Could dialect poet William Barnes have imagined that 220 years later another poet from the same hamlet would create a song heard across the world?
In October last year, Ben Varney (22) received a request through the online freelance marketplace Fiverr for a song for a client in Japan: “He provided a beat for me to rap to, and asked me to make a UFC-style video game fighting song. I wrote and recorded the song in about an hour. The client was happy, paid me £120, and I forgot about it.” Ben lives with his parents in the tiny hamlet of Bagber near Sturminster Newton, the birthplace of Dorset dialect poet William Barnes (1801-86). Currently studying for his Master’s at Bath University, like most students, Ben supplements his income. Along with bar work at Plumber Manor, he sells his abilities as a rapper on Fiverr. Taking commissions through the online marketplace, Ben records at home with a microphone attached to a kitchen table.
A reappearance Last month, Ben saw that forgotten song begin to appear in his ‘top songs’ online. Unsure how, he searched for it on YouTube and came up with Ready For The War JONAH (play the video below). “I was shocked to see it had over 35,000 views – but that it had been posted without my name and, on top of that, on the New Japan Pro-Wrestling channel, a professional wrestling organisation. To be honest, I usually only get about ten views, half of which are my gran. “From here I found my track was the official song for a professional Australian professional wrestler named JONAH. He uses it for every live bout entrance and exit, as well as in any match held by the US wrestling organisation IMPACT.
The song can be heard playing in wrestling arenas in the US (I’ve been played in Las Vegas!), Australia, Japan and more; some of the videos have upwards of 300,000 views. “It was amazing to find that my voice has been played in arenas all over the world, especially as I had no idea what the song was going to be used for.” And how much more did Ben make from the song – was it a lucrative deal for the useage on such a huge worldwide stage? “No, nothing – just that initial £120! Apparently my original client worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. I did have in the contract that I should at least be credited wherever the music was used, but my client then handed the song rights to the wrestler in question, so it all gets very muddy.”
From Bagber to the world – Ben relaxes by the river.
You can follow Ben and hear more of his music on his Instagram account @BenVarneyOfficial
Flexible, willing, and happy to work shifts including evenings, weekends and bank holidays
A confident swimmer (be able to swim 4 lengths comfortably)
In return we offer on-going in-house training and an opportunity to work in different areas including poolside, reception, swim teaching, holiday activities and hospitality.
You will also gain 5 leisure industry qualifications including:
The new Platinum Skies community officially opened last week – and Courtenay Hitchcock discovered it wasn’t at all what he was expecting
Ceremonial opening the new Mayor of Sherborne Cllr Juliet Pentolfe cuts the ribbon. Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
The new retirement development on the site of the old Sherborne Hotel on the western edge of the town is not what you might be imagining. There is a noticeable absence of the usual small proportions, beige carpets, bland uniformity and ugly safety features. Instead the new Platinum Skies development seems to take delight in rejecting every expectation of what ‘retirement living’ looks like, with everything designed and built around independence and community. The complex of 82 retirement apartments offers generouslysized accomodation, with up to three-bedroomed options available.
The main building housing the flats and communal areas & restaurant – Mulberry House. Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
In the main building the ground floor communal area is accessible to the public, but beyond there are security measures restricting access. Here residents can enjoy communal TV and sociable lounges, a multi-activity studio for dance, pilates or movie nights, plus a health treatment room. The residents-only bistro and bar is run as a not-for-profit enterprise, which means a full meal can be purchased for around £6. The atmosphere is not one of a random group of elderly people living together. Instead, this feels like a ready-made village community. There are social spaces to share and enjoy, with a luxuriously comfortable personal retreat behind each front door. Inviting interiors.
Street scene, main avvenue. Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Looking around inside the houses and apartments it’s easy to see Platinum Skies’ attention to detail. Though a new build, the welcoming feel is of a quiet, solid construction with lots of natural light. The future-proofed extras, such as high-quality, easy-to-use appliances, sensor lighting and other thoughtful details, are there for any older resident. The atmosphere is as far away from an ‘old people’s home’ as one can imagine. This is simply good, thoughtful design from start to finish, aimed at encouraging long-term independence. Comments were overwhelmingly positive from those residents who spoke to me – some have transferred from the Platinum Skies Poole community, excited to live in Sherborne and enjoy all the town has to offer, while keeping the friendly, involved Platinum Skies community. The ceremonial opening As one of her first official engagements, the new Mayor of Sherborne Cllr Juliet Pentolfe cut the ribbon on the independentliving apartments in Mulberry House and neighbouring houses which are home to people aged 55 and over. Speaking after the event, she said: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s a brilliant concept and it has a wonderful community feeling. I’ve been to look around the apartments and the houses and as soon as you walk through the door, it feels as though you’re on holiday. It’s gorgeous.”
Mulberry House Courtyard. Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Happy residents Sherborne has two dedicated Community Managers, Hayley and Vanessa, who organise fun activities like wine tasting workshops, talks, live music, yoga, coffee mornings, quizzes, and crafts, as well as providing practical and emotional support. Among the opening party’s guests were Pamela and Derek Emerson, who moved into a house in Canon Woods Close, earlier this year. Talking about the move, Derek said: “It’s one of the best new-build houses that we have seen. I think it’s one of the best moves we’ve ever made and that’s coming from someone who really didn’t want to move.” Pamela added: “We lived on Dartmoor in a large house with no neighbours. It meant that we were isolated (although I was happy to spend all day in the garden!). Thinking about coming into a retirement village was initially quite daunting, but we settled in quite quickly and the Community Managers go to a lot of effort for us, along with Agata who runs the bistro.”
A look round Paltinum Skies Sherborne – Images by Courtenay Hitchcock
Shared ownership Platinum Skies works through a shared ownership scheme – its own, plus the government’s ‘help to buy’ scheme which is for over-55’s as well as young first time buyers. The minimum ownership is 25 per cent – but homeowners can vary how much of the property they own, releasing capital or reducing rent as life circumstances alter. For more information go to Platinumskies.co.uk or call the team on 01202 040996
Customer Experience Manager (Maternity Cover up to 12 months) 36 hours per week
Oxley Sports Centre is Sherborne’s premier facility for Swimming, Gym, Exercise Classes and Climbing
Join our team and play a part in building and inspiring a fitter healthier nation.
Responsibilities include:
Management of the Front-of-House team and the services they provide.
All forms of facility and brand promotion be that digital or via traditional means.
Optimising income generating opportunities across the business and ensuring income targets are achieved.
Creating a cohesive, efficient, and operationally dynamic team that are valued and appreciated by customers and team members alike.
Creating the best customer experience for all facility users for the duration of their visit ensuring the highest possible standard is achieved.
Ensuring facilities are clean, safe, presentable, and welcoming at all times.
Benefits:
Free Membership (Family Membership dependant on contract)
Generous employer contribution pension
Cycle2Work Scheme
Regular staff socials
Free uniform
Closing Date: Friday 24th June 2022
To receive further details please register your interest by contacting Samantha Welch on 01935 818378 or by emailing [email protected] To apply, download the application form from www.oxleysc.com/careers and return to Samantha Welch on [email protected]
Fairmead School transforms the lives of young people aged between 4 and 19 years with additional learning needs (MLD and ASD).
We are seeking to appoint enthusiastic and dynamic Classroom Teachers who have the flexibility to teach a range of curriculum subjects across the school. Successful candidates will be self-motivated, creative, fun and inspirational teachers who have a desire to build meaningful and positive relationships with all the young people they encounter. They will need to approach curriculum subjects in a purposeful, age appropriate and exciting way, engaging young people through first hand experiences. They will have high aspirations for our students and will be committed to, and passionate about, preparing them for successful, independent and happy futures in adulthood.
Fairmead School has undergone a significant extension to the school building, officially opened by the Princess Royal in the autumn term. As we approach the end of our first year in residence, we find ourselves building momentum as we embed and enhance our revised curriculum. The successful candidates will join our committed, passionate and dedicated staff team and play an integral role in building an exhilarating future for our school community.
We welcome applications from teachers with all levels of experience and from a range of education backgrounds in both mainstream and special sectors.
Successful candidates will benefit from:
Joining a strong and committed staff team with a bright future.
Excellent CPD opportunities.
Outstanding opportunities for pedagogical development, working with specialist practitioners and experienced leaders.
The opportunity to make life-defining differences for an amazing group of young people.
Prospective candidates are warmly invited to visit our school; this can be arranged by contacting Mrs Berryman on 01935 421295 (appointments will be made for after 3.30pm).
Closing Date: Friday 10th June Interview Date: Monday 13th June
NB: Fairmead School is committed to safeguarding the school community. All job applications must contain the disclosure of any spent convictions and cautions. The school will carry out pre-employment vetting procedures, which include the successful outcome of an enhanced DBS.
Audrey Burch smiles as she describes the arrival of her Ukrainian guests from Kirvog Rog, west of Dnipro. It took 15 hours for them to travel between Dnipro and Lviv, and then on to Slovakia. From there they got a flight to Luton, where Audrey’s husband met them. “And it took four hours of us working on WhatsApp to fill out the visa application!” After the arduous journey, Katya and her two sons are settling into the Burch home in Milton Abbas. Katya’s husband has remained in Ukraine as he works in a steelworks, which is critical to the war effort.
A Syrian family The Ukrainian family aren’t the first refugees Audrey has helped. She is working with the Blandford Welcome Group, a committee established to support one family as part of the government’s Community Sponsorship Scheme for refugees. Taking one family at a time, they help them to resettle and build a future in the town. “We must raise £20,000 through fundraising, and we must also have a suitable property. Our guest family is classed as highly vulnerable and selected by the Home Office from a United Nations security camp (UNHCR). We have a three-bedroomed house in Blandford. Everything is vetted by the Home Office. We receive a family, welcome them as a community and help them to be independent. Blandford School has been fantastic. “We had a Syrian family who stayed for 18 months – now the father has a job in Bournemouth and is settling there. ”
Polish Refugee past I asked Audrey what it is about refugee work that interests her. “We hear so much about people who have been pushed away from their homes. To me, a refugee hasn’t got a chance. So many of the problems in this country have been about economic migrants whose own governments have failed them. “During the war, my father was a refugee from Poland. He came to this country. My grandfather was killed by the Germans. When the Red Army arrived, my father had to leave Poland. So when I hear the news, there are echoes of what my father went through in 1939. And it’s not the Russian language but the language of Communism at fault.”
A rural community Unlike refugees from the Middle East and Afghanistan, who have settled mainly in urban areas, many Ukrainians are requesting to go to rural counties. According to Government statistics Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall are some of the most popular areas in England where people from Ukraine are choosing to live. They also have some of the highest numbers of hosts offering accommodation in the country – more than 700 people are expected in Dorset in the coming weeks. Audrey’s one of several families hosting Ukrainian refugees in North Dorset. She describes how the whole community is helping: “We looked for a school for the eldest boy, age 15. Do you know, Milton Abbey scooped him up. They gave him a uniform and laptop and he has been there for two weeks. He is being looked after by them and has two tutors. But, of course, they have small classes, which makes a difference. He speaks English and translates for his mother. And the youngest boy (age seven) goes to school in Winterborne Kingston. It is important he settles. Children in Ukraine start school at a later age than we do in England. “In Winterborne Stickland, they had a flag-raising ceremony. There are three families there. One of the refugees, a woman, has already set up her own business.” The fundraising continues with Audrey organising a raffle of paintings. “We have 100 paintings, and people can spend £10 on a ticket. So they will either get a terrific painting, or they might get a bloody awful one.”
To find out more about the Blandford Welcome Group, visit their website at blandfordwelcome.group
Kingston Maurward become the only college to win a second Silver Gilt at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for its Sanctuary category garden.
The fragrant flowers of Wisteria floribunda ‘Alba’ welcome visitors for contemplation. Architectural plants and soft colours lead the eye around the circular walkway.
Kingston Maurward College (KMC) was celebrating last week, winning a Silver Gilt medal at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Their garden The Space Within was entered in the Sanctuary category and was designed to provide a nurturing and calming space in which to relax and unwind. College Principal Luke Rake said: “This is the second Silver Gilt that the college has won for a garden, something no other college has ever achieved. It’s the second highest possible award and is a fabulous outcome for everyone here – and for Dorset.” KMC is one of the UK’s few land-based colleges, providing education and training in agriculture, land and animal sciences– the skills needed for rural economies. The garden was designed by ex-KMC graduate Michelle Brown. It was completed as a team effort by staff and students, said Luke Rake: “More than 100 people were involved in the creation, from welding and blacksmithing to countryside and horticulture specialists, all pulling together to create something magical. “I’m so proud of them, it’s a genuinely world-class performance and it was a real privilege to be able to see the garden in situ after all the hard work.”
Michelle Brown’s The Space Within design resulted in a unique second Silver Gilt award for the college
The Space Within The garden contains a contemporary arch providing an entrance to a secret jungle of foliage planting inspired by the sub-tropical gardens of the Mediterranean and punctuated by specimen architectural plants and trees. Elevated pathways lead to a daybed platform where the visitor can rest, totally immersed in plants. The asymmetric social platform and seating is inspired by childhood den-making and entices the visitor with its playful shape. The sanctuary boundaries are created as wildlife habitats, using fallen trees and waste timber to enclose the space.
If you’d like a glimpse inside the garden, it was on the BBC’s Chelsea show – click play HERE and skip forward exactly 30 minutes.
Natasha Solomons is the author of five novels, including Mr Rosenblum’s List (set in Dorset) and The Novel in the Viola, which was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Her latest book, I, Mona Lisa, is just out in paperback
“After university I completed an MPhil in 18th century literature and then began a doctorate researching Women’s Romantic Poetry and the Domestic Muse. Unfortunately, I became un-stuck on a chapter on Verse Letters and so began writing my first novel as a way of avoiding correcting the footnotes. My entire career to date has been an extremely elaborate form of avoiding that tricky chapter …”
1. What’s your relationship with the Blackmore Vale (the loose North Dorset area, not us!)?
My grandparents bought a house here in the 70s with restitution money from Germany. I came here as a child for weekends and holidays, though I went to school in London. I moved here as soon as I could – it was the place in my heart. My first novel was set here and this is the place I feel centred, the place I always come back to. The Blackmore Vale is where I love to come home to.
2. What was the last song you sang out loud in your car?
I’m not allowed to sing out loud in the car. The second I do, my children tell me to stop that awful noise. My daughter complains if I sing she might actually die. Even when I’m alone, their voices are in my head, stopping me.
I used to sing in choirs and probably would have tried singing something like Sumer Is Icumen In to torment them on the 1st May and that would have elicited that response.
Natasha Solomons, author of I, Mona Lisa, lives in the Blackmore Vale with her husband, children’s author David Solomons, and their two young children, plus sausage-loving Mr Bingley the labrado
3. What was the last movie you watched? Would you recommend it?
After two and a half years of not going to the cinema, the last movie I watched was Sonic the Hedgehog. No. I want those hours of my life back. I ate a lot of pick ‘n’ mix, just for something to do, so that my tongue went blue. No. I wish I had ended my cinema drought with something else.
4. Your favourite quote? Movie, book or inspirational – we won’t judge, but would like to know why.
I don’t have one. It’s not really my thing. I … maybe it’s the Douglas Adams one: ‘I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.’
But … I mean I like it. It’s one I like. But saying it’s my favourite would suggest that I like it more than a line from Jane Austen. I don’t. I like it, it’s funny and true. But how can I like it more than Jane Austen? And how can I like one line from Jane Austen over and above another?
No. I have no favourites. It’s too anxiety-inducing to choose. The pressure’s too much.
5. It’s Friday night – you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do?
Run a bath. Read a book. Pour a glass of something to drink in the bath while reading the book. And try really hard not to dip the book in the bath.
6. What is your comfort meal?
Corned beef hash and a big green salad.
And failing that, if I need a lot more comfort, wine.
7. What would you like to tell 15 year old you?
Oh, I need something that 15 year old me will understand, but no one else will …
*Thinks*
“It’ll be okay in the end. And nobody knows anything.”
8. What shop can you never pass by?
The Hambledon Gallery in Blandford. I can NEVER pass it. I love it.
9. What book did you read last year that stayed with you? What made you love it?
Can I cheat and have two? I’ll make it one fiction, one non … Stay with me.
My favourite piece of fiction was by Gabriel Tallent – My Absolute Darling. The subject matter is quite shocking, but that’s not why I loved it. I loved it for its evocation of rural and coastal California. The way he writes about the natural world and the main characters’ relationship with nature, in a place I didn’t know at all, was like nothing else. Lots of people were very uncomfortable with a man writing about a female character, but I find it’s very strange that we’ve got to a place where, as writers, we have to limit our imagination. I found his depiction of a young woman totally convincing.
His descriptions of the storms and the sea, I just loved that part of the book. Parts of it were shocking and disturbing and difficult to read, but I … like books that disturb and challenge me. Some found it too much, but I … didn’t.
My other book is Consent: A Memoir of Stolen Adolescence by Vanessa Springora. She’s an editor in France and she wrote a memoir about her relationship with a famous French writer when she was 14 and he was in his late 40s/early 50s. Essentially he was a serial paedophile. Various women over the years tried to expose this writer for what he was, but the French establishment and police wouldn’t listen – he was so well known he was entirely protected.
Until finally, this very well-known editor in France wrote this book. And now France is beginning to wake up and have its Me Too movement.
But it’s taken 40 years.
It’s remarkable for her strength and courage, but also because it’s an astonishing piece of literature – a sort of anti-Lolita where she writes about his erasure of her self. He not only takes her girlhood and innocence but he steals her voice. He turns her into a character in several of his novels, steals her name, and turns her into ‘his’ character, which is a warped version of herself.
This fictionalised version chases her through her life. She pleads with him and his publishers to remove her from the books, but neither he nor they will. He uses a photograph of her as a child and refuses to stop using it. He doesn’t just take her body, he steals and publishes her voice. And so this unbelievably well-written book is a reckoning, where she says “Here I am” and settles the account. It’s written with such acidity and beauty. Utterly brilliant.
Natasha at Milan’s Leonardo3 museum with the Italian edition of I,Mona Lisa
10. Favourite crisps flavour?
*unhesitatingly swift* Salt and vineger. So vinegary they make your cheeks pucker.
11. Cats or dogs?
DOGS. *glances happily at Mr Bingley currently loafing handsomely under the table*
12. What are your top three most-visited, favourite websites (excluding social media and BBC News!)?
How to get your dog to stop barking
The British Library
Authentic Shakespearean insults. I do go there a lot.
Oh and a high runner-up would be an unceasing search for holidays in Italy.
13. What’s the best biscuit for dunking?
I don’t like to dunk biscuits.
Who wants floaters in their tea?
I just don’t like soggy biscuits. Sorry.
Actually, I’m not.
14. What’s your most annoying trait?
Er … I’ve got quite a lot? How do I pick one? I worry about everything. Super anxious. Super self-critical. Nothing’s ever good enough.
I’m also disorganised and forgetful. If left to my own devices, I will forget everything. I’ll casually throw away really important stuff.
We could be here a while … do you need more?
15. Tell us about one of the best evenings you’ve ever had?
Can I cheat with an afternoon instead? We had a really great afternoon in Bath with my children about a month ago to celebrate my most recent book being out. It was so special. We went to an Italian restaurant (obviously – the book’s set in Italy). It was just one of those times. I got tiddly on some prosecco, and we ate so much that my daughter said “she felt like an overstuffed pillowcase”. Then we toddled round Bath, and I signed hundreds of books, and we went to the Baths, and it was just really fun. Low key, just a good day. Being with happy children, having happy times.
Oh, and then in Milan last week, in the Leonardo3 museum, that was really lovely. The photo opposite is of me on the balcony – I was so happy. That was a great evening.
*checks under the table*
Mr Bingley’s is that time he got a sausage for dinner.
Handsome Mr Bingley
16. What was the last gift you gave someone?
Genuinely the most recent? A sausage. For my husband. It was much appreciated.
17. What’s your secret superpower?
I have two. First is the Maternal Object Echo Location Service. It’s a widespread phenomenon, found in most mothers, actually. It’s an ability to find objects that hitherto have been lost, and searched for to no avail for some time up to this point. Socks, toys, pants, shoes, bags … I can find these objects even when I’m not in the room. Even over the phone I have been known to locate them.
My second is every writer’s superpower – an empathic ability to imagine yourself as someone else, in another time, in another situation.
18. What in life is frankly a mystery to you?
*plaintive voice* Most of it. I just thud from one corner to the next, mostly wondering how I got here.
19. You have the power to pass one law tomorrow, uncontested. What would you do?
Stop dunking. Is that too controversial? It’s just too much power. My daughter always wishes for wings. It’s not very practical, but it’s an excellent wish. I think she’d have wings made legal, so I’m going to go with hers.
“Listen to my history. My adventures are worth hearing. I have lived many lifetimes and been loved by emperors, kings and thieves. I have survived kidnap and assault. Revolution and two world wars. But this is also a love story. And the story of what we will do for those we love.”
In Leonardo da Vinci’s studio, bursting with genius imagination, towering commissions and needling patrons, as well as discontented muses, friends and rivals, sits the painting of the Mona Lisa. For five hundred tumultuous years, amid a whirlwind of power, money, intrigue, the portrait of Lisa del Gioconda is sought after and stolen. Over the centuries, few could hear her voice, but now she is ready to tell her own story, in her own words – a tale of rivalry, murder and heartbreak. Weaving through the years, she takes us from the dazzling world of Florentine studios to the French courts at Fontainebleau and Versailles, and into the Twentieth Century.
I, Mona Lisa is a deliciously vivid and illuminating story about the lost and forgotten women throughout history.
