Bride Valley Vineyard in Litton Cheney has scooped a coveted Gold Medal at the 2025 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London, for its sparkling Bride Valley Brut Reserve 2018. Scoring an impressive 96 points, the Dorset wine matched the winning Champagne from France’s Piper-Heidsieck, and came within one point of the competition’s top sparkling wine. Described by judges as a “gastronomic wine, opening with a plush bouquet of orchard fruits and a gentle nuttiness … vibrant citrus and green apple with brioche”. The Brut Reserve is made from 65% pinot noir and 35% chardonnay, with five years of bottle ageing. Only two per cent of wines entered receive a Gold Medal, making Bride Valley’s win all the more significant. The vineyard also earned Silver medals for its Dorset Crémant and Blanc de Blancs 2018. ‘To receive such an accolade from a very tough panel of judges … the results are proof that English Sparkling is now recognised internationally as superior quality on-par with the top Champagne houses.,’ said Nikki Gallagher, Commercial Director.
Vineyard tours and tastings run every Saturday until September. For details see bridevalleyvineyard.com
Based on a 30-acre care farm Annual Salary Range: £33,000-£38,000 37 hours a week Start Date: To fit with the successful candidate’s availability
Based in rural West Dorset, Future Roots is a long- and well-established provider of complimentary social care that provides a therapeutic alternative education. Working with schools and Dorset and Somerset’sChildren’s Services we use a farm environment and our animals to offer young people learning and therapeutic experiences to help them overcome trauma and challenges.
We are now looking for someone to join our team as a Manager, to manage key aspects of our Young People’s Service and to deputise for the Director. We need someone who can bring demonstrable skill and experience from a background of working with children and young people, and who has an affinity with the outdoor environment and animals.
The role will cover: Strategic Leadership in key aspects of the Service, Safeguarding, Quality Assurance, Contract Management, Compliance and Relationships with commissioners and funders as well as generating new business and income streams.
Please read the job description for the specific detail of the role.
For further information about the role contact Julie Plumley (Director Future Roots) on 01963 210703 or via email: [email protected].
Applications to be returned to [email protected] by 1pm Monday 14th July
Please visit our website www.futureroots.net to see the full range of what we do.
Tincknell Fuels’ Gillingham depot has been honoured with the prestigious Depot of the Year 2025 award by the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA). This national recognition celebrates excellence in operational performance, customer service, and community engagement within the fuel distribution industry. The award is the result of the dedication and hard work of the Gillingham team, as well as the unwavering support from their loyal customer base across Dorset. The Tincknell Group is a fourth generation family run business which was established in Wells in 1925 by Robert Tincknell to meet the needs of the local farming community for general blacksmithing and ironmongery products: Robert’s grandson Philip Tincknellis current chairman, and his children Robert and Diana are directors – the firm continues to play a vital role in ensuring reliable fuel supply to homes and businesses. Being acknowledged by UKIFDA places the Gillingham depot among the top in the UK and Ireland, highlighting its commitment to industry standards and customer satisfaction. This accolade not only brings pride to the local community but also reinforces the importance of dependable fuel services in the area.
Employers report worrying gaps in core digital skills – unexpectedly, even in under 24s, nearly half are unable to complete core tasks
We recently held an event, The Dorset People Festival, aimed at bringing businesses and training organisations together to help fill the skills gap that many employers report when recruiting staff. Quite surprisingly, one of the major issues that came out was the digital skills gap that employers are reporting as a real issue within businesses. We invited an organisation along to the event called Future.now and they spoke of the research they have been doing on the size and impact of the digital skills gap. Our Local Skills Improvement Plan, reviewing the skills needs of business, has also identified this as an issue.
Essential skills There are 20 core digital skills tasks that government and industry consider essential over five different core areas: communicating, handling content and information, transacting, problem solving and being safe and legal online. The skills gaps they report are concerning and also evident across all sectors. They report that the construction industry has the lowest levels of Essential Digital Skills, with only 35% of people within construction able to do all 20 core tasks. Far more suprisingly, 20% of people working in the tech sector don’t have all 20 tasks. We might presume that this is much less of an issue for younger people that have grown up in this digital age – but almost half of them (48% of 18 to 24 year olds) are unable to do all tasks. Unsurprisingly, it is much more of an issue for the over 65s: 71% in this age bracket are unable to complete all 20 core tasks.
Not just work As technology becomes ever more embedded in our daily lives, the need to bridge the digital skills gap has never been more urgent. A growing number of organisations are stepping up to meet this challenge. Educational providers are weaving digital literacy into their core curriculum, recognising it as a fundamental life skill. Local authorities are launching targeted initiatives to support digital inclusion, helping individuals across all age groups gain the confidence and capability to navigate an increasingly online world. The economic impact of digital exclusion is substantial – but there is also the need to help people outside of the workplace improve their digital skills in order to live their daily lives. This is becoming an increasing issue that we must address.
From dodgy tractor skills to a spitting alpaca, Andrew Livingston’s love story proves Abbotsbury swans aren’t the only ones who mate for life
May and June were always my favourite time of year as a child. No, not because it meant the summer holidays were around the corner (although that did help). It was always at this time that we would make our annual family pilgrimage to the Abbotsbury Swannery If you haven’t ever been – and you don’t have an aversion to a slightly aggressive avian species – then you must go this year! The cygnets will be hatching now and can be seen in the nests with their parents. Interesting fact for you: swans find their soulmate and will mate with them for life. It’s quite romantic really. Amazing to think now that when I visited as a child I would have seen the same swans each year, having babies with the same partner. It’s a tenuous link, but as I write this, in eight days I will be settling down with my very own swan soulmate. I am getting married! Slightly scary, slightly expensive … but ultimately it’s very exciting. We’ve already had two little cygnets of our own – which for me is quite handy. If the female swans fail to procreate they will bin off their not-actually-a-soulmate-after-all for a new partner that can get the deed done! My soon-to-be wife, Ellie, is also from farming stock. It wasn’t part of the criteria when searching for a partner, but ultimately it did help. Working nine to five is a rarity in agriculture, and a 12-hour day is often a requirement of the role, so an understanding partner is a must. For us, the hours are often made worse by then having to spend an extra two hours after work looking for our spaniel Wilf (every reader’s favourite) in the neighbouring farms, because he has done another runner.
With Ellie being of agri-stock, I thought I’d woo her by bringing her to the farm on one of our first dates. Unfortunately, my abysmal tractor driving was not that impressive and when she began to laugh at me I thought I was in trouble. I had to do something fast to save the future I had mapped out for us in my head. I was desperate. I’m not proud of what I did, but in rural communities, it’s hard to find a partner. Needs must. I parked up the tractor and walked her across the fields to show her the cattle – or at least that’s what she thought … As we stood in the end paddock the herd saw us and came bounding over with excitement. She liked the Aberdeen Angus, and the beautiful view of the Dorset coastline in the distance did me no harm either. But then, from behind the black beauties, came a terrifying monster. Dishevelled, unkempt and spitting with rage … and Ellie’s first meet with our old pal Peppa the Alpaca. Furious that we had approached his girls, he spat a cocktail of grass and phlegm in our direction, snarling his two buck teeth. Ellie looked frightened. My plan was working. Proudly (and bravely, I need to point out), I stood alongside the scraggy monster-beast. With both of us in her view, I broke a small, hopeful smile. She looked us up and down, sighed, shrugged her shoulders and blatantly thought to herself: “I guess it could be worse.” Six years later, Ellie will now become Mrs It-Could-Be-Worse. Thankfully for me, she forgot she could do better … much better.
CPRE’s Rupert Hardy looks at how James Thornhill brought the baroque to Britain: from Greenwich and St Paul’s to Sherborne’s staircase
In the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich, on the Painted Hall’s west wall you can see George I with his extensive family: on the lower right hand side Thornhill cheekily included a self portrait
The recent restoration of Sherborne House in Dorset has refocused attention on arguably the county’s greatest painter. James Thornhill was an eighteenth-century painter of historical subjects, working in the Italian baroque tradition. He is best known for his spectacular mural paintings in the Painted Hall at the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, and various stately homes – including Sherborne House, now known as The Sherborne. Born in Melcombe Regis (now part of Weymouth), Thornhill faced challenges early in life. His father absconded shortly after his birth, and he was taken in by his great-uncle, the distinguished physician Thomas Sydenham of Wynford Eagle. It was Sydenham who provided the funds for Thornhill’s artistic training, arranging an apprenticeship to fellow Dorset man – and distant cousin – Thomas Highmore. The apprenticeship began in 1689 and lasted until 1696. Thornhill later worked under the Italian artist Antonio Verrio at Hampton Court, refining his skills in the grand baroque style. His breakthrough came in 1704 with a commission at Stoke Court in Herefordshire, which led to work at Chatsworth and Blenheim – and ultimately his great public commissions at Greenwich and St Paul’s.Thornhill’s key advantage? He was English and Protestant – unlike most of his competitors, who were Catholic Italians and Frenchmen. The Painted Hall at Greenwich Often called Britain’s Sistine Chapel, the Painted Hall is Thornhill’s masterpiece. Its allegorical wall and ceiling decorations celebrate the Protestant succession from William and Mary to George I, glorifying political stability, commercial prosperity and naval power. It took 19 years to complete. On the west wall you can see George I with his extensive family: but on the right hand side the artist cheekily managed to include a portrait of himself close to the monarch (see opposite). In 1715, he was commissioned to paint the dome of St Paul’s with ten scenes from the life of St Paul. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Tenison, reportedly said: ‘I am no judge of painting, but on two articles I think I may insist: first that the painter employed be a Protestant, and secondly that he be an Englishman.’ Thornhill nearly died while working on the dome: stepping too far back on the platform suspended from the dome, he was saved by his assistant pulling him back from a certainly fatal fall. These works cemented his reputation as the foremost figurative artist of his generation, and he became George I‘s court history painter, being knighted soon after – the first English painter to receive that honour.
James Thornhill’s self portrait on the Painted Hall’s west wall
Hogarth and Thornhill’s daughter Mural paintings played a vital role in British art history. They allowed patrons to express political ideals, dynastic ambitions, and philosophical messages – particularly in Whig country houses of the late seventeenth century. Thornhill established a drawing school in Covent Garden, where William Hogarth studied – and fell for Thornhill’s daughter, Jane. Thornhill disapproved, seeing Hogarth’s low birth and and keenness to paint ordinary people in the street as unsuitable. The couple eloped, and the need to earn money spurred Hogarth to paint The Harlot’s Progress series. Lady Thornhill urged her daughter to leave the newly finished pictures where her father might find them, and when Thornhill saw them he said: ‘Very well, the man who can furnish representations like these can also maintain a wife without a portion.’
Meleager presenting Atalanta with the boar’s head – James Thornhill’s panel on The Sherborne’s grand staircase
Sherborne and Beyond At the height of his career, Thornhill was commissioned by Henry Portman, builder of Sherborne House, to decorate the grand staircase of the Palladian-style mansion. The resulting mural depicts a dramatic scene from Ovid’s Metamorphoses – the Calydonian Boar Hunt. In the myth, the goddess Diana, slighted by King Oeneus’s failure to honour her, sends a monstrous boar to ravage Calydon. His son Meleager leads the hunt, joined by the famed huntress Atalanta. Though Meleager kills the beast, Atalanta draws first blood, and he duly awards her the boar’s head and pelt. His uncles, outraged that a mere woman should receive the prize, seize it from her – and Meleager, in fury, kills them both. Thornhill also painted locally at Down House and Eastbury Park (both now lost), Charborough Park, and created a reredos for St Mary’s Church in Weymouth. He illustrated books, undertook some architectural work, and repurchased his family’s estate in Stalbridge, rebuilding Thornhill House. From 1722 to 1734, he served as MP for Weymouth and Wyke Regis, and later helped repaint the Houses of Parliament – assisted by his son-in-law Hogarth. Thornhill was, undeniably, a Dorset success story. One well worth remembering.
This month Barry Cuff has chosen two postcards sent from Shroton – or Iwerne Courtney. The village delights in its two names – the Domesday Book lists a manor of Werne, and by 1244 it is Yuern Curtenay. It appears as Schyreuetone in 1337.
The postcard of Main Street was sent in August 1906 to Lewisham: presumably JW had been sent to Dorset to convalesce: I have been very busy trying to discover mushrooms for a little feed for Pa & me – but alas! In rain. Shall try again however so please be ready to cook for us on Friday evening. Had tea yesterday up on the hills. The weather is lovely & I look better already. Aunt h sends you her love. JW
In 1261 Shroton received a grant from Henry III for an annual fairs and a weekly market. The autumn fair continued into the 1960s and used to be one of the main Dorset events of the year. It was held under Hambledon Hill, on the field now called the Fair Field, and is said to be the inspiration for the opening scenes of the hiring fair in Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge – as well as the sale of horses, cattle and all manner of produce there was a hiring fair, and also entertainments such as roundabouts, swings, shooting galleries, fortune tellers and jugglers.
The image was taken in 1911, and the card sent from Shroton Post Office to Appin in Argyllshire: Shroton Dearest Brother. Thank you so much for sweet p.card although rather wild looking, I don’t think I should care to live there. We are beginning to look forward so much to your holiday, Hope you are keeping well, am sorry to say Bob has a bad cold on his chest again, have had to keep him in since Wednesday. Best love from us all, your affectionate Alice.
If there was a popularity ranking for insects, wasps would probably occupy the bottom spot. However, the vast majority of the more than 7,000 species of wasp found in Britain are completely harmless to humans and, in most cases, highly beneficial as effective pollinators and predators of pests. Even the handful of species considered as ‘stinging pests’ are an important part of the overall ecosystem. Firstly, not everything that looks like a wasp is, in fact, a wasp. Many other insects – including moths, sawflies and hoverflies – have evolved colours and markings that resemble wasps. This is known as Batesian mimicry, a strategy in which a harmless species gains protection by resembling an unpalatable or harmful species. Yellow-legged clearwing moth and figwort sawfly are two examples of wasp imitators. Wasps are a fascinating group of insects that exhibit an enormous variety of colour, shape and lifestyle. Here are just a few of the many species to be seen in Dorset:
Heath potter wasp This scarce solitary wasp can be found on heathland sites where there is a supply of water and suitable soil from which the female can construct a nest (pot), in which she lays a single egg. The pot will be provisioned with several moth caterpillars to feed the developing wasp larva before it is sealed. Each female will construct around 25 pots, usually attached to gorse or heather plants. The distinctive shape of the wasp’s abdomen makes identification relatively easy.
Purbeck mason wasp
Purbeck mason wasp Found only on a few heathland sites in Purbeck, this attractive wasp is one of the UK’s rarest insects. The Purbeck mason wasp frequents areas of open ground which have a nearby source of clay and water for nest building. A plentiful supply of bell heather is also required – it provides a source of nectar for the adult wasps and is also the chosen food of the heath button moth caterpillar which, in turn, is the sole food of the mason wasp larva.
Ichneumon wasp
Ichneumon wasp The ichneumon wasps are a huge family, comprising more than 2,500 parasitoid insects in the UK alone. They vary enormously in size, shape and colour but are generally narrow-waisted insects with extended antennae and long female ovipositors. Identification of species is often very difficult in the field and, despite many species being large and colourful, ichneumon wasps still tend to be the subject of specialist study.
Purseweb spider wasp
Purseweb spider wasp There are 44 species of spider-hunting wasps in Britain. As their name suggests, they specialise in catching and paralysing spiders to feed their young. The purseweb spider is the only known prey of the purseweb spider wasp. Both species are designated as Nationally Scarce and found mainly in southern England, including along the Dorset coast where it has a particular liking for wild carrot.
Beewolf
Beewolf This large and impressive solitary wasp was once considered an extreme rarity in Britain, but since the 1980s there has been a huge expansion of its range and it is now a familiar sight among Dorset’s heathland fauna. The female beewolf captures honeybees and carries them under her body back to the nest burrow to feed the developing young.
Broad-banded digger wasp
Broad-banded digger wasp There are 120 species of British digger wasp and many of these have the same black and yellow colouration, which can make identification extremely difficult. The broad-banded digger wasp is a rare species which preys on small bugs such as froghoppers. It has characteristic broad bands on the abdomen and extensive yellow face markings.
Hairy sand wasp
Hairy sand wasp One of four species of British sand wasp, the female hairy sand wasp overwinters as an adult and emerges on warm days in March, long before the other three species make an appearance. The wasp’s nest burrow is provisioned with a single large caterpillar to provide food for the larva. Despite being designated as Nationally Scarce, hairy sand wasps can be found over much of Dorset’s heathland and are often seen feeding on fleabane and other nectar-rich flowers.
Javelin wasp
Javelin wasp With its ridiculously long, white-tipped ovipositor, clubbed hind legs and strange posture, this is certainly a distinctive insect. The ovipositor is, in fact, a very effect tool for laying eggs in the nests of solitary bees and wasps. Javelin wasps occur over much of Dorset, sometimes appearing in gardens.
One of the hidden delights of south west Wiltshire, the walled garden at Hatch House near Tisbury, has a starring role every July in an event that has become a hugely anticipated date in the summer social calendar, particularly for lovers of classical and contemporary ballet and dance. The garden of Sir Henry and Lady Rumbold’s beautiful old stone house is a glorious setting for three evenings of exciting dance, performed by some of the world’s leading dancers and complemented by fine dining. It is little surprise that over its 15 year history, Ballet Under the Stars has become known as “the Glyndebourne of dance.” This year it runs from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th July. Founder-director Matt Brady created a unique formula in 2010, when he first brought world-class dance to this rural corner of Wiltshire. While offering guests the glamour and panache of international dancers in an intimate setting, the evening also included a gourmet dinner – a feature that is unique to Hatch (patrons at most country house opera seasons bring picnics or enjoy a separately-billed dinner at an on-site restaurants). Over the three nights, principal dancers and rising stars from some of the greatest ballet companies in the world, perform on a stage set in the romantic 17th century walled Dutch garden.
This year, the performance programme will, as always, take place in three 30-minute sections, between courses of gourmet dining with paired wines. The walled garden is covered by a bespoke roof to create a dinner theatre, allowing the audience to enjoy the mixed bill of classical, neo-classical and contemporary dance, come rain or shine. Post show, guests are invited to continue their evening with cocktails and dancing in the Café Folle cocktail bar late into the summer’s night. In March, Matt Brady took his ballet creation to the Bahamas for the second time, and in an exciting programme for this year’s local audience, he is bringing two of the Bahamian dancers to Hatch – the celebrated Courtney Celeste Fox and Vernal Adderley.
A stellar cast Four principal dancers from two of the most prestigious British ballet companies, English National Ballet and The Royal Ballet, will be performing under the stars at Hatch – Lauren Cuthbertson, guest principal with the Royal Ballet, makes a long-awaited return, partnered this year by Gareth Haw, an ENB principal, making his Hatch debut; Sarah Lamb and William Bracewell, both Royal Ballet principals, are also making their Ballet Under the Stars debut. Lauren Cuthbertson studied at The Royal Ballet School before graduating into the company in 2002, becoming a principal in 2008. In 2022 she performed in the Platinum Party celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. She is vice president of the British Ballet Organisation and Patron of London Children’s Ballet and the National Youth Ballet. Gareth Haw trained at both the lower and upper schools of The Royal Ballet. He joined ENB in 2023 and was promoted to principal last year. American dancer Sarah Lamb joined the Royal Ballet as a soloist in 2004, and was promoted to principal in 2006. Her repertoire includes leading roles in ballets by Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Kenneth MacMillan, Alastair Marriott, Jerome Robbins, John Cranko and Liam Scarlett. William Bracewell, like Gareth, is a Welsh dancer. From the age of 11 he trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined the Royal Ballet as a soloist in 2017, and has been a principal since 2022. The 2025 line-up is completed by Hatch audience favourite, Xander Paris.
Grace Noelle and Andrew Parfitt. Choreographer James Bamford. Photo Alice Pennefather
The 2025 premiere Every year, through the Dicky Buckle Fund, a charity created by Matt to support young dancers and choreographers to bring new works to the stage, a new work is premiered at Hatch. This year, two young, talented dancers, Faye Stoeser and Hannah Ekholm of Ekleido, will perform Clinquant, the work they have created and choreographed, supported by the charity. Ekleido’s distinctive choreographic voice combines contemporary dance with street dance style including voguing, threading and bonebreaking.
Ballet Under the Stars is at Hatch House on 25th, 26th and 27th July. Tickets start at £195: coventgardendance.com
