This year, the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show has a special treat for both seasoned attendees and newcomers alike. The South Downs Bloodhounds will be parading in both rings over the two days, promising a unique spectacle – hunting tradition without the controversy.
Established in 2004 by Jeremy Whaley, the current senior Joint Master – who also takes the role of Huntsman – the South Downs Bloodhounds offers a fresh twist on the traditional British hunt. Rather than pursuing foxes, in clean boot hunting the hounds chase after a ‘clean boot,’ which refers to the scent of human runners (volunteer ones, obviously! They don’t just take off after passing strangers!).
These runners, called quarries, set out between 20 and 60 minutes before the hounds, along planned routes. The chase can span varying distances, and with three to five hunts in a day, participants can engage in as many or as few as they choose. The hunts have been thoughtfully designed to keep the exhilaration of the chase alive, while simultaneously respecting and protecting wildlife. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate our countryside’s rich traditions while safeguarding its natural wonders.
If you are interested to try it for yourself, there are lots of ways to get involved. The South Downs Bloodhounds may be based in Hampshire, but last season they had hunts locally in the Tarrant Valley and Sixpenny Handley on Cranborne Chase. Those curious about this human-hunting spectacle are welcome to take part on horseback or on foot – or even to try leading the way as a quarry. Non-participants are also welcome to witness the thrilling chase as car followers. The South Downs Bloodhounds guarantee exhilarating hunts without putting any wild animal at risk. They strongly promote a community where everyone, regardless of their role, can come together and continue an ancient tradition into the 21st century.
The inclusion of the South Downs Bloodhounds to demonstrate clean boot hunting is not just about entertaining the crowds at the G&S Show, but also about conveying a message of respect for tradition, wildlife and the countryside. The South Downs Bloodhounds team are renowned for their professionalism and skill with their hounds – watch out for the cheerful dogs and the Huntmaster’s absolute control. It promises to be an unforgettable experience and a significant milestone in promoting new ways of keeping our traditions alive.
The South Downs Bloodhounds will be parading in the Gritchie Brewing Co Main Ring on Wednesday 16th, and in the Turnpike Ring on both days of the show.
“The whole team is proud of the fact that the Dorset County Show is a crucial part of the county’s farming year. We bring together people from all over the countryside, creating opportunities not just for networking and business, but also for celebration. We love that the show is a treasured event in so many calendars, as individuals and families come together, taking delight in the brilliant community that is Dorset.” James Cox, Dorset County Show Organiser
“The Dorset County Show has been an essential part of the local calendar from my earliest memories, as a celebration of my culture and the end of bringing in the harvest on the farm. It has been my pleasure to have been involved as a volunteer for more than 40 years. Being the Chair of the show has been an honour – but not without its challenges! The COVID pandemic put the survival of all such events at huge risk, but it’s at these times that we realise the important part we can play in the fabric of both our community and our local economy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters and many visitors – without you we simply wouldn’t be here. I am excited that when we open our gates we will not only be sharing our usual attractions and traditions but also introducing many more too.” Nicki Ralph, Dorset County Show Chair
“Shows are in our blood! They’re such an important part of the community we support. Meeting with your customers is a really important part of any business and for us – an insurer that focuses entirely on the agricultural sector – rural shows are such a key part of that.” Peter Beaumont, Managing Director, Cornish Mutual
“Big rural events like agricultural shows are a vital ingredient in the farming calendar, bringing together people from across the rural community to celebrate food, farming and the countryside. The Dorset County Show is a great opportunity to showcase the quality of Dorset food, drink and produce – as well as some of the finest livestock in the South West. All grown and reared by farmers who work to impeccably high standards. The iconic Dorset landscape has been shaped by generations of farmers and growers who work the land and who also care for the farmed environment. The county show is a great place for farmers to meet the public and showcase what they do, and we are always delighted to see such quality animals on show in various classes. The show is also a wonderful opportunity for the NFU to catch up with farmers; on our stand next to the main ring we will have refreshments aplenty and our team will be on hand to discuss all the work and campaigning that is happening on their behalf.” Gemma Harvey, Dorset County Adviser, NFU
“Of all the blue cheeses, I love this one the best.”
A sharp elbowed lady ploughed through the crowds hovering by the samples and made a beeline for the pieces of Dorset Blue Vinny, clearly knowing a fine local cheese from the massive selection on offer. Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival is a fantastic place to taste your favourite cheeses – but it’s also an opportunity to try something completely new and unusual.
Sturminster Newton cheese festival stall. Image: Chris Robinson
The festival is a showcase of cheeses from across the South West. Sampling a three year old vintage cheddar from Keen’s, I loved the strong mature flavour. White Lake Cheese’s sheep feta from near Shepton Mallet, aptly called Fetish, is barrel-aged in brine – it was a refreshing change to the standard supermarket imports that end up in a Greek salad. La Fresca Margarita, an award winning queso fresco from Feltham’s Farm that was drizzled with honey was a winner, as was their creamy Gert Lush.
Book & Bucket Cheese at the Sturminster Newton cheese festival. Image: Chris Robinson
There were crowds around the Sparkenhoe Blue cheese from Leicestershire, and at the Book and Bucket Cheese Company where the range of cheeses, all with a literary theme, was a conversation starter. Will it be Hardy or Shakespeare? The unusual-looking cheese with a bluish purple rinse turned out to be a wine-soaked variety from Italy. Another pungent tase was a beer-drunk Italian soft cheese – their truffle-infused cheese was more palatable for some.
And that’s the beauty of the festival. You can discover a new (or old) favourite, or experiment with something you would never consider buying on your weekly shop.
Sturminster Newton cheese festival. Image: Chris Robinson
The rising temperatures
With the distinctive aromas of Renegade Monk and Tunworth cheese infiltrating the tents, how did the traders manage on one of the hottest days of the year when temperatures hit 30 degrees? Did the cheese melt? The 2023 festival will certainly be remembered as one of the hottest.
“We only took out the cheeses we were sampling and we had lots of refrigerated ice packed containers,” said Penny Nagle from Feltham’s Farm. “But it was so so hot in the tent!”
Traders came well prepared for working in heatwave with perishable goods. Sue Plummer, helping on the Mere Trout stall, had crates densely packed with ice, including chilled containers for people who wanted to store their shopping while still looking around. On the Real Cure venison burger stand, the good weather was a relief: they echoed many farners as they said “At least we got the harvest in!”
Sturminster Newton cheese festival 2023 was the hottest on record. Image: Chris Robinson
More than cheese
But there’s a lot more than cheese at Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. The food vans had everything from raclette to Thai street food and crepes. There were fresh hand-dived scallops and crab sandwiches from Lyme Regis. Enticing fish cakes from Calshot-based Fabulous Catch Company, included show specials with cheesy recipes. The festival is increasingly a focal point for quality specialist food connoisseurs. Spice traders, Stony Groves from near Dorchester, displayed their Cambodian Kampot pepper and Himalayan pink salt – renowned as being among the best in the world. Tea sampling at Comins was a delight, with the refreshing taste of a first flush Darjeeling and Japanese green tea.
Orchard 101 at Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. Image: Chris Robinson
Their exquisitely delicate tea pots on display added a charm to this specialist stand. Local Orchard 101 did a roaring trade in apple cider vinegar from Sturminster Newton. Mounter’s Gin from Marnhull flew the flag for local alcohol, along with liqueurs from Mure Liqueurs and from Forager Spirit. It was another opportunity to try something unusual such as cherry kombucha from Bath Culture House, learning about fermented food and their benefits to your gut. The charcuterie was also out in force, with abundant samples of cured meats such as Filletto or fennel salami from Somerset Charcuterie (an ideal accompaniment to all that cheese!).
Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival crafts and artisans. Image: Chris Robinson
In an adjacent tent and outside, there were rows and rows of crafts. From jewellery to chopping boards, mirrors to knitted hats, there was something to tempt most people. There were charity stalls too, including the popular Vale Pantry tombola. In the background, the cheers from the children’s entertainer’s crowd and the squawk of a Punch and Judy show blended with the traditional sound of folk music. People chatted over a beer or ice cream, relieved that tiny droplets of rain were beginning to fall and finally breaking the heatwave.
Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival is much more than cheese – it is emerging into a fine food event, and a terrific opportunity to showcase the best local produce. Here’s to 2024.
This month, more than 300 makers and artists will be taking part in the first full the Somerset Art Weeks Open Studios event for five years
Jannette Kerr – known for depiction of wild seas – is opening her studio in Coleford
HIS year’s Somerset Art Weeks, from 16th September to 1st October, will be the first full Open Studios event since 2018, with more than 300 makers and artists across the county, from Wincanton to Watchet, wil be inviting the public into their work-places. Organised by Somerset Art Works, since its inception in 1994, the the open studios fortnight has become an important event in Somerset’s cultural calendar. Traditionally biennial, alternating with group and gallery shows, it is an invitation to meet some of the area’s most exciting and original creative people in their own place – studio, workshop, home or shed. Painters, photographers, printmakers, sculptors, potters, woodworkers and textile artists will all be opening their space to show their work. It’s not only an opportunity to meet interesting, creative people but also to explore the county and discover places you didn’t know! It’s the perfect chance for the casual and curious visitor to see what goes on behind normally-closed studio doors. Artists value the engagement that the event provides; a chance comment or connection can sometimes provide invaluable encouragement. In Batcombe, a collection of artists are working together: Jo Addison creates linocuts, etchings and watercolours of natural subjects. Camilla Frederick is a portrait artist who works in oils. Alison Harrison is a sculptor works in bronze and mixed media. Debbie Hart specialises in tesxtile art with patchwork and quilting. Jade Ogden makes handwoven scarves and soft furnishings using dyed and undyed local and Shetland wool. Jan Pitt creates her work in pastels and oils. Peter Sheldon’s is showing a collection of quirky illustration and newsprint collages. Castle Cary hosts an exciting cluster of creatives at Pithers Yard, including photographer Dave Watts, painter Franny Watts, prop maker Charlotte Austin as well as Tom Baskeyfield and Lotte Scott, who create works informed by interests in ecology, spirituality, matter and place. Near Frome, ceramicists Christine-Ann Richards and Lutz Krainhoefner have a joint studio venue, with work, inspired by their travels to China and Japan, featuring burnished, smoke-fired pottery and glazed stoneware. The Somerset Open Studios 2023 Guide is online here and Somerset Art Weeks (SAW) venue signs will guide you to the sometimes hidden venues. SAW is also working with Visit Somerset to give an increased profile for the event and its artists on the Visit Somerset website. For more details and to plan your visit, please visit somersetartworks.org.uk or visitsomerset.co.uk
Inspired by post-Impressionists, Carolyne captures intimate, light-filled interiors in her Shaftesbury studio
Carolyne Moran in her garden
During lockdown, we were plunged into a world where both work and social life were played out in a virtual world – and we suddenly had the opportunity to sneak a look into the personal spaces of our friends, of colleagues and celebrities. This intimate snapshot into the lives of others is not entirely new – artists have always taken inspiration from their immediate surroundings, often revealing much about their everyday lives. The things we have in our homes say a lot about both us and the lives we lead. Interiors become a portrait of the owner; the human essence that is left behind when the room empties. Carolyne Moran is an artist drawn to interiors: ‘But it has to be the right interior. It’s to do with light against dark, or certain reflections. Older properties inspire me … and I get very attached to chairs and odd pieces of furniture,’ she says. In her studio, at the foot of Shaftesbury’s Tout Hill, alongside her paintings is an eclectic mix of antique chairs and objets d’art.
All images: Edwina Baines
Antiques and art Carolyne studied Fine Art at Bournemouth and Exeter colleges of art. After six years of training, she worked for some years with the influential Bath artist Saied Dai. She completed her PGCE at Cardiff College before embarking on a career as head of the art department in several Dorset schools. She has had regular exhibitions at the Mall and Bankside Galleries in London, where she has won two awards. Her work has been featured in numerous art publications including The Artist magazine, and she is listed in Who’s Who in Art. Some years ago she ran an antique shop in Blandford where her love of beautiful furniture led to a constant hunt for new finds – many of which are included in her paintings.
Carolyne’s studio is filled with an eclectic array of objets d’art
The Red Aga – a work in progress
Putting in the work Carolyne is inspired by the Post-Impressionists Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard, founder members with other young artists of the avant-garde brotherhood Les Nabis (The Prophets). This Parisian group played a large part in the transition from Impressionism to Abstract art. After Les Nabis disbanded, Bonnard and Vuillard were involved in the Intimism movement, which is known for the depiction of everyday scenes, particularly within domestic interiors. ‘The first Bonnard exhibition I went to, I cried the whole way around,’ Carolyne says. ‘I found his paintings so moving.’ The influence of Bonnard is evident in many of Carolyne’s paintings – his interiors with their characteristic intimate and cosy atmosphere and his use of colour to capture the play of light and shadow. Vuillard was also known for his small-scale interior works, combining flat patterns with delicate colours. Carolyne’s favourite place to paint is sitting by the window with views of her garden: ‘I try to have discipline in my art. Painting is hard work. You have to set aside the time,’ she says.Once at work on a painting, she will often stay at the easel until late at night – and then lie awake thinking about the next stage. Painting mainly in gouache and oils, she will spend a day working out the composition in pencil or charcoal before applying a tint to the paper. Work may continue on several pieces at once and it could take up to a month to finish a complete painting.
Looking Through to the Little Stone Conservatory
‘Shapes, patterns and colours are important to me. I don’t do big landscapes. Often my flowers and garden paintings are like rooms. I’m often looking through the window … It’s your personality that you put on a piece of paper or a canvas,’ she says.Holidays in France offer further time for painting. Each of Carolyne’s works tells a story. In Looking Through to the Little Stone Conservatory, someone may have just walked out of the room into the sunlight, leaving the door open behind them. Another shows a soft glow from table lamps – perhaps showing a favourite spot for the owner to sit and read. Carolyne’s own garden – full of flowers, especially foxgloves – is also a source of inspiration. Everyday objects with a particular shape, pattern or colour can also capture her imagination. Her striped kimono hanging on the back of her bedroom door has been the source of several paintings and the red Aga – central in a current work in progress – has been featured several times. The kimono and the Aga both symbolise comfort and a familiar warmth.
Studio Interior With The Green Chair
Open studio Carolyne opens her studio for the second Blackmore Vale Art Trail which runs from 9th to 17th September. Participants all live within a ten-mile radius of Shaftesbury. Artists across a wide range of disciplines, from painting to jewellery, are opening their studios. Brochures are free and available in shops, pubs, cafes and libraries.
Get set to cheer your favourite team as the Pony Club Mounted Games gallops into the Dorset County Showground for the first time
Poole & District Pony Club’s Holly riding Dude at NEC Birmingham in the Horse of the Year Show 2022
Think school sports day … but on turbo-charged ponies! The thrilling Pony Club Mounted Games are another new attraction at this year’s Dorset County Show, and it all happens in the brand new Hill Top Ring. Featuring fearless young riders ranging in age from eight to 15, teams of four or five riders and their speedy ponies compete in a series of exciting relay races that involve a mix of turns, handover skills, vaulting and galloping.
Riders must navigate their way through a variety of obstacle races, which can include bending poles, stepping stones and a stacking race. All classes rely on the skill, control and agility of the rider to complete without penalties – and of course finish quicker than the other teams. The ponies must be calm, fast and able to turn on a sixpence – which makes great entertainment for spectators! Each team sports a different colour bib so you can cheer on your favourite.
Top tip – the last rider in each team wears a white headband, so be sure to look out for them crossing the finishing line! Ian Mariner, Pony Club Mounted Games chairman, explains: ‘These games are an adaptation of the traditional gymkhana, which tends to have solo competitors. Mounted Games focus on teamwork. It’s all about the three C’s – concentration, competitiveness and commitment. Plus, of course, a love of ponies. ‘And the ponies love it too. It’s just like teaching a dog, they come to understand the games and what is being asked of them. They get as excited as the riders!’ ‘The more mature ponies are definitely the best,’ says Nicola Way, the Mounted Games Area Coordinator and trainer at the Poole & District Pony Club. ‘They have years of experience to cope well with the sights and sounds of big events.’ ‘These exhilarating games are not just about having fun,’ says Ian. ‘They are also teaching these young horse riders valuable skills – improving accuracy, agility, concentration, speed, hand to eye co-ordination, team work and sportsmanship.’
Many of the Mounted Games riders go on to compete for their country, working their way up through local, regional, national and even international championships. Part of the Pony Club agenda is to also teach young riders about animal welfare and care of their ponies. Many competitions now include an element of stable management as part of the judging process. The four tiers of Mounted Games competitions culminate in the six top teams competing at The Horse of the Year Show for the coveted Prince Phillip Cup. Ian Mariner says: ‘Many of these young riders you see today competing could end up as stars in the equestrian world. You could be cheering on a future Olympian!’
Did you know?
The Pony Club, founded in 1929, is represented in 27 countries with a worldwide membership exceeding 110,000, making it the largest association of young riders in the world. Mounted Games is one of nine disciplines Pony Club members can learn, along with show jumping, dressage, endurance, eventing, polo, polocrosse, pony racing and tetrathlon.
From folk to installation art: Helen Ottaway talks about about her multi-dimensional journey in music as she chooses the discs she can’t live without
Helen Ottaway
Frome-based composer Helen Ottaway is a sound installation artist and founder-director of Artmusic, which creates collaborative, participatory, and site-specific art. Among her many musical interests she loves folk music, and has been described as a folk minimalist. She has two audio installations at this month’s Inside Out Dorset Festival. The first, Lachrymae, was created through Artmusic in 1999. In the original installation, the movement of people around the space triggered the sounds. Helen collaborated with visual artist Rowena Pierce, who made the wonderful teardrop hangings (lachrymae is Latin for tears). Visitors could walk through the wood, see the amber drops of the sculptures in the trees, and hear the music. The second installation, Saeflod, is a walking requiem. ‘It started in 2017,’ says Helen. ‘My mother had died, and I went on an artist residency in Sri Lanka. I had always thought that her death would be when I would feel like writing a requiem – and I did. I started sketching in Sri Lanka, by the sea. I’ve carried on, supported by Artmusic and Inside Out Dorset Festival, and it’s come to fruition this year. Again, this is an installation that includes music and some visual elements – you discover it in the woods. There’ll be interactive elements and a choir, which performs at particular times.
A life in music And so to Helen’s eight music choices, in no particular order, along with how and why they have stuck in her life:
Love’s Old Sweet Song Kathy Durkin This is a song that my mother used to sing to me and my sister at bath time and bedtime. I’ve got really clear memories as a little girl sitting on her lap, wrapped in a towel, hearing her sing this song. Both of my parents were very musical – my father sang in the Oxford Bach Choir. My mother had been a really good pianist at school and often played in assembly. She never took it much further, but she was always playing. And we had inherited a lovely Blüthner grand piano from one of my father’s aunts, ‘musical aunt Lucy’. So I grew up surrounded by music. My father was a vicar, and my parents met on stage – they were both in the amateur dramatics society, and they played opposite each other, that was the beginning of their relationship! There was always music, and my mother was always singing and humming.
Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610 Duo Seraphim, The King’s Consort Choir under Robert King. I took a little while to really love classical music, although it was it was in my blood and I played a lot. I don’t remember many concerts until this one. I had an inspirational school music teacher who brought music to life in a brilliant way – he took the class to Coventry Cathedral for a performance of Monteverdi Vespers. It was around the time when John Eliot Gardiner had started the Monteverdi Singers and it may actually have been them. It was just beautiful. And the one piece that I really love is where the voices of the baritone and countertenor dance with each other. It just stayed with me, this beautiful environment, the beautiful music – and then I found this particular version of it. The baritone is James Gilchrist, and later on in my career I was lucky enough to have James perform my music. I wrote a choral piece called the Echoing Green, it was the opening concert of Salisbury Festival, in the cathedral, in 2003 – and James Gilchrist was the soloist.
Bring Him Back Home Hugh Masekela I went to college in London, and it was a politically tortured time really. There was Margaret Thatcher coming to power, the National Front were marching through South London, there was the New Cross fire, the Brixton riots … And through all of this, people were trying to get Nelson Mandela freed from prison. Hugh Masekala had correspond-ed with him when Mandela was in prison. He wrote this song about freeing Mandela and London in the late 70s. Throughout the 80s London was a really interesting place to be – I saw lots of first performances of major works, and lots of touring bands. And I managed to see Hugh Masekela play on a couple of occasions. He and his band made a really exciting sound. And it had this backstory as well, it was revolutionary, a political protest.
Excerpt from Inlets John Cage John Cage was an amazing person, not only a great philosophical thinker, a conceptual artist and a musician, but he was also just a lovely man. I was really fortunate to meet him twice – once when I just left college. He and his collaborating partner, choreographer Merce Cunningham, came to Goldsmiths, where I had just finished. We musicians had a week with John Cage, and the dancers had a week with Cunningham. They performed for us and we performed for them. His ideas are just very liberating. The way he thinks … it gives you permission to allow chance to take a part in your work – it’s been something that I’ve incorporated ever since. So in the case of the original Lachrymae installation in the woods in Inside Out Dorset, people walked around and triggered the sounds by their movement. It meant that the arrangement of sound couldn’t ever be predicted. It was different every time. And this is really critical to the way John Cage used to work. This piece I’ve chosen, Inlets, is also a really beautiful thing to watch. He plays a conch shell, and he fills it with water. And in front of the microphone, he manipulates the conch shell, moves it around and it makes lovely musical gurgling sounds – but the performer can’t control it. It’s really chance, what happens, because you can’t see the inside of the conch shell, you can’t see where the walls and curves are. And so it’s totally unexpected.
The Third Dream Jeremy Peyton Jones Regular Music was a band formed by me, Jeremy Peyton Jones and Andrew Poppy in 1980. We’d just finished Goldsmith – the three of us had been on the music course together. They were both composing, and I was mostly playing other people’s music at that time – often one of theirs! Regular Music was an example of the kind of avant-garde, contemporary art rock band that was around at that time. We toured and played in London for more than ten years. Jeremy became quite involved in experimental theatre and was regularly asked to write for cutting-edge companies’ shows. The Third Dream, the piece that that I’ve chosen, was from a theatre piece called Lulu Unchained, which was an Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) commission, written by the American writer Kathy Acker and directed by Pete Brooks. It was on for three or four weeks – something totally unheard of now. We were the stage band, I was the pianist for that production and we played this work every night. It was great! The other thing that happened was as a result of working in theatre at the ICA, I met my partner Steve, who was at the time the finance controller at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The ICA was really, really important to all of us.
English Idyll No.1 George Butterworth This was a really hard choice! I’m sometimes described as a folk minimalist, and I’ve often talked about the influence of people like Michael Nyman and Gavin Bryars. Also the American minimalists like Philip Glass and Steve Reich. But folk music is somehow in my blood. I think there is such a thing as an English composer. I think we’ve all got a bit of that English pastoral in us. Vaughan Williams used a particular mode – I think it was mixolydian – and, as a result, his music is pretty unmistakable. It was really hard to choose one English composer influenced by folk music – it could have been Vaughan Williams, it could have been Cecil Sharp or Percy Grainger, whose music I absolutely love. But in the end I chose Butter-worth, because we don’t get enough of Butterworth! He went off to the First World War and was killed in battle, and that was the end of Butterworth’s music. It’s debatable whether he was going to carry on writing when he came back from the war. But before he went, he collected folk songs, in Sussex mainly. I have a long connection with Sussex – we always went to Sussex in the summer because as a vicar, my father didn’t own the vicarage. So my parents had a house in Sussex and we would go there once or twice a year. I found that these folk songs that Butterworth collected really spoke to me. This piece, the first of the English Idylls, has three folk songs in it. They’re Dabbling in the Dew, Just as the Tide Was Flowing, and Henry Martin. Those last two, Butterworth collected himself, and you can hear them – the folk songs are very evident in the piece of music. It’s just a beautiful thing that our folk tradition comes bubbling up through the work of newer composers and it’s been preserved in that way. I don’t collect folk songs – I don’t know if there’s anybody still singing the old folk songs actually in the vernacular. But people sometimes say that the tunes I write are like folk songs.
Blow The Wind/Pie Jesu Jocelyn Pook Kathleen Ferrier was my mother’s favourite singer – again it comes back to my mother. This piece, ‘Blow the Wind / Pie Jesu’ by Jocelyn Pook uses words from the requiem. Joc took a sample from Kathleen Ferrier singing Blow the Wind Southerly and mixed it with the voice of Melanie Pappenheim, who we both (Jocelyn and I) have worked with over many years. So in this piece you have the blend of the original Kathleen Ferrier song and Jocelyn’s new material sung by Melanie.
Take Me To The River The Commitments I don’t know if it’s come through or not, but I’m obsessed with water! Everything I write has got something to do with water – the very first piano and viola piece I wrote was called I Hear Water. And it keeps coming back. The walking requiem, Saeflod, is all about flooding. It’s a requiem not just for our personal losses, like mine of my mother, but also the environmental loss that we’re currently suffering, with climate change and species loss and loss of environment. And of course the fact that the seas are rising. When I started doing a local radio show, I decided to play only music that was related to water in some way – it could have been the title, the kind of material, it could even be the picture on the album cover. For my theme tune, I chose Al Green’s Take Me to the River. I started by using just his version, but then I found lots of other people had covered it. There’s a great one by Annie Lennox, there’s a wonderful cover by Talking Heads. And this one appears in the film, The Commitments – it’s a really lovely, exuberant version. But the reason I knew the song in the first place was back when I was living in London. Before I really put all my energy into writing music I worked as a picture researcher for Grove Dictionary of Music – a lot of the people working there were musicians as well as editors, copywriters or researchers. One day, we had a Grove Dictionary company party on one of those party river boats. And Antony, my friend, said “why don’t we be the band? We can play Take Me to the River!” So I was the bass part on my keyboard, and he played all the other parts on his keyboard. And there was a lovely singer, who worked in the post room. And that was my introduction to the song – and I’ve always loved it. By the way, if I had more choices, you’d have a lot more pop – it was really hard to choose!
A book? I have one book that I always say is my favourite – and it’s back to water again! It’s Waterlog by Roger Deakin, and it’s about what people now call wild swimming which in the old days, we just called swimming! He did a tour of the UK, and found wonderful places to swim, high up tarns in Yorkshire, lovely waterfalls in Wales, his own moat (because he used to live in a moated house in Suffolk). He was a journalist, and he came to see an installation piece I did with Jocelyn Pook and Melanie Pappenheim. We did this piece that was all about the sunken bells off the coast of Suffolk at Dunwich – there are apparently 55 churches underwater in the North Sea. And in certain circumstances, you can hear the bells ringing. It inspired a trilogy of works that we created. Roger Deakin was really interested in it and he wrote about our work; if he had lived longer, we hoped that we would make a film with him about the sunken bells. So this is what I have of him, this wonderful book Waterlog, signed by him. And on my Dorset island, I guess I would be looking for places to swim other than the sea (obviously, I’d swim in the sea). A luxury item I would like a grand piano – a Blüthner if possible. But a Blüthner with a treated soundboard so that it wouldn’t crack in the heat. I have just come back from a festival in Spain, where my latest piano piece was premiered. The festival is all outside, and the piano is sitting under the oak trees. Two years ago, when they had the first festival, the piano warped – but it has recovered! It’s the same piano that’s there this year. So I have faith that a piano can survive on a Dorset island!
Inside Out Dorset returns 15th to 24th September 2023. Experience thought-provoking installations at Moors Valley Country Park & Forest (including both of Helen’s pieces, Lachrymae and Saeflod). Gather at the rewilding spot in Bere Regis for food, stories and performances. Capture the imaginations of little ones at family-friendly circus shows in Poole and Wimborne. And see Weymouth come to life at night with giant singing dolls and expert drummers. See more at inside-out-dorset/
A whole new ring, with new attractions in it! See ponies put through their paces in the thrilling Mounted Pony Club Games and the Shetland Pony Racing – think traditional sports day on pocket rocket ponies!
Field to fork
Tradition comes alive as the colourful vintage tractor parade trundles a timeline of heritage through the main ring while the Steam Engine Section offers all the sights and smells of the past. Your little ones will love a free ride on pedal tractors in the Fabulous Food & Farming Area – this hands-on area traces the journey of food from field to fork with fun and interactive elements.
rural life
Rural pursuits are at the heart of the show – we have been showing Dorset agriculture, countryside and rural life for more than a century. During your visit you can enjoy close-up milking demos, watch sheep shearing displays, see gun dogs in action, enjoy the falconry and laugh at the ferret racing in the Countryside Ring.
This month Andrew Livingston is taking a nostalgic stroll through the Dorset County Showground
Andrew (left) with his big brother at a local Show
As a young child, the news that ‘Dorset County Show is this weekend!’ was always met with sadness. Never a reflection on the show, I hasten to add – it simply signalled the final weekend of the school summer holidays. Every year, in the days leading up to the show, I would be dragged by my mother to Dorchester or Yeovil to buy new school uniform. “I don’t need to go back to school!” I would protest (thankfully my mother knew better than me). Some of my earliest memories are of exploring the county showground, walking around in the shadow of my Dad – he was a feed rep for Mole Valley Farmers, and would alwaysbe working on the day. Well – he would refer to it as work, but what he called ‘networking’ just looked like listening to farmers moan to me. Why were they so miserable? They worked outdoors and they didn’t have the threat of going to school next week! How naïve I was. If I’d known then what I know now about the struggles of modern farming I would have suggested they start writing a column in The BV magazine to air their grievances. I certainly find it therapeutic these days!
Andrew’s Dad Guy was a feed rep who had a stand at the local shows – back when an agri stand was a caravan with awning
Times change For so many at the show, this is their one big day out of the year. Some are up every day at the crack of dawn milking, while others have been contracting evry hour they can through the summer in a mad rush to earn every penny possible. And for hours on end, my Dad would be at the Mole Valley stand, handing out cups of tea and chatting with these farmers. (I’ll be honest, standing next to him – and eating all the biscuits, obviously – the conversations went straight over my head. Not because of the content – I simply couldn’t understand a word they said in their deep Dorset dialect.) Eventually, I got older and was finally trusted to roam the site on my own. I would meet with friends and only return to my dad to reach into his pockets and steal another handful of change to spend on sweets or carnival games. When my dad’s pockets eventually emptied, the game became who could collect the most and best freebies from the stands. Simply listen to a vendor’s spiel for two minutes and scamper off with your thousandth pen of the day. What was my greatest freebie of all time you ask? I’m too polite to say. But I will say that I got it from the NHS stand and, since about the age of 13, it’s had pride of place in every wallet I’ve ever owned, but has never been touched. It’s all changed now. My days of going to the show and picking my Dad’s pocket are long gone – instead my own pockets get swiftly empties by my two small children. Thinking about it … maybe I should have used my favourite Dorset County Show freebie at some point. It would have saved me a fortune on school uniforms in the future!
