Sturminster & Hinton AA – Christmas Hamper Match results

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14 December 2020

Sturminster & Hinton AA had their Christmas Hamper match at Revels fishery yesterday.

15 anglers braved the strong wind and non-stop horizontal rain and, in spite of the conditions, enjoyed the occasion and the bacon butties and mince pies provided by Jason.

It took over 20lbs of carp to win the match.
Paul Wyatt, pegged on the Main Lake, used a method feeder with double maggot on the hook to catch 27lbs 12ozs of carp to win a nice hamper and a useful ‘gift token’ to spend in the tackle shop.
The top weight of silvers came from Andrew Chatterley who had 4lbs 11ozs of small roach and perch from the Main Lake to take home a similar prize to Paul.
Jamie Bumby had a nice bag of small carp from Main Lake weighing in at 14lbs 1ozs for overall second in the match and Dennis Corry had 13lbs 8ozs, again from Main Lake, to finish in third place.

Many thanks go to Jason for use of the lakes and for his Christmas hospitality. Here’s wishing a Merry Christmas to all S&HAA members (and to BV workers!) and good fishing in 2021.

Regards & thanks,

David Rigby

Wessex Acoustic special Christmas show

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Editorial team

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14 December 2020

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After almost 20 years of bringing top level music to Dorset, Wessex Acoustic are glad to be hosting a very special Christmas show after this rather lengthy lock down with no live music.

Are you missing live music? Wishing there was a concert you could enjoy as part of the Christmas festivities? Your wish is granted!

Normally based in Blandford, Wessex Acoustic Folk Club has arranged for the use of St Peter’s Church, in the High St., Shaftesbury (at the top of Gold Hill) this December.

There will be a seasonal concert with top international stars Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman at 8pm on Friday 11th December.

The celebrated virtuoso partnership of “the doyenne of Irish harpers” (Scotland on Sunday) and “one of the UK’s most staggering and influential acoustic guitarists” (fROOTS), has graced venues large and small in twenty-two countries on five continents.

Chris and Máire’s performances are a breathtaking blend of traditional Irish music, hot jazz, bluegrass and baroque, coupled with striking new compositions and Chris’s “delightfully subversive” wit.

“Dazzling virtuosity… delightful” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH;

“In a class of their own”

THE GUARDIAN;

“Takes one of the most effete instruments in traditional music and breathes a fire into its belly”

* * * * THE IRISH TIMES;

The new ‘Christmas Lights’ Album

is “A delightful, satisfyingly

original, often refreshingly unpredictable take on festive favourites. Gorgeous and uplifting” THE LIVING TRADITION This is your chance to see this fabulous duo in concert in the perfect setting of a beautiful church.

Support from Shaftesbury’s Anne-Louise Richards.

Due to the Covid safety measures in place for this concert, seat numbers are limited and have to be be reserved in advance. Tickets are £15 each, from the club box office on 01202 732239 or 01747 850212.

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Shaftesbury Arts Centre what’s on

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Editorial team

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13 December 2020

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Our next event in the theatre is our first National Theatre production War Horse followed by Fleabag the week after.

Our next ballet is the perennial Christmas favourite Bolshoi Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Tickets available from www.shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk

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Rudolph’s Yule Ride

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12 December 2020

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Sat 12th December cycle with Rudolph and his antlered team this Christmas. Partcipiants must have registered in advance giving their names and ages plus contact details (see poster below). Pay on the day £12 family of five or £5 per person.

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Testimonials: Are You Using Them in Your Digital Marketing?

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Editorial team

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12 December 2020

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Testimonials. How often do you read them before purchasing a product? I would hazard a guess and say a
lot! According to research by Nielson 92% of consumers trust a recommendation from a peer and 70% will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know, highlighting the need to collate, gather and use your business testimonials. Testimonials play a big role in building a brand, developing credibility and loyalty, customer service but also for search engine optimisation.

Testimonials provide your customers with a voice, and allowing them to express it increases customer engagement and interaction as well as loyalty. Businesses with testimonials will rank higher in search engines as both Facebook and Google favour businesses with testimonials (recommendations).
According to MOZ’s Local Search Ranking Factors Survey (2018), online reviews could make up 10% of how Google (plus other search engines) rank search results. Some businesses choose to use platforms like Trustpilot and Tripadvisor to collect and collate their testimonials, where they are awarded stars or a
satisfaction percentage. Whatever you use the process is super simple but the benefits are huge to small businesses.

Ask for testimonials: Using your social media, email marketing or even directly asking, encourage customers to leave testimonials of the service/product they received. Emphasise how easy the process
is and avoid using language like “write a review” which makes it sound like a chore. Instead, opt for ‘leave a review’.

Share your testimonials: Again using social media et al, share with your customers what others have had to say, make the testimonials work as a marketing tool.

Include CTA in your paperwork: Adding call to actions onto all correspondence, email footer, website footer, compliment slips, invoices, receipts, reinforcing the importance.

Make your testimonial obvious: Have a page on your website, even if that’s a link to your Google testimonials, be proud and show off.

So if you want to rank higher in searches, develop your brand and increase your customer base make sure you are utilising and collecting testimonials everyday.

By Joanne Dewberry – https://joannedewberry.co.uk/

Martin Cowan | In Memoriam

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Editorial team

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12 December 2020

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Martin Cowan

In Memoriam

Another year over, the worst one yet without friends and family and missing you so much. Thinking of you this Christmas time, the 20th one where you’re not here.

Love forever,
Mum, Ken, Michelle, Dave, Chloe, Liam, Holly, James and Elena xx

Start the New Year with a Chain Reaction

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Editorial team

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12 December 2020

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Have you made your Will? Has your Executor made a Will?

We all need to make a Will. There is absolutely no argument against that advice. Some argue that they accept how their estate will be distributed under the intestacy rules so there is no point. There is a point. Dying without a Will will mean that you haven’t appointed an Executor to deal with your estate. This is a crucial element to your Will as it will not only ease of the administration of your own estate but also any estate that you may be executor for.

This is because there is a term called the Chain of Executorship. For example, if Finlay appoints you as his sole executor but you die before completing the administration then your executor will be able to deal with not just your estate but also complete the administration of Finlay’s estate. Good. However, if you don’t have an executor appointed then the chain is broken. Bad. Your estate administration will initially be more complicated than necessary. It also means that the administration of Finlay’s estate has to be delayed until the appropriate person entitled to take the grant applies for it and obtains it.

This is costly in terms of additional estate fees and a potential loss in the value of the assets which the beneficiaries will not be pleased about. Sadly, this scenario happens too often and adds to the pressure on your own family at a difficult time and someone else’s.

There are of course exceptions to the rule if you have already appointed a substitute executor, but are they really a good alternative?

Together, let’s make sure your Will includes well-appointed executors, says what you want it to say and covers all of the other essential elements. We look forward to helping you soon.

For more information or advice on the above or Lasting Powers of Attorney, please contact a member of Battens Private Client Team, Sally Manning [email protected] 01963 407060.

Up to Snow Good

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Editorial team

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12 December 2020

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Christmas market at Wincanton Sports Ground – see poster below for full details.

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Santa Schedule

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Editorial team

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11 December 2020

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Please see below the schedule for Santa in the Gillingham and Shaftesbury area. we are looking for helpers in each town in the evenings around 5.30 till 8.30 also weekends to help us make this happen. So if you have any spare time and would like to helpus raise money for lots of worthwhile causes, please contact us via our Facebook page or website. Thank you.

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