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Slim pickings in the heat | The Voice of the Allotment
Like every gardener, Barry Cuff has been struggling with July’s drought – despite having a well on the allotment, he has felt the effects on this month’s harvest
With less than 0.2 inches of rain, July was an exceptionally dry month. Plants and seedlings needed watering every day. Luckily our well never ran dry and pumping was carried out daily to meet the demand.
When we took on our plot in 1989 there was no water on the site. In 1990 a plot-holder with foresight deepened an existing well and set up the beginnings of our present water system, which draws up water from a depth of about 12 feet. Over the years, extra storage capacity has been added to the system which serves all the plots.
Our courgettes and squashes all got a can of water a day to keep them going.
But despite watering daily, some of our vegetables raced through their growth stages with senescence and running to seed taking place much earlier than in a normal year. The worst to suffer were our peas, lettuce and potatoes, with lower yields from the potatoes and peas – as we sow lettuce each month they were less of a problem.
Harvesting
By 8th of July we had already dug our Foremost and Charlotte potatoes and both yielded well. Elfe and Royal were dug on the 13th, and it was clear they both suffered from the lack of rain and gave below average yields. A new variety, Sagitta, which we lifted on the 24th, did exceptionally well. From some of these, Val made some very tasty chips. One of our main crop varieties (Rooster), lifted on the 27th, suffered badly from the drought, with many, but quite small, tubers.
We picked our first French beans (Safari) on the 17th.
There were good yields from the mangetout and snap peas, but like the peas they finished producing earlier than normal, despite copious amounts of water. However, we do have second crops of these which should be ready during August.
Due to the sunny and hot weather, our currants ripened quickly and we had good pickings of red,white and black.
Lastly, directly after the potatoes, we planted our Musselburgh leeks for digging in the new year.
In other news
Our small flower border attracted many butterflies including Small Coppers, Holly Blues and Gatekeepers. Twice during the month we spotted a Red Kite flying overhead.
We look forward to some decent rain in August.
Sponsored by Thorngrove Garden Centre
The first two beaver kits born in Dorset for more than 400 years
Trail cams have captured sightings of two beaver kits, says Hazel Ormrod from Dorset Wildlife Trust; for two weeks it was thought there was only one
Image: James Burland
Dorset Wildlife Trust has been closely monitoring the pair of beavers released into an enclosed site in West Dorset last spring. It has been clear that they formed a strong bond, and the sighting of a kit during July caused much excitement, being the first beaver kit born in Dorset for more than 400 years. Discreet observations finally bore fruit almost two weeks later when trail cameras captured images of two young beaver kits and their mother (see the video, right).
Seeing the first kit was an incredibly exciting moment for the team behind the project – breeding is a clear indication that the adult pair are healthy and happily settled in their Dorset surroundings. Staff and volunteers have been closely monitoring the pair of Eurasian beavers as they have worked to build dams, creating the watery woodland and deep pools in which they feel secure. While the trail cams have only identified two kits so far, it is still possible that there are more as beavers can have up to four kits in a litter. The team is watching patiently – the beavers are rather elusive and it’s difficult to get them on camera at the same time!
Beaver kits
Eurasian beavers were once native to Dorset, and common across the UK, but were hunted to extinction for their fur, glands and meat in the 16th century.
They are social animals who live in small family groups, typically consisting of an adult pair and two generations of young. Mating occurs once a year in the winter months between December and February, and if successful, after a gestation period of around 105 days, the young are born during spring. Beaver kits are born fully furred and with the ability to swim, and normally stay close to their parents as they are very vulnerable to predators. For the first two to three weeks, kits feed on their mother’s breast milk, but within six weeks they will begin to venture outside the lodge, exploring their parents’ territory while foraging and feeding on tree leaves, shoots and aquatic plants.
Beavers with benefits
Beavers have the potential to make a huge difference to a natural environment by increasing biodiversity as well as providing other, wider, benefits for humans such as storing carbon in the wetlands they create and reducing flooding downstream by slowing the water flow. The Dorset Beaver project is a five-year scientific study, in partnership with the University of Exeter and Wessex Water, to assess the potential impacts of re-introducing beavers on the environment and to raise awareness and understanding of what it means to have these influential mammals back in our county.
Find out more about the Dorset Beaver project here
- Beaver facts
- Beavers are large, semi-aquatic rodents – the second largest rodents in the world, after the capybara of South America.
- Contrary to popular belief, beavers are herbivores – they don’t eat fish! They prefer to snack on herbaceous vegetation and aquatic plants in the spring and summer before turning their attention to trees and their bark, leaves and shoots in the autumn and winter months.
- Beavers live for an average of 12 years.
- There are two species of beaver: Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber – the species we have in the UK) and the North American beaver (Castor canadensis).
Whatever you do, don’t look up!
A recent film was an unsubtle look at what those in power are (not) doing about the current climate emergency, says Ken Huggins of North Dorset Green Party
Surely there’s no longer any doubt; we humans are both the cleverest and the stupidest species on earth.
The satirical film Don’t Look Up portrays the absurdly suicidal responses of politicians, major industry and the media to news that an asteroid will shortly destroy the earth. It would be funny if it didn’t so accurately portray our current world.
It’s not a subtle film, but the time for subtlety has passed. For decades, scientists have patiently reported the disastrous consequences of our fossil fuel addiction, but they have been repeatedly undermined by greedy, dishonest decision-makers. Little wonder many are now taking direct action and risking prison to get the crisis taken seriously. Politicians lie about the seriousness of the situation and avoid telling the truth for fear of losing votes.
Polluting industries protect their massive profits by funding climate denial stories and greenwashing their activities to appear to be taking action. Watch the BBC series Big Oil vs The World for proof of the cover-up.
And finally, corrupt media persist with climate denial. Some of it is subtle, like coverage of the recent record-breaking heatwave showing happy crowds on a beach – “its only nice sunny weather”.
Just the beginning
Failure to take adequate action is resulting in more extreme heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and flooding around the world. And it’s just the beginning. It will get worse. How much worse will depend on what we do now.
In 12 years of government the Tories have scrapped zero carbon building regulations, pulled the plug on railway electrification, undermined the solar panel and onshore wind industries, encouraged fracking, subsidised fossil fuel production etc. …
None of Dorset’s Tory MPs attended the recent emergency climate briefing given to Parliament by the govt’s Chief Scientific Advisor.
We are being failed disastrously, and will pay a high price unless we take action.
Now.
Tisbury Teen Selected for the British Junior Orienteering Team
A rainy-day activity with her father set Lyra Medlock on the trail to the oppressive Hungarian heat with the GB Junior Team, says Rachael Rowe
Rainy days are an unlikely start to a new outdoor interest. But when Lyra Medlock’s father suggested they get out and go orienteering, she jumped at the chance. ‘It was raining, and we were bored, so when Dad suggested it, I went. And that’s where it all started from there.’
For the uninitiated, orienteering is an adventure sport involving cross-country running through rough terrain (away from any footpaths) or urban sprinting, while using a map and compass to navigate between checkpoints guided by a specially-produced orienteering map. It is a thinking sport, requiring the mind and body to work together to run as fast as possible through difficult terrain without getting lost. However, if you live on your smartphone there’s a drawback – you cannot use a GPS or sat-nav and you run on your own. Some races last an hour, while others are sprints for 10 to 15 minutes. Orienteering is done on all terrains, from mountains to forests, urban areas to sand dunes.
Hung(a)ry for success
Once Lyra got into orienteering, she quikly progressed, joining the South West junior squad at the age of 12 and representing her region at inter-regional championships in Yorkshire and Cleveland. She has consistently won her age group (W14/W16) at the British Championships in all three disciplines (sprint, middle distance and long distance). The sport has taken her to Scotland, the Lake District, South Wales and many other places. Thanks to a grant from the Alice Coombes Trust, Lyra was able to attend selection races in the north of England. She was duly picked to orienteer for England Juniors, first against the Belgians and French, then against Scotland, Wales and Ireland – and she won both races. Lyra’s eyes have been on GB selection for a while. After six challenging events in Wales and Northumberland, she was chosen to orienteer for Great Britain at the European Youth Orienteering Championships in Salgotarjan in Hungary, this summer.
Lyra’s races were against 16-year-old girls from 33 other countries. Out of a field of 100, she finished in an excellent 9th place in the sprint event; the best GB performance of the weekend.
Lyra said: ‘It was amazing. I always wanted to get onto the team, and I was younger than others.’
Fontmell practice runs
In Hungary, Lyra twice had to run in forests where temperatures reached 37 degrees. “I drank lots more water than usual and kept to the shade as much as possible. It was the same for everyone. You just have to cope and move on.”
Lyra attends Gillingham School and is in Year 10. She practises her sport by running around Tisbury and the Fontmell Estate, and has got to know every path and run-through in the area. Lyra and her father, Jolyon, appreciate the efforts made by local people to keep footpaths clear, as this has helped Lyra achieved her sporting goal.
If you have read this and are interested in trying out orienteering, the Medlock family recommends the Wessex Orienteering Club, where they participate in events. Parents need to drive their children to various venues for junior events.
Orienteering is a sport for runners who can both read a map and make decisions at speed.
Can you hear the bats?
When she was young, wildlife writer Jane Adams was told ‘you can’t hear bats’ – and believed it for 30 years … But you can.
I was 11 when I first heard a bat. A friend had invited our family to a BBQ and as the sun set and the adults got tipsy, bats appeared. Except I didn’t see them, I heard them. Their high-pitched squeaks and squeals were so loud they seemed to pierce holes in the cooling September air as the bats weaved around my head, catching mosquitoes.
I asked my dad what the bats were saying, and I remember him laughing and telling me, ‘You can’t hear bats.’ And that’s what I believed for the next 30 years.
Shouting bats
We have 18 species of bat in the UK, and most are in dramatic decline thanks to modern farming practices killing their food and humans excluding them from roosting in our houses.
The one you’re most likely to come across is the pipistrelle. These tiny bats only weigh between 4-7 grams, have a jerky, erratic way of flying and can eat up to 3,000 flies a night. Although they can see quite well, they navigate and feed in the dark by shouting at very high frequencies and waiting for their shout to echo back – known as echolocation.
Bat detectorist
The next time I heard a bat, I was on a bat walk organised by Dorset Wildlife Trust. We each had a bat detector, a black box which looked like a small transistor radio. When tuned to the right frequency, the detector allowed us to hear the echolocation calls of the bats as pops, whistles and slurps. It was magical.
Although my dad was right about most things, he’d been wrong about bats. Children, and some young adults, can hear the lower parts of their ultra-sound calls. However as we age the cells in our inner ear become less sensitive and we lose that range – and the ability to hear the bats shouting.
So this month, on a warm evening after the sun has set, take your children or grandkids for a walk in the countryside and get them to listen for bats. Although you probably won’t hear them, it may be your child’s only chance to experience this unforgettable sound with their own ears.
To help bats thrive in the future, go to the Bat Conservation Trust website at bats.org.uk
A Hundred Years of Sport in Shillingstone
On 7th August, the village of Shillingstone will celebrate 100 years of their sports festival – Rachael Rowe reports on the much-loved family event.
A hundred years ago, Britain was recovering from a World War and a global flu pandemic. The Western Gazette reported on the Shillingstone sports festival at the time, and this year many of the original races will be back on the schedule.
In 1922, a flat half mile race for ex-servicemen reflected Shillingstone’s sad claim as ‘the bravest village in England’, having sent the most men to war per head of population. It was a popular event, won by H. Haine. The open 120 yards hurdles race was won by S. Trowbridge. Other open events in 1922 included both one and two mile bicycle races.
Only locals could enter the 100 yards flat race, and the same for the three-legged race (boys only) and the egg and spoon (just for girls). There were even prizes for garland making, and the total prize pot was valued at £26 (roughly £1,031 today). Blandford Town Band started the day’s events with a parade through the village (and were ‘in attendance on the field during the afternoon and evening’).
A hundred years on, and there will be races for children of all ages, events for fathers and mothers, and an obstacle course. Although the egg in the egg and spoon race has now been replaced with a potato, there is still a traditional sack race.
One shilling entrance
In 1922 people had to pay one shilling to come to the sports day, but in 2022 the event is free for everyone to enjoy. One of the organisers, Kay Ridout, has been busy with the team of volunteers getting things ready for the big day. She first got involved when she came to the village in the 1990s. “I joined in a race as a spectator, got roped in to help – and have been there ever since. Richard Higgs, our sports director, has also been involved for years.”
Remember the raft race?
One of the features of the Shillingstone Sports Day this year is the return of the famous raft race. Until the early 90s decorated homemade rafts raced from Shillingstone to Sturminster Newton. Not everyone – or the rafts – got to the finishing line, and most people got a soaking! If you remember it, you may enjoy this video of the 1991 raft race)
As reeds have made the river more hazardous to navigate, the race has been relaunched this year on dry land as the Go Kraft Race; “we’re looking for a raft with four wheels. Think of the Red Bull soap box challenge, but on the flat”
Kay hopes it will attract creative entries with fancy dress, making the event a fun day out. There will be a prize for the best ‘Go Kraft Boat’, and the best-dressed team.
No tug of war
In the days when you could travel by train to Shillingstone, the Tug of War attracted teams from across North Dorset. In 1922 the tug of war final was played between Child Okeford and Sherborne at Shillingstone (Sherborne won). Sadly, the tug of war no longer takes place – Kay explains: “It’s down to a lack of volunteers and also rope. We have the same people coming forward each time who can’t do everything. We have tried to find someone, but no one came forward.”
The sports festival is open to everyone. Other attractions will include skittles, tennis, a raffle, a treasure hunt, tombola, Splat the Rat, children’s games, face painting, craft stalls and a car boot sale. There will also be various stalls run by numerous village groups. Refreshments will be available, and of course, the always popular Bar Tent.
Events have been sponsored by local business owners Helen Antell of Feathered Nest, Debby Cole of Absolute Catering and Wessex Internet.
If you want to make a Go Kraft vehicle for the race and have a team of four people, entry forms and rules can be obtained from Veronica Jenkins at 01258 863641.
The event is at Shillingstone Recreation Ground on Sunday 7 August, from 1pm to 5pm.
Tory leadership hopefuls stage a West Country two-step
Truss pledges a bonfire of farming and planning bureaucracy and Sunak promises help for farmers and first-time buyers
You could, if you were so minded, describe this week’s West Country visits by the Tory leadership candidates as a two-step U-turn. First, Rishi Sunak was accused of a massive U-turn when he proposed a significant cut in income tax by the end of the decade. Then Liz Truss was forced to backtrack on a proposal for regional pay groups and pay cuts for public sector workers outside the south-east.
The former Chancellor visited North Dorset for a meeting of party members, hosted by local MP Simon Hoare at the Exchange at Sturminster Newton, and the Foreign Secretary was in West Dorset the following day at Athelhampton House, meeting local members, hosted by West Dorset MP Chris Loder. At both meetings, the candidates also answered questions from selected media representatives, including The BV. In between, they took part in a joint hustings meeting at the Great Hall of Exeter University.
The need for unity
Mr Hoare introduced Rishi Sunak as “a common sense Tory who will do the right thing,” but stressed that the party must unite after the leadership election. This call was echoed by Mr Sunak, who spoke of the importance of restoring trust – and of patriotism, family, hard work and aspiration.
Identifying himself as the leader for the next general election – which would be a record fifth consecutive win for the Conservatives – he recognised the need to appeal to floating voters, and referred specifically to the recent loss of the Honiton and Tiverton constituency.
Ms Truss told ITV’s News South West political correspondent David Wood: “We will not be going ahead with regional pay groups.” She said that there was “never any intention to affect teachers and nurses” and she did not want people to be concerned.
Rural issues
In weekend interviews, Rishi Sunak, MP for the rural North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond, talked about the importance of domestic food production and the resilience it gives us: “I will drive forward the most significant reforms to farming in half a century,” he said.
At Sturminster Newton, he spoke about his concerns for food security and the need for a stronger, more farming-friendly vision. His neighbour in North Yorkshire is a dairy farmer, so he has “a significant understanding of the challenges farmers are facing.”
Liz Truss also spoke of the “food security crisis.” She wants to get rid of red tape and bureaucracy freeing British farmers to compete with farmers from other countries: “I want to see fields full of crops and livestock – not solar panels.”
On housing
Housing is a hot topic in many rural constituencies, including Mr Sunak’s Richmond and Ms Truss’s Norfolk South West. Previously he has promised to restrict construction on the Green Belt, while her plans include building a million homes there.
Both want to see changes to enable local people to be able to afford to buy homes in rural areas where incomers and second-home buyers have pushed prices up.
It was important, Rishi Sunak said, to make sure that “rules and regulations don’t tip the balance in favour of second homes,” and he was working with some local MPs to close some of the regulatory loopholes. His solution to first-time buyers’ difficulties with deposits was to introduce 95 per cent mortgages for them.
Liz Truss wants planning policies that are supported by local people. “I want to get rid of top-down housing targets,” she said. And on the rural housing crisis, her policy is to encourage business and enterprise, with homes specifically linked to jobs, helping people to be able to get a foot on the housing ladder.
by Fanny Charles
G&S Show organiser James Cox takes on the Random 19 questions
In a bonus Random 19, we spoke to James Cox who leads the G&S Show team ahead fo the G&S Show. James loves dunking Rich Tea biscuits, listening to country music … and the Joules website?
James Cox took over as Show secretary and organiser for the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show in 2019 when he was 23, making him the country’s youngest ever show organiser. However, he was uniquely well-qualified for the role. Brought up on his parents’ farm near Dorchester, he has an innate understanding of the agricultural industry. He had also spent the previous five years as a trade stand manager and a sponsorship and marketing officer at the Bath & West Showground, responsible for the Bath & West Show, the Dairy Show and Grassland UK.
For most of the year James can be found sitting alone, in the show office in an empty field. But in the months running up to the show he switches gear to manage a team which steadily swells into hundreds as he organises the set-up, the traders and the sponsors, doing everything he can to ensure the anticipated 30,000 visitors have a great day.
James leads a new young team working on a show that has traditions running back more than 150 years. He’s determined it retains its agricultural roots and heritage, but admits some things need to be brought up to date. He’s proud of the changes that have happened over the last few years: ‘We’ve welcomed new attractions like the steam engines and the heavy horse ring. We’ve also brought the show into the digital age – we even have a show logo at last!’
We managed to pin James down and get his answers to 19 random questions – it’s an interesting insight into the man who pulls the day together, and it reveals a love of dunking Rich Tea biscuits, listening to country music radio and for the Joules website
1. What’s your relationship with Gillingham and Shaftesbury (the area not the show!)?
I’m born and bred in Dorset, growing up near Dorchester. But specifically to North Dorset – my mum went to school in Shaftesbury and my parents got married there too.
2. What was the last film you watched?
Ha ha ha ha ha. I like that you think I have time to watch a film. What I wouldn’t do to be at home watching Netflix right now! I honestly cannot remember … I haven’t had a night or day off from the show ground in so long …
Apparently it’s how ‘sassy’ I am without my morning coffee.
I’m not sure this is correct.
3. Favourite crisps flavour?
Roast Chicken – obviously.
4. And the best biscuit for dunking?
Rich Tea!
5. On average, how many coffees is a bad day?
Six?
(a quick call to one of James’ team – who shall remain nameless – suggests this is a shocking fabrication, and that a six-coffee day is actually a good day)
6. What was the last song you sang out loud in your car?
Probably something on Absolute Radio Country – since a big road trip across America last year, country music is my guilty pleasure. In my defence it’s very fitting when driving into an agricultural show …
7. What’s the most difficult part of your job?
Actually pulling it all together. It takes an unbelievable number of meetings and planning for the show to be created. From crowd barriers arriving at the right time on the right day for the Grounds Team to the tables dropping into the Horticulture Marquee, also at the right time on the right day – my life is a lot of spreadsheets.
8. Favourite animal at the show?
The cows!
You can take a boy off the
farm …
9. What’s your most annoying trait?
Apparently it’s how ‘sassy’ I am without my morning coffee
(this was the prompt answer from one of my colleagues when I asked them. I’m not sure this is correct).
“…buying the same shirt in every single colour available.”
10. What are your top three most-visited, favourite websites (excluding social media and BBC News!)?
Amazon
Netflix
Joules
11. What’s your earliest G&S Show memory?
Getting a bucket of freebies from the agricultural dealerships!
12. What’s your secret superpower?
According to my colleagues, it’s buying the same shirt in every single colour available – I disagree.
13. And your best show memory?
I know it’s not the most exciting answer, but honestly … it’s simply pulling off the 2021 show. Against all the odds, we spent months planning during the pandemic when we had no idea what the rules would be at the time of the show. It was a logistical nightmare.
But we made it happen!
14. What is your comfort meal?
A double cheeseburger from McDonalds.
“How do people function without coffee?”
15. How many people are on the showground getting it ready in the week leading up to the show?
As I write this we’re two weeks out, and there are currently around 30 to 40 people a day. This increases to around 350 team members on the show day itself.
16. What in life is frankly a mystery to you?
How people function without coffee.
17. What’s the best part of your job?
The switch from a solitary portacabin in an empty field to the hustle and bustle of a marquee city. It is so lovely when the team starts to build up, and all the work begins to materialise before my eyes.
18. You have the ability to book one act tomorrow, money no object and they have to say yes, for the main ring. Who are you going to book?
Ed Sheeran!
19. If you weren’t organising an agricultural show, you’d like to be …
… a tractor driver.
