Hermitage

REP: Tom Beels tom@beelsandco.com DISTRIBUTOR: Faith Hervey

Warm, sunny weather arrived at last, just in time for the wedding of Cheryl House and Ben Rieper. A radiant Chez was walked up the aisle by her father Kevin to exchange her vows with soldier Ben, captain in the Army Air Corps. Rev. George Moody conducted the service, accompanied by live music from her mother Faye and friends. The bride and groom emerged from church under a guard of honour for a celebratory drink on the lawn at Church Farm followed by a reception in a marquee on the Green, with a display of falconry to entertain their guests. We wish them great happiness in their marriage.

Thank you to the spring-cleaning work-party of Jan, Lesley, Jane and Geoff who made the church gleam in readiness, and to Kevin for pressurewashing the moss from the path.

Our July service is due to be Sunday 4 July at 10.00am when banns will be read for Lisa Galloway and Ashley Killeen of Almshouse Farm Bungalow. All are welcome.

Elizabeth Kenton

Churchwarden

Annual Dance

The Annual Dance on Hermitage Green will run again this year on Friday 6 August, in accordance with Covid restrictions. This may well mean fewer people to allow for ‘distancing’. Final decisions will be taken when Boris reveals the next steps forward.

As in previous years, we will have various games, a draw and a presentation to the Dorset Air Ambulance. There will be dancing to local band ‘Stress’, BYO 21

food, a bar and carriages at around midnight. All proceeds to local charities.

George Grazebrook

Delivery Dog and the Masks

As a mum of two toddlers, I’m used to awkward questions; “Why can’t I see my eyes?” and, “Why’s poo always brown?” were the two highlights of our most recent car journey. This past year has brought about a new round of challenging conversations; trying to let our children down gently as we explained away the cancelled birthday parties, closed nursery sessions, no playdates and, “Sorry, I know I said Granny was coming for Christmas but now she can’t.” The… “We’ll see” didn’t cut it for long and “We’ll look it up on the internet” doesn’t work when wider society doesn’t have the answers either.

I needed a book to help - something that would get us talking about the “I’m not sure” answers, as well as addressing my little ones’ worries; “Mummy, if I pick daisies will I get Coronavirus?” and, “Is Granny going to die soon?”

Having worked as an Early Years teacher for nine years and thought up countless stories for my reception classes, I decided to put pen to paper and Delivery Dog and the Masks was born. If you’re wondering how I did this with two toddlers, my post-breastfeeding insomnia had a lot to do with it!

I think that, as we begin to adjust to this new world, it is time to stop, get our children talking, and listen. In doing so perhaps we can be more supportive to the mental health of the youngest generation. While I don’t have all the answers, this is why I wrote the book.

Published by Olympia publishing and available at Waterstones, Delivery Dog and the Masks is a rhyming story for three to seven year-olds, providing a lighthearted look at some of the enormous changes that children have witnessed in the last few months. As Delivery Dog travels around the community, helping out by delivering face masks, he learns about the virus from his owner, Dan. Children love the quirky illustrations and the funny haircuts people have given themselves during lockdown. The story has many locations that are familiar to young children and some you may recognise from the Wriggle Valley.

The story is relatable and provides opportunity for parents to chat about the changes they have seen, to explain why they were so grumpy, how it made them feel and to ask their children about their feelings too. Delivery Dog and the Masks is also available to borrow from Sherborne library, there are free resources for parents and there are lesson plans for teachers to be downloaded from www. deliverydogbooks.com.

I hope this little book will help your family too.

Chairman’s notes

After a year of holding High Stoy Parish Council (HSPC) meetings on Zoom, we had our first face-to-face meeting in Hermitage village hall at the end of May. Although social distancing made for an odd seating layout, it was great to get together and it did feel like a tentative step to some form of normality.

This was also our annual meeting. I was re-elected as Chairman and Kevin Prescott was elected Vice Chairman. After many active years on HSPC, including several years as Chairman, George Grazebrook has decided to stand down as Vice Chairman. We all thanked George for his hard work and leadership on the Parish Council. I would particularly like to thank him for his guidance in my first year as Chairman. All parish councillors give their time to support the Parish Council activities and I would like to thank all those on HSPC for doing so to benefit the community.

Onto business, I’m delighted to report that after considerable effort the short footpath on Hermitage village green, from the kissing gate into St. Mary’s church to the gate at the small car parking area, has now been included by Dorset Council on their definitive footpath map.

We are supporting Leigh Parish Council’s application to Dorset Council to extend the 40mph speed limit from Totnell to beyond Three Gates Farm. This may be something of a battle so if you have any evidence that we could use to support the application, that would be greatly appreciated.

We are pursuing with Dorset Council painting additional ‘SLOW’ signs on the road through Hermitage. Dorset Council have requested that we carry out a traffic/speed survey before they will do this so it was agreed we would do so.

HSPC objected to the proposal to build 272 holiday lodges at The George Albert Hotel on several grounds but, particularly, that this change of use is completely disproportionate for the area, it will have a devastating effect on those living in villages in this location (traffic, noise and light pollution), generate a huge number of additional car journeys and create congestion on the narrow country roads in the area.

The minutes of the meeting are available on the HSPC website www. highstoypc.org.uk

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings. If you would like to attend it would be helpful if you could let us know in advance so that we can make appropriate seating arrangements. The next meeting will take place on the 31 August at 7.00pm, (fingers crossed) a face-to-face meeting at Hermitage village hall.

Dave Whiteoak

Chairman HSPC cdwhiteoak@hotmail.com