Harling Taylor, a leading independent property management and lettings agency covering the Dorset and South Somerset areas, has been announced as the Gold Winner of The British Property Lettings Award for Sherborne. The team performed outstandingly throughout the extensive judging period, which focused on customer service levels, and has now been shortlisted for a number of national awards which will be announced towards the end of year. Richard Comstive, Managing Director and owner, says: ‘I am delighted that our team has been rewarded with this accolade and recognised for the care and attention we place on all our clients.’
Employ My Ability offers vocational training for students with learning disabilities and special educational needs and disabilities. One of their students, Maddie Walters, spent her last term working on her journalism skills with the aim of writing a column for us. – Ed
Hello everyone, I hope you’re having an amazing day! This month I’m sharing my three favourite pubs and restaurants to visit in North Dorset – whether it’s a meal out or trying a new pub that you haven’t been in before I hope try these and like them too!
At The Chapel atthechapel.co.uk At the Chapel is a fantastic pub to visit in Bruton because they do amazing pizzas, and they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You must book a table in advance, but they also have rooms so if you’re thinking of staying overnight after dinner this is a fantastic opportunity.
The Buffalo Inn hall-woodhouse.co.uk The Buffalo Inn is a pub that’s in Gillingham and it’s a wonderful place to go at night. The menu selection is incredible; I like it because they do Italian food like spaghetti bolognese and pizza, and you even get breadsticks served on the table.
The Old Brewery Café & Kitchen theoldbrewerycafe.co.uk The Old Brewery Café is a wonderful place to visit in Gillingham. It has changed so much during the COVID 19 pandemic with a bigger kitchen and much more indoor seating available. There’s also a nice art gallery within the cafe. The Christmas lunch includes the option of one, two or three courses, with Turkey and all the trimmings priced at only £13! I hope you enjoyed this article and have a wonderful day.
It’s a perfect half hour’s listening this week – we start with TV presenter Alice Plunkett answering the Random 19 questions. Then, in a podcast exclusive, Jenny has interviewed Sherborne’s Mike Burks on his Dorset Island Discs choices. Lastly Tracie met up with the two ‘retired’ craftesmen who have established an entirely new career:
Answering this month’s random 19 questions is North Dorset resident Alice Plunkett, one of the leading horseracing presenters for ITV. A former eventer and National Hunt jockey herself, Alice has also been the Radio 5 Live equestrian correspondent and has hosted equestrian events for Eurosport, Sky Sports and Horse and Country. Alice is married to top eventer William Fox-Pitt, and they have four children.
It’s 35 years since Mike and Louise Burks opened Sherborne’s Castle Gardens – now their Christmas displays are a staple of the region’s festive calendar. Jenny Devitt spoke to Mike to find out about his choices as December’s castaway on Dorset Island Discs
In a tiny village in Dorset, talented 84-year-old Peter Thomas and 70-year-old Trevor Ball are keeping the old man well and truly out – both are supposedly retired and now work happily every day on their “addiction’’, woodturning and stick dressing. Although they never intended to set up a business, both men now have a hugely satisfying and successful second career.
Westminster policy has a habit of ignoring the less populated rural areas of the country, says MP Simon Hoare, and it’s time to discuss Levelling Up in the south.
Yeovil Rembrance Sunday at the Yeovil War Memorial.Pictures by Len Copland
The Sherborne Classic & Supercars show team have presented cheques to a total value of £60,000 to 13 local charities (the total profits from the show held at Sherborne Castle this summer). The main beneficiary of the 2022 show was Children’s Hospice SouthWest. Other beneficiaries were Yeovil Opportunity Group, Freewheelers, PromiseWorks, Sherborne Area Youth & Community Centre, The Children’s Air Ambulance, Family Counselling Trust, Somerset & Wessex Eating Disorders Association, The Balsam Centre, Water Survival Box, The Rendevouz Sherborne, Somerset Sight and Sherborne Good Neighbours. Organisers extend their thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors and visitors. Next year’s Classic & Supercar show will be on Sunday 16th July 2023.
Now in its third year, entries for the Sherborne Business Awards closed in mid-November and they are now with the judges. Entries and nominations for the first year of the Shaftesbury Business Awards closed in late November. Sherborne saw an increase on the record number of entries in 2021, while Shaftesbury was 20 per cent higher than the expected number for its first year. Both sets of awards break the mould when it comes to awards events. Up until recently business awards have always covered large areas and focused on promoting large businesses rather than the smaller traders. Said Nigel Reeve of the organisers, MW Events, ‘Local businesses and SMEs drive the economy in this country.’ he says ‘Large or small, they are the backbone of the UK economy. The idea of a series of hyper-local business awards first evolved during the first lockdown, when it was clear that small local businesses were really suffering. ‘The first Sherborne awards were one of the test areas and our idea of simple grassroots awards just seemed to take off. It’s important to us that they are always free and simple to enter, with categories reflecting the range of local businesses in the specific area. The Shaftesbury awards are the eleventh of this type of awards to be launched by Nigel, all of them in Dorset. ‘Our funding is purely from the sale of category sponsorship. We have had over seventy local businesses supporting and sponsoring categories across all the awards to date. Without them this would not have been possible.’
The Sherborne awards ceremony is at lunchtime on Thursday, 12th January at the Oborne Grange Hotel, Oborne and the Shaftesbury awards ceremony is at lunchtime on Thursday, 26th January 2023 at the Grosvenor Arms Hotel in Shaftesbury.
There’s no hiding from the times, says Dorset Chamber CEO Ian Girling, but keep moving forwards. Working together everyone can be stronger
fed up with the constant depressing news coming from the media. Yes, we know it’s a very challenging time; a cost of living crisis, soaring domestic and business energy costs, huge inflationary pressures and spiralling interest rates. This is on top of the current recruitment crisis and the long-term challenges that have been thrown at businesses by Brexit, COVID and now, the terrible events in Ukraine. These are all very serious issues and it’s easy to feel despondent if you watch the news.
Stubborn resilience We recently held a business exhibition with over 200 business people attending and it struck me how resilient businesses are. So many of the people I spoke to shared their concerns regarding the doom and gloom but were also very clear we need to get on with things and maintain a positive, can-do approach. Business has to continue and to look to the future. We must keep business going. Ultimately the event was alive with energy and optimism and I came away inspired.
Keep looking forward Of course, there’s no hiding form the fact that it is a challenging climate, that should not be overlooked. But there are practical steps that businesses can take. Cashflow needs to be carefully managed – but we must keep cash circulating around the economy and I would encourage all business to treat their suppliers fairly in this respect. Obviously all businesses need to look at efficiencies and see where savings can be made. Unprofitable areas of activity within businesses should be identified and corrected. However it is important to keep looking forward. Businesses should maintain a focus on their marketing and future plans. I’d strongly suggest all businesses look at their digital platforms such as websites and social media channels to ensure any and all opportunities are being maximised. Businesses also need to look after their staff in this challenging climate to ensure core capability and skills remain in the business. And I’d urge businesses to work together and support each other. This is vital, and a core offering of Chambers of Commerce. We will get through this.
And lastly… It’s hard to believe Christmas is upon us already. I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a happy Christmas and peaceful and successful New Year.
Berwick St John Country Fayre has raised the largest amount of money in its 30 year history. The organisers announced the total raised and presented the funds at a special presentation event which took place at the packed-out Berwick St John Village Hall on Sunday, November 20th. They revealed that a total of £63,117.18 had been raised for the Salisbury District Hospital Stars Appeal. The two-day event, which took place in September featured rural crafts, tractors, full size and miniature steam engines, classic cars, horses, the famous beer and tea tents, along with many other attractions and was attended by tens of thousands. Berwick St John Country Fayre co-chair Richard Pocock says: ‘Words can’t describe the feeling of what has been achieved. It is mind blowing.’ Guest speakers at the presentation event included 12-year-old Florence Burgess, who was treated at Salisbury Hospital after being diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. She shared how the Stars Appeal made a difference to both her and her family during her long stays in hospital. Dr Ridley, a paediatric consultant who works on the Children’s Ward at Salisbury District Hospital and is a Stars Appeal ambassador said: ‘Every day, I see how the work of the Stars Appeal makes a huge difference to our patients, their families and staff.’ The Stars Appeal funds a range of projects at the Hospital including additional equipment such as state-of-the-art monitors, hospital chaplaincy, free Wi-Fi, accommodation for parents of babies and children, entertainment and companionship for older people, and support for the hospital’s hard-working staff. Show Secretary Louise Hall says: ‘Berwick Fayre is unique in many ways, not least the incredible people who make it happen. I cant thank everyone enough. This marvellous announcement is a result of everyone’s tremendous efforts, dedication and commitment.’
The Berwick St John Country Fayre has been running every other year since 1992, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for a wide variety of charities over the years, before committing long term support to the Stars Appeal in 2012. The next Country Fayre will next take place in September 2024.
Efforts to help more young people with disabilities or special educational needs to find work in Dorset have taken a major step forward with the launch of a dedicated one-year programme. Dorset Careers Hub has launched the Removing Barriers initiative to raise the number of locally-based employers who are confident about taking on and supporting young people aged 16 to 19 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Hub, jointly funded by Dorset LEP and Careers and Enterprise Company CEC, has appointed Andrew Holland of consultancy sendme2work.com as project manager. Andrew says: “We want to change mindsets and encourage more employers to come forward and recruit and champion disabled talent. We will be running a series of events to reach out to employers and will provide training, mentoring and coaching. Employers should know there are grants available to help when you take on and retain people with disabilities and special education needs. Chelsey, an apprentice in business administration spoke of how the opportunity to start a supported internship two years ago had changed her life. ‘It really helped me with my confidence,’ she said. ‘Everyone at SAMEE made me feel really safe and secure. My manager always gave me extra time which meant that I wasn’t rushed, and they always made sure that the workplace was quiet and calm around me which made me feel really relaxed. ‘Everything they did for me meant I could concentrate on doing my best work, and I was really excited when they offered me my first paid job as their official Business Administration Apprentice.’
