The second TEDx Shaftesbury Youth event on 9th March welcomed a new wave of young thinkers eager to present innovative ideas for our future. A diverse group of under-18 speakers from schools across Dorset and beyond – including one from Taiwan – shared their insights on topics like diversity in education, sign language importance, the creativity crisis, and entomology appreciation. Hosted by entrepreneur Fatimah Hussain, a two-time TEDx speaker and recipient of the Gold Presidential Service Award from President Biden, the event resonated with her own journey. Event organiser Alex More said, ‘Ideas are the currency of the present and will shape the future. Our TEDx event is a day for curiosity, inspiration, and action.’ The sold-out event captivated audiences with compelling talks, such as the need for Northern Ireland’s history in GCSE courses and cryptocurrency education. Tom Massey from The Gryphon School advocated for sign language in schools, noting, ‘TEDx is a special journey… even if you are small, you can make a big change.’ In addition, TEDx Shaftesbury introduced Lightning Talks, a format designed to engage young audiences with concise, impactful speeches. With speakers as young as 10, topics ranged from equality in girls’ football to tackling space junk. The event, streamed live globally, will be accessible on the TEDx website for future viewing.
The Angel Holistic team in Shaftesbury: (l-r) Darcie, Hazel (the one with the ears) , founder Angela and Olivia
Angel Holistic Care are a small,compassionate bespoke live-in care agency nestled in Shaftesbury, delivering dedicated, personalised one-to-one round-the-clock care and support to individuals within their own home. Angela, founder and registered manager, built up Angel Holistic Care in 2019, after working within different branches of adult care provision for over 20 years. Having worked within the NHS as a district nurse, Angela saw the true value of supporting individuals within their home where they can retain their independence and daily routines, while being surrounded by cherished memories and personal treasures. Angela’s dedication, values and committed beliefs have been deeply embedded within Angel Holistic Care, and she provides her clients with a truly personalised and tailored care experience. They stay within their own familiar walls with the comforts of home, and build long-lasting relationships with their specifically-chosen caregivers as well as the management team of Angel Holistic Care. Angela herself, a seasoned and compassionate nurse, ensures that she is at the forefront of each and every individual’s unique care delivery. ‘We make sure that clients have autonomy over daily routines and decisions,’ explains Angela. ‘It’s a simple thing, but preserves their dignity and sense of control. We create individual care plans, which put the needs and comforts of our clients first. That way we ensure a bespoke care experience that exceeds expectations.’
The team won ‘Home Healthcare Provider of the Year’
What does live-in care involve? Angel Holistic Care’s caregivers can assist with all aspects of care, from companionship, to housekeeping, food preparation, personal care support and so on. In addition, their caregivers are highly trained to provide all aspects of specialised care, including Dementia, Parkinson’s, Palliative, and other long term health conditions.
Angel Holistic Care is regulated by Care Quality Commission (CQC) and is a fully-managed live-in care service, meaning that family and friends can enjoy peace of mind that every aspect of their loved ones needs are being taken care. It was recognised by CQC as ‘Outstanding’ in Caring in October 2021, with an up-to-date review in February 2024 using CQC’s new framework. In addition, Angel Holistic Care has been rated an incredible 9.9/10 on Homecare.co.uk from those who use or have used their service. The team’s holistic approach has also been reflected in their awards and recognition, two esteemed awards in 2024: ‘Best Person-Centred Live-in & Dementia Care Specialists 2024 – Dorset’ (Global Health & Pharma), and ‘Home Healthcare Provider of the Year’ for the South West (England Prestige Awards). The recognitions are a testament to Angel Holistic Care’s unwavering dedication to exceptional live-in care across the South West. The company’s services cover Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Hampshire and Devon – but Angela and her management team ensure they are always actively involved in coordinating and overseeing the well-being of those they serve, day in and day out. It’s a conscious business choice to remain local and small.
Are you seeking live-in care for yourself or a loved one? Do contact the team today on 01747 359017 for more information. angelhc.co.uk
A wave of enthusiastic energy is set to sweep across Dorset’s schools as they team up for ‘Miles for Mosaic’, a fundraising initiative to support Mosaic, a Dorset charity that helps young people through bereavement. The campaign, already embraced by more than 20 local schools, begins the week after the London Marathon, on April 22nd. It gets pupils and staff to log miles collectively in order to ‘complete’ as many marathons as possible. It’s not just about getting active; it’s a concerted effort to raise vital funds and awareness for Mosaic’s crucial services.
Puddletown middle marathon 2023
Many of the schools involved with ‘Miles for Mosaic’ have previously had first hand contact with the charity, either for bereavement support for students or for teacher training on handling grief.
Last year’s event saw St Mary’s CE Middle School students and staff running a total of 1,816 miles, raising more than £1,000. At Burton Bradstock First School, the headteacher Mr Gough ran the London Marathon in less than three hours and he raised more than £5,000 with the school’s running club.
Jo Revill, CEO of Mosaic, expressed gratitude for the widespread school participation: “We are thrilled so many schools are taking part in Miles for Mosaic this year. It is a joy to see children running with their friends and it is vital for us as a charity to increase awareness of the service Mosaic offers to families in our county.
“Every pound that is raised goes towards supporting a child or young person who is struggling to come to terms with the grief they have experienced when they lose someone they love. Our service is vital but it needs funds more than ever, so we are bowled over by the schools’ involvement with us.”
How can you get involved?
Nominate a day or two in the week commencing 22nd April to coincide with London Marathon week and get your pupils (and teachers!) to run run run! Mosaic ask schools to arrange a Just Giving page and collect donations as sponsorship for the children. If you are a school or group that would like to take part in Miles for Mosaic, they would love to hear from you: [email protected]
The days are getting longer, the daffodils are nodding confidently, and the brand new Dorset Spring Show is on its way! It’s the first ever spring show from the team who bring you the Dorset County Show – the county’s largest agricultural event – and they invite you to kickstart your year of great days out in the great outdoors with them. The Dorset Spring Show will be held at Kingston Maurward on the weekend of 27th and 28th April. Think spring, think lambs, flowers … and BMX’s and mountainboarders?!
Extreme BMX
Event organiser James Cox and his team have been working through the winter to put together a varied and exciting list of attractions that will have every member of the family happy. From floral demonstrations to swinging Axemen, pig agility to bees wax rolling, the event will celebrate the season that sees Dorset burst back into life.
Dorset Spring Show Map 2024
With an emphasis on everything food, farming and flowers, you can watch live demonstrations of beekeeping, falconry and baking. At The Hogg Show you can learn about some of the rarest pigs in the world – and see just how intelligent pigs are. While over at the Sheep Show you can meet nine different breeds (but we all know the audience is only there for the dance!).
The Hogg Show
James Cox says ‘We’re so excited to welcome in the new season with a vibrant spring get-together for Dorset. Whether you come for the delicious Dorset foods, the local crafts, to enjoy the extreme BMX bikes, to meet a lamb or watch some of the demonstrations, Dorset Spring Show has it all when it comes to celebrating spring in Dorset!’
Dorset Spring show What’s on 2024
Join in the fun In addition to two full days of entertainment, the show invites you to get in on the act with more than 90 competitions across cookery, photography, flowers, vegetables and crafts. There are also Associated Garden Classes alongside school, college, and club competitions. The Competitions Marquee will be based in the Gardeners Village, where you can stock up on plants, or nab yourself a new garden sculpture.
The farm gates swing open for the first time ever on 27th and 28th April 2024. Children go FREE and Adult Tickets are currently just £12 – but ewe don’t want to delay, the discount ends 20th April! dorsetspringshow.co.uk
Almost a quarter of a century on from the release of their debut album, Asleep In The Back, Manchester alternative rock quintet Elbow could be described as elder statesmen, with lead singer Guy Garvey quietly going about achieving national treasure status. Recent releases, however, have suffered from stubbornly mid-to-low tempo drudgery. While their song writing has occasionally still hit the mark (I’m thinking of Empires and Six Words), it feels like a very long time indeed since the band produced the kind of universally celebratory music which brought them to mass acclaim on 2008’s breakthrough album The Seldom Seen Kid, and the follow-up, 2011’s Build A Rocket Boys! But from the opening bars of the first track on Audio Vertigo, their 10th LP, it’s clear that the slump is over.
Screenshot
The album announces itself with an infectious groove before guitar stabs perforate a melody reminiscent of Alex Turner’s more recent work. On Lovers’ Leap, the melancholy lyric (“Take me up to lovers’ leap, throw my body off the side”) is instead imbued with menace, horns filling the space where strings may previously have been. But the centrepiece of the album, Balu, is where the band’s new-found energy is best showcased (video below). As Guy Garvey sings of trysts with rust belt girls and hollowing skulls for his wine, multiple synth lines shimmer and intertwine before releasing into a horn part which echoes the two-note motif of Radiohead’s The National Anthem. Many Elbow touchstones remain, including the crystal-clear production, impeccable arrangements and lyrics which manage to be both beautifully poetic and keenly descriptive. But this is a band with more to say, and who are clearly ready to flex their musical muscles once more. While they may conceivably have faded into obscurity with this release, they have instead cemented their place as the best British rock band of the last 25 years.
Matthew Ambrose presents Under The Radar on Tuesday evening at 7pm on Abbey104. Broadcasting on 104.7FM and online at abbey104.com.
Jules Bradburn’s market empire expands to Dorchester – the latest Dorset town to benefit from a new 200-stall Sunday artisan market
Jules Bradburn
Since the first monthly Sunday Sherborne artisan market opened back in 2019, it has become a regular go-to fixture for many. It has proved a great success, as, it seems, has the similar independent Sunday market launched in Shaftesbury last year. Both have lots of local traders selling a great range of quality food, crafts and clothing, They have quickly established a reputation as good places to treat yourself (or someone else), to grab a coffee and a bite to eat or to just enjoy whiling away an hour or two. At the end of April, Dorchester will see the opening of its own artisan market. All three Sunday markets are masterminded by enterprising Sherborne resident Jules Bradburn. Stallholders have been quick to book a pitch in Dorchester, where the new market will set out its wares on 28th April from 10am to 3pm. The market will spread from the Borough Gardens, where there will be music and entertainment, to West Walks, Bowling Alley Walk, South Walk, South Street and around Brewery Square. It will be big, with more than 200 stalls. ‘There’s a real appetite for a good market in Dorchester on a Sunday, and for keeping things local,’ says Jules.
Dorset’s market mogul As well as establishing high quality independent markets, Jules Bradburn also sits as a circuit judge for more than 30 days a year on benefit payment tribunals in the western circuit law courts. ‘It’s a really interesting job and the total opposite to the markets.’ She finds her two very different jobs complement each other and she loves dealing with the market traders. ’They’re a great bunch of people,’ she says., ‘I received an email from a visitor recently. It said: “your market is wonderful – like having Etsy in your back garden.” It was lovely. But it is also really reward to ensure that people are getting the benefits they’re entitled to. You can literally see the relief on their faces when they’ve battled the system for a long time.’ As if organising soon-to-be three artisan Sunday markets weren’t enough, Jules and her team have recently been asked to take over the regular Saturday market in Langport and the May Shaftesbury Food Festival, in addition to two Christmas fairs next December. ‘In the middle of January, I was discussing how many Christmas trees we would need … and it was only three weeks after last Christmas! Jules knows that people want variety at independent artisan markets. ’They want choice. They want to see new, interesting things, so we make sure we have lots of different traders, all mixed up in different places. Dorchester is big, so it’s going to be really exciting!’ Jules is now left with one market-free Sunday a month.
Part-Time Experienced Vegetable Gardener required at Ferne Park Berwick st John
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Join us at Ferne Park and become part of the team. Apply now to embark on this fulfilling opportunity!
This month Barry Cuff has chosen a couple of postcards of Thornford, near Sherborne:
Sent in 1911 to Mr Y Jackman of Smart’s Heath in Surrey, apparently extolling the health benefits of a Dorset holiday (except for the cows). Interesting that in 1911, steam engines were already seen as dated and amusing: ‘Dr Y. Just a card to let you see we go by steam down here. Nell looks just like an Old Booser with her red face, it’s doing her a lot of good but the cows frighten her. She ran through a field of corn yesterday away from them. From yours RL
Sent to Mr A Davenport in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire in 1905 (with handwritten explainer on the front!): ‘Dear Harry. We got your card and liked it very much. I am glad you went to see Amos he is not come home yet expect him Saturday. Mr Roseby said he saw you but he did not know you, you were so grown and altered. Reggie’s arm is a little better but I am not very well. So good-bye with love from your sister Maggie.
Daniel Matterface (far right) and Elijah Wood (adjacent) in the House of Lords Debate
Public Speaking is an important skill and staff at Gillingham school are very keen to give students the skills – and opportunity – to express their opinions and ideas. On Friday 15th March, eight members of the school public speaking team were invited to the House of Lords Debate, hosted by the charity Debating Matters. Schools were picked from across the country and Gillingham were one of only four schools invited to take part. The debates were on current and contentious issues: Does ‘cancel culture’ threaten freedom of speech? Do billionaires’ ownership of media organisations pose a threat to democracy? Should museums repatriate cultural artefacts? One of the sixth formers said that they enjoyed the ‘emphasis on interrogation by the judges and the interesting topics.’ The speakers from Gillingham – Elijah Wood and Daniel Matterface – made a brave argument in the semi-final on cancel culture, and were praised for their quick thinking, bold lines of argument and nuanced answers to the judges’ questions. However they didn’t quite do enough to proceed to the next round. Elijah said that ‘the method of debate felt civil and information driven, like a disagreement being resolved.’ It was a wonderful experience for everyone to watch the teams debate and then to get involved in the floor debates, asking questions to the teams. Lucy Wrench was singled out as worthy of a Honourable Mention, as the judges enjoyed her contributions and questions. Besides the debating, the students made the most of their day out, and were given a fantastic tour of the House of Lords. Lucy described it as ‘interesting, engaging, informative and inspiring.’ No teacher could ask for more!
