Breaking silence: the power of sharing your feelings

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13 September 2023

After a personal depressive episode, Dorset Mind volunteer Annabel Goddard emphasises the importance of discussing feelings and worries.

A few years ago, after a string of bad events, I found myself at an all-time low point, battling to keep myself going.
I’d experienced low moods before, but I was told this was now within the realm of a depressive episode. It was a struggle to get out of bed every day, let alone go to work. I found myself focusing simply on survival and not taking any enjoyment in my life.
I felt as though I was permanently in transition – I didn’t once look around and appreciate the present because I was constantly thinking the future would be better.
After a while, I started confiding in my friends and family about my fears and uncertainty around the future. At first, I was scared of being a burden, but after letting my family know I was struggling, it began to get easier to share my struggles with them which in turn alleviated a lot of my worries and stress.

In your own time
Talking about your feelings and worries isn’t easy – but it is so important not to bottle your emotions up, as they need to find an outlet. Allowing your feelings to weigh on you will only drag you down further.
Go at your own pace – it might be that you mention you’ve been struggling a bit lately and allow the person you’re confiding in to ask questions.
Try not to feel like you’re weighing other people down – they would much rather help you than leave you to struggle, even if you’re not showing symptoms of depression or anxiety. No one is expected to ‘therapise’ you – all you need is to be listened to, and from there you can decide what steps to take to get better. If there isn’t anyone you feel you can talk to, visit your GP.

Time to talk
Opening up to someone can be hard. However, letting others know what is going on with your mental wellbeing is important, in case you begin to feel worse and need more support than just talking can offer.
Having a support system of friends and family is helpful, but not everyone has access to this. That’s why it’s also important to check in with your coworkers and other people you might see regularly, especially if they don’t seem like themselves.
If you give out kindness, it will come back to you. Often, we don’t know what is going on in someone’s personal life, so if you or someone you know is struggling, it is important to stay connected and tuned in. Talking about your feelings is the first step to finding support – we urge you to share this message and #GetDorsetTalking.

Support for you:
Visit dorsetmind.uk for local mental health support and ways to keep mentally healthy
Call Samaritans on 116 123 for free 24/7 emotional support
Call Dorset’s mental health helpline Connection for support on NHS 111

Life outside the stud

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Editorial team

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12 September 2023

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Bramble snacking and trail running – Lucy Procter is using the stud’s quieter summer season to find some balance out of the saddle

Woolstone One’s Bathyrhon colt foal, Onion, and friend. All images: Lucy Procter

In a welcome change from my usual monthly stud life, trail running, strength and conditioning sessions in the gym and blackberry picking have been my summer highlights.
All three Procter offspring have now left home – our youngest has gone to Australia to work on a large stud in the Hunter Valley – so I am trying to re-balance my life and spend time each day away from horses!
This is relatively easy in July and August as these months consist largely of maintenance on the stud, so time is more flexible. Summer is about keeping the mares, foals and youngstock healthy and growing well. Our main tasks are on the maintenace side – cutting hedges and mowing tracks, and carefully managing the grazing through poo-picking, harrowing, topping and regularly moving horses onto fresh pasture.
Alongside the routine work, we have brought two young racehorses – Inspector Maigret and Rinjani Bay – back into ridden work after their early summer break. They have completed three months of pre-training in preparation to move to their licensed trainers. Much of their exercise has been up on the downs just south of the stud, utilising the steep hills to help build muscle.
For the past couple of weeks, both horses and riders have been enjoying munching blackberries from the hedgerows each day before loading back onto the lorry and heading home!

Inspector Maigret enjoying the view, during pre-training on the downs.

We have also been prepping two 2-year-olds for a sale in early September. This involves six weeks of regular exercise on the horse walker and lunging to help build up their fitness and improve their muscle tone as well as daily grooming. We shod them in front to help stop them getting foot sore, which might result in their not showing themselves to their best advantage on the sales ground.
As they are unbroken young horses, the main feature that the buyers are looking for is a big, striding, athletic walk. A horse’s walk is four-time – meaning all four feet land on the ground individually. The gallop is also a four-time pace, so it is considered that if a horse walks impressively, it should also have a good gallop and therefore be more likely to make a successful racehorse than would a horse with a poor walk.

Universal Cooley’s Castlefield Kingston sport horse (non-thoroughbred) colt foal, enjoying a sticky snack during in hand rehabilitation for very slack lower hind legs – full story with an extraordinarily successful outcome, next month.

Equine Dyspepsia
One of the youngsters I started under saddle in June was a 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly who had been a nutter as a 2-year-old when we first tried to work with her. Eventually we had just turned her out again to mature!
A year later, and the same filly happily co-operated with her initial lunging and long-reining and after a few weeks, she accepted me on her back. We progressed to hacking up the road in company and lightly cantering, but she was becoming increasingly difficult about the initial mounting. Suspecting stomach ulcers, we are treating her with equine omeprazole and giving her a few weeks break before starting again. Working with horses rarely follows a defined plan and you just have to treat each one individually.

Lucy (in blue) trail running on Dartmoor

On the run
Earlier in the year I joined SPFit, a running club based in Sherborne. In May I was inspired to run The Camelot Challenge, a local half marathon. To help improve my fitness, SPFit’s owner and personal trainer, Simon Partridge, created a specially tailored strength and conditioning gym programme for me to complement my training runs – I get away from the stud, and still I’m all about the conditioning programmes! Contrary to my many previous attempts to train – which have always resulted in my giving up after just a few weeks – with the support of Simon in the gym, and Kate, the club’s running coach, I am still running and training! On top of which I have made some lovely new friends within the gym and the club.
Recently, we organised a day out – four of us met Simon and Kate on Dartmoor and spent a hugely fun day practicing running on moorland terrain.
We plan to return in October to run the 12 miles from Belstone to Postbridge.

It must have been a rough night – the youngsters were still snoozing at breakfast time! From left Sambac, Dissy (Dissavril’s yearling filly) and Onion. Both these two foals are now happily weaned and enjoying life without mum, with some older youngsters for company.

Although we’re a mixed bag of fitness levels, we all start and finish together (those who are fitter are happy to just run a little further).
Getting involved in activities outside of the stud has helped reinvigorate me this summer and reminded me that there is a bigger world beyond our modest stud acreage and racing itself.
I highly recommend getting out there and trying something new – it’s so good to get away from your usual day-to-day routine.
If you’re interested in joining us, get in touch and join us in the running club or on Dartmoor. Everyone is welcome!

Blackberries are a favourite snack for Inspector Maigret (whose stable name is Monkey!)

Stalbridge Drowning Under New Housing

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Editorial team

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12 September 2023

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The small historic Dorset town with fewer than 3,000 residents faces 550 new homes – CPRE have deep concerns around insufficient infrastructure

Development land for up to 130 homes recently sold in Stalbridge
All images:
Jane Westbrook

The small historic town of Stalbridge is now suffering from massive overdevelopment – seemingly much more than any other North Dorset town. There have been applications for 550 new dwellings in the last seven years – in a town with a population of under 3,000.
The most recent is a 160-home estate applied for by Gladman. There is the usual promise “to work with the local community, for the benefit of everyone”, but the development appears more for the benefit of the landowner and their agents.
There are certainly no visible benefits to Stalbridge itself in saturating this small town with yet more housing. There is a housing need – throughout Dorset there are currently 4,500 households in need of a home. But Dorset’s housing enablement officer states that only 35 of these have a connection to Stalbridge and it would be “better to deliver any further affordable homes in areas where there is greater demand and better infrastructure”.
The flood risk engineer’s report can be summarised as seeing “an element of flood risk which will be hard to dispel”.
Climate change experts report that the south west will be prone to heavier rainfall and a likelihood of more flooding so, following common sense, housing should not be built where any flood risk exists.
Education services confirm a new school “must be delivered” within the development, but S106 monies allocated will not be sufficient to pay for this school, so who will fund the rest, when nationwide our schools are seriously underfunded?

Traffic queuing down the A357 through the town

What Bus Service?
The transport report for the new application suggests a good bus service through Stalbridge – but this is not the case.
Dorset Council (DC) policy states that new houses should be built where there is sustainable public transport, as well as employment opportunities and amenities in order to avoid car usage. In this development, S106 money (developer contributions) is allocated to build one bus shelter, a flag pole and real time information – who will then be paying for the extra buses required to make this a viable mode of travel?
Without adequate bus services, new homes will mean a high number of car journeys, not just damaging for the environment but causing congestion through the constricted town centre.

As an ancient town, Stalbridge has a narrow main street which is also the busy A357 route from the A303/Wincanton through to Sturminster Newton and on to Blandford and other southern destinations. Do we see any provision for safety crossings, new footpaths, and traffic signals for the single lane area?
DC Highways on 17 May posted a deferral on any comment. At time of writing there is still no comment. This may be a good indication that they realize the implications of a further loading of car journeys to an already crumbling road system.
The proposed houses all have very small gardens – yet we see no plans for land to be set aside for allotments, even though c£306 per dwelling has been allocated for this.

Housing estate currently under construction in Stalbridge

Lack of Facilities
It is reported that Stalbridge has a wide choice of shops and facilities, but locals are very aware this is not the case. Families will undoubtedly drive to shop at the many discount supermarkets available in Wincanton and other larger towns. The one existing supermarket has limited parking to accommodate a great increase in households, and the relatively few shops are mostly on the High Street, where parking is extremely restricted. Heavy goods and farm vehicles pass frequently along the A357, and any cars parked on the High Street cause rapid traffic disruption. Add this to the single traffic lane in the centre of town and Highways need a genius plan to avoid total gridlock.
Dorset Council promise to build the “right homes in the right places”, to protect our natural environment and aim for a zero carbon future. Building a further 160 houses in a small town that does not need them, does not have the infrastructure to support them nor a wide range of employment opportunities, within a conservation area, on a tract of land that is prone to flooding, delivering a known increase of many hundreds of polluting car journeys onto an already constricted road system – why would Dorset Council even consider allowing this?

New housing estate under construction in Stalbridge

Time to say no
Unfortunately, due to lack of housing delivery over many years, it would seem that there is now a thin line of defense against any new housing proposals. Wherever land can be acquired by strategic land agents from an interested landowner, that is where the houses will be built – rather than where they are needed. With the financial resources to go to appeal on every contested planning application, land agents and developers have seen that Dorset Council is in fear of the legal costs incurred in fighting the appeals. It should be noted that most people who actually live in Stalbridge, including Ward Councillor Graham Carr Jones, are vehemently against
this latest development.
Dorset CPRE works to protect and enhance the countryside, and we cannot be supportive of this application. We want to see new houses built for those who urgently need them – but families need to live in a place where they can find jobs, schools, doctors and dentists, a wide choice of shops and some leisure facilities – and public transport to gain access to all of these. Stalbridge is a small town with Saxon origins, and it simply does not have these facilities. It is not the right place to build more houses – enough is enough.

Jane Westbrook
North Dorset CPRE

Exam Assistant | Milton Abbey School

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Editorial team

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12 September 2023

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Variable Hours
£11 p/h

Milton Abbey School seeks a flexible and competent Exam Assistant to work within our Examinations Team. This will be zero hours, term time only, varied role within our award-winning Academic Department. Working days will be Monday to Friday to fit with the termly examinations schedule.

The successful candidate must hold a reasonable IT level and the ability to organise paperwork for this important role.

You will be part of a friendly and supportive team, and training will be available to enhance skills. Staff also benefit from free parking, free daily lunch, and the opportunity to work on our historic and beautiful school site.

Further details may be obtained from our website or from HR on 01258 882182 or email [email protected]. Applications must be submitted on the school’s application form.

The closing date for applications is Friday 13th October 2023.

Milton Abbey School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The appointment will be the subject of an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. Additionally, please be aware that Milton Abbey School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. To avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

Please note that our school is a no smoking site.
www.miltonabbey.co.uk
Registered Charity No 306318

Letters, Roger G and Dorset Island Discs with Helen Ottaway

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Laura

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12 September 2023

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In the first of September 23’s episodes of the BV podcast we have the letters and politics, the obituary of our writer, columnist and friend Roger Guttridge, and Jenny interviewed composer Helen Ottaway to discover her Dorset Island Discs.

Letters (from and to) the editor
In politics, Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, discusses the fact that the declining use of cash particularly affects the elderly and rural dwellers. Ken Huggins of the Greens agrees that he, too, hates wind turbines. But that that’s not the point! And Mike Chapman of the Lib Dems has been at two big rural shows recently – and despite a very different audience at each, there were some strong common themes being discussed.
In this month’s Dorset Island Discs, Jenny spent sime time chatting to composer Helen Ottaway. From folk to installation art, you can hear Helen talking about her multi-dimensional journey in music as she chooses the discs she can’t live without as an island castaway
We have the obituary of our writer, columnist and dear freind Roger Guttridge, who passed away this month. Most BV readers will know him well from his terrific local history columns, and possibly remmeber him as a local journalist – but did you know he was also a Team GB reporter who covered three Olympics, and was press officer for the Great Britain Swim Team?

Dairy farm businesses under threat, according to NFU survey

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Editorial team

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11 September 2023

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There’s growing uncertainty among the UK’s dairy farmers and little confidence to face the challenges, says county advisor Gemma Harvey

Britain’s dairy farmers are being forced to think seriously about their future, a new NFU survey shows, thanks to increasing concerns over insufficient returns, volatile markets and the scale of on-farm investment.
A survey of the intentions of nearly 600 dairy farmers reveals that 9% of producers believe they are likely to stop producing milk by 2025 – up from 7% last year. A further 23% said they were ‘unsure’ if their business would continue producing milk beyond 2025 – just two more years.
Of the dairy farmers who responded, 87% said they are concerned about the impact of government regulation, with feed prices (84%), energy prices (83%) and cash flow and profitability (80%) other key factors that would curtail milk supplies.
Meanwhile, 91% of dairy farmers said the main factor preventing them increasing milk production was the scale of investment needed for things such as suitable slurry storage to ensure their farms comply with current regulations. This supports the NFU call for DEFRA’s Slurry Infrastructure Grant to be extended to cover more areas and to reduce the minimum spend threshold needed to access the funding.
NFU dairy board chairman Michael Oakes says: ‘It’s clear that significant inflationary pressures, combined with below-cost-of-production prices are continuing to threaten the resilience of British dairy farming businesses. We are now facing a crisis of confidence among Britain’s dairy farmers.
‘The results of this survey show that, now more than ever, we need resilient and collaborative dairy supply chains. It’s vital that we invest and reverse this trend of boom or bust. The new industry-wide regulation on contracts – expected to be introduced later this year – must support fairer, more transparent and accountable supply chains. But regulation isn’t a silver bullet.
‘With increasing global demand for British dairy produce, we know that the long-term future is bright for our sector.
To ensure we maximise this potential, it’s imperative that the government continues to work with us to ensure we have the right environmental, regulatory and trade framework in place to support the production of high quality, nutritious and sustainable food.’

A very modern tradition – what is clean boot hunting?

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Editorial team

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11 September 2023

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The clean boot hunting South Downs Bloodhounds will be demonstrating a different type of hunt at this year’s Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show

clean boot hunting in Dorset — The South Downs Bloodhounds clean boot hunt. *Image © Sharon T Photography sharontphotography.c o.uk*

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.

clean boot hunting bloodhounds — *Bloodhounds in full voice. Image © Sharon T Photography sharontphotography.c o.uk*

What is clean boot hunting?

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.

sleeping bloodhound after a busy morning clean boot hunting — *Time for a nap. Image © Sharon T Photography sharontphotography.c o.uk*

Join in the chase

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.

human quarry for clean boot hunting — Clean boot hunting involves human quarry. *Image © Sharon T Photography sharontphotography.c o.uk*

At the G&S Show

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.

jeremy whaley and the south downs clean boot hunting — Jeremy Whaley, founder of the South Downs Bloodhounds clean boot hunt. *Image © Sharon T Photography sharontphotography.c o.uk*

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.

southdownsbloodhounds.com

What they say

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Editorial team

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11 September 2023

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“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

More than cheese – Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival 2023

By

Laura

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11 September 2023

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“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 Feltha m ’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.