Letters to the BV Editor April 2021

4 April 2021

Thank you so much for sending the pdf files of the Magazine. We have printed them off and will put them in her Mothers Day card. I’m sure it will give her a thrill to see herself in print.
Kind regards
Peter and Cathy Valteris

We are grateful to Simon Hoare MP for support after the very distressing experience of having found ourselves erroneously thinking we had sold our property, and therefore committing ourselves to an offer elsewhere, with our buyers then “pulling out”.
This has left us with not only a tremendous amount of heartache and anxiety but also with the fact that we have let others down through no fault of our own.
The buying and selling of houses here in England is fraught with peril – with which Simon Hoare agreed stating “the system is not fit for purpose”. Seemingly would-be buyers (and perhaps vendors too) can, and often do, pull out on the flimsiest of pretexts without any thought to the expense or any compensation already paid out to solicitors etc.
The estate agents are equally frustrated and upset on our behalf – they are doing their best under very difficult circumstances.

We have lived all over the world: in other countries, an offer is legally binding and a deposit paid, whereafter if either party defaults, quite rightly the deposit is forfeited. We have been told “everyone complains about the system, but nobody does anything about it”.
Well people, it is time to change this nefarious practice and have

the law changed, which would benefit everyone concerned.
Distressed of Shaftesbury.
(name supplied)

The digital BV is a triumph – many congratulations on this much needed innovation and the current issue in particular which is packed with useful and interesting articles. I especially liked the inclusion on NHS and other care workers. On this point I thought you might like to see my own tribute entitled ‘Bravest of the Brave’ (below).
I think this poem echoes the thoughts of the whole nation and as I would like as many doctors, nurses and others serving in the care and allied sectors to see this tribute. Do ask readers to show or forward the poem to anyone they know who may be working or volunteering in those sectors or in similar family situations – that would be wonderful.

Paul Hooley

Bravest of the Brave

The greatest of courageous acts
Are shown by those with clearest eye
of the grimmest of all certain facts –
The knowledge that they themselves could die

Yet who, undaunted, still proceed –
Own lives at risk and so aware –
To nurse those in the greatest need
Whom fate’s entrusted to their care

Each time they don a mask or glove
They too confront the terror rife
Exists therefore no greater love
Than that of those who risk their life

To save another or comfort give
To those about to say goodbye –
Who may not have that long to live
But will not, alone, be left to die

Let those who follow not forget
The selfless love each carer gave
For we will, forever, be in debt
To the bravest of the brave

I just wanted to say My Mother in Law was very happy to see [her Mother’s Day message], she lives in Gloucester and we haven’t been able to see her since March last year as I’m a shielder. It reduced her to tears – in a good way! – so thank you for including our message, it was greatly received and appreciated.

The Chaters.

Thank you so much for the features this issue [March 21]on local Town & Parish Councils – it’s easy to laugh at the national drama that places like Handforth have created, but it’s no laughing matter when such matters occur within our own local councils. I don’t live in Shaftesbury, but were it my own council I’d certainly be following the progress of this story; one hopes our elected officials can disagree with kindness and respect, and manage to all work together. A divided council is never an effective one, which can only harm the whole town.

The fact that you followed this rather sad story up with a feature on how important local councils are, and just why we should all get involved, was timely and very well-placed. It was an excellent read, and I certainly enjoyed Cllr Craven’s perspective. I for one was rather inspired to be a little less vocal in my complaining, and a little more proactive in my approach in the future.

Margaret Green, Wincanton.

In response to your article on the closure of the last three Tourist Information Centres; I have thought for some time that these are a dying resource. Like so many of our habits, our method of travel has changed so much in recent years. Where once one had to wait to be in a town to collect leaflets about what was available, now we have a wealth of information literally at our fingertips in the weeks before we travel, and most of us arrive fully equipped with armfuls of knowledge – and the ability to instantly find out anything else we need. Surely if they were still a much-needed resource, they would be far busier and no one would consider closing them? It’s the old adage – Use It or Lose It. Rather fascinating that the coun cil’s report shows the biggest users of TICs are the local residents themselves!

To me it’s budget spent on an archaic system which can be better spent elsewhere – unless there is more investment to change the way they operate in high-traffic areas, offering more to a visitor and local than simply ‘tourist information’.

David Seaton, Sherborne

I just wanted to write and thank Barry Cuff and Pete Harcom for their excellent gardening columns. I don’t ever grow veg except a few tomatoes in a pot and some salad leaves, and yet I never miss Barry’s column – much like I never miss Gardener’s World.
I enjoy the gentle, calm tone and the obvious experience and passion that comes through his words. Who knows, maybe I’ll plant some carrots this year, just to join in.
And Pete’s column always has a couple of jobs for me to get on with – despite not having a huge garden, I do love to keep on top if it. His timely reminders on a Friday always give me a task for the weekend ahead.
Could you thank them both for me, and tell them they are much appreciated?

Iris Bell, nr Blandford.

Andy Palmer’s column did make me laugh last month – probably my favourite one yet (I also rather enjoy how he and Roger Guttridge seem to be having a conversation in print, month by month!). Please let me know where to sign up for CARDA? I b’aint seen no address, zee?
Harry P, Stalbridge.

Did Andy Palmer really have to descend into toilet humour in the latest issue? I usually find his column entertaining, but his Shillingstone sewer jokes stink, and made my wife flush.

Bill Whitchall, Blandford.
(Don’t you start, you’ll just encourage him. Ed)

Rupert Hardy’s excellent discussion of Local Plan failings was timely and made for alarming reading.
I always enjoy Rupert’s column, finding them a balanced insight into local issues. But his scathing criticism of the Local Plan was rather less subtle than usual – and so it needed to be.
What a mess of a plan – the fact that there were 2,000 pages of it might sugggest that it was a work of scope, depth and considered research. However it felt more like a rushed jumble of random documentation that had been haphazardly scooped together from previous surveys and plans.
We clearly need more homes locally – especially truly affordable ones for those trying to get on the housing ladder. I have seen a number of excellent eco-housing schemes mentioned over the last couple of years – light footprint pod housing, community developments, simple build starter homes, all with the young and first time buyers in mind.
And yet there didn’t seem to be any mention of such specific developments in the plan at all – and so I suspect we will be left to individually battle the profit-targeted planning applications of the developers eyeing our expanding villages with a confidence emboldened by that ‘30,000 new homes’ requirement baldly stated by the Local Plan.
Martin Palmer, Gillingham.

I know it has been said so often that everyone’s rather bored of hearing it, but I felt compelled to write after experience for myself the wonder that is the vaccine clinics.
I had mine in Blandford, and not only was the system a well-oiled wheel (I’ll admit my heart sank when I sawe the queue snaking across the car park, but the speed we all swept through was a marvel) but every single volunteer and member of staff was kind, cheerful, patient and lovely. It must be exhausting, and repetitive and probably a bit tedious – and yet they seem to leave every patient feeling nurtured and smiling.
What a wonder they are.

Amanda B, Blandford.

A Prickle of Hedgehogs in Hazelbury Bryan

Editorial team

4 April 2021

Lockdown has had a surprising effect on people here in Dorset, with most finding a new found interest and delight in the wildlife living in their garden. Hedgehogs have become a firm favourite with more people trying to attract these prickly friends into their gardens.

There is nothing like the sight of a hedgehog bumbling around the garden at night. It is worth remembering that they are mainly nocturnal, so if you see a hedgehog sitting sunbathing or huddled under a bush not moving much or even running around in a frenzy, it is probably in need of help. This month we may see the first pregnant females out and about during the day foraging for food before they give birth. The difference being that the female will be looking for food whereas the poorly hog will be hunched and not moving or madly running around. That is the time to call a rescue for help.

The gestation period is around 30 days, they give birth to between 1 and 5 babies. Having ready food in your garden will encourage hedgehogs to stay for a while. Leaving fresh water and feeding dry cat biscuits or wet cat food in jelly is always a welcome treat especially when natural food is scarce, in dry or freezing weather.

We have released 47 hedgehogs so far this spring and have a few more to leave us yet. It is such a wonderful sight to see a hedgehog that has been sick or injured being released back into the wild. A heart sing moment.

Giving timely and appropriate intervention can be life saving so please do not be tempted to pick up a hedgehog and keep it in your shed or garage to let it get better on its own because it will not. They will need fluids for dehydration and possibly treatment and warmth to assist recovery. Your local vet or rescue are always there to give advice or assistance.

The use of Strimmers in our gardens are such a hazard for hedgehogs. Their nests can, to the casual observer, look just like a lump of grasses. The wounds inflicted can be devastating and life changing for the unsuspecting hedgehog, who is sleeping the day away. Please check those wild areas of your garden before using heavy gardening equipment. It could save a life.

Unlocking Charlie Baird

Editorial team

4 April 2021

A squeeze from one of his grandmother’s old tubes of oil paint; a dusting of Sahara sand; or moss scraped from a Hebridean Standing Stone. These are some of the textural talismans which might be added to the surface pigment of a Charlie Baird painting. Initially reticent when it comes to discussing his work (or disclosing techniques such as these!) we sat outside in the sunshine in front of The Art Stable in Child Okeford, where he was hanging his latest exhibition “Unlocked.”

On entry to The Gallery, there are the instantly recognisable prominent ramparts of Hambledon Hill against a backdrop of a gloomy teal coloured sky. In contrast, the blues and turquoises of “Village” give us a hint of what is perhaps a Child Okeford winter on a frosty morning, with pleasing jumbles of cottages etched into the landscape. Whereas “Below The Hills” shows a more abstracted glow in a patchwork of summer colours, as if nature has been rearranged. Vaguely sinister and mysterious glider-like birds swoop between the blue and grey trunks of a forest in “Small Flock in the Wood.” “It is easier to paint a gloomy picture than a cheerful one. Where would I be without anxiety?” remarked Charlie, in his typically self-effacing manner. But there is nothing gloomy in the warmth of the Naples Yellow light that emanates from many of the canvases. His colour palette, though often muted, glows with shades of Terra Rosa, Phthalo Turquoise and Burnt Sienna. There is an earthiness to the mainly abstract work and a use of different media to convey atmosphere: inspired by the local landscape of The Blackmore Vale, these compositions emerged almost entirely from his imagination.

Charlie explained: “Painting can be like groping around in the dark. Sometimes I know what I’ve got in mind. Sometimes it’s making a mess on the canvas; applying the paint and then scratching it off and scraping back; waiting for it to evolve. It’s a process of exploration. What I like about Britain is its history and archaeology and the traces of human influence left by the past – fields, hedges, walls, buildings. There are so many layers. Real and metaphorical. It’s like stripping back the layers of consciousness. Painting is a mixture of inspiration, skill and conjuring tricks to hopefully reveal a kind of magic of its own. It’s using the skills to do the conjuring trick, trying to catch light or atmosphere, to summon the mood.” A sensitive painter, in previous exhibitions he certainly has done this as well: in his Moroccan, Indian, Spanish and Caribbean paintings the moods and atmospheres were summoned as echoes of the past – for he never uses a memory board: all images are conjured up in his mind.

He is most certainly skillful. Charlie is reticent to talk of his talent which, inherited from his grandmother and an uncle, was honed from an early age. Indeed he has said: “Many paintings begin with evoking a memory from childhood.” His first solo exhibition was held at the prestigious Crane Kalman Gallery, London in 1977 and placed him firmly on the map. Kalman, a Hungarian refugee, was influential in his early career and “a lovely man” according to Charlie. Then a period of study of lithography and screen printing in San Miguel, Mexico and the Wimbledon School of Art, London. Although, he adds with a twinkle in his eye, that his time in Mexico was partly about drinking tequila! From 1983-85 he attended the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris and since then there have been solo exhibitions in London, Europe and America. His paintings have been selected for the Royal Academy’s Summer Show on a number of occasions and in recent years he has had one-man exhibitions in the gallery of Cadogan Contemporary in London.

“Paintings can sometimes form immediately, sometimes they are a kind of battleground of winning and losing territory” he admitted. It can evolve with a ground of quickly drying acrylic applied to the blank canvas before adding the layers of oil and then scratching back to reveal hidden surfaces. The works in this current exhibition come from the last year of lockdown without the possibility for travel, so Charlie has dug more deeply into his memories, combining abstract and more figurative images. Local walks have provided the initial inspiration but he will often leave a piece and then come back some time later; thus each work can evolve, perhaps moved by inspiration or chance.

As for the future after lockdown, Charlie is looking forward to the resumption of his weekly art classes in Sherborne which are sponsored by Artslink (Arts Council and Lottery funded). The sessions are called “Transformation of Landscape” and participants bring in photos or sketches to develop with the use of colour and tone, whilst Charlie sets various exercises and recommends tips. He is also longing for a return to his old haunts in the Hebrides with those Standing Stones – and to Andalucía in Spain. The earliest known paintings of humanity have been found in the Caves of Nerja, Málaga – another ideal source of inspiration for Charlie?

Charlie’s new Exhibition “Unlocked” is at The Art Stable, Child Okeford and runs until April 17th. All the work can be viewed on The Art Stable Gallery website: https://www.theartstable.co.uk

The Swanage Railway – keeping the days of steam alive.

Editorial team

4 April 2021

The Coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the Swanage Railway and, like many businesses; it was forced to suspend all of its services a year ago when the first lockdown came into effect.
Following Government requirements to keep the public safe, we were subsequently able to operate some services during the peak of last summer and in to the autumn although social distancing regulations significantly reduced capacity on trains.

December, 2020, saw the introduction of a new attraction to the Swanage Railway and the Isle of Purbeck, a Covid-safe train of steam and lights which was extremely popular – so much so that it is planned to offer these festive trains again in December, 2021.
Following Government guidelines to keep the public safe, the fund-raising gift shop at Swanage station remained open while the steam trains were running but, sadly, it has been closed since the end of December.
Income was very badly affected by the Covid pandemic and had it not been for a successful Save Our Service appeal for donations, support arising from the Government’s Job Retention Scheme and a fund-raising team that successfully bid for a number of grants, the picture could have been very different.
It had been hoped to resume services between Swanage and Wareham in 2020 but this was not possible and, indeed, this is unlikely to be possible until 2022.
Despite the on-going difficulties of living with coronavirus – and following Government requirements and guidelines to keep people safe – volunteers and other staff have not been idle during the winter and have been carrying out essential maintenance work; work that can’t be carried out when trains are running.
Major repairs were undertaken at the New Barn bridge – two miles from Swanage – which involved repairs to the structure and the track. The Swanage Railway is responsible for a number of bridges that pass over roads and safety is of paramount importance.

Essential work has also been undertaken to maintain the signalling systems but one of the largest pieces of work undertaken was to replace to boiler on 1920s Southern Railway U Class locomotive 31806 with a refurbished boiler. The work took three months, in sometimes inclement weather conditions, and the quality of the work produced is a credit to the team of skilled locomotive fitters.
With spring in the air, our dedicated staff and volunteers are now preparing for the Swanage Railway to re-open, in a Covid-safe manner with assigned socially distanced seating on the trains, on Monday, 12 April, 2021.
Steam locomotives have been cleaned, fuelled and lubricated prior to being tested. In order to ensure the competency of operational staff after long break, test trains – carrying no passengers –are now operating daily.
It is not just locomotive crews that need to be refreshed but also signalmen, guards and those who staff the booking offices, the shop and hopefully catering facilities – including the Wessex Belle train. The optimism is tangible.
We hope that passengers will return this summer and allow us to return to normality, reminding people of what steam locomotives were really like while also helping to enhance the local economy. More details of train services can be found by visiting our website at www.swanagerailway.co.uk.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Swanage Railway.

Andrew Moore,

Finance Director.

April Issue of the digital Blackmore Vale magazine.

Editorial team

3 April 2021

The Blackmore Vale magazine is the monthly digital publication offering a warm and friendly slice of rural Dorset life to readers from all over the country.

In this month:

Bestselling Dorset-born author Sarah J. Naughton braves the random 20, discussing her love of Cut Mill in Sturminster Newton, along with her unreasonable crush on Iwan Rheon and the last thing she Googled.

Then there’s the glorious Cheltenham winner Honeysuckle – not just ridden by a Blackmore, she was bred right here in the Blackmore Vale by Glanvilles Stud. “…it was a thumping great loss!” exclaimed her breeder Doug Procter on finally selling her as a three year old.

Popular columnist Andy Palmer tells a true tale of Prince Charles in Stalbridge waiting for ‘they silly buggers’, and in Roger Guttridge’s local history column, the ‘Ghost in Room Nine’ discusses the haunting of the King’s Arms Hotel. Allegedly the ghost is Amelia, a local girl who died in the great fire of Blandford which destroyed the town in 1731. Lost public buildings included the parish church, the town hall, the schoolhouse, the fire engine house and market house, and the old church almshouses. All but a dozen of Blandford’s houses and businesses were also engulfed, along with parts of nearby Bryanston and Blandford St Mary. The rebuild, of course, is what made Blandford the uniquely Georgian model town it is today.

Shaftesbury’s radio podcast ‘Alfred Daily’ has just celebrated its first year – the forty five minute daily radio show has become a firm staple in the life of those who live in Shaftesbury and its outlying villages. But we learn how it also provides a special connection to life in the town for many who have not been able to visit for many months now.
It’s also making waves nationally; the groundbreaking FM licence was awarded by Ofcom in December 2019;
“Ours was the first ever licence granted for a talk-only community radio, staffed entirely by volunteers and with no fixed studio. No one had ever done that before – pre-covid, the idea of recording content without a studio was radical!”.
On the Ward Goodman charity pages this month, we have the story of Swanage Railway’s difficult year, and how, despite being closed since December, the staff and volunteers have had an incredibly busy winter as they have prepared for a safe re-opening this month.

Archbishop Wake, Blandford’s primary school, created a ‘Zoom choir’ production during lockdown in which the whole school took part. With input and editing from a local professional musician, the resulting video is an uplifting smile-inducer, which has been shared widely by the Department for Education.

As an area named by Thomas Hardy as the ‘Vale of Little Dairies’, it’s fitting that many local dairy farms have begun investing in milk vending machines, bringing their produce direct to the consumer often right at the farm gate. We spoke to Woodbridge Farm, home of the famous Dorset blue Vinny cheese, on the first anniversary of their milk & produce vending machines, and how it has changed life on the farm for them all.

In the wildlife section the Hedgehog sanctuary at Hazelbury Bryan is reflecting on the release of 47 hedgehogs this Spring, along with tips on keeping your garden activities hedgehog friendly. In much the same vein, Brigit Strawbridge is talking about the beautiful Slow-worm. Alongside the wildlife, there is a fascinating article by the local Rabbit Rescue – they are not the pets we thought they were!

Our monthly hike is one of our personal favourites – Win Green Circular – 8.5 miles.
Win Green Down, the highest point of the Cranborne Chase, is just outside Shaftesbury and always worth a visit; on a clear day you can see The Needles. There are many walks from the top; or simply stick to the Ox Drove itself for constantly spectacular views, it is one of the longest and most ancient routes in the country. But our favourite is to drop off the Drove to create a circular route through the Rushmore Park to come in the back of Tollard Royal and then a stiff climb up from beautifully peaceful Ashcombe Bottom on the Wessex Ridgeway.

In Food & Drink, Rachael Rowe has been celebrating north Dorset’s chocolate industry, Simon Vernon discusses the effect of the seasons on artisan cheeses, and Sadie from Vineyards of Sherborne continues her wine lessons, this month on ‘terroir’. There’s also a letter from Portland Shellfish on the Love Local, Trust Local movement, and celebrating our local shellfish “…there’s Dorset Blue Lobster, Fresh Hand Picked White and Brown Crab Meat, Cockles, Oysters and Clams from Poole Harbour to name but a few!”

Slow Worms

Editorial team

3 April 2021

On the top edge of our allotment, between a grassy path and a sprawling patch of Russian Comfrey, lies a sheet of old corrugated iron. The corrugated iron was already there when we took on the allotment some years ago. It was half buried under a mound of rubble, just waiting to be pulled out and relocated to a new sunny position. We wasted no time in doing this. If there were Slow Worms anywhere on our plot, they’d soon find it.

Slow-worms (Anguis fragilis) – sometimes known as blindworms – are neither slow, nor are they worms. They look like small snakes, but are in fact lizards with no legs. Like all reptiles, slow worms are cold blooded, which means they can only regulate their body temperature by lying in the sun to heat up, or crawling into the shade to cool down.

Although completely harmless to humans, slow-worms are wonderful predators of slugs and other garden pests, so it is well worth providing a refugium (a piece of material which catches the sun to heat up, and retains warmth even when it clouds over) somewhere on your plot. This doesn’t have to be a sheet of corrugated iron; a piece of old carpet would do just as well, as would slate, stone, or a plank of old wood. So long as it is placed in a position where the sun can easily warm it up, and with dense vegetation nearby to give the slow-worms cover, pretty much any of these materials will do. Compost heaps are also key habitats; providing both warmth, in the form of decaying vegetation, as well as a plentiful supply of slugs, earthworms, and other invertebrates.

Six years on, a thriving population now enjoys the benefits of our refugium, and last year we found baby slow worms beneath it. Slow worms are ovoviviparous, meaning the eggs hatch out as the female lays them, or just moments later. The young are delightful – around 6cm in length and perfect miniature versions of the adults which can, apparently, live for up to 30 years in the wild, and even longer in captivity where there are of course no predators. The record for longevity is held by a male that lived at Copenhagen Zoo from 1892 until 1946. Slow worms are a protected species in Britain (they are absent from Ireland) under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.

by Brigit Strawbridge
http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.com
Twitter: @B_Strawbridge

Plumber Manor Hotel | Chamber Maid

Editorial team

1 April 2021

Plumber Manor Hotel

Chamber maid required for Plumber Manor Hotel Sturminster Newton.

Saturdays and/or Sundays 8am – 1pm approx. Uniform provided. – Start May 2021

For more information contact:

Office: 01258 472507

Email: [email protected]

Wanted | Painter & Decorator

Editorial team

1 April 2021

Painter & DecoratorSkilled or semi-skilled painter & deocrator required for established company based in Blandford Forum

For more information contact:

Office: 01258 721337

Mob: 07930 492646

Paul Leatham | In Memoriam

Editorial team

1 April 2021

A Life Remembered

In Memoriam

Paul Leatham

1st April 1993

Remembering a kind husband and dad who left us so suddenly

With Love

Jan, sons and family

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