chemotherapy clinic – and other essential health services in Swanage and Wareham – has secured more than 2,350

signatures already. I encourage you to add your name, and you can find the online version of the petition on my Facebook page.

As part of our campaign, I have met local NHS bosses to push for action, underlining how important it is to deliver healthcare closer to home. I will keep up the pressure to restore

the clinic as soon as possible.

Second, I am challenging the unfair proposed toll hike for the Studland-Sandbanks ferry. As I have previously highlighted in the pages of the Purbeck Gazette, I believe that the proposals put forward by the Ferry Company are unfair and unaffordable.

To this end, I participated in the formal Inquiry to make the case for rejecting the toll hike. I made it abundantly clear to officials leading the Inquiry that commuters, patients and nature lovers should not bear the brunt of these costly and short-sighted proposals when simply trying to travel.

This ferry service is an essential transport link, it must remain affordable and accessible for everyone living on the Isle of Purbeck. I will continue to challenge the Ferry Company at every available opportunity.

LLOYD HATTON Labour MP for South Dorset

Nature and people must thrive together

DORSET and Purbeck have a special landscape. Its protected areas help to keep nature and human activities in balance. Groups like the RSPB, Dorset Wildlife Trust and National Trust run important projects like Wareham Arc to help nature recover and educate us on how the actions we take can impact the landscape.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Over the last 150 years, 85% of England’s heathland and 70% of its ancient woodlands have been lost. Only 15% of rivers are in good ecological condition. We need to act now to protect wildlife, fight climate change and fix these problems. In Dorset, nature is improving. But elsewhere, people do not have enough

access to green spaces, they do not hear the birds sing and they often also face more pollution and industrial activity – to provide for the rest of the nation – which harms their health and wellbeing.

Parliament recently debated the Climate and Nature Bill, led by Dr Roz Savage, Liberal Democrat MP for South Cotswolds. This bill aimed to turn environmental commitments already made into law and had support from across the political parties.

power as new sources of energy. Sadly, the Labour Government said its MPs would vote against the bill if it went to a vote.

To avoid losing progress, Dr Savage agreed to adjourn the debate and accept concessions.

I shared Dorset’s successes, like bringing bird species back to Poole Harbour. Edward Morello, MP for West Dorset, spoke about wave and tidal

Now, we will ensure the Government keeps its promises and considers nature in its policies.

I have also spoken in Parliament about trees being cut down in secret before planning applications are made.

This undermines efforts to plant more trees. I am working on a Bill to protect mature trees from this sort of environmental vandalism. I have also called for simple changes to planning

rules, like adding swift bricks, rooftop solar panels and better planting in new housing developments.

Nature and people must thrive together. We cannot survive without nature in the long run, but we also need decent homes, well-paid jobs and family farms now.

Everyone in Dorset can help by supporting local nature groups, standing up for sustainable development and making eco-friendly choices. Together, we can make Dorset a place where both nature and people can thrive, take responsibility for the environment now and not leave it to the next generation.

VIKKI SLADE

Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole

Vikki Slade

Labour MP Lloyd Hatton and Swanage town councillor Debby Monkhouse at Wareham Hospital

Restoring trust in the Conservatives

AS I write, the public inquiry into the application for greatly increased Sandbanks Ferry tolls is nearing its end. The stratagem to discourage attendance by Purbeck residents through holding the inquiry not in Purbeck but in Poole Port –difficult accessibility, minimal signage, parking £15 a day – appears to have worked, with a tiny sprinkling of public attendees each day amid a sea of empty chairs.

Yet the Inspector in charge would be much mistaken to draw the conclusion that ferry users are not, therefore, seriously concerned about the scale of the intended charges. Having the applicant select the venue is indeed like allowing one of the teams in the FA Cup final to decide where the match will be played. Meanwhile the single, short inquiry session held at Stoborough found about 50 Purbeck residents present.

A few months ago a punishing and unnecessarily harsh Labour Budget was followed by the election of Kemi Badenoch as Conservative leader. She has repeatedly got the better of Prime Minister Starmer in the House of Commons and has just made her first party political broadcast. Her achievement says much about the breadth and inclusivity of the Conservative Party, right up to its highest level. No other national political party in 2025 comes anywhere near having its fourth female and second ‘ethnic minority’ leader, yet her election has not been due at all to “affirmative action” or “positive discrimination”. She has this position solely on her own merits, by what she has said and done – not by any advantage accorded to some defined group

in the name of political correctness. This primacy of merit is surely the right way forward in politics and the principle behind selection that’s most in the public interest.

Kemi Badenoch has a long, repairing road to travel, but she has the virtues of determination to be honest with the electorate and to be frank about the last Government’s failings – this being essential for the rebuilding of the nation’s trust in Conservatives. It will be some time yet before her leadership can be properly evaluated, but her strong beliefs in freedom, the family, personal responsibility, equality under the law, the market economy and properly controlled borders stand her in good stead. I wish her every success.

I’ve been asked to justify my

claim in the last Purbeck Gazette that ‘leading’ questions featured in the public consultation preceding the 2019 merger of nine councils to form the Dorset and BCP ‘Unitaries’. Space precludes a full response, but here’s a tick-box example: “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the proposal to replace the nine existing councils with two new councils, in order to protect services as far as possible?” That’s a classic leading question which predictably gained positive ratings, but that only really means anything if the question’s last nine words had been omitted. If regurgitating this prevents a similar sham in a future consultation on the forthcoming ‘Devolution’ issue, it will have been worthwhile.

Councillor Bill Trite, Conservative – Dorset Council and Swanage Town Council

A Government defined by failure

DURING the last Conservative Government, Axel Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent Counter Terrorism programme not once, not twice, but three times. He was alleged to have been removed from the education system for bringing a knife into school, was convicted of a violent assault against a child at school and was found to have been in possession of a knife on at least 10 different occasions. Nothing was done.

He would go on to commit one of the worst acts of violence against children in our country's history and has pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls and trying to kill 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport on July 29. He was additionally charged on October 29 with the production of a biological toxin, namely ricin,

and possessing information, namely a pdf file entitled Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual.

Rudakubana is the product of a completely failed system.

A failed criminal justice system, a failed social service system and, above all else, a completely failed immigration and asylum system.

The tragic truth is that if we did not have a failed immigration/asylum system, Axel Rudakubana would never even have been in Britain.

We are now learning that Rudakubana's parents are reported to have left Rwanda in 2002, to come to Britain. What we are also learning, however, is that Alphonse Rudakubana

– father – is reported by The Guardian to have been an officer in the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) during the Rwandan Civil War/genocide. If that is the case, and we must establish the truth, why were they ever allowed to enter Britain? Let alone be granted leave to remain here. While clearly Rudakubana's case is of the most extreme in nature, these are not isolated failures within our system. In 2022, Bournemouth man Thomas Roberts, a qualified precision engineer, was stabbed to death by Afghan, Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai. Abdulrahimzai had already been convicted in absentia of two counts of murder in Serbia before being allowed to enter the country illegally via Poole Port,

pretending to be an unaccompanied 14-year-old. The same litany of failures present in the case of Rudakubana were present with Abdulrahimzai.

A complete failure by the judicial system to have a zero tolerance to the carrying of knives, repeated failures by social services to take the necessary measures despite multiple opportunities, but above all else, a complete failure at our borders.

We need to have a radical change to both our immigration and asylum systems. We have to stop allowing our country's borders to be run through the prism of left-wing human rights lawyers and instead exclusively focus on the future safety of our children and wider country.

THOMAS GARGRAVE

Chair, South Dorset Constituency, Reform UK

Bill Trite

Thomas Gargrave

Telling It Like It Is

Ferry inquiry proves a hard listen

AREMINDER that the public inquiry to determine proposed price increases for the Sandbanks Ferry has just taken place. It ran over six days from Tuesday to Wednesday, January 21-29. An evening session was held on Wednesday, January 22, at 6.30pm in the Springfield Country Hotel in Wareham. The proceedings were live-streamed on YouTube and are still available to watch at https:// www.youtube.com/@ SandbanksMotorFerry. Which I tried.

Regular readers will know I have a soft spot for the ferry – I use it whenever I can, bought season tickets, always express support in my Purbeck Gazette articles and on Facebook. I have studied the accounts, understand the commercial reasons behind this proposal and have already expressed the opinion that if I were a director or shareholder of a venture that paid no salary and no dividends over a prolonged period, and if I were subject to the current level of vilification on social media, I would be very much inclined to kick the whole thing into touch and let critics sort it out for themselves. The bridge builders. The tunnellers. And all those who throw mud for the sake of trying to recreate a silk purse out of a rusty sow’s ear.

by David Hollister

I put aside several days to study the YouTube stream. I have a reasonably up to date computer with a decent sound system attached. So yes, I tried. I wasted an hour going through the YouTube streams and came to the conclusion that maybe the organisers didn’t want members of the public tuning in, to the point where they were able to make any sense of if whatsoever. The rotten acoustics of the venue did not lend themselves to clarity and gave away the fact that the anticipated horde of objectors did not turn up. I know the acoustics of an almost-empty hall when I hear them. After all, I played in rock bands for many years, usually to audiences of under 20 people who had probably come in out of the rain.

So who went? Did you? Was it really as empty as the YouTube stream suggested? Drop me an e-mail and tell me that I’m wrong! And apart from the fact that the inquiry was held in a venue that very few of the objectors could get to, including myself, convince me that I’d have benefited and picked out salient facts from this ‘presentation’. Free ferry ticket or not. Sat-nav or not.

Okay, I’m sorry to say that the change of venue appears to

have had nothing to do with the inadequacies of The Mowlem and everything to do with convincing the Inspector that very few people cared enough to turn up and make their points, as witnessed by the apparent mass unanimous absence. The Inspector was parachuted in at the last minute to cover a colleague’s absence due to sickness. Really? The quality of the YouTube ‘streaming’ was clearly not checked properly before the mikes had been switched on – or maybe they were depending on die-hard protestors – like me – giving up?

To a cynic, like me, it seems they were doing their very best to keep it low-key in no-one’s best interests but their own. Maybe if minutes are published they will be made available to us all and I will find some gems to reassure myself that I’m wrong – I have been wrong before and will no doubt be wrong again!

SO sad to see so many lovely places closing down. Tawnys. The Pink Goat. The Halfway Inn. We didn’t go often enough and clearly neither did anyone else.

How anyone but a total idiot think that running a pub owned and controlled by a brewery can be profitable to anyone but said brewery? Halfway Inn – a delightful place to be, especially in the summer, although realistically not available if you want to go by car and have a drink or two with your meal, and if you have not only a minimum investment of £50,000 but also can stump up £65,500 rent each year to the brewery for your turnoverrelated rent. That’s £180 a day, rain or shine, even if no-one comes in. Which, in November, January and February seems generally to be the case. Plus, of course, rates, insurance, wages, prime costs.

In my time as a practising accountant I have acted for a brewery-controlled pub and watched my clients sinking under the sheer weight of rent

and overheads. And the most recent attempts by ‘Rachel From Accounts’ to impose not only a minimum wage but also a vast increase in ‘Employers’ NI’ are not going to help. So, let’s support our local pubs while we can because after April 1, they are going to go down like skittles and by next Christmas a good number will have thrown in the towel and left the business. It is hoped escaping to warmer climes with bags full of such petty cash that remains to them. Obviously, one has to assume that before said escape, they will have settled their VAT, PAYE, insurance premiums, rent and payments to the brewery etc. And, of course, looked after their staff. This awful mess isn’t the staff’s fault and they don’t deserve to suffer.

SWANAGE Town Council and Dorset Council have been working together to develop a scheme aimed at improving pedestrian safety at Station Approach and have now shared details about these upcoming works. These changes will ‘enhance accessibility and safety’ for everyone using this area.

They will narrow the exit from Station Approach to slow traffic and discourage vehicles from entering via the roundabout. Naturally, the existing ‘no entry’ signs will be ignored. They will also upgrade the pedestrian crossing with coloured surfacing and tactile paving to increase driver awareness; create a coloured, continuous footway across the Co-op entrance/exit, giving pedestrians priority; widen the pavement in front of the Station loading bay to keep pedestrians out of the road; raise the disabled bays to footway level for better access to the health centre; and resurface the area, refreshing and re-installing road markings.

Working hours will be nightly from 10pm to 6am, Monday to Friday. The only thing that their press release hasn’t mentioned is the cost…

Meditations in nature: The twilight ritual

by Susanna Curtin

JANUARY has disappeared in a kaleidoscope of winter weather.

There have been cold sunny days, ice, wind, rain and a humdrum of anti-cyclonic grey. But also cosy nights and plenty of time for recollections, reflections and planning the year ahead. Now, as we turn the page into February, the border month between winter and spring, there is much to enjoy in nature. Not least the swathes of snowdrops, the catkins and the return of the light which increases from three and a half minutes each day to just under four minutes by the end of the month. Light gives birth to new life as buds begin to swell, and bulbs push further out of the ground. As Gertrude Jekyll, the famous garden designer said: “There is always in February, some or one day at least, when one smells the yet distant, but surely coming, summer.”

Already, the birds are beginning to pair up, some have begun to look for nest sites, badgers are giving birth to young in their underground hideaways and the great crested newts have returned to my pond.

Although I love the spontaneity that life offers and the chance for adventures, I am also a creature of habit. One of my regular joys is to watch the light slowly disappear at the end of the day, particularly that liminal time between sunset and twilight, for during this time my garden is a hive of last-minute activity. With my binoculars by my side and a cup of tea, I am sitting beside my patio doors as I watch a swarm of goldfinch

disappear over the hedge, followed by the regular mob of long-tailed tits taking their place on the feeders. They don’t stay long – they quickly twitter and flick around my garden before flying off to their next feeding station or roost.

A moment of stillness, and then the only birds to be seen are a pair of robins, two blackbirds, blue and great tits, and a single wren who, like a tiny mouse, is frantically in out of the flowers and foliage of my winter pots looking for small grubs and insects. But it is always the blue tits that steal my attention at this time of day. I remember when I was in my 20s and we were renovating our first house, there was an old swing in the garden with a hollow steel tube at the top. We used to watch a blue tit squeeze into this rusty cavity at the end of each day. Unfortunately, the time came when the swing had to go. That night we watched this poor bemused bird as he looked for his roost and felt an enormous pang of guilt as we had rendered him homeless. Since then, I have ensured that there are numerous boxes up for them to roost in.

Blue tits are by far the most common species of tit in the UK. We have about 3.6 million breeding pairs but in the winter these are joined by an influx of European birds boosting their numbers to nearly 15 million. They are highly active birds who often seek the company of other species of tit. Their favourite food is insects, but they also enjoy nuts and seeds. The blue tits that nest here tend to stay relatively close to the area in which they were born

Health & Wellbeing

and generally have a lifespan of three years. They are one of the easiest birds to encourage to nest in a garden. They usually start to pair up and look for a nest site in February –something I look forward to. But at the moment, two of my nest boxes are being used as a winter roost, and this is what I am waiting for now, to see them safely in for the night.

They, too, are creatures of habit, but roosting times tend to depend on light levels and weather and can vary by 20 minutes or so. Their behaviour before bedtime is quite intriguing. It is always the same. It begins with a feed and then a fly around the block with their ‘friends’, and then a return to the apple tree where they sit and prune, and nervously look around for danger, wiping their beaks on twigs. Eventually, they fly towards their individual nest box. They either enter

immediately or hang around for a while still checking for any disturbance. Then, in a blink of an eye, they are in.

I can’t quite explain my fascination and wonder at this moment. There is the joy that I have provided a safe haven for this tiny bird as well as the quiet, thinking time that sitting and watching nature provides. But for me, it is more profound than that. It is an insight into the life of another living creature, and an understanding and a connectedness to nature. What strikes me the most, as I retreat from the window, are the similarities between us and them – the full stomach, the bedtime routine, the need for safety, shelter and security before we can finally withdraw from our surrounds and sink into a peaceful sleep until the sun rises on a new day.

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

Blue tits are by far the most common species of tit in the UK

Health & Wellbeing

Connection in the midst of chaos: Maintaining intimacy for busy couples

by Danielle Goshawk

IN a fast-paced world, work deadlines, family responsibilities and the constant demands of daily life often leave little room for intimacy. For busy couples, finding moments of connection can feel like yet another item on an already overwhelming to do list. But connection doesn’t have to be elaborate, time consuming or picture perfect. What matters most is the intention behind your efforts, not the scale of your gestures.

As a relationship therapist, I’ve seen how small, thoughtful actions between partners can make a meaningful impact. If your days are packed and time feels scarce, here are some ways to nurture your connection and prioritise intimacy, even when life feels chaotic.

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Release yourself from the pressure to make your quality time look a certain way

Connection doesn’t require hours of planning or elaborate dates. Focus instead on creating moments that feel authentic to your relationship. Perhaps that’s sharing a quiet cup of coffee in the morning, exchanging a meaningful text during the workday or sitting in comfortable silence together after a long day. Make time, no matter how small

EVEN 15 minutes of uninterrupted connection can make a difference. Schedule a short ‘mini-date’ into your day – whether that’s taking a walk together, sitting down for a meal or cuddling on the sofa before bed. The key is to be fully present during these moments.

Put away your phones and let your partner feel seen and valued.

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Offer meaningful actions WHEN time is limited, expressing love in ways that resonate most with your partner becomes even more impactful. If they value words of affirmation, leave them a thoughtful note. If they feel close through physical touch, take a few extra moments to hold their hand or offer a long hug. Small gestures tailored to their needs can strengthen your bond in profound ways. Plan for future connection IF your schedules truly don’t align, make a plan to spend intentional time together in the near future. Anticipation can be a source of connection in itself. Knowing you’ve carved out time – even if it’s weeks away – reminds both of you that your relationship is a priority.

Honour the effort FINALLY, celebrate the fact that you’re showing up for your relationship, even amid the chaos. Love isn’t about grand gestures – it’s about the quiet, consistent ways we say, “I see you, and you matter to me.” Connection doesn’t require perfection or endless hours of time. By creating intentional moments to nurture your relationship, even in the midst of chaos, you build a foundation of love and intimacy that carries you through life’s busiest times. n Danielle Goshawk is a counsellor working with adults and couples, based in Lytchett Matravers and online – www. acaciacounselling.net. She is also the co-founder of Dorset Employee Wellness Support which provides local businesses with counselling and wellness services – for more information email DorsetEWS@proton.me.

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Home Visits & Clinic Appointments

by Fiona Chapman

THE shortest day has come and gone, thank goodness, and now it will only get lighter and, eventually, we hope warmer and sunnier, although there is a long way to go before that happens.

January, February and March can be very difficult months to get through. I quite like January. We always do ‘dry January’. I feel a lot better and enjoy giving the body a bit of a detox not drinking anything, eating very healthily and, as a result, sleeping better. My husband endures January and loathes the whole process, finding it very boring and rather depressing. It is said that the third Monday in January is about the worst in the whole year – Christmas is over, New Year resolutions are broken, the days don’t seem any longer and it is dark, cold and work seems endless.

Many people suffer from Seasonal Adjustment Syndrome

or SAD. This is lack of sunlight and a depressive state caused by the season. It is possible to help yourself out of this. Going out each day, particularly in the morning, is great, and walking, getting the blood going, is very important.

A light box can help. Vitamin D and C and an immune and adaptogenic tonic such as Astragalus membranaceous, Eleutherococcus senticosus or Schisandra chinensis can strengthen the body and mind. Also, to directly help with the mood, you could try some Hypericum perforatum (St John’s Wort), Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) and Calendula officinalis (pot marigold) tea. All these are specific for SAD as they lift and calm the spirits as well as improve blood flow and generally help with digestion and the liver – a stagnated liver will cause depression.

Health & Wellbeing

It is a gentle, pleasant tea. Put a large, heaped dessert spoon in a tea pot – pour on boiling water and leave to steep in a tea-cosy for at least 10 minutes and drink three or four cups a day. It will make you feel lighter and more positive. (I was given a tea-cosy Christmas 2023 and I have used it solidly all year, the best present ever and wonderful for keeping herbal infusions as well as coffee warm).

Sleeping properly also helps with the mood – don’t eat too late, keep alcohol to a minimum or preferably none – alcohol is a depressant long term. Treat yourself kindly and don’t punish yourself for feeling low. Light – literally – is at the end of the tunnel.

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

Motoring

Jump in drug-drive road deaths

THE number of drivers killed in collisions in which the driver was under the influence of drugs has seen a 50% jump, says The AA Charitable Trust.

Between 2022 and 2023 drivers killed under the influence of drugs increased from 96 to 144 – the highest for five years.

The figures were revealed in the House of Lords by Transport Minister, Lord Hendy of

Richmond Hill, in response to a question from the Lord Bishop of St Albans.

Edmund King, director of The AA Trust, said: “Traditionally our safety message to drivers has always been ‘if you are going to drive, don’t drink and if you are going to drink, don’t drive’.

“But now it is essential to update that messaging to include drugs.

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“A startling 50% increase in drivers killed under the influence of drugs is extremely worrying.

“We don’t want drivers to be in any doubt – drink, drugs and driving do not mix.

“The police now have effective ways to test drivers for the presence of drugs at the roadside, but these figures show that too many drivers are dicing with drugs and death.

“Police now commonly use drug wipes known as ‘drugalysers’ at the roadside to check for cannabis and cocaine.

“The testing kit uses a mouth swab to check for the presence of drugs and a blue line appears if the person has taken them.

any accidental exposure, for example, from passive smoking.

The biggest risk when driving under the influence of drugs is the risk of causing a collision or deaths.

Driving under the influence of drugs can affect the ability to judge speed and distance, reaction and coordination skills, cause blurry or impaired vision, drowsiness, aggression, erratic behaviour, panic attacks and paranoia, hallucinations, nausea, dizziness and tremors. Drugs can also create a false confidence which can lead to an increase in risk-taking behaviour, which puts lives at risk.

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“We need drivers and their passengers to be well aware that drugs and driving don’t mix and when it comes to drugs or drink when driving, the best advice is none for the road.”

The police advise it is an offence to drive with any of 17 controlled drugs above a specified level in the blood. This includes illegal and legally prescribed drugs.

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Limits set for each drug are different, and for illegal drugs the limits set are extremely low. They are not zero to rule out

Penalties for driving while impaired by drugs, mean drivers can receive a criminal record, a maximum penalty of six months in prison, an unlimited fine, an automatic driving ban of at least one year – three years if convicted twice in 10 years, Other problems drug-drivers may face include endorsement on driving licences for 11 years, increased insurance premiums, if those convicted drive for work, the employer will see convictions on driving licences, and trouble travelling to some countries, including the USA.

Friends and family put in the hours with learners

SUPPORTIVE

friends

and family supervised an estimated five million hours of private practice for learner drivers in 2024.

One in 20 (6%) drivers said they had supervised a learner in 2024, according to a poll by the AA Driving School.

The average number of hours they each supervised was 25, making a combined grand total of 5,062,500 hours throughout 2024.

Half of these drivers (52%)

were parents supervising their own child; one in 10 (11%) were supervising their spouse or partner; and a fifth (20%) were people supervising another relative.

One in 10 (12%) were supervising a friend and 4% were helping a friend’s child. For most it was a positive experience with half (53%) saying they enjoyed the experience.

Only a fifth (21%) said they would not do it again.

Home & Garden

‘Superstar’ contains a deadly poison

by Sally Gregson HELLEBORES

are very special. They need to be planted where their glorious flowers will be seen in the middle of winter – in a spot that everyone passes on the way to the front door or even centre stage out of the main window, because hellebore flowers demand attention. They are the divas of the garden, and would be at any time of year, but especially in the depths of winter when there is little else to detract from their performance.

Having chosen a spot where

this superstar will be prominently visible, prepare the ground. Ideally, they prefer a little shade, the soil should be rich and fertile, and they are greedy. So, incorporate plenty of garden compost or wellrotted manure into the planting hole. Hellebores do not like ‘hot and dry’, so perhaps underneath a deciduous shrub or tree would provide shade in the heat of summer.

Dig a deep hole, at least twice the size of the present root-ball. Hellebores have very big root-systems that spread out

Hellebores –Queens of the winter garden

by Sally Gregson

JUST now our gardens are looking quiet, with only a few winter flowers braving the short, dark days. And of all the winter flowers, hellebores are perhaps the most gorgeous. That any flower chooses to perform at this dreary time of year is remarkable. That flamboyant hellebores burst into flower right now is exceptional. These days we are reaping the reward of decades of work to produce the sort of flowers that would grace any garden at any time of year, let alone in the middle of a cold, dark winter.

are totally hardy. Hellebores are the stars of winter. Hellebores are joyous.

Not only have breeders been working on different species, selecting forms that have beautiful foliage, but one or two specialists have also been selecting for form as well as flower colour. The bi-specific crosses are now available in subtle pinks and whites, that, as they mature, fade to burgundy, buff and cream. Their flowers will take centre stage for weeks until spring takes over.

Specialist nurseries and garden centres too are displaying some wonderful examples that have been encouraged into perfection under a little cold glass. But they are not flowering prematurely. The glass is merely protecting the flowers from the worst of the weather. Hellebores

very sizeably. Having planted it, water in the soil around the roots to ensure there are no air pockets and top-dress it with garden compost or well-rotted manure.

During the coming summer, try not to forget to water it during dry weather, and come December cut back the old leaves. This has two or three benefits. Firstly, it prevents the cross-infection of black-spot or any other fungal disease from the old plant to the newly emerging shoots. It prevents the plant from getting too tall and

Each is a ‘must-have’. It is well worth checking out the opening hours of the specialist nurseries online and making a trip to see their wares in the flesh.

So, if you are beginning to suffer from a surfeit of dull, winter days, gather up your pocket money, re-mortgage the house and give yourself a

leggy. And it stops naughty mice from nipping off the flower buds just as they are opening. Why this happens is quite a mystery. But they seem to enjoy flinging the flowers to their ladies, purely out of mischief. The flowers are not eaten. Indeed, hellebores contain a deadly poison which would kill a dog in 20 minutes. Do mice read the books?

So, enjoy them. Float the heads in a shallow bowl of water on the dining table. But don’t be tempted to nibble them!

special day looking at these beautiful hellebores. They will not disappoint.

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Antiques & Collectibles

Advertiser’s announcements

Pike could make a pretty penny

SPORTING & Natural History returns for another expedition into the natural world with Duke’s sale later this month.

Once again, the saleroom will be transformed into an emporium of curiosities showcasing a collection of rare fishing paraphernalia, taxidermy, sporting attire and a variety of wonders from the animal kingdom.

A highlight of the collection is a magnificent taxidermy of a pike by J Cooper & Sons, London, in an aquatic setting, mounted in a glazed bowfronted case with gilt inscription: 'Pike 20lbs. Caught by E. Smith on 24th September

1943. Jolly Anglers Association', 45cm x 120cm.

Eric Smith was a prolific angler from Peterborough who fished at many major fishing events from the 1940s to 1970s.

He won lots of trophies and medals for his achievements and was a long-standing member of the Jolly Anglers Association when he caught the pike.

The lot is estimated to fetch £800-£1,200 at the auction on Wednesday, February 26, at 10.30am.

To organise a free and confidential valuation with one of Duke’s specialists, email enquiries@dukes-auctions.com or phone 01305 265080.

Stylising antique jewellery

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

ONE of the many wonderful reasons to buy antique jewellery is that it can be stylised for a completely different purpose to look on trend today!

We recently acquired the delightful 9ct yellow gold stamp envelope, engraved with scrolls, that is pictured. These were designed originally to hold a postage stamp and be worn on a watch chain or chatelaine.

Today, it could be worn on a charm bracelet or pendant and contain a secret love message – ideal for a Valentine’s gift!

Likewise, seal fobs that were originally worn on a watch chain to balance out the weight, with the watch on one end and the fob on the other, could be worn on a neck chain as an unusual and eye-catching necklace.

The fobs, which may have

the original seal for imprinting on wax to seal letters, can be personalised with an engraving.

Any charm designed originally to be worn on a charm bracelet can be added to a chain for another meaningful necklace, particularly if the charm has a specific significance to the wearer, such as a horse-riding boot for an equestrian or a church for someone getting married.

Bar brooches, popular in the late Victorian, Georgian and Art Deco eras, were worn on a collar and have now been brought right into the 21st century by affixing to a ribbon that is threaded under the collar of a shirt which is buttoned fully up to the neck.

Long guard chains in gold or silver which used to hold pocket watches can now be seen wrapped around a wrist to give the impression of a very attractive stacking bracelet.

I love how antique jewellery will never go out of fashion!

Pike by J Cooper & Sons, London, estimated at £800-£1,200

Look closely and see the small but wonderful changes in the natural world

F ebruary is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March. –

Dr JR Stockton

by AJ Selby

WALK slowly, no, slower than that, or you will miss it. Stop. Yes, stop right there and look by your feet. What do you see? Just a clump of dead nettle stalks or maybe something else? Kneel down and observe – observe the first green shoots forming a crown around what was last year’s healthy plant, observe how much darker the young leaves are compared to the mature specimen. Can you identify the tiny leaves poking out of the damp earth? Tiny but unmistakeably nettle. And there are others, too, celandine and coltsfoot, and the first cowls of the arum lily ‘Lords and Ladies’.

The natural world has turned her face towards spring and this is a wonderful time of year to notice those small changes on our everyday walks. Stopping, rather than just walking, to your destination brings its own rewards and it will help sharpen up your observation as seeing one thing can often lead to another. Enjoy that clump of snowdrops underneath the hazel but look up and see the catkins dangling like their country name of ‘lamb’s tails’ from the bare branches. Look higher and watch the robin busying himself for a tasty meal.

There is so much to see, even though most of it needs a closer look, but it’s a good time to

learn about different plants or fungi that get missed when spring is in full flow. Take mosses and lichens, for example. A fascinating subject all its own but overlooked by many naturalists, lichens are everywhere and are not a single organism but ‘a stable symbiotic association between a fungus and algae and/or cyanobacteria’. That’s as technical as I am going to be, but if you are interested, it’s a huge subject with about 28,000 species globally.

Most people will see, but not notice, lichens on their daily walks. They can be little patches of orange or red – as well as green and grey – on walls and rocks as well as bark and branches of trees, both dead and alive. Ancient woodlands are a great place to see them, and as they are sensitive to pollution, they can be a good indicator of the health of a given area.

They grow very slowly –only one or two mm a year, and many species prefer alkaline conditions such as old bark. The Woodland Trust informs us that tree species such as ash have a high bark pH, and some 536 species are associated with ash. Personally, I love the bearded types that look like a Green Man has snagged his beard while passing through.

Mosses are equally interesting and differ from flowering plants in that they reproduce with spores. They love damp and dank conditions and much of our ancient forests

and temperate rainforests are rich with mosses and liverworts. There are about 1,000 species of both in the UK, but many are common and can be easily identified. From sphagnum moss to lawn moss and many others they all absorb water and create a humid environment for other species to flourish.

Many nature watchers look at the more easily identifiable species such as birds, mammals and the higher plants. However, the smaller things can often be the most interesting, and looking out for insects, butterfly lava and even smaller invertebrates, can reap rewards for the keen naturalist. As the old saying goes, “little bugs have lesser bugs upon their backs to bite ‘em, and lesser bugs have lesser bugs and so ad infinitum.” Go and explore the world of tiny creatures, as they are the base of the food chain for most of the higher species.

My favourite country film has now become an historical record although when it was filmed in 1974 it was a project to use unknown locals to portray life in a Suffolk village – part

documentary, part drama. Written by Ronald Blythe and directed by Sir Peter Hall, Akenfield tells the story of a lad who is about to bury his grandfather and needs to consider his future in the village and on the land. The film is told through the eyes of the grandfather as a voiceover, and he recounts his life in the village from a schoolboy before the First World War through to starting work on the local farm in pretty tough conditions.

The grandson is unsure if he wants the same sort of life and explores other options like emigrating to Canada. All the village characters are there, from old men to school kids, and there is so much social history to be seen in the film that it has become an important piece of 20th century village and farming life. The author, Ronald Blythe, passed away in 2023 aged 100 and lived an interesting and varied life. His biography, Blythe Spirit, has just been released and as I have been gifted a copy for Christmas, I am looking forward to reading it very soon.

Mosses love damp and dank conditions and reproduce with spores, unlike flowering plants. The UK has about 1,000 species

Celebrate Love this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and the Isle of Purbeck offers the perfect setting for a romantic celebration. Whether you’re planning an intimate evening or a day full of surprises, here are some ideas to make it truly special for your loved one.

Start the day with a coastal stroll

There’s nothing quite like walking hand-in-hand along the stunning Jurassic Coast. From the golden sands of Studland to the breathtaking views at Durlston Country Park, nature sets the scene for romance. Pack a flask of hot chocolate and enjoy a quiet moment together overlooking the sea.

Indulge in a cosy lunch or dinner

Surprise your special someone with a delightful meal at one of Purbeck’s charming pubs, restaurants, or cafes. Enjoy the warm, inviting atmosphere and menus crafted with locallysourced ingredients, perfect for creating unforgettable moments together.

Explore a hidden gem

Why not add a touch of adventure? Visit the historic ruins of Corfe Castle or wander through the quaint streets of Swanage. For something truly unique, take a ride on the Swanage Railway and enjoy picturesque views of the countryside.

Create a personal gesture

End the day with a heartfelt surprise. Whether it’s a handwritten love letter, a handmade gift, or simply sharing a moment watching the sunset at Old Harry Rocks, it’s the thought that counts.

This Valentine’s Day, why not celebration and create memories to treasure forever.

Tourism awards: The businesses in the running...

THE winners are set to be announced in this year’s Dorset Tourism Awards following five months of judging.

Businesses will find out if they have won gold, silver or bronze awards at a ceremony at Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth on Thursday (February 6).

A further two special awards will also be announced and 10 will be rewarded with Commended status.

The annual competition is now in its 12th year, with changes every year to categories and criteria.

This year’s awards see a return of the International Tourism category and a stronger focus on sustainability and accessibility.

Gold winners in some categories will be nominated to represent Dorset in the 2024/25 national VisitEngland Awards.

Awards organiser Robin Barker, of Services for Tourism, said: “Celebrating excellence is so important – to the winners themselves, to the staff who work there and to everyone in industry looking to the future.

“It is also important for Dorset in showcasing the county on the national and international stage. Congratulations to everyone involved.”

Award categories cover everything from dog friendly, new tourism business, and accessible and inclusive tourism to restaurants, glamping, hotels and pubs.

A Winner of Winners title, an Unsung Hero award and a special Outstanding Contribution award will also be presented on awards night. Finalists and commended (in alphabetical order).

n Accessible and Inclusive Tourism award sponsored by

Bournemouth University Business School. Finalists: Brownsea Island – National Trust, Poole; Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth; Studland Bay, National Trust, Studland.

n B&B and Guesthouse of the Year sponsored by Goadsby. Finalists: Channel View Guesthouse, Weymouth; The Gresham Guest House, Weymouth.

n Business Events Venue of the Year sponsored by sponsored by Saffery. Finalists: Lighthouse, Poole; Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth; Merley House Events, Wimborne. Commended: Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, Dorchester.

n Café/Tearoom of the Year sponsored by Clipper. Finalists: Compton Acres Café Tearooms, Poole; Garden Gate Tea Room, Wareham; The Upwey Wishing Well Tearoom and Water Gardens, Weymouth.

Wareham.

n Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award, sponsored by Voltshare. Finalists: Careys Secret Garden, Wareham; West Dorset Leisure Holidays Highlands End, Bridport. Commended: Sandford Holiday Park Parkdean Resorts, Poole. n Experience of the Year, sponsored by Les Enfants Terribles. Finalists: Osprey Cruises - Birds of Poole Harbour, Wareham; Alpaca Trekking Experience –Longthorns Farm, Wareham; Hidden Dorset Half Day - Sea Kayak Dorset, Portland; Yoga Retreats, Mellulah Therapy & Yoga Retreats, Blandford.

n Glamping Business of the Year sponsored by Anytime Booking. Finalists: Dorset Forest Garden Glamping, Beaminster; Longthorns Farm, Wareham; Loose Reins Dorset, Blandford Forum.

n Camping & Caravanning Park of the Year sponsored by Holidaymaker App. Finalists: Back of Beyond Touring, Camping & Glamping Park, St Leonards; Coppet Hill Partners, Bridport; Monkton Wyld Holiday Park, Bridport; South Lytchett Manor Caravan and Camping Park, Lytchett Minster.

n Casual Dining Award, sponsored by Dorset Food & Drink. Finalists: Poco Pizza, Lyme Regis; Sculpture by the Lakes, Pallington.

n Dog Friendly Business of the Year, sponsored by Polygon Pets. Finalists: Back of Beyond Touring, Camping & Glamping Park, St Leonards; Sculpture by the Lakes, Pallington. Commended: Lulworth Castle & Park,

Bournemouth. To be announced at the Awards event.

n Pub of the Year, sponsored by Black Cow Vodka. Finalists: The Acorn Inn, Dorchester; The Langton Arms, Blandford Forum.

n Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Winederful. Finalists: Al Molo, Dorchester; St Tropez Lounge, Poole; The Jetty, Christchurch; Upper Deck Restaurant, Christchurch.

n Self-catering Accommodation of the Year, sponsored by Quality in Tourism. Finalists: Greenwood Grange, Dorchester; Manor Farm Barns Dorset, Melbury Abbas; 2 Coastguards Cottage, Wareham.

n Small Hotel of the Year sponsored by Hospitality Assured. Finalists: To be announced at the Awards event.

n Holiday Park of the Year sponsored by Tozers. Finalists: To be announced at the awards event.

n International Tourism Award, sponsored by Dorset LEP. Finalists: To be announced at the Awards event.

n Large Hotel of the Year sponsored by Booking.com. Finalists: Christchurch Harbour Hotel, Christchurch; Moonfleet Manor Hotel, Weymouth. Commended: Holiday Inn, Bournemouth; RNLI College, Poole.

n Large Visitor Attraction of the Year sponsored by Resort Dorset. Finalists: Brownsea Island – National Trust, Poole; Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, Dorchester; Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park, Poole; Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, Ashley Heath. Commended: Nothe Fort (operated by Weymouth Civic Society), Weymouth; RussellCotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth.

n Outstanding contribution to Dorset Tourism, sponsored by NFU Mutual

n Small Visitor Attraction of the Year, sponsored by AGI. Finalists: Careys Secret Garden, Wareham; Highcliffe Castle, Highcliffe; Museum of East Dorset, Wimborne; Sculpture by the Lakes, Pallington. Commended: West Bay Discovery Centre, Bridport.

n Tourism Event/Festival of the Year, sponsored by Tomorrows Travel. Finalists: Arts by the Sea 2023, Bournemouth; Bournemouth Writing Festival 2024, Bournemouth; Inside Out Dorset 2023, Dorchester; Swanage Regatta & Carnival 2024, Swanage. Commended: Rang Barse: Colours over Corfe Castle 2024, Wareham.

n Unsung hero Award, sponsored by VisitDorset. Finalists: Jenny Ashley, Monkton Wyld Holiday Park, Bridport; Charlie Brazier, Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park, Poole.

n Wedding Venue of the Year, sponsored by The Little House Dorset. Finalists: Abbots Court, Blandford Forum; Highcliffe Castle, Highcliffe; Lulworth Castle & Park, Wareham. Commended: Merley House Events, Wimborne.

n Winner of Winners sponsored by Dorset LEP. To be announced at the awards event.

Classic car returns ‘home’

by editor@dorsetbiznews. co.uk

A CLASSIC car is back home at the dealership where it was first sold 76 years ago after a recent auction.

The 1949 Ford Anglia E494A, originally sold by Percy Hendy Ltd, was returned to the family-run Hendy Group after featuring in South Western Vehicle Auctions’ (SWVA) autumn classics auction in Poole last October.

Purchased for £319, 16s and 8d by its original owner, Mrs L Cull, the car came with a full suite of documentation –including registration papers, purchase invoice, warranty, official handbook, logbook and even correspondence with the dealership’s salesman.

The provenance caught the attention of the media, sparking interest from the Hendy family, who continue to operate more than 60 dealerships across the south of England.

Jo Legg, sales director for SWVA, said: “I received a call

from Rebecca Hendy, who had seen the article online and wanted to register interest in the auction.

“During our conversation, she shared fascinating stories about the Hendy family’s history, including how Percy Hendy established the UK’s first British Ford dealership in 1910 after being sent by his father to greet American business magnate Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company at Southampton docks.”

“This is a transformative opportunity for the newly merged college to innovate and expand options for learners and businesses alike,” he said.

Moved by the connection, Paul Hendy, now chief executive of the group, decided to participate in the auction.

by editor@dorsetbiznews. co.uk

WEYMOUTH and Kingston Maurward College has appointed Chris Evans as its new chair of governors.

The college, which formed via the merger of Weymouth College and Kingston Maurward College last August, also recently announced a new principal and chief executive in Kate Wills.

Chris comes to the new role following a long career in financial services across the UK, Europe and south-east Asia, having variously served as both chief executive and chair.

“I’m particularly inspired by Weymouth and Kingston Maurward College’s potential to contribute meaningfully to the regional economy by bridging skills gaps and introducing businesses to highly trained and relevant talent.

“Agriculture has always been close to my heart and, as someone from a fourthgeneration farming family, I’m proud to be part of an institution that not only provides education and skills training across a very diverse range of sectors, but that also supports the agricultural community that’s so important to the Dorset economy.”

Their successful bid brought the historic vehicle back into the Hendy fold.

Paul’s wife, Rebecca, who chairs the Hendy Foundation, added: “My husband represents the fifth generation of the Hendy family in the business, and our three children, the sixth generation, are all involved, too.

“When we learned about the car’s history, we knew it was something we had to pursue.

“The outpouring of support from friends and customers was heartwarming, and we’re thrilled to have secured this remarkable vehicle.

“After a service and valet, it looks spectacular once again.”

The 1949 Ford Anglia E494A is back with the Hendy dealership

Three to Tango

THREE musicians with a love of Argentine Tango music are set to take the audience in Langton Matravers on a journey from the backstreets of Buenos Aires to the salons of Paris.

Tango Calor were formed by bandoneonist Mirek Salmon in 2016 and feature guitar virtuoso Daryl Kellie and vocalist Jimi Can.

Mirek, a prominent member of Moscow Drug Club, has also performed with BBC orchestras, Welsh National Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others.

Daryl Kellie has been

described by Guitar World Magazine as ‘epic’, and Jimi Can is a consummate showman and key figure from Bristol’s burgeoning Afro-Cuban and Flamenco music scenes.

Together they have performed in arts centres, tango clubs and at festivals including WOMAD, and collaborated with orchestras to perform the works of Astor Piazzolla.

Tango Calor are at Langton Matravers Village Hall on Thursday (February 6); then Drimpton Village Hall on Friday (February 7) and Shillingstone Portman Hall on

School brings 80s classic film to stage

THE Swanage School’s production of Footloose is one of the highlights at The Mowlem in Swanage this month.

Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago, moves with his mother to the small town of Beaumont but finds himself at odds with the townsfolk when he gets there.

The Reverend Moore has banned dancing but with the

help of Ariel, the reverend’s daughter, and Willard, a country hick who becomes his best friend, he convinces the Reverend to let teenagers dance and in the process help the town heal from a tragedy that affected them all.

The show is peppered with pop classics such as Let’s Hear it for the Boy, Holding Out for a Hero and, of course, the title song, Footloose.

Saturday (February 8), all at 7.30pm.

Tango Calor are visiting Dorset with Dorset rural arts

The show is being staged on Thursday and Friday, February 27-28, and Saturday, March 1, at 7.30pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm.

The Importance of Being Ernest is being screened with National Theatre Live this month.

Three-time Olivier Awardwinner Sharon D Clarke is joined by Ncuti Gatwa – Doctor Who, Sex Education – in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy.

While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade.

Hoping to impress two

charity Artsreach and tickets and further information are available online at www. artsreach.co.uk.

eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.

Max Webster – Life of Pi – directs this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance, filmed live from the National Theatre in London.

The screening is on Thursday, February 20, at 7pm. Comedians Andrew White, Sally-Anne Hayward and Jarred Christmas are lined up to perform at the second Mowlem Comedy Club event on Wednesday, February 19, at 7pm.

And the monthly Jazz Night in The Studio will see The Véronique Joly Bossa Nova Trio perform on Saturday, February 22, at 7.30pm.

Taste for adventure

THRILLING adventure on the

big screen is promised when the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour visits Christchurch and Wimborne this week.

Two new collections of short films packed with extreme expeditions, intrepid characters and stunning cinematography will be screened.

Films will be shown at the Regent Centre in Christchurch on Wednesday (February 5) and the Tivoli Theatre in

Wimborne on Thursday (February 6).

Each event will also feature a free prize draw for outdoors goods from the tour’s partners.

Banff tour films are chosen from about 500 international entries into the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, held every November in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

For more information and to book tickets, visit www. banff-uk.com.

From 2 Legs Is 2 Easy PHOTO: Tamara Susa

Tango Calor are playing at Langton Matravers

Elvis played for laughs

RAUCOUS musical comedy promises to leave the audience in Studland all shook up when Elvis in Blue Hawaii comes to Dorset.

Elvis impersonator Joe Reeve stars in his version of the classic Elvis film Blue Hawaii, while his long-time tour manager, the inimitable Josephine Cunningham, keeps the show on the road.

The show is presented by the Spitz & Co theatre company, which has had previous sell-out tours of Gloriator, Gloria in The Mist and Les Gloriablès, with Dorset touring arts charity Artsreach.

Artsreach director, Kerry Bartlett, said: “Spitz & Co have built a reputation for creating funny, original shows, and our audiences have loved each of

their previous tours.

“I still remember the laughter in Winfrith following some of the most unbelievable and unexpected comedy moments in Les Gloriablès!”.

Elvis in Blue Hawaii is at the village halls in Studland on Wednesday (February 5); East Stour on Friday (February 7); and Wootton Fitzpaine on Sunday (February 9), all at 7.30pm.

Tickets and information about the show, recommended for ages eight-plus, are available online at www.artsreach.co.uk.

THE Johnny Cash Roadshow, now in its 20th year, is stopping off at The Regent in Christchurch this weekend.

The show is set on a Grand ‘Ole Opry-style stage and includes all the classics songs such as Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, Jackson and Hurt.

Tickets for the concert on Saturday (February 8), are priced £30 and are available from www.theregent.co.uk.

Spotlight Diary

MUSIC from the 1960s and 1970s created by the stars who inhabited Laurel Canyon, overlooking the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, is coming to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne.

The Lewes Music Group are presenting a two-part concert featuring all the songs from Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue, including Little Green, River, A Case of You and California, in the second half.

The six-piece band will perform songs by Neil Young, James Taylor, Carole King, Eagles and The Doors, among other Laurel Canyon musicians in the age of hippies and flower power, in the first half.

Joni Mitchell’s Blue: An Evening in Laurel Canyon is on Friday, February 7, at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £20 from the box office or £22 online –phone 01202 885566 or visit www.tivoliwimborne.co.uk.

Diary entries are £6 plus VAT per entry. The deadline for the February 17 issue is NOON on Friday, February 7. Call on 01963 400186 or email adverts@blackmorevale.net. Please call prior to attending events listed to ensure they are still on.

FEBRUARY 2025

TUESDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

19.30 WAREHAM CAMERA CLUB. Parish Hall 7:30pm Wareham unless on Zoom. Visitors welcome £3. Zoom link available from website 7th January. Members PDI Panels min ‘3 max’ 6 images with Title.14th Zoom – Danny Green – ‘Wild Taiga. 21st Practical Painting with Penny – Bring Camera’s & Tripods. 28th Speaker Richard Sheldrake ‘Penguin Bears and occasional Walrus’

19:30 COME AND SING WITH SWANAGE CHOIR the Belvedere Singers this spring. We rehearse every Tuesday from 7.30-9.30pm and start our new season on Tuesday 7th January at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 160 Victoria Avenue, Swanage BH19 1AZ. Come and try us out for two weeks on any Tuesday from 7th January onwards. There’s no obligation to join after the free trials. Also there are no auditions and there’s ample parking at the church! Contact Linda McMorrow on 07943 442919 for more information or check out our website www.belvedersingers.otg.uk

14.00 Every FRIDAY: 14:00-16:00 BINGO: CAREY HALL, MISTOVER ROAD, WAREHAM BH20 4BY

18.30 WHIST DRIVE at St Mary’s Church, Rectory Classroom, Swanage. Every Saturday. Tea and coffee provided. Very friendly group. Contact Richard: 01929 553516

Elvis in Blue Hawaii is at Studland Village Hall

Arts & Entertainment

PUPPETRY, fantastic facts, silly slapstick, crazy comedy and live music come together in a new show for all the family at The Mowlem in Swanage this February half-term.

Wonderful World sees Craig Johnson of Squashbox Theatre as an intrepid explorer in a

breathless race across the planet.

He needs to decipher clues left by his globe-trotting Great Aunt Gladys which could explain her mysterious disappearance.

Wonderful World crosses continents, encountering

strange and splendid creatures, meeting crazy characters and learning incredible facts about geography, ecosystems, climate, language and navigation along the way.

The show is at The Mowlem on Tuesday, February 18, at 11am.

Afterwards, children can take part in a puppet-making workshop and create articulated card puppets of animals from around the world – workshop places are limited. To find out more and book tickets, visit www.artsreach. co.uk.

The beat goes on: Young drummers set to do battle Continent-crossing fun for half-term

TEN young drummers are set to compete in the Zildjian Young Drummer of the Year 2025 competition at Lighthouse Poole.

The event, now in its 23rd year, has been staged at the venue since 2023 and is the idea

of professional drummer Mike Dolbear. He is best known for coordinating the Pandemonium Drummers – a 1,000-strong drum corps – as part of the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics.

SoundCellar’s Monthly Jazz Night

Saturday 22nd February 7:30 PM

Saturday 8th March 7:30 PM More dates TBC

In The Studio, Get more information via our website www.themowlem.com

The Swanage School Present

Footloose

The Swanage School are back in 2025 at The Mowlem with Footloose. After the success of a sell out show run of Matilda The Musical in 2024, we are expecting another sell out run of shows! Book your tickets to avoid disappointment!

Thursday 27th March 7:30 PM Friday 28th March 7:30 PM

Saturday 1st March 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM

“It’s a competition because there’s a winner, but it’s much more than that,” Mike said.

“It’s a full live show that celebrates the amazing musical creativity of young people in this country.

“You don’t need to know anything about drumming to get into it, any more than you need to know about dancing to watch Strictly.

“It’s a terrific atmosphere, there’s drama, great live music and a winner announced at the end.”

The judges are only revealed on the day but previous panels have included superstars such as Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Steve White (Style Council/Paul Weller), Cherisse Osei (Simple Minds), Sarah Jones (Harry Styles), Bill Bruford (Yes), comedian and drummer Al Murray and Eddy Thrower (Busted).

Previous winners have gone on to forge stellar careers in music – most notably perhaps Stormzy drummer Matty Brown – and last year’s winner, Jared Agyekum, hit the headlines when it was revealed he had never owned a drum kit.

“That was incredible,” said Mike. “John Stephans, the chief executive of Zildjian, who had come over to Lighthouse from the States to see the final, could not believe it when he won!

“The drumming community is not like any other band of musicians – you don’t get it with guitarists or singers – drummers are phenomenally supportive and inclusive.”

The finalists, all under 16, face three challenges – a two-minute drum solo, followed by their response to an original piece of music recorded for the final, before joining a band on stage and playing another original track they will have heard for the first time that day.

“For me, one of the most fascinating things is seeing how the different drummers interpret the original track they’re given to work on,” said Mike.

“All they have is a click track to guide them, but what they come up with differs wildly.

“This year’s finalists include an out-and-out rock fiend and a total jazz head, so their instincts couldn’t be more different.

“The UK has been at the forefront of musical creativity for 60 years or more and the Zildjian Young Drummer of the Year gives music fans their first glimpse of what the next generation looks like.”

Zildjian is the world’s oldest manufacturer of musical instruments.

The Young Drummer of the Year competition is on Sunday, February 16, at 2pm. For tickets and information visit www. lighthousepoole.co.uk or phone 01202 280000.

Last year’s winner, Jared Agyekum, had never owned a drum kit PHOTO: Dave Hughes

Hot stuff: Chilli festival sets out its stall

ORGANISERS of the Great Dorset Chilli Festival have announced the date for this year’s event – and two competitions.

The 14th chilli festival is returning to the Stock Gaylard Estate, near Sturminster Newton, on Saturday and Sunday, August 2-3.

The event promises what may be the largest selection of chilli sauce producers at any UK event, along with food, music, entertainment and competitions – as well as plenty of great flavours untouched by chilli, too.

The festival has also launched a chilli plant growing competition.

Chilli plants are fun and easy to grow and can look spectacular – and all the fruit can be eaten.

Anyone who would like to enter plants in the competition, to be judged on the Saturday of the festival, needs to sow them now to ensure ripe chilli fruit by August.

The competition has two classes. Class 1 is only for the chilli variety Bolivian Rainbow, a very hot and stunningly beautiful chilli plant.

The short bushy plants are ideal for growing in pots.

Class 2 is the open class into which any chilli plant can be entered.

Plants will be judged on appearance, development, condition and fruiting.

Commercial chilli seed grower Matt Simpson, of Simpson’s Seeds, will be the judge.

The winner of each chilli plant competition class will receive a £50 gift voucher from local cookware and gardening retailer, Harts of Stur, based in Sturminster Newton.

“It’s a level playing field and anyone could win,” said festival director, Miles Halton.

“And although it might help to have green fingers, sometimes complete beginners go home with a rosette.”

Sea Spring Seeds has supplied festival organisers with a limited supply of Bolivian Rainbow chilli seeds to give away.

For a copy of the rules and to claim seeds email info@ greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk.

Hartland Stud, Soldiers Road

BH20 5DU

Wareham

Dog friendly!

Varied menu from a breakfast bap with our own sausages to soups and casseroles or our ever popular quiches Coffees, teas and a generous selection of homemade cakes thekithcen.hartland@outlook.com Open Mon-Fri, 10-4

The Bolivian Rainbow chilli

J.A.

(Dorset) Ltd.

J.A.

Specialist in Purbeck Stone Walling Construction

(Dorset) Ltd.

(Dorset) Ltd.

Specialist in Purbeck Stone Walling, General Building, Extensions, Renovations, Roofing, New Builds and all types of Ground Work. Also available for Plumbing, Electrics & Carpentry.

General Building, Extensions, Renovations, Roofing, New Builds and all types of Ground Work. Also available for Plumbing, Electrics & Carpentry.

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Tel: 01929 554249 / Fax: 01929 552294

Specialist in Purbeck Stone Walling Construction General Building, Extensions, Renovations, Roofing, New Builds and all types of Ground Work. Also available for Plumbing, Electrics & Carpentry.

Mobile: 07973 388190

Tel: 01929 554249

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Fax: 01929 552294

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Tel: 01929 554249 Fax: 01929 552294

Mobile: 07973 388190

Mobile: 07973 388190

Mobile: 07973 388190

www.jaconstructiondorset.co.uk

www.jaconstructiondorset.co.uk

www.jaconstructiondorset.co.uk

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