Step back in time with our ‘Then and Now’ feature, where vintage postcards from the Barry Cuff Collection meet modern-day reality. Explore the past and present on the same page, and see the evolution of familiar local places. ‘Now’ images by Courtenay Hitchcock
For many, Wimborne’s Carols in the Cornmarket marks the true start of Christmas. Taking place on Friday, 20th December, this popular free event invites families and friends to come together in the historic Cornmarket for an evening of traditional Christmas carols.
Decorated with twinkling lanterns, the Cornmarket provides a magical setting for the community to escape the season’s hustle and enjoy a festive sing-along. Song sheets will be provided, ensuring everyone can join in!
The event begins with an opening prayer, followed by readings and favourite carols performed alongside choristers from Wimborne Minster and the Broadstone Community Concert Band, conducted by Damon Corio.
Organised by Hilda Butler and Anthony Oliver since 2006, the event has become a staple of Wimborne’s festive calendar. Even heavy rain in previous years couldn’t dampen spirits, with participants seeking shelter in the Minster church.
Anthony Oliver said: ‘There’s something very special about this event. At about 5.45pm it looks like no one will show up and then suddenly people arrive in droves.
‘With so many people moving into the new housing developments in and around Wimborne, we’d especially like to welcome new residents to come along and join in.’
The event raises funds for Wimborne Minster Church, so donations are welcome—cash only, as card readers are unavailable. Last year, £903 was raised.
Sponsored by Wimborne BID and Optique 2000, the event starts at 6pm and lasts about an hour. BID chair Fiona Harwood said: ‘This much-loved event truly embraces the community spirit we’re so fortunate to have here in Wimborne.’
If you enjoyed last year’s Dorset Christmas quiz, we’ve SORTED out some more brain teasers for you. This time, the answers might be hiding in plain sight – perhaps a little order is all you need to find the festive fun!
1 – What is a Marin sincerity?
a) A former conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, praising its musicianship
b) A true seafarer who’s carelessly lost an ‘e’
c) A poetic village, near Yeovil, with a church dedicated to St Hippolytus
2 – What is a corset herd?
a) A hefted collection of cattle whose loins are tightly bound to their mammary veins.
b) The squeaking of whalebone
c) A hardy county location on the banks of the River Frome
3 – What is a corrupt morello?
a) A cherry of doubtful purpose in the creation of “modern” gin.
b) The local home of small, pigskin bound, books
c) An overwhelmingly peculiar clue
4 – What are unwritten monsters?
a) Constant presences in the brains of those convinced they are about to pen a best seller
b) Audiences at a central Exchange
c) Plant-based recipes changing hands only on the interweb
5 – Who was Albert Digs?
a) The brother of the late lamented Albert Dog, named for Albert Dock because his tail had been docked to a bagel.
b) The guiding light of Alice Roberts and Phil Harding, whose name gave him his raison d’etre.
c) The poached but legal home of the world’s best-known hitchhiker
6 – What is a burnout home?
a) A place for exhausted executives to put their feet up. b) It’s surrounded by the woods where the Ents originated.
c) The remnants of settlements inhabited by the charcoal burners
7 – What are stalling sausages?
a) The daily product of equines, left in their overnight accommodation and calling for XXL poo bags.
b) Favourite meal on the menu when the Drovers transitioned into roosters.
c) AKA Sleeping Policemen, bumps in the road designed to stop vehicles from moving.
8 – What is a Buford landform?
a) Discovered by Septimus Hector Buford, (bastard) son of the 34th Viscount de Gripe, this unusual topographical feature points the viewer to the virtue of the owner.
b) Also known as a Bluford Landform, it is found in sticky patches at either side of a deep rivulet in a road or track.
c) A meeting place where the Brothers of Bastardy might have been scuppered by rain.
9 – What is a Moslem iceberg?
a) A welcome relief from the searing heat of summer in the middle east.
b) A place where death is always black.
c) An ice cream, or more accurately a gelato, created in West Bay and suitable for all tastes, pronouns and religious persuasions.
10 – What are tubby boars?
a) Little piggies from the forest of dean on their way to becoming ENORMOUS boars
b) A euphemistic term for rotund and self-satisfied men (sorry, otherwise it would have been sows) overly enamoured of the sound of their own voices.
c) A place of downy cygnetary.
11 – What is Full Macenroe?
a) The irresistible urge to scream You Cannot Be Serious!
b) No castle here, but briefly known as Little Harlem
c) A large fusion dish, popular among Scottish-Italian fish-egg lovers, whose name has been adopted by Americans (and now by British eaters) to describe what used to be known as Macaroni Cheese.
12 – What are Hand Modems?
a) A hand modem changes the streaming platforms of your device with one squeeze
b) The place where Ed cures the pork.
c) Find out in the FT’s Technopolis section, next to the watches that do everything but tell the time … or ask a passing primary school child.
13 – What is glory bend?
a) The final curve on any racetrack … the place where you know you have won.
b) The resting place of the grey mare and her colts.
c) A destination sought in many work and plantation songs.
14 – Who was Anny Kare Rottnest?
a) The Kare Rottnests were well known in Dorset for the care they took over the birds on their estates. Anny began the Dorset tradition of adorning nests with swags of ivy from the Bulbarrow Yew.
b) She was tied to her true lover with a roadside knot.
c) Anny Kare adopted the name Rottnest after a visit to the island off Perth in Western Australia, where she fell under the spell of the quokkas.
15 – What is a tinned dolphin?
a) A child’s toy that springs out of the ring-pull can, in the strip of the Miami team.
b) There are those who want to change the spelling of this place, offended by its connotations.
c) Artwork left as a “legacy” of the Olympics in Dorset, celebrating its agile leaps in metal form.
Answers:
1: Ryme Intrinsica, 2: Dorchester, 3: Toller Porcorum, 4: Sturminster Newton,
5: Stalbridge, 6: Bournemouth, 7: Gussage All Saints, 8: Blandford Forum, 9: Melcombe Regis, 10: Abbotsbury, 11: Corfe Mullen, 12: Edmondsham, 13: Long Bredy, 14: Tarrant Keyneston, 15: Piddlehinton
From fainting goat to star pupil – Sir Henry Hall’s masterclass debut with Harry Meade proves a winter training triumph
November has been much quieter our end, but we’ve still had a productive month of winter training! As I said last month, Henry (Sir Henry Hall) has stayed in for the winter while the others are out on holiday: we’re keeping his brain in gear and preparing for 2025.
Back in the summer, I was asked to be a demo rider in a masterclass with 5* British eventing rider Harry Meade. At the time, November seemed a mile away, but here we suddenly were! The event was at Kingston Maurward, and I decided to take Henry – not only because he’s my only horse in work, but I was also interested to see Harry’s take on him, being such a quirky individual (Henry that is, not Harry!).
Anyone who has seen any sort of masterclass will understand when I say it is quite an intense environment for a horse. I genuinely had no idea how Henry was going to cope – if Henry was a bird he would be an ostrich. He is the first to bury his head in the sand at anything he finds remotely scary! Actually, scrap that … he would be one of those fainting goats – you know, the ones that try to run away, freeze up and fall over instead? Yep. He’s one of those.
Basically, I had no idea how Henry would deal with rows of onlookers wrapped in blankets and cradling hot chocolate. A friend of mine recognised Henry instantly when she arrived – she pointed to him, then at me, and asked “are you actually crazy?”.
To all of our surprise, though, he took the evening in his stride and overall he behaved brilliantly. I think he even started to enjoy the applause towards the end!
The fence of doom
The focus of the demo was on the general training and producing of an event horse. In the dressage, Harry discussed the importance of a horse bending throughout its whole body, and we also practised some footwork. Harry started us with regularly-spaced trot poles (like we normally would at home), but then started to roll them around into totally random positions. Although this surprised us at first, it highlighted the importance of a horse being given the length of rein they need to allow them to read a situation themselves, so as not to tread on the poles. The ability to sort their own footwork is so important in event horses, especially when going cross country over all sorts of terrains. Henry did pretty well at this one – although he is a quirky horse, he is absolutely brilliant at getting his feet out of the way. Perhaps because he used to run himself into all sorts of trouble as a young horse, he’s learned to get himself out of it!
Next, we moved on to the jumping. We started in trot, the same as we do at Fox-Pitt’s, and then some grid work to warm us up. Then we did some jumping on a circle to again focus on suppleness and turning. Henry finds this difficult, so it was a really useful exercise for him.
And finally – cross country!
This was the part I was looking forward to the most, of course. I got back on board and promptly thought “oh jeez… there are some very skinny skinnies in here!” (a skinny is a narrow cross country obstacle – not a supermodel!).
Interestingly, we started in walk, allowing the horses to assess and understand the fences – which were only small – before adding any pace. Harry also built a TERRIFYING fence (to Henry), which had a water tray underneath and was covered in hi-viz jackets.
No surprise then – the first time he saw it, Henry attempted to spin and run a mile!
Harry instructed me to sit back while keeping a loose rein and my leg on, encouraging Henry to take his time and read the obstacle, while taking confidence from his rider.
After his initial panicky reaction, he was the perfect model student and jumped it beautifully. I was so pleased with this piece of work and definitely took some notes!
The equine dachshund
Finally, we were able to play over some more complicated cross-country lines, working on adjustability. This was not only brilliant fun, but also super educational, as this is another of Henry’s weaker points (to be fair, it’s hard to “coil and stretch like a spring” when you’re built like an equine dachshund!).
Overall, there was so much to take away from the evening – and I’m not just talking about all of Harry’s analogies translating horses to real-life (I’m not kidding – we were “unscrewing lightbulbs”, “throwing cannonballs off cliffs” and putting our feet “on the dashboard”!).
Henry and I gained so much, and I’m looking forward to applying it all into the remainder of our winter training. At the start of December the other horses come back into work, and it’ll be useful to employ lots of it with them, too!
Kingston Maurward Equestrian held the lecture demo evening with Harry Meade, inviting four local event riders to be put through their paces by Harry, riding through a wide variety of exercises on the flat and over jumps. Harry explained the philosophy behind his training methods and why he uses these particular exercises with his own horses. He simultaneously coached the riders while entertaining his audience – the event was a great success, with more then 170 members of Dorset’s equestrian community in the audience.
Kingston Maurward offers a dynamic programme of full-time equine education, running courses up to Level 3. One of their most successful alumni members is Harry Meade’s own head girl, Jess Errington.
Christmas has so many different meanings to each person and every family. For me, it’s the tradition that makes Christmas important – and as farmers our traditions will be very different to many families!
For all farmers with livestock, they still need to be fed, checked and milked. We all do our best to make the day easier – maybe getting that non-farming member to help for one day of the year! – but the work still goes on. Personally I think that makes our Christmas meal even more important – we’re so very closely acquainted with the work that has gone into making it.
Christmas can be a difficult time, however, if you find yourself alone: pick up the phone to a neighbour that may be in need of a freindly chat.
FCN already have two quiz and supper nights organised for early in the New Year:
January 16th 2025 –
The Udder Farm Shop
February 13th 2025 – Symondsbury Barn
Events start at 7pm, tables of six, and price for supper plus the quiz is £15 per head.
To book a table please contact
[email protected]
Outstanding young farmer
Dorset FCN are delighted to have given a new cup to Dorset Young Farmers Club (YFC) – the FCN award for Outstanding Contributions To The Farming Community will be awarded to the young farmer who goes ‘above and beyond’ for their club or community, showing empathy and community to others.
The inaugural award was presented by Rebecca Hill and Georgie Dyer, both representing Dorset FCN at the YFC AGM, to Tony Maloney from Gillingham and Shaftesbury YFC – see the image above.
Thank you Come Along Inn
Thank you very much to the Come Along Inn at Little Bredy for their £500 donation to Dorset FCN which has been raised from their pop up bar during the year. Barrie Cooper from Dorset FCN is pictured below with pub volunteers receiving the cheque.
Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and New Year!
Bec and Barrie
Tucked away in the heart of Tarrant Monkton near Blandford, The Langton Arms is a standing symbol of rural Dorset. Surrounded by rolling fields, with little chance of passing traffic beyond the odd wandering sheep, it’s a destination that feels just far enough away to make the journey feel like an adventure – especially when to get there you have to drive through the Tarrant via the ford.
Upon arrival, the warm and welcoming atmosphere of The Langton Arms invites you to settle in and forget the outside world. On a damp winter’s evening, we were greeted by the comforting glow of roaring fires and friendly smiles – perfect for whiling away an afternoon or enjoying an indulgent evening with friends.
We began our visit with a drink in the snug bar, sinking into the cosy sofas by the fire and letting the warmth seep into our chilly bones. There was no rush to move to the restaurant, and when we were ready, the staff made the transition seamless – we enjoyed just the right level of attentive service throughout the evening.
We began our visit with a drink in the snug bar, sinking into the cosy sofas by the fire and letting the warmth seep into our chilly bones. There was no rush to move to the restaurant, and when we were ready, the staff made the transition seamless – we enjoyed just the right level of attentive service throughout the evening.
For starters, we chose to share three dishes between the four of us, a request handled graciously by the kitchen, who provided extra plates for easy sharing. This turned out to be an inspired idea, as we all got to sample a little of everything. The crispy salt and pepper calamari with sweet chilli sauce had the perfect balance of crunch and tang; the Langton’s crispy beef with horseradish mayo was bold and satisfying, and the creamy garlic mushrooms topped with Somerset brie? Utterly indulgent. The crispy beef was a standout, stealing the show with its rich, comforting flavours.
For mains, the gentlemen in our party couldn’t resist the steak – locally sourced from Rawston Farm Butchery and cooked to perfection. The quality of the meat spoke for itself. I opted for the sea bass, which was delicate and tender, while my friend was delighted with her fresh skate wing, which she described as both generous and beautifully cooked.
Though the dessert menu was tempting, we decided to linger over the remainder of our wine and finish with coffee instead. The relaxed pace of the evening was a highlight – we never felt rushed, just encouraged to enjoy ourselves.
If you’re not keen to take on designated driver duties, The Langton Arms has six B&B rooms for an overnight stay. At closing time, you can simply wander from the bar into your cosy quarters. The rooms are well appointed, with everything you need for a comfortable short stay. While not wildly luxurious, they are perfectly suited to an overnight visit and carry the same charm as the rest of the Langton Arms.
Morning brought another treat: a hearty breakfast showcasing local produce. The bacon was a particular highlight – smoky, flavourful and some of the best we’ve had in a long time. We lingered over coffee and enjoyed a rare slow start to the day, making the most of the peaceful countryside setting before heading home.
From the inviting atmosphere and excellent service to the delicious food and the charm of its rural location, The Langton Arms is a good choice for a special evening or weekend treat. Whether you’re settling in by the fire or exploring nearby, this is a place that invites you to relax, unwind, and savour the moment.
thelangtonarms.co.uk
Open Wed-Thu, food 12-2.30 and 5-7.30pm | Fri, food 12-2.30 and 5.30-8pm | Sat, food 12-8pm | Sun food 12-4pm
Historic farmland faces an industrial transformation, says Peter Neal, president of the Sherborne & District CPRE
We’re all for green energy, but without a more nuanced solar policy, we are in danger of desecrating valued, productive arable countryside, nurtured and loved over years. Increased electricity demand will result in 600 miles of pylons installed in Britain over the next few years, as we change the structure of our energy generation and supply network to more visible, localised bases such as solar farms.
What does this mean for Dorset countryside lovers and rural communities? The CPRE is particularly concerned about the effect on our landscape.
Decarbonising may be a key policy at Number 10, but at what cost to our heritage, our rights of way and our agricultural systems? Should we run headlong into building solar farms? What other choices do we have?
In aiming for renewables, should we abandon the basic democratic principles of consultation in our planning process? Should viable arable land be a focus for energy supply generation – or are there better alternatives, such as rooftop solar?
Land is a finite resource, as the National Parks movement recognised when it ring-fenced key regions, and designations such as the former Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now National Landscapes), were introduced. Even King Charles’s favourite gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, said in the Times last month that solar on viable arable was “bonkers” and should be avoided.
Is there any direct and local community benefit?
All too often, the energy is taken away from the site where it is generated. Why should people in rural areas be forced to live among battery-farmed fields, given concerns about dangerous battery fires, without more extensive consultation?
In their desire to secure lucrative lease-outs to energy conglomerates, landowners are often complicit in depriving communities of the chance of expressing their concerns on projects.
Dorset CPRE would argue that there are not enough checks and balances to achieve this energy transition – and many local groups feel the same. They argue for projects to be based away from valued landscapes and suggest that, for example, the boundary of motorway networks would be more appropriate.
Loss of amenity and arable land
At Wyke Farm near Sherborne, there is currently a proposal for a huge solar farm on a 400-acre site. Owned by the Ilchester Estates, it is being leased out to German multi-national energy company RWE, based in Essen. The land was described as mainly Grade 2 when sold a few years ago – this is “best and most versatile” – and CPRE believes it should not be built on.
Historical importance
Many in Sherborne, Bradford Abbas and their surrounding villages are very angry: the valley would be irredeemably diminished and its historical legacy placed in an industrial, not a landscape context.
This land has thousands of years of history. There are Roman villas in the ground. Civil War battles were fought here – and soldiers buried. The Duke of Wellington’s right-hand man, Viscount Rowland Hill, and the discoverer of the circulation of blood, William Harvey, both owned and walked these fields. King Ise gave this land to the Bishop of Sherborne, Aldhelm, to farm in 705, and it has been farmed ever since. The land that filled the majestic barns for the Sherborne clergy now faces being ringfenced by steel mesh, concrete, glass, portacabins, CCTV cameras and mud. There are important Grade II* listed buildings in close proximity, which should be protected.
Overdevelopment
Because a large amount of the land earmarked is on a south-facing slope, the nearby north-facing properties in Thornford would lose their rural views. Thornford and Bradford Abbas will become villages “next to the solar farm”. House prices will inevitably fall, and not just on those overlooking the site.
There are already three solar installations within a few miles of Wyke Farm. Do we really need a further glass and steel reminder that large corporations can push into our lives like a battering ram, simply to reward RWE and its shareholders.Dorset Council has said: ‘the planning authority concludes that the proposed development is likely to result in significant environmental impacts.’
A local resident says: ‘This development is the wrong approach. Home insulation should come first, with rooftop, car park, rail track and water-sited solar panels. Surely we need to increase our food production capacity, especially if crop yields are dropping due to temperature increase and extreme weather events?’
Toxic legacy
And what about when these solar farms come to the end of their life? What happens to the ecological health of the land? PV solar panels are primarily made of silicon, but they can also contain metals such as cadmium, lead and tellurium. Over time, exposure to UV radiation, temperature fluctuations and moisture can degrade these materials, leading to the leaching of toxic substances into the soil and groundwater.
Please join WASA (Wyke Against Solar On Arable) and fight now. Write to your parish council, district councillors and your MP.
Send pledges of financial support to me on [email protected] – these can be ringfenced in CPRE funds and reimbursed if RWE drops the application.
Join a pre-Christmas protest walk on 8th December at 2pm along the site path to see what they may destroy. Check our Instagram link – wykeagainstsolaronarable – for updates. Please make your voice heard!
2024 has been a very busy year here at Love Local Trust Local HQ. We started working hard at the beginning of the year, finishing the new website which we had started working on in 2023.
Next we had to finalise the classes for the 2024 Awards, before the launch in March. The awards year ended with a dinner and awards ceremony in the members pavilion at the Dorset County Show on 3rd September – more than 150 people attended this wonderful evening. Although it was an extremely cold night, many people left the event saying they were truly inspired by their experience. Local councillors and business people from all over Dorset came and enjoyed the feast of local food before the awards ceremony.
We must extend a big thank you once again to all the sponsors and judges who gave their time to go and meet with the amazing Dorset entrepreneurs and make the hard decisions of choosing the winners. I seem to say it every year, but the entries were truly amazing with inspiring stories from excellent Dorset producers.
This was our fourth year of awards, and we are always learning from them! The next awards will be in 2026 and there will be new and old categories to be announced at the beginning of 2026 which we are already working on. It might seem a long way away but as we all know time flies and it will be here before we know it!
Looking ahead
Even without an awards next year, 2025 will be busy, with three or four workshops planned plus some fun networking evenings for everyone. We have already enjoyed a fun skittle evening to kick off these events.
Rawston Farm will also be hosting Open Farm Sunday which is on 8th June 2025. I sincerely hope it will be well supported not just by the general public but by our Love Local family. In previous years we have had 2,000 people through the farm gate, and we’re aiming to see this many and maybe more next summer. At the event, the Love Local Farmers Market allows local businesses to showcase what they produce and let people know where to find them.
We have also been working on our directory which we hope will not only help put local business in touch with each other, but also ber an easy way for everyone to find them and see what they do. As a self-funded not-for-profit organisation, we are hoping this directory will help us build our growing movement to continue our important work.
Lastly, on a personal note I’d like to say just how lovely it’s been to get to know and work with so many like-minded people. Recently, Jon and Barbara from Help & Kindness gave us the opportunity to join in the Dorset COP conference at Bournemouth University. The Power of Good Food Partnerships across Dorset workshop showcased the importance of having a strong voice, working together and creating robust local food networks.
One last request
For those who attended the LLTL awards dinner, you might remember our song My Story. Please do have a listen (you can just play the video below!) and share it on Spotify or YouTube – every play we achieve helps to spread our message! It’s crucial that we continue to stand up for Dorset’s amazing farmers, food producers, and creators of all things grown, produced, caught, reared, brewed, crafted, or cooked locally.
Barbara Cossins
Founder, Love Local Trust Local
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Fairmead Community Special School transforms the lives of pupils aged between
4-19 years with additional learning needs (MLD and ASD). The school works in partnership with parents/carers and other stakeholders to develop our pupils in becoming positive individuals who make a valuable contribution to their community.
FULL-TIME RECEPTIONIST/ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT
Term Time only (39 weeks)
Grade 14-13 – £21,565 – £23,351 (gross annual salary based on 39 weeks).
Reflective of experience
Monday – Thursday, 8.00am – 4.00pm and Fridays 8.00am-3.30pm
(37 working hours, per week).
We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic member of staff who will carry out receptionist and administration duties in the school office, acting as the first point of reference when visitors arrive/call, presenting a positive image of the school. This role is to provide a high standard of clerical and administrative support to assist in the smooth and efficient running of the school.
To obtain an application pack please view http://www.fairmeadschool.com/vacancies or contact [email protected]
Prospective candidates are warmly invited to visit our school; this can be arranged by contacting [email protected]
Closing/Shortlisting Date: Monday 6th January 2025
Interviews: Thursday, 9th January 2025
Fairmead School is committed to safeguarding the school community. All job applications must contain the disclosure of any spent convictions and cautions. The school will carry out pre-employment vetting procedures, which include an online search for shortlisted candidates and the successful outcome of an enhanced DBS
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