Valley News June 2022

E E FR

Issue 180

June 2022

for Whitechurch, Whatcombe, Clenston, Stickland, Houghton, Turnworth & Milton Abbas

The Houghton May Queen arrives Picture: Rose Grant

Helping to inform and unite the Community

EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS

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EVENTS The Valley Gardening Club A Talk on The Bishops Palace Gardens, Wells by Head Gardener, James Cross

The Winterborne Stickland Solar Fund Committee would like to remind residents of Winterborne Stickland that funding is available for community projects.

Applications for funding should be emailed to sticklandsolarfund@yahoo.com Decisions are made every 2 months.

The basic criteria are that ideas should have benefit to the community. A committee of volunteers select successful projects.

Wednesday 15th June • 7.30pm Pamela Hambro Hall, Winterborne Stickland (DT11 0NT) Raffle • Refreshments Non-Members welcome - Entrance £3 UPCOMING EVENTS Sat 20th Aug Wed 21st Sep

SUMMER SHOW TALK: The Making of a New Public Garden Simon Goldsack (Holme for Gardens) Wed 16th Nov TALK: The History of Stewarts: 8 Generations, One Passion Martin Stewart (Stewarts Garden Centre) All talks approximately 75 minutes

sites.google.com/view/valleygardeningclub

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LiveWell Dorset As we turn our thoughts to the sunny summer months, perhaps we are also thinking about our weight and those extra pounds we may be carrying. If you're overweight or obese, losing weight can reduce your risk of developing some serious health problems. It can give you confidence to get active too.

Did you know that LiveWell Dorset can connect you with local services and offer 1:1 coaching to help you work through your challenges and build a healthy lifestyle that lasts. They can also pay for you to attend 12 x weekly group sessions at a local Slimming World or Weight Watchers group, with access to all the online and in-group information offered by your chosen provider.

For more information or to register for their support, please go to www.livewelldorset.co.uk or call 0800 840 1628.

Remember, you can always join and support the activities run by the surgery’s health champions , mentioned above, to help you achieve your goals.

Editorial This month sees the Jubilee celebrations come to fruition. Thanks must go to all those who have worked so hard to prepare for these. Let’s hope that the weather plays ball and everyone can enjoy whichever parts of them they take attend. It is yet another occasion when we appreciate that we are living in historic times - the first monarch to be celebrating being on the throne for 70 years - and as we live through it, we make our own memories as we do so. We will be happy to print a selection of photos of the events if they are sent in to our usual email address.

These celebrations take place at a time when we continue to see the horrors of the dreadful war which is continuing to cause death and destruction in Ukraine. It may seem like a world away, and leave us feeling somewhat helpless. It was great to read in this month’s magazine of the success of the May Queen event at Houghton this year, and the generosity of those who attended in raising the sum of £1000 to send to the Ukraine Appeal. That fundraising is a way of showing our support.

We can also show support to this Ukrainians who have been invited into homes in the Valley, and the families who have invited them and generously opened their doors to them. The trauma of all that they have been through cannot be overstated; what we can do is to make them welcome and show our appreciation to the host families. We hope all those involved in the process will find it a rewarding and enriching experience.

The Valley News Team

Milton Abbas Walking Group Come and join us! The aim of the group is to provide a regular, enjoyable activity for community, which has both social & health benefits.

There are so many health benefits to walking. Walking regularly can help you: • Improve your blood pressure, heart rate and lung function.

• Decrease feelings of loneliness and depression.

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Build stronger bones and muscles.

• Boost your self-esteem and mood naturally.

• Enhance your social life and your feelings of connectedness to others.

The group works as friends who walk together and invite others to join them. We are inviting you!

For more information, pick up a leaflet from the Milton Abbas Surgery

Milton Abbas Surgery Supporting Our Carers A carer is anyone who looks after a family member or friend who has a disability, mental or physical illness or who needs extra help as they grow older. Caring's impact on all aspects of life from relationships and health to finances and work can be significant. Whilst many feel that caring is one of the most important things they do, its challenges should not be underestimated. Caring without the right information and support can be tough. It is vitally important that we recognise the contribution carers make to their families and local communities, workplaces and society, and that they get the support they need.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a monumental impact on unpaid carers’ lives – not only because of the increased amount of care that many provided, but because of the far-reaching effect that providing this level of care has had on unpaid carers. Many people also took on new caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support.

They need to be recognised for the difficulties they are experiencing, respected for all they are doing, and provided with information, and given the support they need to care safely. So during Carers Week (6-12th June) in conjunction with Carers Support Dorset we are aiming to make caring Visible, Valued and Supported. For more information, advice & support contact our Carers Lead at the surgery, Kelly Best, and/or Carers Support Dorset on 0800 368 8349 www.carersupportdorset.co.uk Health Champions Our Health Champions are members of the community who voluntarily give of their time to work alongside us to develop new ways to meet the health needs of our local community, offering local activities to promote health and mental wellbeing.

Activities on offer so far are: Walking Group on Tuesday and Thursday mornings Line Dancing on a Monday afternoon at the Winterborne Whitechurch Village Hall Papercraft on a Wednesday afternoon at Luccombe Hub For more information about the above activities please pick up a leaflet from Reception in the surgery, or go to our Health Champions page on the surgery website www.masurgery.co.uk.

There is also our surgery allotment group that meets on Thursday mornings and is open to patients who feel that they would benefit from some time outside with nature and a little company. If you would like to join our allotment group, please let Reception know and they will pass your details on to Kelly our Social Prescriber. Alternatively, please send an email to miltonabbasssurgery@nhs.net for the attention of Kelly.

If you are interested in becoming a Health Champion with the surgery, please just let us know.

Winterborne Whitechurch Village Hall Here is an update on our lovely village hall. I hope you are all looking forward to our amazing Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. To celebrate this, we are having a Jubilee Knees Up on Friday 3rd June. It kicks off from 7.30pm, as a suggestion we were thinking of a red, white & blue dress theme, either just one colour or all three and a crown or tiara, of course this is optional. Our bar will be open, a selection of cocktails will be on offer. We will also have a table of nibbles from around Britain. Please do pop along for this celebration party if you can. Free Entry.

We also have printed Jubilee pictures in the library. Please help yourself, colour them in and pop them back to us and we will hang them up in our hall.

Some other events to look forward to are Bingo, cash, and prizes, on Sat 18th June. We have a Racenight on Sat 20th August and Steve Marks Live on 24th September, both these events will need to be booked.

Please see our website for details or contact us.

We are looking for a couple of new committee members. If you think this is something you would like to be a member of please get in contact.

New Age Kurling is on Thursdays at 10am, all welcome.

Crafty Natter is fortnightly, pop along with or without a craft, chat, drink tea, make friends. Learn to crochet, knit etc. we have crafters happy to show you how. Next sessions are 3rd, 17th June 1st, 15th, 29th July.

We still have a lot of maintenance work to carry out including a new fire exit pathway, new guttering, new entrance porch & front doors & a new arch window. If anyone is able to provide us with a quote for any of this work, please get in touch.

We have a lot of wonderful hirers, and we thank them for their continued support of our hall. These include Zumba, Tai Chi, Keep Fit, Disco Stretch & Flex, Pilates, and Puppy Training.

There is a new class in our hall, Chair Pilates, Wednesday, 10am, this is running straight after Mat Pilates at 9am. If you have difficulty getting down on the floor, please do give it a go, Steph is amazing. Please contact us or see our website for details.

Please see our new website for details of all events & activities. Our hall is a great venue for your private hire too.

100 Club Winning numbers: April: 11, 52, 91 May: 82, 26, 25 WWVH Committee info.wwvh@gmail.com www.wwvillagehall.com 4

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also form the basis of a ‘welcome pack’ to those that move into our lovely village and surrounding parish.

The Council is in the process lot aunching an email-based newsletter with details of planning applications, local news, clubs, events and matters of local interest.

Please sign up with the simple form on the website where residents will be able enter their email address (GDPR compliant) so can have easy access to the newsletter and local information and news. Go to www.winterbornestickland.org.uk/newsletter Please do sign up, so we can all benefit from better understanding of our community.

The Parish Council is keen to extend the coverage of the website with local and interesting information. If any residents have ideas on what we might include or have historical information, please do get in touch with the Parish Council by email wsticklandpc@gmail.com.

The next Parish Council meeting is on Monday 30th May at 19:30 in Pamela Hambro Hall. Be really good to see you.

More information can be found on the website www.winterbornestickland.org.uk

Winterborne Stickland Parish Council There are currently 3 Parish Councillor vacancies on the Stickland Parish Council. A resident attended the last Council meeting to observe proceedings, with a view to joining the PC as a Councillor. If a resident is interested in discussing being a Councillor, please contact the Parish Council Clerk at wsticklandpc@gmail.com.

The last meeting of the Parish Council was on 28th March at Pamela Hambro Hall and the minutes are available at the website and the notice board by St Mary’s Church, West Street, Stickland.

Business included discussions on trees in the burial ground, school & by the playpark. Custom Tree Care Ltd have finished the work at the play park. Feedback on the work has been positive. The same contractor has also been asked to quote for the removal of the dead tree at the burial ground.

A volunteer has very kindly cut back the bushes which were over hanging the school playground.

The bike track has now been made good by Dan, from Hedge End Farm & Phil Harlock who have completed a large amount of work removing the old earth works. The track has been flattened with machinery & grass seeded. It now needs to be rolled.

Planning applications discussed include P/FUL/2022/01795 Churchill Court DT11 0NF – demolition of 14 dwellings & erect 7 dwellings. An official planning application has now been submitted to Dorset Council by Sovereign Housing. The following issues were raised

by Parish Council Councillor: 1. A lack of adequate parking for residents & visitors.

2. The finished buildings will feature ‘fake chimneys’ for aesthetic reasons. It was discussed that this was a waste of new materials which is not in line with modern resource conservation thinking 3. The Parish Council would like the path to the sports field to be improved and lit with solar ground lighting (light pollution friendly).

4. The Parish Council would be looking for planning restrictions on construction traffic routes to and from the site.

It was agreed that the Parish Council supports this application.

P/HOU/2021/05707 Thimble Cottage Chapel Lane DT11 0NG and P/NMA/2022/02314 Kersin DT11 0NB had minor amendments to previous applications.

Further discussions included Winterborne Stickland Sports & Social Club. Anna Way Chair of WSSSC attended the meeting. Congratulations to the Youth Club which has got off to a good start with several local children attending, further congratulations on the full arrival of the Scout Group and the Youth Club to the village. The Sport Club bar is open every Tuesday evening. There are plans for a rounders pitch.

Discussions also included the Solar Fund and in particular the Committee, its recruitment of new members and policy on venues for the meetings. The Solar Fund Minutes will be uploaded on to the PC website once the site has been amended to allow inclusion.

Also discussed was the ongoing issue with speeding in Stickland. The Parish Council has now registered an interest with Speed Watch, we now await contact for the next step.

A replacement volunteer will need to be found to manage the Speed Indicator Devise (SID), as the current volunteer will be leaving the village.

The job is not an onerous one and training is available. If you would be interested, please email the Parish Council wsticklandpc@gmail.com.

The updated Flood & River Management Plan was agreed and adopted by the Parish Council at the meeting. We need to move to implementation and work has started in organising the stream weed clearance etc.

By way of other news, our warm welcome to our new residents from Ukraine, who we sincerely hope will be happy in our community.

As part of our ongoing communication in the village the Parish Council would like to expand the village website by adding a directory of Local clubs and associations, Local businesses and Local meetings This will be a free service to inform parishioners of what is happening and available in the village and surrounding area. We hope that this will be an ongoing update with notices available to send to those who sign up to the village newsletter on the website.

If you wish to be included in the directory please can you send a brief summary of your club, business or association to wsticklandpc@gmail.com for the attention of Councillor Dunn. This will

Ron Shulver Thank you so much to everyone who has sent cards and kind messages about Ron. I really appreciate it.

Pat (Shulver)

news@valley-news.co.uk Milton Abbas Local History Group The presentation at our April meeting was given by Brian Larcher, one of our members who now lives in Cheshire. That was all about the very early history of Milton Abbas over 1000 years ago during the reign of King Athelstan. Surprisingly we know quite a lot about our village during the middle ages (say 400 AD to 1500) because monasteries were good at record keeping, although the fire at Milton Abbey in 1309 didn't help.

We have copies of these early documents in Latin, of course, and most are now translated, although there are a few still to go, so if any of our readers would like to help………….!

Currently one of our newest members is transcribing some correspondence about the Milton Abbas Grammar School, which was then located in Blandford. The school was founded in 1521 and has a long and complex history. We have just discovered that it was proposed to change it from a boys' school to an all girls' school in 1885, and a headmistress, Miss Greatbatch, had been appointed. The curriculum seems to be progressive for a girls school of this time, including religious instruction, arithmetic, spelling, grammar, piano, algebra, composition, history, geometry Euclid, geography, French and Latin - all for 4 guineas a term for the over 14s. However the Charity Commissioners, the Mayor of Blandford and a very long list of local worthies had plenty to say about that - the 'Humble Petition' makes interesting reading. I am hoping to write a blog on our history group website on this girl's school soon.

Pamela Phillips is currently very busy preparing an exhibition of the history of Milton Abbas, and beyond, from 1950 to today. This will be part of Milton Abbas Platinum Jubilee celebrations and will be displayed in the Reading Rooms on the afternoons of Friday and Saturday 3rd and 4th June. Do come along and see the changes in Milton Abbas, and the rest of the country, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. You will be surprised how much life has changed locally and nationally. We will be delighted to share our findings with you.

Our next meeting on 1 Jun features a presentation by our member Clive Barnes, 'The Story of Lord Milton and the Lake' and what a story it is - it tells us much about local politics, the law, the courts and the nobility. Clive is an avid walker and photographer around Milton Abbas and has explored the old roads and tracks and of course the lake. There will be more on the recent history of the lake, and the villagers’ attempt to buy it in the Jubilee Exhibition.

The WWI group are busy organising and writing up all their research into the lives of the people of Milton Abbas during the war, those who fought for their country, and those who stayed behind; and how life changed for them after the war. This is all in preparation for a publication due out in November. If anyone has information or documents of their ancestors in Milton Abbas at this time then please let us know.

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C.W. ABBOTT & SON

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place this year was entirely at his suggestion. Matthew and his wife Charmian together with Michaela and Ash, have prepared the orchard and the barn and have done the heavy lifting, in getting everything in place.

What a wonderful family you are! Thank you all for making it such a happy day.

Rose Grant

Houghton May Queen It was really nice to be able bring back our blossom time tradition of crowning the May Queen. After the last two years of dour isolation due to the COVID pandemic, it was a great joy to see so many happy people arriving in the cider orchard for the event. How good it was to greet our neighbours and friends again after so long!

The weather could not have been better. It was as warm as a good day in summer. The apple trees seemed to be showing their appreciation as well! There are many different varieties, which unusually were all in flower at the same time. The orchard is on sloping ground and the event is held on a small plateau next to the barn, which is about halfway up the orchard. From the barn there was a wonderful view of the branches full of blossom. It looked almost as if there had just been a fall of snow.

With the lovely green hills of our valley surrounding the orchard, this was surely the prettiest scene we have yet had for our May Queen event.

It always needs a lot of people, each with their own particular skill to make the event a success. Following the two year break, we were worried that this could be a problem. However we were pleased to find that our good friends, the Bourne River Morris men and some of our wonderful local musicians were happy to come and perform for us as before. Most importantly, Emily Lovell who had been due to be May Queen in 2020, was still happy to take on the starring role. She arrived, absolutely looking the part, in a lovely white dress overlaid with lace. Thank you Emily and a big thank you to your Mum for dressing you so prettily. We also thank Michaela Holland for decorating the throne with a glorious selection of flowers. It looked really beautiful.

We were so happy with the look of it all when the time arrived for the event. After a welcoming drink the Morris Men were ready for the procession. In their sparkling whites, with colourful hats, gaiters and jingly bells, they carried Emily in her floral throne through the orchard and under the blossom, accompanied as always, by their musicians playing the Floral Dance. I find this to be very special moment in the ceremony. For me it symbolises our delight that we share, in welcoming the spring. I always love to see it.

The throne was then placed in front of the barn. There Emily was crowned by the Foreman of the Morris as our May Queen. Many photographs were taken. The Morris side then performed two of their dance routines in her honour, with much waving of white handkerchiefs and clattering of their sticks. What a joyful English eccentricity it is!

What followed was in the nature of a large picnic. More people had arrived than the number of chairs available. Thankfully, it being such a warm day, many of our guests were happy to sit in the grass to enjoy the tasty barbecued food that had been cooked by Ash and Bruce. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. Congratulations chefs! Thank you both for your combined expertise. As more boxes of cider became quickly emptied, it showed that the burgers had been well washed down. How nice to see that the actual product of the orchard was also well appreciated! Thanks also to you dear people who brought us the cakes.

They were so good that they disappeared even more quickly than the cider!

What a pleasure it was to listen to the music. We were so lucky to hear such professional performance of music that was perfectly suited to the occasion. It came in the form of duets, given by two pairs of our talented local musicians. One of the pairs were Simon, maestro fiddler from Stickland and Julia, our now famous pianist from Houghton. The combination of their playing was both exciting and beautiful to hear.

The other pair were Elspeth and Helen, whose folk music on fiddle, guitar and vocal we have been fortunate to have at our events for many years.

Their familiar sound and well known sing along ballads are always a delight. I was lucky not to miss the special moment, when Helen, most appropriately, sang Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowing in the wind’. She sang it with passion and so wonderfully well.

The terrible tragedy of the war in Ukraine is continually in our minds at present, along with our wish to help the refugees. This year our ‘honesty box’ was devoted to this cause. Thanks to your great kindness it raised £850, a really splendid result. Along with further donations received since the event, we have been able to send £1,000 to the UK campaign, run by DEC.org.uk.

Finally I must say one huge thank you from us all to Matthew Holland, who is now the owner the orchard. The idea that the event could take

Church Services in June SUNDAY 5TH JUNE 9:00 Turnworth (Communion) 10:30 Whitechurch (Communion) 10:30 Stickland (Morning Worship with live-stream to Facebook) SUNDAY 12TH JUNE 9:00 Stickland (Book of Common Prayer Communion) 10:30 Milton Abbas (Communion) 10:30 Clenston (Book of Common Prayer Communion) 4:30 Houghton (Cafe Style) SUNDAY 19TH JUNE 9:00 Milton Abbas (Book of Common Prayer Communion) 10:30 Stickland (Communion with live-stream toFacebook) 11:30 Whitechurch (Cafe Style) SUNDAY 26TH JUNE 10:30 Whitechurch (Morning Prayer/Worship) 10:30 Houghton (Communion with live-stream toFacebook) 10:30 Turnworth (Morning Worship) 6:00 Milton Abbas (SoulSpace) Communion: Music/prayer/reflection & sharing bread & wine Book of common prayer: A gentle & traditional language style service Cafe church: Food/interactive/craft Soulspace: Short/contemplative with reflection and silence Morning prayer/worship: A mixture of many of the above without communion

DEADLINES for the JULY Edition Adverts Articles

FRIDAY 10th JUNE WEDNESDAY 15th JUNE

Provide Water for Wildlife Invite wildlife to your garden by providing a water source in your outdoor space.

Water is essential for wildlife to thrive – newts, frogs and toads use water for shelter and breeding grounds. Birds bathe, removing parasites, and butterflies get valuable minerals and salts from slightly muddy water.

Just about any supply of water in your garden, from a small puddle to a pond, will be used by wildlife. Ensure your water source is shallow with gradual and rough-textured edges, so that anything that climbs in is able to get out.

During hot summer weather, it is important to ensure the water is topped up at all times. And in winter it is equally important to keep the supply available as water sources can become frozen and more difficult to find.

During freezing conditions, it is difficult for wildlife to find fresh water.

Break the ice on your water sources daily, or replace with tepid water.

A bird bath, roughly textured with gradual edges, or shallow or running water feature will also provide for butterflies and various other insects.

Alternatively, a drip jug above your bird bath will attract birds when they hear the sound of dripping water.

If you have space for a pond, species such as frogs, toads, newts, dragonflies will move in. As with all water sources, provide shallow edges for easy entry and exit. When using stone edging for decoration, leave gaps for wildlife to use as habitation. At all times supervise children in areas with a pond and do not allow floating weed to cover the whole pond to give the impression of grass.

Where possible, place water sources in areas where you are able to view the activity of visiting wildlife. Birds like water to be close to a tree or shrub, giving them a safe place to approach, and keep an eye out for cats.

On behalf of Dorset Wildlife Trust.

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eye, three of the four chicks scramble out and flutter across the garden and over the hedge. Gone! l presume they've headed for the churchyard down the hill where those luscious goodies came from.

The fourth chick is left alone and stranded, stunned. "Where is everyone? Where is my food? Oh, let me preen this feather, and that feather, and that one there!”

No panic! Mother’s back, calling outside. The last chick jumps out and disappears with her, fluttering across the garden and over the hedge....

Gone! We’ll miss them!

Annie Thom

Great Tits - A bird's eye view Ten years ago, we installed a bird box fitted with an infrared camera against the wall of our house. The camera is linked to our dining room television set and, over the years, we witnessed the most exciting home life of these gorgeous little birds while they raised their brood.

March 2022, a new pair started showing an interest in the bird box.

They came to visit several times and eventually, a few pieces of dried grass appeared. With more added as the days went by, we could see that there was hope for a new brood. We couldn’t tell the male from the female but assumed the male was the one building the nest, with her giving moral support.

The female started to spend the cold nights in the cosy box, making sure she formed a perfect doughnut shape in the dried material. By then, we could see all sorts of grasses used, twigs, thread, hair, moss. She wove everything meticulously while fidgeting in the hollow. As she settled for the night, she plumped out her down feathers until she looked like a perfect pulsating powder puff. With the volume turned up, we could hear her heart beat, 79 BPM. April 1st. A first little opalescent egg appeared, followed by several more as the week went by till there were nine altogether. The male came to visit and was allowed to come into the box, its beak full with more building materials. The female started to sit on the clutch of eggs, occasionally diving under them to turn them over so that what was inside wouldn't stick to the shell wall. She carried on doing so even through the nights.

April 15th. First egg hatched, followed by the rest over the next couple of days. The last two chicks were stuck in their broken shell and the female had to lift the shell halves and shake the birds free. By the end of this, she managed to keep the nest immaculate, with no trace of eggshell. The male kept a regular supply of caterpillars and insects for her which allowed her some respite.

At first, the chicks were a writhing mass of tiny pink bodies struggling to lift their enormous wobbly heads. Large bulging dark lumps where their eyes were showed through the skin. Massive yellow beaks totally out of proportion to the rest of the head features, made them look like little mini monsters waving their gaping mouths in the air while frantically squeaking for food April 18th. Disaster! No sign of the male. Our area is populated by cats and ravenous birds. starlings. rooks, jackdaws, we even saw a falcon in the back garden.

Our female tit was now a single parent with a very large brood to look after. We put out blocks of bird fat to help but had to barricade the bird feeder with wire netting against the attention of the bigger birds. l know these had their young to feed too but somehow, we felt the poor little tit had to fight harder for the survival of her fatherless brood.

Soon, we were down to eight, then five chicks now opening their large begging eyes. Their little bodies were growing their dark fluff, their wing feathers well marked, getting stronger by the day. The mother was relentlessly finding food of all kinds, to and fro, to and fro. As well as bird fat, caterpillars, large insects or leggy spiders were brought and distributed among the hungry beaks squealing for a tasty morsel.

Regularly, one of the chicks would turn upside down and present its bottom to the mother tit who would delicately remove its faecal sack.

She then would sneak that well away so as not to give away the location of the nest. The constant shrill of the begging brood was enough to stir up the interest of any predator though.

April 30th. One more chick was lying dead at the bottom of the nest now. It hadn't been growing at the same rate as the others and was regularly the last one to be fed, if at all. Its four siblings were now standing, jumping or resting on top of it, sometimes pecking at it. Apart from the dead body, the nest was still kept spotless Seeing the size of the dead chick, it may have been too exacting for the mother to remove the corpse through the narrow opening of the entrance hole.

May 2nd. The four survivors had grown to near the mother's size and were beginning to stretch and exercise their wings demanding more and more feeding. Each one could have passed for an adult tit now that their colours had come through.

May 5th. Early morning. Much excitement in the tit box. The mother is outside perched on the nearby fence, calling to entice her brood out.

Our house cat is fast asleep by the window. Finally, in the wink of an

Hallo everyone - again!

During May my son Ian and his little boy and I came over to Stickland for the annual church valley walk - not that I could do the whole walk anymore, but we walked from Houghton to Stickland to Clenston - in other words, the easy parts! The hardest ones are across country from Turnworth to Houghton, from Clenston to Whitechurch and lastly the last one from Whitechurch to Milton Abbas, stopping for a prayer or reflection at each church on the way. With coffee offered at Stickland, bring your own lunch at Whitechurch, and a lovely tea at Milton Abbas - well worth the effort! Do consider taking part next year, it's a great way to see parts of the valley you don't normally see! For me it was so lovely to see some of my other church friends - I have made some really good church friends here in Corfe Mullen, but still feel part of the family over in the valley! What a treat it was to take even a small part in this event Thank you all so much! God bless you all.

Heather Sims

New Vineyard in Stickland A tiny new vineyard has sprung up in Winterborne Stickland, on the hill behind Quarleston Farm.

Richard and Gill Osborne are fulfilling a long-standing ambition to combine their keen interests in horticulture and wine.

Local farmer Tim Martin from Winterborne Houghton prepared the 0.25Ha site, and planting began on 19th April organised by East Sussex-based firm Vine-Works.

1000 vines were planted by hand in 2 days, then specialised trellising was installed. Vines suited to English wine-making have been selected, aiming to minimise problems caused by a damp climate and a short growing season. The hybrids, named “PIWIs” (a German abbreviation for Pilzwiderstandfahig – meaning fungal resistant) are gaining increasing appreciation, though the grape names are still relatively unfamiliar. Richard and Gill have planted 600 red Cabaret Noir vines and 400 white Souvignier gris. The first harvest is anticipated in 2024.

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With an expanding business, we are always on the lookout for extra help with our cottage ‘change-overs’.

We can offer variable and regular work especially on Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays, to suit.

All you need to bring along is a sense of humour and a ‘can do attitude’.

Tel 01258 880558 • Mobile 07789 376588

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Email: qss2005@ukr.net

CROSSWORD

Compiled by Nick Donnelly There are two sets of clues, Cryptic and Concise, but remember, you cannot mix the clues as the cryptic answers are different to the Concise ones.

Answers will be given in the next edition.

CRYPTIC Across 1. Free-spirited student censured after initial indiscretion (9) 6. Camera specially used to keep file (4) 9. Run after expert tree (4) 10. No longer like golf? That’s offensive (3-7) 11. Retain space manoeuvre (6) 12. Sons I confused around bend brought on by opium? (8) 13. Vexatious watering, drought finally replaces end of raining (10) 15. Noted part of play on radio (4) 16. Tough little boat takes on Midlothian (4) 17. Lightweight food plan around long brown empty teacake (10) 19. One in Paris frozen after five nil implied (8) 21. Poet takes on student once in a blue moon (6) 22. Wild set with drunken tickles faced with fine if on a train like this (10) 23. Moderate drugs on radio (4) 24. Sooner or later a French denial (4) 25. Shot in English without new start of game show (9) Down 2. Enciphers moon in deciphered bewilderment (15) 3. Joining extreme Englishman, Swiss say, and German around home (9) 4. Attempt in a US city is a real pain (5) 5. First encountered very loud object, Italian term of respect in Middle East (7) 6. Correspondence from traitor with inner lion (5) 7. Elites follow despatched workers in IT; they tend to be emotional (15) 8. Unqualified public privilege (8) 14. Brass money in Melbourne, a metropolis (8) 15. Look good on the radio, somewhere to go up (and down) in the world (9) 18. Supermarket messy inside without cover (7) 20. Woody is odd Ozarks naked gent (5) 21. MC with a plant (5)

CONCISE Across 1. A dance (9) 6. Run gently (4) 9. Movie (4) 10. Punctuation mark (10) 11. Defeats (6) 12. Work by Gilbert and Sullivan (8) 13. Underlying qualities (10) 15. Competent (4) 16. Lean (4) 17. Mission (10) 19. Precipitation (8) 21. Appropriate (6) 22. Smearing (10)

23. Hard work (4) 24. Wheel covering (4) 25. Origin (9) Down 2. Without meaning to (15) 3. French cheese (9) 4. Cons (5) 5. Strong feeling (7) 6. Prickle (5) 7. Eye doctor (15) 8. Used (8) 14. Young person (8) 15. South pole (9) 18. Fortune teller (7) 20. Refuse (5) 21. Start (5)

LAST MONTH’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across 1. Palisade 5. Impale 10. A sign of the times 11. Scent 12. Reinforce 13. Castanets 15. Filed 16. Natty 18. Howsoever 20. Tapeworms 23. Elope 25. Back seat drivers 26. Enlist 27. Weighted Down 1. Peals 2. Loiters 3. Sanctuary 4. Defer 6. Motif 7. Admiral 8. East-ender 9. Chainsaw 13. Constable 14. Ethereal 15. Flowering 17. Topical 19. Violent 21. Wasps 22. Sidle 24. Eased CONCISE Across 1. Heretics 5. Brahms 10. Acquisativeness 11. Edict 12. Christina 13. Complicit 15. Pagan 16. Haydn 18. Elongated 20. Baguettes 23. Admit 25. Trustworthiness 26. Doting 27. Brunette Down 1. Heave 2. Requiem 3. Triathlon 4. Craic 6. Reels 7. Heeding 8. Sustained 9. Libretto 13. Cohabited 14. Creation 15. Pygmalion 17. Yoghurt 19. Tempest 21. Eaten 22. Sitar 24. Taste

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Summer Fair – Friday 8th July from 3.30pm, Sports field in Winterborne Whitechurch.

Do come and join us for our annual Summer Fair run by the Friends of Dunbury Academy. There will be lots to do including stalls, refreshments and raffle with lots of fabulous prizes! Let’s hope for some sunshine too!

News from St. Andrew’s Church, Houghton There has been lots going on at St Andrew’s this spring and lots to look forward to as we head towards the summer!

We held our Easter craft event on a warm, sunny Easter Saturday. Some beautiful Easter wreaths and lavender bags were made, whilst tucking into cake and enjoying each other’s company.

Twenty years ago - The Queen's Golden Jubilee To Commemorate the Queens Golden Jubilee in 2002, SPAM (Stickland Party Arts and Music) paid for the bench and materials at the entrance to Downfield and near the bus stop (yes there were buses back then!), Dave Morley and I provided the labour to put it in place. Dave worked behind the bar at the Crown (or was it the Shire Horse?) for many years and was an active supporter of the village. He had the honour being the first person to sit on the Bench, a moment in history recalled in this photo.

We celebrated Easter Day with our sunrise service. It was a very memorable occasion and worth getting up for! We lit candles as a sign of the resurrection of Christ and flowered the empty wooden cross, transforming it into a symbol of hope and new life!

Our outdoor services will be continuing on the second Sunday of the month, at 4:30pm. Next month, we will be holding our pet service on 12th June. Do join us, even if you don’t have a pet!

Our ‘café services’ are suitable for all ages and are very relaxed and informal. We enjoy tea, coffee and cake before the service and often after the service as well!

Finally, look out for our first ‘Pop-up breakfast café’ on Saturday 2nd July, from 9-10:30am. Come and enjoy our beautiful church grounds, good company and a hearty breakfast to kick start your weekend!

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Dunbury Academy News What a busy few months we have had at Dunbury Academy! Last term was a roller-coaster with regards to absence for both staff and pupils as well as world events and we have been really grateful to the whole community for pulling together and supporting each other. We are looking forward to more stable times ahead.

It has been so lovely to return to the activities that the children have been unable to take part in for the last couple of years. We have celebrated Comic Relief and World Book Day and taken part in a sponsored walk in aid of the South West Coast Path. We had a fantastic response to our annual Scholastic Book Fair, which raised over £380 in free books and resources for the school and KS2 children are once again involved with sporting and musical activities with other Primary Schools in the Blandford pyramid.

Our residential trips are once again going ahead with year 4 recently returning from a three-day trip to Leeson House and our year 6 children are looking forward to their PGL residential in June. Dunbury Infants are really looking forward to a trip to Shire Hall in the next few weeks.

We have also, very recently, welcomed three Ukrainian children and their families into school.

Please check out the school website, there is always lots of information about what is happening in school and it is constantly updated with any job vacancies: https://www.dunbury.dsat.org.uk/ 15

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