A special evening hosted by the Stars Appeal Fundraising Committee at The Rifles Museum in Salisbury raised more than £27,000 for Salisbury Hospital’s charity. Over 250 guests attended the Late Summer Soirée on September 12th, alongside hospital staff who act as charity ambassadors, committee members, and Stars Appeal president, the Earl of Pembroke. Stephen Oxley, Chairman of the fundraising committee, said: ‘We thank all those who made donations and pledges. It is only through generosity like theirs that the Stars Appeal can continue enhancing care for local people at the Hospital.’ Throughout the evening, guests heard moving stories from Stars Appeal Ambassadors Dr Tracey Parker and Dr Jim Baird, and Patient Ambassador Adrian Abbott, who shared how the charity’s projects supported his recovery from a cardiac arrest. Neal Riley explained how the Stars Appeal Benson Suite, a space for families who have lost a baby, supported his family during their loss. The soirée also focused on the charity’s latest initiative: providing 36 ‘by your side’ sleeper chairs for vulnerable or end-of-life patients to have loved ones stay comfortably by their side. Funds from the event will contribute to the £1 million the Stars Appeal aims to raise this year. starsappeal.org
Balancing individual responsibility and government effectiveness, MP Simon Hoare argues for a ‘smart State’ that fosters independence
During the recent General Election campaign, I suggested that an issue that would need serious consideration is the role of the State, and the debate surrounding our rights and responsibilities as citizens. Too often, politicians are characterised as being either of the Left and therefore in favour of a BIG State or from the Right where a small state is preferred. To paint such strictured pictures gives the lie to the assumption that the State is static. It is not. Tide-like, it ebbs and flows: actively interventionist when required, passively observatory when it can be. Governments – in my view erroneously – often define their success in terms of the amount of legislation they bring to the Statute Book. A casual perusal of the many bookcases in Parliament shows that the volume of laws greatly increased following 1945 by comparison with earlier years, and this has shown no real sign of abating. So, perhaps our first responsibility as citizens is to want Government to do less, but do it better? Give more time to considering legislation and its impact. Get it right first time. Make the weather The principal role of the State is to keep the country safe and defended. However, from most people’s perspective it is the provision of services and support systems, those things with which we engage most regularly, that are dominant in their evaluation of the effectiveness of the State. And I think the key word here is effectiveness. It is not a question of Big or Small State, but its effectiveness or, as I increasingly prefer to call it, Smart State. The full arsenal of AI and digital is going to have to be deployed. There will be transitional hurdles to face and surmount … but that is nothing new. The Britain of the mid 21st century is going to need a State that is fleet of foot. In order to get there, it is also going to require politicians of all party persuasions to once again take up the responsibility of making the policy case for X, Y or Z, rather than merely being a cowardly echo chamber of inbox and social media. Politicians need to have the courage to ‘make the weather’ in order to ‘turn the dial’. Lloyd George, Atlee, Thatcher, Blair … they all did so. They cannot be a closed chapter. Infantilise the nation Which brings me to our rights and responsibilities. Too often, the narrative has focussed on ‘I know my rights’ and ‘what I am entitled to’. We have a – correct – presumption that the State will help rather than hinder us. It will provide protections and the famous welfare ‘safety net’, below which none can fall. But it must always provide this as a springboard, from where people are able to improve things through resilience, independence and self-sufficiency. I hope the PM will stick to his pledge to reform welfare to ensure that work always pays. He will face internal and external opposition, but not from most sensible-thinking people in the country. The State-authored, welcome and necessary interventions during COVID and the cost of living crisis has, however, encouraged a loss of individual independence and a greater reliance on the State to solve problems perfectly within our own control and competence. The State cannot, and should not, do everything. To try to do so leads to the infantilising of our fellow citizens and a dependency culture becoming ever more embedded. Why try to stand on our own two feet when the Government will do it for us? Our ‘rights’ are, in my judgement, enhanced when we accept and deliver our responsibilities. We do have responsibilities and the State should not create an atmosphere where we can shirk them. To create a one-way street of expectation is profoundly unhelpful. I shall be returning to this theme in a subsequent article.
Surgeries On a housekeeping point, I have diarised a list of Advice Surgeries held on Fridays across the constituency. If you have an issue or problem with which you think I can help please email me: [email protected]
Get ready for some ghostly fun as the Museum of East Dorset in Wimborne celebrates Halloween and half-term week with its special Spooks and Spectres Museum Trail! From Saturday 19th October to Saturday 2nd November, visitors of all ages can become ghost hunters, track down spirits and uncover some of East Dorset’s spookiest local legends. Alongside the haunted trail, junior visitors can enjoy hands-on activities, including colouring, crafts, and dressing up in spooky costumes. Aidan Hill, programming officer for Museum of East Dorset says: ‘It’s been brilliant researching the ghosts of Wimborne. I’ve talked to lots of local businesses and it seems Wimborne is still very popular with inhabitants from its past! ‘The Oddfellows pub in Church Street has a poltergeist called George, a pint-pulling prankster who gets up to mischief behind the bar. The ghost of Granny Snow, the last resident at No 9 on the Green before it became a tearoom, is known to rattle many a teacup and rearrange the kitchen! ‘And of course, the museum itself has its own resident ghost! There have been reports of strange murmurings at the bottom of the main staircase, a man being seen surrounded by newspapers in our second-hand bookshop and books being thrown off the shelves during the museum restoration a few years ago. ‘There are so many spooky local stories that adult visitors can enjoy, and our ghost trail will appeal to children of all ages as they can join in the spooky hands-on history activities!” The Spooks and Spectres Trail is FREE to all paying visitors, with children under four gaining free admission. Entry prices are £5.50 for children aged 5 to 16 and £12 for adults, with family tickets available. And a ticket grants 12 months of free re-entry to the museum.
Sturminster Newton Floral Group are this year celebrating their 60th anniversary. To commemorate this event, the group invited international flower arranging judge and demonstrator Michael Bowyer to create several stunning flower arrangements. The Club also provided a delicious afternoon tea for the occasion, with a stunning 60th anniversary cake accompanied by a glass of fizz. The Floral Group is a member of the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) and the chairman of the Dorset area was able to attend the event, as well as past members of the club. Sandy Milne, chairman of the Sturminster Newton Floral Group, says: ‘The afternoon was a great success and will go down as a day to remember. ‘One or two ladies in the club have been members for more than 30 years: during that time members have competed at the Chelsea and Malvern Flower Shows. The Club has a wealth of memorabilia recalling the success of flower arranging shows held in Sturminster Newton over the years. ‘We have seen the fashions in flower arranging change, and more recently the impact that using less oasis – floral foam – to hold the plant material in place, because of environmental issues, has had. Styles have returned to the methods used prior to foam being invented – that of crumpled chicken wire and pin holders. ‘As a member of NAFAS there are always events taking place in our area that the group can attend, including flower arranging demonstrations, workshops, our annual Christmas celebrations and our Area Show – where the competitive classes demonstrate the wonderful designs that can be created with flowers.’ The group meet at 2pm on the second Wednesday of each month in The Royal British Legion Hall in Marnhull, and warmly welcome visitors to attend (admission to non-members is £7). Meetings vary from flower arranging demonstrations by local and national demonstrators, workshops with guidance on the best ways to make the most of shop-bought and garden flowers, flower-related talks or have-a-go crafts with a flower theme.
With a fresh start as part of the Fox-Pitt eventing team, Jess Rimmer has had a month of change, but is excited for a new chapter
Jess Rimmer with Max (Mr Mister) all images Courtenay Hitchcock
September has been an exciting month for Team Rimmer. Having achieved a first class honours degree in Biochemistry, I decided to put it to good use (not!) and take the next big step in pursuing my eventing career. Fontmell Parva has been my home for as long as I can remember, and I owe so much to both the place and the people for getting me to where I am today. But, as with any career, progression is natural and it was time for a change. A few weeks ago we made the move to Hinton St Mary, thrilled to be joining the Fox-Pitt eventing team. I have been trained by William since my teenage years, and with his recent shift towards teaching since retiring from top-level competition, the move made total sense – helped hugely by the support of my very generous owners, and of course my family.
Elsa (Lisnaught Lady Cruise, left) getting to know her neighbour George, one of William Fox-Pitt’s horses All images: Courtenay Hitchcock
New home, new routines As you’d imagine, moving five horses, all their kit and all of mine (and yes, I took both lorries too!) was no mean feat. Between mum, Lily and me, we managed to get all settled in with just a few short trips. I was grateful we were literally only moving 15 minutes down the road and not three hours away!
“What have you got in your hand?’ says George
I’m trying to embrace my tidy side (I’m still not sure it actually exists) as I organise my new tack room … but hey, at least everything is in the same place! Elsa, Max, Jimmy, Henry and Mattie have all settled in beautifully, and they’ve adjusted to the new routine very quickly.
Jess with Max in their new digs at the Fox-Pitt Eventing yard in Hinton St MaryThis month, Max – one of Jess’s ‘young guns’ – will be competing at Swalcliffe Park and Bovington
We’ve been here for a month already, and we are absolutely loving it! I’m living in the on-site accommodation otherwise known as The Lodge with four other girls, who come from all over the world, all with different horsey backgrounds. It’s so interesting chatting with them about the similarities – and differences – in the ways we’ve all grown up with horses. Although the work days are busy, there is a real sense of camaraderie and I’ve felt part of the team since day one. We all muck in and help each other, whether it’s yard work, riding or deciding which outfit to take on holiday! The working environment is great, and combining that with the fantastic training opportunities and facilities it feels like a real honour to be here, learning from world-class people in a world-class environment.
Jess Rimmer and Mr Mister (Max)
Season’s end As far as actual eventing is concerned, I have been totally preoccupied with our big move, and I can’t really believe how quickly the end of the season is creeping up on us. We have one final push with the three 3* horses (Mattie, Elsa and Henry) as they aim for Bicton International at the end of the month, while the ‘young guns’ Max and Jimmy aim for Swalcliffe Park mid-month and Bovington the following weekend as their final runs … Great British weather permitting, as always! I’m looking forward to putting some of my new training to good use, although I do have to keep reminding myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Regardless of how the season ends, I’m beyond thrilled to be part of the Fox-Pitt team – I am SO excited for what’s to come.
The Employment Rights Bill, which introduces significant changes to UK labour law, has garnered both support and concern from businesses in Dorset. Key elements of the bill include a ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts and the practice of “fire and rehire.” From the first day of employment, workers will gain protection from unfair dismissal, access to statutory sick pay, and entitlements such as parental and bereavement leave. The reforms also seek to enhance flexible working, improve protections for pregnant workers, and ensure compliance with holiday pay regulations through a new Fair Work Agency.
Dorset Chamber chief executive Ian Girling said: “This bill represents the biggest shake-up of employment rights in a generation. We understand the need for legislation to protect the rights of employees and ensure that they are all treated with respect and care in the workplace. However, employers in Dorset have concerns about how these measures would be implemented and the potentially damaging impact that they could have on their businesses, particularly in terms of day one rights.”
He added, “The new laws must achieve a fair balance that provides the right support for employees while encouraging businesses to recruit and allowing them to grow. We have been lobbying our local MPs and working with the British Chambers of Commerce, and will continue to make Dorset’s voice heard during the consultation process and passage of the bill.”
On the 16th October 7.30pm, in a special free spin-off evening to the Dorset Scriptwriting Festival, writers and anyone interested in scriptwriting can enjoy work by local scriptwriters Sue Ashby and Craig White, delivered by their chosen actors, alongside film contributions from actors, playwrights and directors including Mark Rylance, Patrick Marber and Beth Flintoff. The evening will also feature a Q&A with festival director Ed Viney, where you can find out more about the next Dorset Scriptwriting festival in 2025, and how you can be involved. The Exchange is hosting this event in partnership with Artsreach and Dorchester Arts Centre, and the event is free to attend, though booking is advised and donations to The Exchange will be welcomed. The Bibbern Gallery Bar – currently showing a photographic look at Dorset landscape and wildlife by Marilyn Peddle – will be open from 6.30pm and for discussion after the programmed event. Further information is available by contacting The Exchange on 01258 475137, or by visiting the Exchange website.
Turk(ish) The next Artsreach event at The Exchange is an empowering autobiographical show by contemporary circus artist Poppy Plowman, on 29th November, with a tightwire workshop session available on the same day. The Exchange is immensely grateful to William Fox-Pitt and Alice Plunkett for a fascinating illustrated conversation about a glittering career in eventing presented to a large and enthusiastic audience, all for the benefit of The Exchange. The next fundraising event will be a Quiz on 24th October – why not get a team together and give it a go. stur-exchange.co.uk/whats-on
Some of the team manning the RBL stall at the Cheese Festival
The Sturminster Newton Royal British Legion branch, ably led by Poppy Appeal Organisers Tracy and Anthony Walsh, were provided with a charity pitch at the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. Over the two days they sold raffle tickets for a wide range of prizes, including a very special bottle of gin dedicated to the Special Boat Service that had a commando dagger in the neck rather than a cork! Alongside the raffle there was a Name The Teddy competition for the children to win one of two bears, plus lots of poppy merchandise available for a donation to the Poppy Appeal. Over the two days the group raised a total of £2,473.11. Branch chairman Trevor Legg says: ‘It’s an amazing sum. We must send huge thanks to everyone who came over and said hello, and who contributed by buying tickets or donating. Without you we would have had nothing! Secondly, we thank the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival committee for letting us have a pitch this year. And lastly, we must thank all the businesses who donated prizes – without their support there would be no raffle!’ Do you have a few hours to spare late October or early November? The Stur RBL branch are looking for Poppy Collectors. Please contact Tracy on 07967 412758 or [email protected]
The art of making patterns of chairs helps Shaftesbury artist Zara McQueen to tell her own story and those of other families
Skyline, a recent painting which shows how landscape forms are creeping back into Zara’s geometric genogram paintings. All Images: Fanny Charles
As a social worker and therapeutic family practitioner, Zara McQueen was used to making “genograms” with clients and patients, using personal papers and objects to help them explore their family backgrounds – but when it came to creating her own, she found she did not want to lay out her life like that. Instead, the Shaftesbury artist hit on the idea of telling her story through patterns of chairs. The inspiration came from looking around her at the studio at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) where she was studying for an MA in Fine Art. ‘I noticed the chairs pushed up against the walls – brightly coloured plastic university chairs, marked with paint and studio life,’ she writes in the book of photographs which she produced after this unusual project. ‘I began to move them, transforming functional, splattered pieces of furniture into me and my family.’ As she explored relationships – two chairs was ‘a love story’ – and recreated the convoluted patterns of her extended families, with its journeys and multiple divorces, she decided to find out what chairs meant to other people. She invited a wide range of people to send an image and answer the question, Why this chair? The result is an extraordinary diversity not only of pieces of everyday furniture but of memories, ideas and individual stories.
Zara showing one of her mobiles to an exhibition visitor
Coloured plastic chairs were an immediately eye-catching feature of Zara’s latest exhibition at Shaftesbury Arts Centre, where visitors could both engage with the three-dimensional aspect – by sitting on or moving a chair – and explore other forms of genogram, in subtly-coloured geometric paintings and delightful mobiles. She says: ‘I have no idea where the current body of work will take me, but I am enjoying the exploration. Using chairs as stand-ins for people, making mobiles as well as drawings and paintings, is liberating.’
Zara McQueen’s Constellation painting
Landscapes of the mind Zara is best-known as a painter of atmospheric and engaging landscapes and you could call her recent paintings ‘landscapes of the mind’ – but it is also clear that landscape is her natural artistic form, and it is evident from the recent exhibition that it is creeping back into her work. She was born in London, into a Jewish family with a complicated background that included numerous divorces and remarriages, and with a great-grandmother who came to England from Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century. Zara was ‘totally dyslexic’ and painting and drawing were her favourite subjects. She wanted to go to art school but only finally achieved her ambition when she was 60, studying for an MA in Fine Art at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) where she graduated in 2023 with a distinction. ‘This course was my first formal art training. I always wanted to go to art school, and I got there, eventually! It was an amazing experience and a real privilege to study with some exceptional tutors and peers,’ she says. She went to AUB with a primary focus on making paintings and collages inspired by the landscape around Shaftesbury. But gradually, with the chair project developing, she began to produce paintings and mobiles which were inspired by and re-created the squares and circles of family groups. Now, a year on, her work is once again changing as the geometric shapes are increasingly influenced by landscape forms. Zara has lived in Shaftesbury for 30 years and cites the encouragement of the local community as an important factor in her success as an artist. She says: ‘I have had so much support from local people – they have been to my exhibitions and bought my art.’ The university course and the recent developments in her art follow a diagnosis of breast cancer and the inevitable emotional response. ‘I did a lot of deep diving and my work got very autobiographical,’ she says. ‘My art comes from me – it has always kept me sane.’ Zara has exhibited widely in Dorset and Wiltshire. Two recent works have been selected for the Royal West of England Academy’s 171st Annual Open Exhibition.
Zara and some of her genogram paintings
* A genogram is a graphic representation of a family tree that displays detailed data on relationships among individuals. It goes beyond a traditional family tree by allowing the user to analyse hereditary patterns and psychological factors that punctuate relationships. Genograms allow therapist and patient to identify and understand various patterns in the patient’s family history which may have had an influence on the patient’s current state of mind – Genopro.com
