From mocking the game to becoming a world champion: Alex Kley’s record-breaking achievements all started in a Dorset village hall
SMPT World Masters singles champion 2022/23
When I was 13, of my friends insisted on playing what I called his Old Man game,’ says Alex Kley. ‘I couldn’t resist making fun of it, but thank goodness he didn’t pay any attention, and just said, “Don’t mock it til you’ve tried it – come and have a go, it’s harder than you think!” Now here I am, a decade later and I’ve been No.1 in the world, and I’m current World Masters champion!’ Alex, now 23, grew up in Child Okeford, and it was in the Okeford Fitzpaine village hall that he first tried his hand at Short Mat Bowls. It’s a relatively new sport which grew out of the more familiar flat green bowls in the 1990s: played over a much shorter length, the pre-marked mat is six feet wide and between 40 and 45 feet long (meaning it’s easily accommodated in any village, school or leisure centre hall). ‘I was just so lucky,’ says Alex. ‘The county manager at the time, Brian Baker, was a member of the Okeford Fitzpaine Short Mat Bowls Club – and he taught me how to play. But so many of the older locals spent time with me, encouraging me and teaching me to be a better person as well as a better player. I’m so grateful to them all.’ By the time he was 14 Alex had been selected to play in the county team, and by 16 he was playing for England in both the Under 21s squad and the main team. By this time Alex had switched clubs from Okeford to Hazelbury Bryan – a tiny Dorset village which secretly housed a world class Short Mat Bowls Club where a lot of the county and England team players were members. Last year, at just 22 years old, Alex broke all records, becoming the first person to hold all major singles title in the same season – the English Open singles champion, also the National singles, British Isles singles and the World Singles champion. ‘I won the National Singles in consecutive years, and then I’ve just won the World Masters Singles back-to-back too. That has never been done before.’
Alex playing at the World Championships in Aberdeen 2022/23 season
A tactical game Short Mat Bowls can be played as a singles game, but also as pairs, triples or fours – each with its own tactics and skill. ‘I was selected for the singles game. It’s what I’m best at, although I do enjoy working in a team too,’ says Alex. ‘It’s a very different way of working, sharing and planning tactics with others.’ Alex’s favourite strategy, to which he credits his record-breaking year, has potentially led to a World Council Bowling Association rule change. At both ends of the mat there is a fender, and one foot in from the fender there is a white line, representing the ditch. My favourite strategy was to put the jack long, and then my first bowl would sit perfectly in the ditch – basically it’s unbeatable at that point. It’s the most difficult shot in the book, so to me, if you have the skill to do it then it’s fair play – that’s what lead to a lot of my success! ‘But this year there’s been a rule change, preventing that from happening with the first bowl – basically making sure your opponent still has a chance. ‘I enjoy switching tactics though, so that my opponents never know what I’m going to do. The tactics and strategies are just as important as the skill with the bowls. I was also captain of the England team last year – that was a big step up, testing my leadership skills. I enjoyed it.’ A couple of years ago Alex moved clubs again, this time to Carey SMBC near Wimborne. ‘It’s more convenient for work, but also I didn’t want to be quite so committed, and Carey were able to be more flexible about just letting me play when I wanted to. It’s easy to let bowls take over and I do have other things I want to do too! There’s only a couple of months a year when we’re not playing. I’ve qualified for the Short Mat Players Tour World Cup – the top four ranked players over the season from each country are invited to compete – and that’s held in August. But between now and then, I’m taking a rest. I won’t play at all. ‘I’m very lucky to be sponsored by both Wareham Golf Club and Belltops Roofing – without them, I wouldn’t be able to go to these events.’
Alex Kley with all the trophies he won in his record-breaking 2022/23 season (almost – he wasn’t allowed to keep the Masters globe!)
Interestingly, Alex isn’t the youngest person playing on either his county or national team: ‘My little brother plays for Dorset,’ he says. ‘And there are lots of under 25s on the England team. The older local players love it, they’re excited by the prospect of so much growth in the game. Two years ago we won the Inter County Championship – Dorset was the top county in the country. ‘The Dorset team manager is keen on going into schools and getting the kids to have a go – I’ve done a few talks myself, told them my story and encouraged them to have a go while I’ve taught them. Most clubs have an Open Roll Up night, where anyone can go along and give it a try, and experienced players like me will spend an hour teaching the basics. We always need new players’
If you’re interested in giving bowls a try, contact Dorset County Short Mat Bowling Association to find your nearest club dorsetsmba.co.uk
Dorset CPRE conference criticises government targets, calling for 1,300 homes a year and increased investment in social rent to meet local needs
Hastoe Housing Project in Powerstock. Image: Samantha Cook Photography.
The provision of affordable housing has been a major campaign issue for all political parties. Soaring house prices, the cost-of-living crisis and wages that have failed to rise in line with inflation have exacerbated an already dire situation. In 2021, figures released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities showed that 10,525 households were waiting for an affordable social house here in Dorset – and the true figure is likely to be much higher. At the same time, the average price paid for a first home in Dorset has risen to a staggering £282,000. Dorset CPRE believes strongly that the delivery of housing that addresses the county’s real needs requires careful consideration. To help fully understand the issues that face Dorset, and investigate potential solutions, Dorset CPRE organised a free online conference on Thursday 20th June, with presentations from both national and local experts in affordable housing. The conference was chaired by Lord Richard Best – a life peer and cross bencher in the House of Lords, Lord Best has been a prominent national figure in housing and planning-related organisations. The conference was introduced by Dorset CPRE president and former BBC chief news correspondent, Kate Adie. About 90 people attended the conference, including many parish, town and Dorset councillors, as well as housebuilders, landowners and CPRE members.
How many and who’s paying? Mike Allen from Dorset CPRE set the scene for the conference from a Dorset CPRE perspective. He asked three questions: what homes are needed here in Dorset, how many are needed and who will pay for them? He began by looking at the evidence for how many new homes are really needed in Dorset. The 2021 draft local plan allocated land for new homes in Dorset over the next 17 years, using the Government’s Standard Method (SM) for assessing housing need. This is a crude formula to identify the minimum number of homes to be planned for, using projected household growth and affordability. This showed a need for 1,900 new homes per annum in Dorset – a 40% increase on current rates. A huge negative response to the draft plan caused DC to pause. People didn’t want the Green Belt encroachment or the scale of greenfield development. They said the infrastructure wouldn’t cope and they foresaw that the new homes would be unaffordable for locals. DC has delayed the local plan process.
Housing provider Abri facilitated the £8 million affordable development at Hazelbury Bryan
Is planning really the issue? But does the SM really measure actual housing need in Dorset? Mike explained that in 2021 DC commissioned consultants Iceni to assess local housing need. They found that shrinkage in the natural population is more than offset by net in-migration, mainly of older people, with a growth of about 2,000 people a year. Incomers bring equity to house purchases, and pay up to 12 times local incomes – because they can. This growth pattern distorts the natural population structure of the county. Using the Standard Method of calculation, Iceni found that net inward migration would need to double, leading to an even bigger distortion of the age profile, with big knock-on effects on health and care services. The consultants concluded, not surprisingly, that it was more likely that the industry would not build so many extra homes because developers wouldn’t find enough extra customers. The Standard Method of calculating housing need is intended to increase the supply of homes and thus make them more affordable. So is building land in short supply in Dorset? DC tells us that at present there are more than 13,000 plots in Dorset with planning permission – about ten years’ supply of current demand. There is evidently no appetite in the industry for building at a greater rate. Market development is constrained, either by lack of skilled labour or the sales market, but evidently NOT by planning or lack of permissioned land. Adding 40% more is pointless. Mike Allen concluded that the idea of increasing house supply to improve affordability is neither proven nor a basis for sound planning in Dorset.
The distortion in Dorset’s Age Profile Expected by 2038
The way forward Dorset CPRE believes that the way forward is two-fold: First, we should drop the affordability uplift in the Standard Method, resulting in a reduced – but still sufficient – housing target for Dorset of about 1,300 homes per annum. That is consistent with completions in recent years. Pressure on Green Belt, precious green spaces, historic towns and villages – and on roads and services – would be relived greatly, and it would also be more in line with Dorset’s climate emergency policy.Secondly, we should set an ambitious target to build truly affordable homes, and should be prepared to subsidise them. Affordability is a problem mainly for those who rent. Dorset Council receives more than 500 requests for help with housing every month. Employers say that the local economy is held back by the lack of truly affordable rented homes. Iceni’s Housing Needs Assessment identified a need for 577 social rent homes per annum. But social rent homes – available at 50 or 60% of market rent – by definition require subsidy. So-called viability calculations, undertaken for the Dorset local plan, suggest that the market can provide about 20% of new homes as social rent. A house target of 1,300 per annum would provide about 260 social rent homes. The rest would need to be subsidised in some other way.
Benefits of social rent The Centre for Economics and Business Research, working for Shelter and the National Housing Federation, published a report in February 2024 showing the cost-benefit of building 90,000 social rent homes nationally. They calculated that the long-term benefits far outweighed the initial costs, by more than £50bn, suggesting that each new social rent home would generate a long-term economic benefit of £570,000. Subsidising new social rent homes would bring a handsome return for both society and the economy. Viability data shows there are potential savings to be made in the cost of social rent homes – as much as half the price of those homes which are built speculatively. The high price of land can be reduced using compulsory purchase, and the high profit that developers expect (to cover their risk) can also be reduced by using a development corporation. Of course, no one thinks today that social rent housing should be concentrated alone in large estates. At scale, the preference is for mixed housing, blending owned and rented, designed to be tenure blind. Clever planning is needed. But small-scale, well-designed developments in urban and rural areas could be mainly social rent, and will contribute to solving the problem of so many key workers being unable to afford homes in rural areas.
So what IS needed? Dorset CPRE believes about 1,300 new homes a year would be sensible demographically in Dorset, and would be more sustainable than the Standard Method. Within that, affordability should be addressed directly by a strong target of 577 social rent homes per annum. A third of these might be financed by speculative development sites, but the rest would require extra subsidy. The lack of social rent homes is expensive to society – in Local Housing Allowance, poor health, children’s low educational attainment and more… investment is worthwhile. The new government needs to invest in social housing. Affordable Housing Report The CPRE’s 2023 report, Unravelling A Crisis: The State of Rural Affordable Housing in England made some key findings: The definition of affordable housing in national planning policy – usually ‘homes let out at 80% or less of market rent’ – does not enable the delivery of genuinely affordable homes. Rural social-rented (usually 50 to 60% of market rent) delivery has plummeted with just 3,282 delivered in 2021/22, while general ‘affordable’ housing delivery had increased, with 25,294 homes delivered. It is more viable for developers to deliver affordable housing rather than the social rent homes that are so desperately needed. Rural social housing waiting lists have risen since 2020 in all but two regions in England. It would take 89 years to clear the social housing waiting list under the current build rate. Rural homelessness has increased by 20% since 2020/21 and 40% since 2018/19. Up to half of all parish councils in rural England are not covered by Section157 regulations, which prevent resale of affordable housing units at market prices or as second homes. Rural Exception Site policy is being used to deliver housing in line with locally-assessed need. Such sites are usually located on the edge of existing rural settlements, facilitating the provision of affordable homes for local residents, while ensuring the preservation of the character of the community. However its impact is limited to a relatively few areas of the country and it is not clear whether the mechanism is a particularly effective means of providing social housing.
New village housing provided by the Toller Porcorum Community Land Trust
The current mechanism for securing affordable housing in new developments is via planning agreements, where developers can negotiate down the proportion of affordable homes delivered due to viability concerns. The proposed infrastructure levy regime may lead to an increase in affordable housing delivery – contribution will be non-negotiable, and should therefore be factored into the cost of the development from the outset Changes of use from office space to residential conversions under permitted development rights are delivering limited numbers of affordable homes, or poor quality. CPRE Recommendations Following this, CPRE set out the following recommendations: Government must redefine the term ‘affordable housing’ so that the costs of new affordable homes are directly linked to average local incomes. Where homes are not linked to average local incomes they should not be classed as affordable, as this obscures the type of housing that is being delivered. Hope Value, which factors in what land could be worth if, hypothetically, planning permission had been granted to build properties, should be reformed to increase the viability of social housing provision and enable Local Authorities (LA) to deliver additional social rented homes. National minimum requirements for affordable housing should be increased, with specific targets set for social rented homes. Government should show greater support for rural communities, using neighbourhood plans and rural exception sites to deliver affordable housing on the edge of villages in line with locally assessed need. This includes making grant funding available and aligning planning policy with funding to enable social rented housing to come forward on such sites. Both government and local authorities must show greater support for community-led development, where it meets a local need. Government should more forcefully advise and support local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate to reject developments that do not live up to the design standards set out in both the National Model Design Code and Guide, and other relevant local design policy and guidance. Introduce a second home and short term lets register, with planning controls to regulate the provision of short term lets and powers to levy extra council tax on second homes. Extend restrictions on resale of affordable housing to all parishes with below 3,000 population, as well as larger rural towns where there is particular pressure on the housing stock, so that these houses continue to be used by local workers and not as second homes or holiday lets.
Rachael Rowe looks at the perilous state of many English churches – especially small village churches ‑ and the struggles to preserve them
A major project is under way at Ibberton to save the parish church from– quite literally – falling off a chalk escarpment
More than 3,500 churches in England have closed their doors in the past decade – 900 more are on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register, according to the National Churches Trust (NCT). The NCT believes the future of church buildings is the single biggest heritage issue in the United Kingdom today. With declining congregations and buildings becoming harder to maintain, how can churches future-proof themselves?
The pew row Apart from declining congregations, one of the biggest issues facing churches today is climate change. Ancient guttering, roofs and downpipes are unable to cope with the increase in rainwater. Ageing populations find churches less accessible. Traditional pews are awkward for people with mobility problems. Many churches do not have loosand provision of them is often cause for debate. Serveries and loos have been found to increase attendance, as has the use of church buildings as food pantries and other community resources. Communities want the church to be there for traditional hatch, match and dispatch events. But declining attendances make their future more vulnerable.In 2020, the village of Okeford Fitzpaine shot to international fame when the media descended on the village to report on a story about the church pews being removed. Less reported was how the “Pew Debate” caused deep and significant discord in the village. When work finally started to remove the pews, the wooden floor was found to be so rotten that it could have collapsed at any time – yet another example of how much work is needed for churches to have a sustainable future. Restoration work is progressing – as is fund-raising for the installation of a loo … The Rev Andrew Gubbinsk, vicar of the Okeford Benefice, says: ‘Churches need to be thought of less as a building and more as a community space. A building speaks silently as to how it should be used, even before the vicar has opened their mouth. The church’s task is to demonstrate to the wider village that it is vibrant. You are only as good as your latest generation, and the community needs to see the value of supporting the church – not just going to a church service but attending a concert or social event, whether you believe in God or not.’
Trouble on trouble The Church of the Holy Rood at Shillingstone is undergoing a major restoration project, run by some committed volunteers. The first phase was to replace the vestry and North Aisle roof which, thanks to tireless campaigning, is looking significantly better. Unfortunately, leaks appeared as the north aisle roof was being repaired.Scaffolding for the current work made the roof easier to examine and its fragility was discovered. Phase two is now under way as a needed campaign to save the chancel begins. The parochial church council (PCC) aims to raise £110,000 for the repairs. PCC treasurer Anne Powell said: ‘When we saw the collapse of the north aisle roof in November 2022, we were desperately worried by the situation that faced us. But the generosity shown by our community gives me great confidence that we will succeed with this second phase.’ Andrew Gubbins says: ‘What a lot of people don’t realise is that churches receive no government funding or subsidy at all. ‘Everything has to be raised from the local congregation, and the local church has to pay the priest’s salary before any other work like restoration. That’s why there isn’t a full time priest in rural parishes – communities can’t afford them. ‘So when a major restoration project comes up, funds need to be sourced from other grants and fundraising.’
As the north aisle roof of the Church of the Holy Rood at Shillingstone was being repaired, significant rain-water was spotted running into the North Wall below, requiring urgent restoration
Dropping off a cliff Most people who lead a church restoration programmes in the community are unpaid volunteers. In Ibberton, Annette Newman heads a major project to save the parish church from – quite literally – falling off a chalk escarpment. ‘A summer of fundraising is planned in Ibberton to help stabilise the walls of the north aisle of the Grade II* listed St Eustace Parish Church. The 684-year-old church, dedicated to a pagan Roman general who converted to Christianity after he had a vision of the Cross while hunting, looks out over The Blackmore Vale from its perch on a chalk escarpment. Since 1957, signs of failure in the north west corner of the North Aisle have become more marked, with cracks and movement around a window and at the keystone of an arch. The corner appears to be rotating away from the building, which is approximately three metres from the cliff edge. If it detaches, it will tumble over a footpath and land in a neighbour’s garden approximately 20 metres below, clearly making the entire building unstable and unsafe for use. In the early 1900s, the community faced a similar situation when three of the four roof sections collapsed (see Roger Guttridge’s Then and Now from 2021 here). At that time £1,500 was raised to save the church – that’s equivalent to £153,000 today! As local churches are in such a challenging state, is it time to view them as community assets that can be so much more than a religious building?
You can contribute to Shillingstone’s The Holy Rood Church project here: peoplefundraising.com/donations/Shillingstone-church-roof-appeal. Ibberton’s fundraising events include a summer concert by the North Dorset Singers on Friday 19th July in the church (7pm – free entry with a donation plate). There’s also a Ceilidh with Tim Laycock and Friends on Saturday 27th July – 7pm at Ibberton Village Hall, £10 per person with cash barbecue and bar.
With new incentives for sustainable farming, hedgerows are crucial – Andrew Livingston talks to hedge expert John Calder
‘Hedges are the single most important ecological building blocks we have in the farmed landscape, creating corridors for wildlife.’ Those were the words of Steve Barcley, the former Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). When you think of farmland it can be easy to forget the hedge. For the farmer, it is not a commodity (unless you are a particularly keen blackberry picker). But for the wildlife of our countryside, it is a rich haven, a year-round food source and sanctuary for mammals, insects and birds. ‘They are part of the farmed landscape but the part that is not farmed – hedges escape the intensification of farming,’ said John Calder of The Great Big Dorset Hedge (GBDH), which is trying to restore and extend the hedgerows of Dorset. ‘People think of them as corridors, but that would only be right if animals only walk, fly or burrow along them. It’s not quite that way. But they are linked, so seeds will travel up and down hedges and certainly bats find a big hedgerow useful to navigate against and fly along.’ Improving the network of hedgerows across Dorset will help ‘support the biodiversity and protect against the effects of climate change’. The first stage of this mission is being completed by an ever-growing team of volunteers who are out and about in the countryside surveying the hedgerows. Volunteers carry out one of two different surveys, public or private. The former is carried out along public footpaths – the GBDH team walks a footpath and surveys a hedgerow that may be alongside it. A private survey is carried out on a farm, when the farmer has invited the team to come and survey the hedges. Recent alterations to farmers’ government subsidy payments have increased the importance of hedge life to the farmer. The new scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers not for the amount of land they own, but for actions that they take on their farms that will not only improve food production but also grow food more sustainably. As an expert on hedges, John was invited by DEFRA to join the Hedgerow Practitioners Workgroup for the creation of the SFI scheme. ‘Within the Sustainable Farming Incentive there are 23 actions through which you can acquire funding, but three out of the 23 are hedges. ‘Number one, you need to do an assessment of the condition of your hedges. Number two, you have to manage your hedgerows in a prescribed way that is environmentally friendly. And number three, if you’ve got hedge trees in a frequency of at least one every 100 metres overall, there’s some funding for that.’ So far, around 70 farmers have signed up to the GBDH to survey all the hedges on their farms. John says; ’The farmers are motivated by the desire to do the right thing,’ says John. ‘But also the necessity of recovering some of that basic payment scheme through the SFI. All our reports are now written with the SFI hedgerow actions in mind.’
What is a healthy hedge? Typically it will take three volunteers an hour to survey one kilometre of hedge. During that time, they note the species present, the height and depth of the hedge and, most importantly, the lifecycle. The lifecycle of a hedge is measured by the Adams Hedgerow Management Scale. The scale is named after Nigel Adams, a hedge laying expert, who was part of DEFRA’s Hedgerow Practitioners Workgroup with John. To understand the Adams Code, you need to understand a little about the history of hedgerow maintenance. John explains: ‘If you go back before we invented flails on tractors and chainsaws and all that stuff that makes it easier to slaughter a hedge, you’d have a man walking along the hedge side with a staff hook – a long stem with a hook on the end – and he’d be trimming that hedge, possibly every year. These days, that’s not what happens. You’ve got a flail doing the job, and it’s a very efficient tool. ‘In the old days, once the hedge was maybe 20 years old it would become a little bit out of control, and then you’d re-lay it. Every time you lay a hedge you invigorate the root systems to start some new growth – that would be more or less the start of a new cycle of that hedge. ‘So if you go back a few generations they’d be laying hedges every year, but on different parts of the farm. And that means that there are hedges in different stages all over the farm. Turns out that’s what’s ideal for nature.’ When you look at hedges today, they can be placed under four categories of the Adams Code; tightly managed, rejuvenated, well managed and finally running up. A tightly managed hedge would be one that is flailed with a hedge trimmer each year. Eventually, this can cause damage to the hedge to the point it needs rejuvenation. Rejuvenation can come in the form of hedge laying, planting of new hedges and coppicing (fell a tree at its base to create a stool from which new shoots will grow). Eventually, a rejuvenated hedge grows into a well-managed hedge, which, if then left unmanaged, will become a hedge which is running up – the best for carbon capture. They are the largest in size, but they will begin to leave gaps in the bottom of the growth, so they eventually need to be rejuvenated again … and this is the life cycle of the hedge.
The answer to a healthy hedge? John says the formula for a healthy hedge is the combination of each stage of the entire cycle that makes the perfect hedge. These days there are two quite different systems for managing hedges, says John. ‘In one case, it’s coming along with a flail and hitting it back to the same point at the same time every year (tightly managed hedges). Ultimately this will cause their demise, because it’s just too much pressure on the hedge for it to survive. ‘On the other hand, you might have particularly well-meaning people who think that carbon capture is everything, so in order to mitigate against climate change they decide “why don’t we just let our hedges grow up and up and up and up capturing carbon?” That’s now happening a lot in conjunction with rewilding, and it’s not all good because you end up with a row of trees – and a row of trees is something that has merit in its own right, but it’s not a hedge. At the bottom of a row of trees you don’t have that important dense cover for wildlife.’ The life cycle of a hedge may seem trivial, but John insists, ‘hedges have enormous importance and are an area where the farmers can make a relatively big impact environmentally, without enormously affecting their financial operations. ‘Alongside rivers, they are the part of the landscape where the farming community can do the most – can really make a positive impact.’ The Great Big Dorset Hedge is always keen for more volunteers or farm hedges to come and survey. Head to dorsetcan.org to get involved.
Local wildlife photographer is praised by Sir David Attenborough after thrilling snake-frog encounter on school Stour Valley Nature Reserve trip
All images: Kate Fry
Kate Fry works at The Epiphany School in Bournemouth. The school takes full advantage of its proximity to the Stour Valley Nature Reserve, and regularly uses the facilities to support and enhance curriculum teaching. Early in June, Year 5 pupils were studying rivers and the local habitat, and Kate joined the school trip to the reserve to take some photographs for the school’s website. One of the activities was pond dipping, and while a small group were busy with their nets, they spotted a grass snake swimming across the pond. Kate, a keen wildlife photographer whose work regularly appears in the BV’s Readers’ Photography pages, kept watching, presuming it was hunting for a meal. She soon noticed a frog appear to rise straight up out of the weeds: ‘I realised that the snake was underneath it, pushing it up out of the water. The snake had one rear frog leg in its jaw. It couldn’t swallow the frog as the leg was jammed in its throat with the other rear leg outside – like putting just one leg in a pair of tight trousers! The snake and frog continued like this for a few minutes until the snake began to pull the frog back under the water. We all watched while there was a bit of thrashing around, then suddenly the frog jumped across the top of the pond and made a speedy getaway into the reeds and vegetation at the side!
The lucky Year 5s busy pond dipping at Stour Valley Nature Reserve
‘The snake remained in the centre of the pond, head up and flicking its tongue, trying to find the scent of the frog. It eventually swam to the edge of the pond and away into the reeds. I’m fairly sure that the frog, though it got away from the snake, was mortally wounded – there was a fair bit of damage on its side.’ Kate wasn’t alone in her excitement – it wasn’t just the children lucky enough to be present but also the wildlife reserve’s rangers and staff were thrilled to see it. ‘We all felt that we had seen something really special,’ says Kate. ‘I was so pleased that I was ready and able to capture the moment with my camera.’
Later, the Year 5 pupils wrote to Sir David Attenborough to tell him about their encounter, and enclosed Kate’s photos. The school was stunned to receive a handwritten reply from Sir David himself:
“Dear Year Five, Thank you very much for your letter. I am so glad you find my programmes interesting. You are very lucky indeed to have witnessed that encounter between a grass snake and a frog. Like you, I would have been relieved to see the frog escape in the end. Mrs Fry’s photographs really are remarkable. Please give her my congratulations. Best wishes to you all. David Attenborough
‘He seemed genuinely interested,’ says Kate. ‘It felt as though he really enjoyed what the pupils had shared. I was also very proud that he said “Mrs Fry’s photographs really are remarkable”. What an accolade from a man who has witnessed so much in the natural world! ‘The pupils and staff are so grateful to Sir David for taking the time to send a personal reply. Such a gesture is so inspiring for the children. ‘I do enjoy being out in nature and I walk along the Stour with my camera several times a week. Sometimes I get lucky!’
Screenshot
Britain’s longest snake, grass snakes grow to a metre or more. They are lethal hunters of frogs, toads and other small creatures, and are equally happy on land and in water
As I sit writing this, the polling stations are closing, and the country stand (sit? snoozes?) poised, waiting for what I think is an inevitable landslide of a night. Living in Dorset, we enjoy one of the most beautiful and tranquil environments in the country. But hiding behind the idyllic facade of thatched roofs and high hedgerows lies an issue that has been overlooked, avoided and ignored by successive governments. The rural tax. It’s not a formal levy, but rather a cumulative burden of higher living costs and limited access to essential services in rural areas. It’s always tough to be short of money, but it’s far tougher when you can’t easily access social groups, schools, affordable supermarkets, doctors, or regular public transport. Living in a rural area is significantly more challenging than urban living for those on a low income. Healthcare access is a fundamental right, yet many in our rural communities struggle with long travel times to reach medical appointments. This places a strain on individuals and families and highlights a broader systemic neglect. The scarcity of public transport isn’t any easier to solve, but for those without private vehicles, the lack of reliable transport options can lead to social isolation and severely limited economic opportunities, especially in areas also poorly supplied with fast broadband. The next government must consider these rural issues. While it is of course necessary to cater to the majority, continually focusing on urban areas leaves rural parts of the country behind. Tailored support for rural economies is an essential step towards creating a more equitable society. Policies should recognise the distinct needs of rural areas and not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Dorset needs a government that listens to and acts upon the concerns of rural residents. Our rural communities deserve nothing less.
Laura x
Want to reply? Read something you feel needs commenting on? Our postbag is open! Please send emails to [email protected]
On Lyscombe The farmland purchased by DWT was 800acres total, and the only productive agriculture done was on 300 acres of low input grassland. The farm had been organic for 30 years and has had the lowest inputs of purely cattle dung applied to it of any farm in the Poole catchment – as proved by it having the lowest score on the nitrate leaching tool. DWT and Natural England used a different model, as if it were farmed in a conventional way. They use this model to forecast nitrogen net benefit to the harbour. This farm has never applied an optimum level of nitrogen. Furthermore, the slurry applied to the large area surrounding it remains, as they have not lowered the stock numbers of surrounding farmers. In terms of stock they removed 100 sheep and 50 beef cattle which they intend to replace to holistically graze the site. The community wholeheartedly support a nature reserve being in the middle of the Dorset AONB and being funded with DWT money. The public should be aware the government spent £5million of their money, and if they want support from local farmers they should tell the full picture. This will have negligible effect on Poole Harbour and many, very qualified, people agree with nitrates saving being farcical. But it will undoubtably be a gain to the wildlife of the area. £5 million may have been better spent at Wessex Water… where human slurry gets pumped into rivers! Will Hiscock, via Facebook
Sweet Sorrow How wonderful to discover this passionate play at the Exchange, presented by SNADS. Not one of their hilarious pantomimes, farces or murder mysteries but an exploration into bereavement. If that put you off going, what a shame! The audience was rapt, much laughter and a few tears as we witnessed a family joking around, then falling apart and finally recovering. The cast played with absolute conviction, transporting us to their real world with sincerity. I must pick out Hazel Perret and Tom Selby who were particularly impressive, being so young, grounded in the reality of difficult teenage journeys through this splendid piece. Scene-setting via upstage film projection denoting not only location but the quips and retorts of texting was an inspired creation. A most tasteful touch was an aerial panning of Christchurch Estuary with the message of death conveyed by the music of Faure’s beautiful ‘In Paradisum’. Can one be entertained by tears and sad emotion? Yes! It was a compellingly enjoyable deepening of life around us and, what’s more, the actors told me that they enjoyed rehearsals immensely – and it showed! Fraser Wilson, by email
Nick Heyward chooses his Dorset Island Discs, and looks back on rough school days, dreaming of stardom, David Bowie living round the corner, naming Haircut 100 … and the joy of reading in the bath | Page 20
Kate Fry, a local amateur wildlife photographer, receives a letter of praise from Sir David Attenborough after a thrilling chance snake-frog encounter on a school trip to Stour Valley Nature Reserve | Page 4
From mocking the game to becoming world champion: Alex Kley’s record-breaking achievements| Page 16
The forgotten art of hedgerow lifecycles – ‘the single most important ecological building blocks we have in the farmed landscape’ | Page 6
Kingston Maurward shines at its eventing debut, which saw almost 300 competitors, and praise for its beautiful setting, challenging courses, and exceptional organisation | Page 64
It’s 30 years since the Church of England allowed women priests, Tracie Beardsley meets the Rev Jane Williams, ‘The Red Post Vicar’ of six Dorset parishes | Page 27
Easy walking on wide tracks through open farmland between Blandford and Wimborne, enjoying the less-visited villages tucked away behind Badbury Rings.
This is such an easy Dorset walk – almost flat, surprisingly free of wobbly stiles through thickly brambled hedges and hardly any map reading necessary as you follow broad farm tracks and wide green lanes. It was a spur of the moment route plan a couple of years ago when we foolishly thought we might walk from Badbury Rings on a sunny summer’s day. We saw the queue for the car park and swiftly thought better of that plan, diving into the broad Dorset farmland in the forgotten miles behind the lure of Badbury Rings and Kingston Lacy! You can always stop by on your way home.
Because we were working on the fly, we parked on a broad grass verge at the point where the footpath crosses a lane, but since then we’ve found that it’s simpler to park in the village of Witchampton and pick up the route from there. Another option in quieter months is to add half a mile or so and do what we originally planned, starting from the Badbury Rings car park (free if you’re a National Trust member).
The route brings you through the pretty hamlet of Manswood, right past The Buildings, its famous terrace of 12 pretty cottages which together form one of the longest continuous stretches of thatch in the country. Moving on from The Buildings, do also pause to appreciate the architecture of Manswood’s Old School as you pass: I’m always fascinated by its odd assortment of timbers, turrets and chimneys.
There’s not much more to add – it’s just a straightforward, delightful and astonishingly hedge-and-stile free Dorset walk!
