Carer Needed – Immediate start
Carer needed for 96 year old lady in Shaftesbury
Some weekend work required, usually extra hours during the week and holiday cover.
Salary £16 per hour
For further details on duties involved and to apply, please contact Lauren on :
07398 631853
The first episode of July’s BV Magazine Podcast is out now – just click the play button to listen. If you’ve not had a chance to click through the July issue yet, then why not just listen to the first episode?
In this first of July’s BV Magazine Podcast episodes:
For those who might be new to this column, it’s probably time to go back to the beginning and introduce both ourselves and Love Local Trust Local (LLTL).
LLTL has two simple purposes:
Putting consumer trust back into buying local
Promoting products with genuine provenance and full traceability
In creating LLTL, we have created a food label you can trust.
The Cossins family are fifth generation farmers. We have our own butchery and farm shop (established in 2012), and we have been running the local village pub for the past 30 years. We really do know the importance of Farm To Fork, from every side of the table – and plate!
Every third year we host Open Farm Sunday at Rawston Farm, and we take the opportunity to talk to as many local people as possible. Our visitors love knowing the story of their food, the miles it has travelled and always enjoy buying and eating genuinely local produce.
We were frequently asked ‘how do we know that the food we buy really is what it says it is?’
During the 2018 Open Farm event it became clear the scare stories in the media had created real doubt in many people’s minds, so we finally decided to do something about it, and Love Local Trust Local, Dorset’s very own produce label was born.
By farmers, for farmers – and more
We created Love Local Trust Local to support Dorset producers, with a guiding ethos of education whilst promoting quality, honesty, and proximity.
In the summer of 2020, despite the Covid pandemic, the inaugural Love Local Trust Local Awards were launched as a natural step on from the label. We were hesitant at first, and tempted to delay our plans. However, what better time than during a global health crisis to promote buying and consuming local food & drink with provenance you can trust?
We are passionate about Dorset, advocates of British farming and love the collaboration of small local businesses. Whilst Dorset is leading the way, however, every county has its own flag. It is important that consumers across the country start to recognise the county flags and know what is grown or produced on their own doorstep.
Entries are open
Awards are open now and FREE to enter. Remember, if you don’t tell other people about the amazing things you’re doing they won’t know. Put yourself out there! There are 15 categories to choose from in 2022 so if you’re a business that is growing, producing, rearing, brewing, crafting or cooking here in Dorset, and you source your ingredients within 30 miles of your home base then you should be entering.
You can enter one product in each category, or multiple products into a single category, it’s totally up to you.
The LLTL awards are fast becoming the food & farming family to be part of. They recognise the hard work and dedication of the people behind the food on our plates as they work hard to put Dorset producers on the map.
To find out more, visit lovelocaltrustlocalawards.co.uk or call us for a friendly chat on 07831 184920.
Sponsored by Blanchards Bailey – Law for Life
Working out exactly what’s what in these ancient and modern pictures of Blandford Hospital takes a bit of doing, so much has changed in 130 years or so.
The hospital’s history dates back to 1883, when the Hon Miss Portman paid for the construction of a cottage hospital adjoining the Corner Coffee House near the junction of Salisbury Street and Whitecliff Mill Street.
The first patient was reputedly a man injured in a wagon accident at Tarrant Hinton in March 1883.
It became known as the Nurse House, but only catered for out-patients; the more seriously ill or injured being sent to bigger hospitals at Dorchester, Weymouth, Bournemouth or Bath.
The Portmans of Bryanston House then financed the present hospital, which was officially opened on the 15th December, 1888.
‘This hospital,’ declared Viscountess Portman and the Hon L E Portman, ‘is principally intended for the necessitous poor of Blandford and those parishes in the neighbourhood which have no institution of the kind within easy reach of them. Such patients are admitted free of charge.’
In her diary, Julietta Forrester, wife of Lord Portman’s agent, noted that one of the first patients was a Iwerne Minster woman whose incapacity occurred in ‘rather laughable circumstances.’
In his will, the squire of Iwerne, Lord Wolverton, left instructions for everyone in his service to receive a year’s wages.
Julietta believed this sweeping bequest was a ‘clerical error’ by Lord Wolverton’s legal people, which cost his estate the then princely sum of £8,000.
Apparently one of the servants ‘spent and drank’ some of her money, went upstairs to bed but then decided she needed another drop.
‘She stumbled, and, falling from the top of the stairs to the bottom, broke her leg,’ says Julietta.
The mishap earned the sozzled servant the dubious honour of being one of the first two patients at the new Blandford Cottage Hospital.
The other ‘first patient’ was a man: complaint unknown.
The Portmans continued to pay the wages of the matron and nurses for many years.
No longer a cottage
The late Victorian photos are taken from somewhere close to the junction of Whitecliff Mill Street, Milldown Road and Park Road and show the original Cottage Hospital when it really was a cottage of sorts.
The location was known as Picket Close and the impromptu cricket match in the foreground is being played on what is now the home of Blandford Bowling Club. Fortuitously, the club was in full match mode when I arrived to take the ‘now’ picture (above)!
The building in the background of the bowls match is one of many modern extensions that have seen the present-day Community Hospital grow to many times its original size. However you can just make out one of the original gables peeping above the roof line.
The other Victorian picture (above) shows a rural-looking Milldown Road stretching away into the distance while the sweep into Park Road appears to follow a different line much closer to the original hospital than the present road – or perhaps there’s a foreshortening effect in the old photo?
The aerial shot below shows how the original building is still there, but has been entirely consumed on all sides by later extensions, with just one gable and two chimneys showing where it still sits.
“A lot of people find us when they are lost,” says 27-year-old Alec Rich as he talks about the shop at Round Chimneys Farm. The farm, dating from 1590, has been home to a highwayman and the Churchill family and is tucked away in the Blackmore Vale countryside, just outside Glanvilles Wootton. The Rich family has farmed here since the 1960s, and a new farm shop and cafe have recently opened.
How did you start?
“The cafe and shop are new. We started just eight weeks ago! The way farming is going, we are always looking at ways of diversifying. We started with holiday lets 20 years ago.
Then just before lockdown, we began selling our beef privately. Before that, it had simply gone straight to market. We got such good feedback from people saying they were the ‘best steaks they had ever had’, that we just started selling to the customer directly. It’s great to have a place where people can buy from us. We also wanted a reason for people to come here, so we started the cafe too.
“My grandfather bought the farm in the 1960s, and it was originally a dairy farm. I grew up here. I went away to work and came back ten months ago, so I have brought back my experience to make a living here. It’s nice to be able to engage with the local community a bit more. We’re not in the village centre and people don’t know their neighbours like they used to. We also love meeting people who you wouldn’t normally meet. It’s a great stop for walkers too.”
How many are in the team?
Alec and his mother, Rachel, run the business and have a thriving holiday lets enterprise. They are helped by their other team member, Connie. The holiday lets allow them to show guests the farm and how farming works. “We love sharing our slice of Dorset with others,” says Alec.
What’s flying out of the door at the moment?
Alec laughs. “The coffee and cake. The brownies! All our cakes are homemade. Our coffee is roasted in Sherborne by Reads. Nine out of ten people will have a coffee here. Our meat is popular – especially burgers at this time of year. People often take them to try – and then return for more. Our pasties are made using our own beef.
“We also like promoting the lesser-known cuts such as brisket. If you cook a brisket just right, you can’t beat it. People often ask for our advice on cooking. Guests in the holiday lets buy the cheeses, especially local ones. We stock as much Dorset produce as possible.”
Tell us about local suppliers.
We use Woodbridge Farm for supplies of Dorset Blue Vinny, and our bread comes from Oxfords in Alweston.
And your Angus herd?
(Two gorgeous twin calves born a week ago were grazing in a nearby field.)
“The farm was originally dairy, and in 2007 we changed to beef. We have 100 suckler cows and calve twice a year. The herd is mainly Aberdeen Angus, but we have some British Blue. All our bulls are Angus. We also have 100 sheep and lamb early in December.”
Tell us your biggest challenge?
“At the moment, getting to grips with managing the cafe and shop – but I’m loving it. We’re working to bring more people in, with advertising. Most people come off the back of someone telling them about it. We’re also juggling farm jobs with running the shop and cafe. Each day is a challenge, but that’s something we relish.”
What are you most proud of?
“I think the feedback we have had. They say the proof is in the pudding, and people keep coming back for more. That’s something we have seen in the past eight weeks.”
What’s next for the business?
We will continue to promote our meat and its quality. We’ll encourage people to try it and see where their food comes from. Our food mileage is minimal. We’re looking at introducing meat boxes as well. All our meat is sold frozen, so it stays as fresh as possible and cuts down on waste. And we can use all parts of the animal, either in the cafe or selling it.”
Round Chimneys Farm, Glanvilles Wootton, Sherborne, DT9 5QQ
roundchimneysfarm.co.uk
Cafe and shop open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
I grew up in Mere, right across the road from our family’s brush-making business which was started by my grandfather and great-uncle in 1922. I always had an interest in building things and in anything mechanical. My father was an engineer and I followed in his footsteps, gaining a degree in mechanical engineering from Brunel University in 1974.
I married Pammy just after graduating and joined the family company a few months later – after failing to obtain a permit to work in the USA. I managed the production at Hillbrush (then the Hill Brush Company) for several years before taking over the management of the company.
Five years ago we built a new factory on the western side of Mere, which enabled the company to address sustainability issues and be far more efficient. I handed over the running of the company to my son Charlie and nephew Andy, and I am now chairman. This year the company is celebrating its 100th anniversary which is a testimony to the amazing employees past and present.
Over the years I have been involved in our industry manufacturer associations and I’m still a board member of the European Brush Manufacturers Federation, based in the Netherlands.
Our company has held a Royal Warrant to HM the Queen for more than 40 years, and last year I became Honorary Treasurer of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. I sit on the Executive Committee, and I am a trustee of its charity fund.
I have always been interested in the town where our business is located, and I am now in my 46th year as a Mere town councillor, which may be a record!
Since passing on the day-to-day running of the company, I naturally have more time to devote to my interests outside of brushmaking, including maintaining the farm where we live, boating in Poole Harbour and travelling. As well as Charlie, we have a daughter, Clare, who lives not far away, and four grandchildren, who we obviously love seeing regularly.
And so to Philip’s eight music choices, along with how and why they stuck in his life:
We Can Work It Out
The Beatles
I had to have a Beatles song! They were so influential during my schooldays and their songs still stand the test of time. Who would have thought that Paul McCartney would have headlined at Glastonbury at the age of 80!
All Along the Watchtower
Jimi Hendrix
I am a great Hendrix fan – I think he was the best guitarist that I have ever seen live. I just wish that I could have played as well as him!
A Whiter Shade of Pale
Procul Harum
This has to be one of the most amazing pop records ever produced and brings back so many memories of my later school days.
25 or 6 to 4
Chicago
Just a great record, released when I was at university.
Laudate Dominum
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
… but specifically performed by the Sherborne Chamber Choir with my wife Pammy as soloist. If I had this on my desert island, I could listen to her amazing voice and it would make me determined to escape!
Symphony No 2 in D. Op 43 – I Allegretto
Sibelius
Quite simply, this is a magical piece of music and I love Sibelius.
Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor. Op 18 – III Allegro Scherzando
Rachmaninov
This is such a moving piece of music, and one which I would never tire of on the island.
If you could see me now
The Script
This record would make me dance around the island!
And if the waves were to wash all your records away but you had time to save just one, which would it be?
It would have to be the Laudate Dominum
My Book
I would be bored re-reading any of my favourite novels, and instead I would like the Complete DIY manual by Readers Digest. Although I am very practical, there is always another skill to learn which might help me to escape from the island.
Luxury
For my luxury, I would like to have a toolbox, but I suspect that’s not allowed (No! – Ed). So I would like to ask for my choice of pillows, so that could at least have a good night’s sleep.
We are right in the heart of our British summer, with Wimbledon season in full swing, and sparkling wine and strawberries as far as the eye can see. As I am writing this, the sun is shining, my twitter feed is glowing with the promise of high temperatures and my garden is ablaze with all kinds of colour …
I really hope that that is still the case come July!
If you are looking for a bottle of English wine, Dorset hosts a number of sparkling wine producers, thanks mostly to our favourable weather, and I recommend seeking out a bottle of some of our finest. Not only can you visit places like Langham Wine Estate and Bride Valley for a vineyard tour, you can also stop in at your nearest wine shop for some local wisdom on the best tipple to match your occasion – like the award-winning Vineyards in Sherborne which recently celebrated their 17th birthday. Heather x
On Monday 11th July, at 3pm, we are lucky to be welcoming best-selling author (and former Sherborne school girl) Santa Montefiore back to Sherborne for an afternoon tea at the beautiful Butterfly Rooms in Castle Gardens, where she will be talking about her new book.
Give us a call on 01935 816128 to buy tickets. Wayne
New York, 1979.
It is Thanksgiving and Evelina has her close family and beloved friends gathered around, her heart weighted with gratitude for what she has and regret for what she has given up. She has lived in America for more than 30 years, but she is still Italian in her soul.
Northern Italy, 1934.
Evelina leads a sheltered life with her parents and siblings in a villa of fading grandeur. When her elder sister Benedetta marries a banker, to suit her father’s wishes rather than her own, Evelina swears that she will never marry out of duty. She knows nothing of romantic love, but when she meets Ezra, son of the local dressmaker, her heart recognises it like an old friend.
Evelina wants these carefree days to last forever. She wants to bask in sunshine, beauty and love and pay no heed to the grey clouds gathering on the horizon. But nothing lasts forever. The shadows of war are darkening over Europe and precious lives are under threat …
In 2022 Winstone’s celebrates ten years as Sherborne’s independent bookseller.
Winstone’s has won the British Book Awards South West Bookseller of the Year four times and was winner of the Independent Bookseller of the Year national award in 2016. Owner Wayne Winstone was previously one of the three judges for the Costa Prize for Fiction, and in 2018 Wayne was selected as one of the top 100 people in the Bookseller’s Most Influential Figures listing.
The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of liberal democracy, says Labour’s Pat Osborne
Last month I wrote about the inadequacy of the government’s response to a cost-of-living crisis caused largely by 12 years of Tory economic policy – designed to deliver super-profits for millionaires at the expense of ordinary working people. On the 18 June I joined tens of thousands of trade unionists from up and down the country at the TUC’s march and rally in London to demand better.
Despite a justifiable underlying anger towards a Government that is clearly letting us down, the protest was conducted peacefully and in a carnival-like atmosphere. Protestors showed their solidarity with other working people devastated by the cost-of-living crisis by adding to a soundscape of drums, whistles, music and chants as we marched two miles from Portland Place to Parliament Square.
Just 10 days later, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act came into effect, effectively banning ‘noisy protest’. Within 10 hours, anti-Brexit protestor Steve Bray was the Act’s first scalp when police swooped to confiscate his speakers.
Whether or not we agree with Mr Bray’s King Canute-like position on Brexit is beside the point. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of any liberal democracy and Mr Bray should have the right to engage in it. It is worrying therefore – though entirely foreseeable – that the police should move so quickly to enforce Priti Patel’s hard line anti-protest laws in such a heavy-handed way.
With the promise of a summer of discontent ahead of us, it is likely that these draconian powers and other anti-trade union instruments will be exercised repeatedly in order to mute a growing choir of dissenting voices. By Autumn this could reveal a country with more in common with Putin’s autocratic Russia than the liberal democracies of Western Europe.
© Bluebean Publishing Ltd
