DIY doughnuts. Oh yes.

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8 March 2022

One of my favourite things in the world is a freshly made and heavily sugared doughnut, full to the brim with wonderfully sharp raspberry jam. Learning how to make them was a dangerous step for me: I was genuinely concerned I would never stop, such is my intense love for them!
This recipe is not difficult to make, but it does take a little time – you need to allow for the dough to rise twice. You can also experiment with fillings – I have added lemon curd or nutella in place of the jam before, and they work well with any kind of jam or curd. I even made them with coffee jam once!
I recently discovered From Dorset with Love’s peach jam which is a delight and would be wonderful as a doughnut filling. Heather x

Ingredients

480g strong bread flour
14g quick action yeast
1 tsp salt
40g butter
30g caster sugar
220ml milk
2 eggs
1litre vegetable oil • raspberry jam
extra caster sugar

Heather Brown is on the committee of the Guild of Food Writers; a home economist with a passion for Dorset’s brilliant foodie scene. Heather runs Dorset Foodie Feed, championing Dorset’s food and drink businesses, as well as working with her food industry clients.

Directions

In a measuring jug, measure out the milk and then • heat up gently (either in a microwave or on a hob
in a saucepan) until warm. Once the milk is warm
(not boiling), add in the butter and stir so that it melts into the warm milk. Add the yeast to the warm milk and stir well so it dissolves. •
In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl), add together the flour, salt and sugar and stir to combine.
Add the milk mixture and the eggs to the flour mixture and beat together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Knead the dough so it becomes very smooth (3-4 • minutes in a stand mixer or 5-6 minutes on a floured surface by hand).
Lightly oil the inside of a bowl and place the dough • inside. Cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm to double in size – about an hour.
Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with • greaseproof paper. Then cut out 12 squares of greaseproof paper and place onto the lined baking sheets (about 10cm x 10cm). Oil these lightly.
These paper squares are for the doughnuts to rest • on and make picking them up later to pop into the oil a lot easier. By oiling the paper the dough balls
will slip easily into the hot oil and you won’t lose • any of the rise in this process.
Once the dough is risen, lightly oil both your
kitchen work surface and your hands and take
out the dough (the oil on your hands will stop the sticky dough from sticking to you). •
Cut the dough into 12 pieces and shape each into
a ball. Place each ball onto its own little square of oiled paper on the baking sheets. Cover loosely • with cling film and leave to prove again for 45 minutes.
As you are getting close to the end of the 45 minutes, pour the oil into a large saucepan and leave to heat up. The oil needs to reach between 160o and 180oC and I recommend using a thermometer to track this temperature. While you are waiting, cover a wire rack with a couple of layers of kitchen towel.
Once the oil is hot enough, gently pick up the doughnuts by the paper and drop them into the oil (careful the oil doesn’t splash you – it is hot!). You may need to cook your doughnuts in batches, it depends on how large your saucepan is. You want just enough to cover the surface with space to bob about (they will float).
The doughnuts will need around 2 minutes on each side; carefully flip them over in the oil to make sure they are nicely browned on both sides. Once browned, remove from the oil with a spatula and leave to cool on the paper towels (this helps to soak up some of the excess oil).
Once all of the doughnuts have been cooked, turn off the oil and leave it to cool down somewhere safe. NB. Hot oil on the stove should never be left unattended.
Add some caster sugar to a bowl and roll each cooked doughnut around in the sugar, coating each side generously.
Place your jam into a piping bag. Make a small hole in the side of each doughnut with a sharp knife and then pipe jam into the doughnut.

Heather’s Tips:

I find it is best to store the doughnuts on their sides with the jam hole facing upwards (see picture) to avoid the jam escaping!
Doughnuts are best eaten the day they are made but if you do keep yours for a day, then 10-20 seconds in the microwave and a little extra sugar will revive them (the jam does get hot doing this so be careful!).

by Heather Brown

Local care company turns to the Philippines to fill vacancies

By

Editorial team

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8 March 2022

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As the care staffing crisis continues to deepen, local care companies are turning to qualified international recruits to fill their staffing void.

*New Apex Prime Care’s team members heading for the UK in February*

The pandemic has shown us just how much our society depends upon our front line carers – the previously unrecognised, often unrespected workers who look after our most vulnerable. But there’s now a recruitment crisis in the industry, with countless jobs seemingly unable to be filled from our domestic workforce. The staffing crisis is forcing local care homes to close or turn away vulnerable elderly people in desperate need of care.

In December the government announced that thousands of additional care workers are to be recruited from abroad to fill the chronic gaps. Care workers will be added to the Home Office’s shortage occupation list, which is designed to help migrants get work visas to fill jobs where there are shortages.

Two years of challenge

Glastonbury-based Candlelight Care has been recruiting non- stop since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago.

“We saw an increase in enquiries New Apex Prime Care’s team members heading for the UK in February early on in 2020, but when the daily death figures began to rise, and furlough was introduced (and extended), enquiries fell to an all-time low” says Roxanne Brown, Candlelight Care’s recruitment officer.
“We still have at least 30% of vacancies to fill, as we are now also having to compensate for losing staff due to them feeling completely burnt out from the last two years.
We cover Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset and East Sussex and all areas have less staff now than we did at the start of the pandemic. “Finding local people who will even respond to our calls or emails after applying, is proving ever more difficult – possibly due to the general perception of care work being ‘menial’ – it’s considered work for the unqualified, and many find domestic and caring chores demeaning. “The pay is also a challenge. We were proud to be able to introduce a pay increase for our care and support workers back in November; they are all Care Champions and deserve the recognition and reward. However it still doesn’t reflect just how valuable they are to us.”

Getting staff to stay

While recruitment is a seemingly- permanent challenge, retention is just as important to Roxanne right now “we are committed to rewarding our current staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and repeatedly gone above and beyond any expectations. We are so proud of all of our staff here, including those who have the stressful behind-the-scenes responsibilities!” (you can see Candlelight Care’s current job ad on p.66 here).

*Some of the new Apex Prime Care team are already at work: from L-R Dave, Irish, Bonnie, Liezl, Milo. Front row is Sam on the left and Aujie on the right*

Turning to the Philippines

Local care company Apex Prime Care has partnered with smiliarly family-run business BMB International Recruitment, a well- established and ethical overseas healthcare recruitment company, to combat the significant challenges they are also facing with recruiting and retaining frontline carers.

Apex Prime Care are offering cars and sourcing accommodation to smooth the transition to the UK for their new team members. They will also be on hand every step of the way to help integrate the new recruits into the team and into wider society.

Why the Phillippines?

One part of the world with a reputation for providing unrivalled levels of service and care is the Philippines; possibly because the islands have very high educational standards, and with English being the second language, there’s no problem when it comes to communicating effectively in the UK. Huge numbers of Filipino students go on to higher education, with many of them specialising in medicine, hospitality and the care industry.
With unemployment so high in their own country, many Filipinos head for other parts of the world, where they can command much higher salaries than they would be able to at home. And the UK is a favourite destination, offering great opportunities for empathetic and hardworking Filipinos.

*The first of Apex Prime Care’s Filippino recruits arrived in the UK in February*

Apex Prime Care’s Ben Patrick said “The new team member’s qualifications are outstanding. BMB are recruiting healthcare staff with 4-year bachelor’s degrees in health or social care, plus 1 year work experience for Senior Care Workers.
“19 of our 45 new team members have already arrived and are settling into life in the UK; they have been learning about our culture, exploring their new community, training with the team and meeting their new colleagues and service users. “The need for care in the community is only increasing and with health and social care experiencing one of its most difficult times in history for recruitment and retaining carers, we have started overseas recruitment to help relieve the pressures on hospitals and local authorities, and to fill the void of 120,000 vacancies in the health and social care industry.”

by Laura Hitchcock

32T Tipper Class 2 / Sweeper driver(s)

By

Editorial team

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8 March 2022

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Needed to work on Road Surfacing sites (Surface Dressing) with contracts in the Dorset area. Wage will be up to £120 per day nett depending on experience (take-home). Start date will be from mid-March. There will be the need to work flexible hours and weekends. Full Induction and PPE will be provided.

Experience of Tipper / Road Sweeping would be beneficial, however training will be provided. Must hold a current Class 2 LGV License and CPC. Must be able to work on their own initiative and have a positive ‘can do’ attitude. Must be willing to work flexible hours and weekends.

Temporary position – Salary £120 per Day NETT

Full-time position – Salary £119 -£120 per day

Please send your CV/Application to [email protected]

A pint of chardonnay and a packet of crisps

By

Editorial team

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7 March 2022

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Male or female drinks are nonsense, of course – so why is the industry still suffering under a ‘boys club’ mentality, asks Sadie Wilkins.

A dry white wine for the lady, and I’ll have a pint please. When it comes to drinking alcohol, for years society has happily categorised certain beverages as being either male or female. The gender debate in wine has always been an interesting one. We even see grape varieties receiving the stereotype treatment – Bordeaux belonging to men and the likes of pinot grigio and rosé winning the hearts of women only. Now, of course we know this isn’t true, but these outdated labels unfortunately do crop up every now and then still.

Remarkably, the labels applied to the drinking of alcohol are almost role reversed when it comes to producing, sourcing and selling wine. The ‘glass of vino’ no longer belongs to women, the very people who we previously labelled as being the stereotypical drinker.

It’s a man’s wine world

We are proud to be a mostly female team at Vineyards, in a very male dominated arena; don’t get us wrong, we know both awesome women and men in the wine and spirit trade, who do marvellously at their jobs and know their stuff. But there is a definite sense of pride in knowing that you are helping to buck a trend.
The last couple of years have been incredible for us; we’ve climbed the ranks of Harpers’ Wine Top 50 UK merchants to number five, and we moved premises to expand our business. But we would be lying if we didn’t say it wasn’t noticeable that we were the only females on the finalist award ceremony zoom call for Harpers. As we sat in anticipation for our placement, we stared back at 9 other squares for the top ten and were surrounded by men. It made us proud yet saddened in equal measure.

Shattering the walls of the industry

One thing that we love about International Women’s Day (this year on Tuesday 8th March) is the spotlight it shines on some amazing people achieving wonderful things in their given industries. This month we wanted to share the love for some of our incredible producers – who just so happen to be women.
Let’s start with the awesome Kathy from Brighton Gin. Back in 2012 Kathy decided to trial making a gin – and thank goodness she did. We have stocked Brighton Gin since 2015; it’s made using 100% organic pure wheat spirit and 100% vegan. This gin really is a great addition to anyone’s drinks cabinet, distilled in small batches in Brighton this juniper- led gin really has a flavour punch but with a subtle smooth undertone.

Samantha O’Keefe, owner of the Lismore Estate, is one of our favourite producers in South Africa. Samantha has managed to keep smiling throughout the last couple of years when alcohol sales were banned in South Africa, and her winery was caught in a bushfire (thankfully not all her stock was in storage there). I am a real fan of her Age of Grace Viognier. Simply sublime, oily, fleshy peach and orange blossom notes roll onto the palate which stays ripe but perfectly balanced.
Another winemaker we have been impressed with for a while has been Marinette Garnier from Burgundy House Jaffelin. Marinette is producing not only amazing still wines but also sublime Crémant too. We were lucky enough to have Marinette host a customer tasting evening a couple of years ago. She can recite the start dates of each harvest; it is that kind of dedication that leads to the most beautiful wines. Whether you are drinking her Meursault or her Vin de France Pinot Noir, you know that she has overseen the whole process.

Please feel free to pop in and sample some stunning wines that have been made by amazing winemakers who just happen to be female. Starting on Tuesday 8th March until Friday 11th March, we shall have a selection of wines open for customers to try. Don’t just take our word for it, let the wines show off themselves. Cheers!

(a fascinating further read on sexism issues in the wine industry is ‘Women and wine – a tipping point’ by Jancis Robinson here)

by Sadie Wilkins, Indie Wine Merchant : Vinyards of sherborne

How Bagber managed for a week without power

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Editorial team

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7 March 2022

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Storm Eunice caused damage across the county on the 18th of February. But six days later the village of Bagber was still without power – Rachael Rowe spoke to the residents as their resilience began to wear thin.

*Paul Read checks his lambs in Bagber*: Image Rachael Rowe

Lambing season is in full swing in Bagber. Excited resident Melissa Arnold proudly tells me she has just been taught to birth her first lamb by neighbour Jason Read. But, when Storm Eunice hit recently, the scene in this Dorset hamlet was a different story. Bagber was without electricity for six days, causing significant challenges for the residents.

Life went dark

Bagber might be just a small rural hamlet, but losing electricity affected people in diverse
ways. There is no gas supply in the area, which meant that there were no heating or power alternatives when the power is lost. Local businesses reliant on the internet were unable to operate. Farmers lambed in the dark with no hot water or heat. Families were unable to heat food. Most of us have managed this for a few hours – but six days?

“We felt like we had been abandoned,” said Melissa, who runs a graphic sign writing company.
“All our business is conducted online. We could not get emails, new customers could not contact us. We don’t know if any new customers just never got through.”
When Melissa tried to get help from SSEN, the communication was inconsistent. “We could
not speak to a human being.

Everything was automated. Facebook Messenger sent automated messages. And they told us the power was back on… it definitely wasn’t!”

New lambs need warmth

Today, Paul Read checks newly born lambs, let out in the fields for the first time.
“They go out after a week. Any earlier, and the fox will get them.”

Although Paul shrugs off any mention of difficulty in the power outage, it was challenging for him and his brother Jason to manage the lambing, especially at night. They had head torches, but lambing can be unpredictable, and new lambs need warmth.

*Melissa Arnold with one of Jason Read’s lambs in Bagber*: Image Rachael Rowe

Jo Moss recently moved to Bagber. Her son has complex special needs and finds sudden change hard to process. Jo explained: “We had to constantly explain why nothing was working to him. If we go away, for example, he needs processing time to deal with a new situation. With the power outage, we kept being told the electricity would be back on at 11pm, and then it wasn’t. Explaining that to my son was hard.”

Leaving wasn’t an option

Although Bagber isn’t that far from Sturminster Newton, which had power, there were various reasons why the residents didn’t leave. “People have pets and livestock,” Melissa explained. “Although we did eat out on some evenings, it was hard for others. One household is a family of eight, with five children, so eating out each evening would have been really expensive.”
It was a similar situation for Jo Moss: “They suggested we stay with friends or relatives. But my nearest ones are a 60-mile round trip away. It’s not that easy.”

Community support

Local businesses were very supportive. “Dikes (Stalbridge’s independent supermarket) did a home delivery within two hours of my electricity coming back on,” said Jo, “And Thyme after Thyme were fantastic. They gave me a free cup of tea and let me charge my phone.”

No communication

But why was messaging from a utility company so inconsistent? And why did it take the intervention of the BV magazine and MP Simon Hoare to get anything fixed? The residents understand there are larger communities and that electricity can and is lost in storms. They also recognise that teams from SSEN were working flat out to restore services.

What they weren’t anticipating was the inconsistent communication and being unable to communicate with a human being. If anything could be improved to cope in a future scenario, the Bagber residents agree that communication is top of the list.

*Poet William Barnes was born in Bagber in 1801*: Image Rachael Rowe

The six-day Bagber power outage would have tested tolerance levels for most of us. But it also reveals the diverse needs of people in rural areas, and why consistent communication is essential. Rural communities have businesses and vulnerable people with special needs just like anywhere else. In an age where technology has transformed how we live and work, there is still a need for accurate and consistent communication, preferably from a human being.

by: Rachael Rowe

Team / Office Administrator – Salisbury Office | Strutt & Parker

By

Editorial team

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7 March 2022

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Residential

The role

We are looking for a property administrator for our Salisbury office. The candidate will be an excellent team player with solid organisational and communication skills, both verbal and written. They will demonstrate the ability to work under pressure, a willingness to learn and an excellent telephone manner.

The candidate will have previous experience of working in a fast-paced environment and be able to provide a high level of service to clients. Self-motivated with the ability to demonstrate reliability and flexibility is essential, as well as being comfortable and capable of working as part of a team. This is a full-time role (including 1 in every 5 Saturdays) which involves supporting the sales team and includes day-to-day contact with our clients and potential buyers, matching buyers to properties and booking and undertaking some viewings.

Key deliverables

Registration of new buyers.
Preparation of property brochures.
Coordinating marketing and advertising locally and with nearby offices.
Management of the KYC and anti-money laundering processes as required by the Group, liaising with the internal on-boarding and compliance teams where necessary.
Management of the invoicing process for the team.
Assist with invoicing and debt collection ensuring that invoices are paid in a timely manner and debt is kept to a minimum.
Keeping window cards/brochure displays/office systems up-to-date.
Liaising with potential buyers and arranging viewings/managing diaries.
Maintaining client files and the Residential client database.
Where required establish and maintain trusted relationships with our clients to facilitate and accelerate the on-boarding processes.
Implement strategies for continuous improvement of business processes and increased efficiency.
Any other ad-hoc administrative duties as required by the team.

Person specification

Ability to prioritise and co-ordinate tasks efficiently ensuring all deadlines are met.
Ability to convey a high level of attention to detail.
Demonstrable experience of supporting a team of professional fee earners.
Excellent IT skills (Word, Excel, MS Outlook) and experience of using KYC systems or similar.
A strong communicator, both verbally and in writing with experience of customer service.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels.
Punctual and flexible in relation to working hours and duties.
Prior experience of interpreting policies and procedures associated with AML regulations.
Experience of undertaking client due diligence, including completing independent searches and sanction checks.
Takes a proactive approach to administration, ensuring that where possible, efficiencies in processes are made.
Maintains a positive attitude towards routine tasks.
Accurate and exceptional attention to detail.
Understands and appreciates the importance of using discretion when dealing with sensitive information.
An interest in working real estate/estate agency environment.

To Apply for this role Click the link – https://bit.ly/SandPAdmin

BNP Paribas Real Estate is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status.

BNP Paribas Real Estate is proud to be an inclusive employer, as recognised by our RICS Inclusive Employer status and membership to Stonewalls Diversity Champion Programme.

Letters to the BV Editor March 2022

By

Editorial team

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6 March 2022

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On Mr Loder & the sea eagle
I, like so many others, was shocked and appalled by our MP Chris Loder’s comments on social media around the death of the Sea Eagle this month. I am staggered that a man so connected to a rural community, who has until this month made such a name for himself as an advocate of animal welfare, could be so astonishingly ill-informed.
The original comment – basically that he would not support the police using time and resources investigating the killing of unwanted birds of prey instead of drug crime – was badly done, and contained a number of factual errors.
The drugs team is entirely unrelated to the wildlife protection team, and the birds were not ‘introduced’ to Dorset, they flew here of their own volition from the Isle of White.
Are politicans now to choose which crimes are to be investigated? Can the police not do both? Should the Dorset Police Rural Wildlife & Heritage Crime Team be disbanded then?
And if there are not resources to do both, then surely that is his failing as our local representative to ensure the police are properly funded to do so?
Mr Loder then compounded his error by seemingly supporting his case by sharing an article from The Scotsman, in which the only unbiased facts seemed to be from the RSPB
“What’s being said about [sea eagles] attacking livestock is inflammatory and people are basing their opinions on what they perceive to be the case rather than reality.”
Commissioned Report 370 on Sea Eagle Predation on lambs in the Gairloch area was commissioned after farmers and crofters complained of high lamb mortality.
Within the study area in the radio-tagged flocks, no lambs (including both tagged and non tagged lambs) were taken by white tailed eagles.
Surely local sheep farmers have more trouble with uncontrolled off-lead dogs than they do with birds of prey?
Mr Loder appears to have upset the rural police, many wildlife organisations (Mr Packham was one of many outspoken in his disapproval), farmers, and he sadly made the national press with his ill-informed views. His suggestion that local residents may be concerned for the safety of their domestic pets is frankly alarmist.
I congratulate Dorset Councillors Laura Miller and Byron Quayle for publicly reprimanding him for his comments. Perhaps it’s time the Conservatives need to reconsider who is representing this nature-bound, agriculturally-important constituency?
Dr Charles Mathews, nr Sherborne
(there was also a heated discussion on Facebook here around Mr Loder’s comments)

Sherborne’s CCTV
I was disappointed to read a statement from Sherborne Town Council following their meeting on February 21st indicating once again that CCTV would not be supported in the town. In a town with barely any Police presence and increasing crime and antisocial behaviour, residents and business owners are now being forced to spend hundreds of pounds installing their own CCTV to protect themselves and their businesses.
The Town Council quote a figure of £130,000 for six cameras. I find this sum ludicrous. Just recently it was reported that sixty CCTV cameras are being setup along the French coast at a coast of £170,000, all with live 24hr feed.
Surely, as a bare minimum working practice, at least three quotes should be obtained before spending public money?
Of course, all of us would rather we had more Police on the streets but that simply isn’t going to happen any time soon and in the meantime I and others are no longer able to walk home alone after dark for fear of attack. Not only would CCTV help to deter and convict criminals but it can also be used to trace missing persons, important in a town with a high population of young and elderly people.
Mary Carr, Sherborne

Stur’s Little Mermaid Panto
I had to write and commend the SNADS group for the Little Mermaid production – specifically for the special ‘relaxed’ performance. We attended with my daughter, who is autistic, and it was utterly wonderful. It was admittedly chaotic, loud and frankly rather mad with an entire audience of ‘free thinkers’ enjoying the liberation of responding how they chose. It was brilliant to see so many who are often excluded from live theatre deeply enjoying the show. Above all it showed the amazing professionalism of the cast – no matter what was going on out in the seats, the show went on with gusto.
Bravo, SNADS – and thank you.
Jenny G, by email

On Noc’s Dorset Island Discs
Thank you BV for shining a spotlight on our amazing local councillor Nocturin Lacey-Clark. I have always respected and admired his integrity and his unstinting work and support for our community. But I never really knew ‘the man’ rather than ‘the councillor’. What an inspiring story, and such an asset for our town.
Mary White, Blandford

What a terrific selection of tracks that Nocturin Lacey-Clarke selected. I have to admit, I never expected to see Korn or Talking Heads featured in a rural Dorset magazine – but it’s all the richer for it! Fascinating inisght into the Blandford councillor, too – I get the feeling the town are lucky to have him representing them.
Martin Grey, Verwood

How brilliant it is to have the ability to hear the music being talked about in your Dorset Island Discs!
I do love the way you include videos in your pages – where they are pertinent and helpful – and it works especially well when reading about music you do not know or cannot place.
I would expect the original ‘Desert Island Discs’ radio format to lose something without the ability to listen too, but I am enjoying the new series immensely!
Iris Altrincham, Wimborne

Access to cash
Which? Magazine recently asked readers to write to their local paper to support their campaign to highlight the impact of lost access to cash in their community. The two following are representative of the letters we received, all of which began “I’m concerned about my ability to access cash in my local community….”

The number of free cashpoint machines has decreased in Blandford, which is 6 miles from where we live.
Tescos is the most convenient for us, but they have recently reduced from two to one – and that is sometimes temporarily closed. Lloyds Bank is the nearest alternative.
We still need to pay cash for certain items such the newspaper, as well as others who help us with occasional shopping etc.
James Hamilton-Brown, email

I am disabled and can no longer drive, so having cash in my purse is crucial in my local rural community or if I am taken out by some kind soul.
I am also concerned about the ability of criminals being able to knock on the door and demain my card and card number.
In a rural and sparsely habited situation I need to feel secure – and a bit of cash in my pocket can be very reassuring.
Paula Andrews, by email

From Facebook this month:
Our most-commented post on Facebook this month was on last month’s story that the increase in second homes combined with rocketing property prices mean tough decisions must be made for planners wanting to house modestly-paid key workers. The Leader of Dorset Council, Spencer Flower, has instigated a radical proposal, potentially looking at an entire new town:

“I think it would better if a proportion of houses being built around current towns such as Wimborne and Blandford were actually sold at a price people on low incomes or single salaries could afford to buy. More affordable housing is needed even if that included housing such as tiny houses or sustainably built out of wood etc.”
Anne Biggs

Time to take a look at renovating the decaying buildings in town centres and sadly neglected buildings with very very greedy owners just sitting on them. Turn them into realistic affordable/ starter homes/ single person homes for working class local people.
Susan Colings

What about all the existing developments being built? Why are they not affordable for local people? We already have another town built in west Dorset, Poundbury. Why are they not affordable houses for local people?
Andy Angler

“The council don’t want to pay anymore for low paid jobs – however the people doing them can no longer afford to live in Dorset – so they are losing their minimum wage labour. They have to be housed somewhere because otherwise the council will go bust trying to afford to pay Teaching Assistants, Admin Assistants, Care Workers, Cleaners etc. all those people saying no thank you! You have kids right? You are going to get old? You will at some point need someone being paid minimum wage. Where is fitting to live for those people doing those jobs? A tent? Remember – those people kept the country going.”
Mary Seer

Garden jobs for March | 2022

By

Editorial team

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6 March 2022

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Don’t rush to buy tender plants from garden centres until the spring frost is over, warns Sherborne gardener Pete Harcom.

The clocks will go forward on 20th March – spring is finally here! March can be a cold month though – it could be late April or even May before night time frosts are over.

By far the most effective tactic in the war against slugs lies in enrolling their natural enemies: the birds, frogs, toads and other animals that will happily devour slugs as a tasty tidbit. Make a home for slug-eating wildlife and you’ll see populations of this arch nemesis plummet accordingly. Ponds support more wildlife than any other garden feature. The simplest ponds are made from little more than a sunken tub, bucket, or even an old kitchen sink. Dig a hole for your container then sink it into the ground so the rim lies at ground level. Add some sand or clean gravel to the base of the container for pond- dwelling insects. Now pile some stones in one corner of the miniature pond to help frogs and toads clamber up and out. Finally, lower a couple of pond plants into the water. If possible, fill your new pond with rainwater.

Tips for your summer preparation

Annual flowers can now be sown (from March onwards). Rake soil to a fine tilth on a dry
day. Watch the weather forecasts for frosty nights and protect if necessary with cloches or horticultural fleece or net curtaining.
Be careful – whilst the garden centres have huge displays of annuals and bedding plants at this time of year, it may be best to wait until late March before you purchase too many tender plants (eg fuchsias and pelargoniums) unless you have good frost protection such as cloches or a cold greenhouse.
There is still time to lift and divide large clumps of border perennials and take basal cuttings.
Keep an eye on weeds and take them out with a hoe or similar. Then cover all bare soil patches and around shrubs with a good thick layer of mulch or garden compost.
March is the last chance to plant bare rooted trees and shrubs. Now the soil is warming up, shrubs will soon begin to grow and get established.
Mow lawns carefully now, as soon as weather permits, and re-seed any bare patches in the lawn.

What you should be pruning

This is the traditional time to prune bush and shrub roses. Prune bush roses hard – they can take it! Cut back Cornus (dogwood) for more colourful stems next year.

Garden wildlife

Slug pellets are a real problem for hedgehogs and frogs – they eat the snails and slugs that have been killed by the slug pellets. Try alternative slug and snail killers such as crushed egg shells around your special plants, or try creating a wildlife pond – this will encourage wildlife in general, but particularly frogs, birds, slowworms and beetles, and these all help to keep slug/snail populations down.
Hedgehogs will be emerging from hibernation around now.
If you can, try to clean up the inside of any bird nest boxes before the garden birds start exploring!

by Pete Harcom at Sherton Abbas Gardening

How a local businessman has helped people in North Dorset for over 400 years.

By

Editorial team

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6 March 2022

1

Thousands have been helped by the William Williams Trust – and yet very few seem to even know it exists to help them. Rachael Rowe spoke to the Trustees of the 400 year old charitable Trust.

The Trust was originally to be used to fund annual apprenticeships for two boys. These were chosen annually, in rotation from the three towns. They were given maritime apprenticeships and two sets of clothing. They were either apprenticed to a seafaring vessel or to a shipwright

“I wonder what William Williams would have thought if he had known his trust fund would still be around 400 years later.” Helen Lacey is a trustee of the Charity of William Williams, and explained how the actions of one Blackmore Vale businessman have supported thousands of people in Shaftesbury, Blandford Forum and Sturminster Newton. And yet, how many of us have heard of the Charity of William Williams?

Who Was William Williams?

We actually know very little about William Williams. He lived in the 16th and early 17th centuries, but all records were destroyed in the 1731 Great Fire of Blandford. The loose knowledge we have is that William Williams was a businessman who traded in cloth between the three towns of Blandford, Sturminster Newton and Shaftesbury (these three towns are linked to the charitable Trust and funding allocations). All we really know about him is what is in his will. He died sometime between 1621 and 1623, during the reign of James I. Helen poignantly added: “We don’t even know where he is buried.” Another trustee who has researched the history, Joe Rose, tells me: “William Williams built up a fortune by trading cloth with America. He was one of the first to do so. His will shows he gave four trustees instructions to use £750 and invest it in property and land. One of the trustees was the MP, Sir Thomas Freke, indicating William Williams was well connected.”

How the Trust was Formed

William William’s Will stipulated that money in the Trust was to be used to fund annual apprenticeships for two boys. These were chosen annually, in rotation from the three towns. They were given maritime apprenticeships and two sets of clothing. They were either apprenticed to a seafaring vessel or to a shipwright. After two years, the Trust paid for the apprentices to work within the three towns for a further two years.

What does the charity fund do today?

The Charity of William Williams operates on the same 1621 footprint today, using the ancient geographical boundaries of Shaftesbury, Sturminster Newton, and Blandford Forum of 400 years ago (if you plan to apply and aren’t sure whether you live within the boundary, there’s a checklist on the Trust website).

Today, boys are no longer sent up the rigging. Instead, the Charity of William Williams awards grants to support further education, such as assistance with university fees, apprenticeships, or transport costs to places like Kingston Maurward for agricultural courses. They also provide funding for tools for apprenticeships and training. As Joe explained: “If you are an apprentice mechanic, your tools are going to be very expensive.”

Mature students are also eligible to apply for funding. Trustees work closely with local schools; during the pandemic, the Charity of William Williams supplied schools with laptops.

Another clause in the Will of William Williams enables the trustees to help in incidences of hardship. Jo outlined an example where a local family had been able to get an oven replaced.

*When William Williams created his Trust, James I sat on the throne of England*

A multi-million fund

In 1621, £3000 was invested (roughly £867,000 in 2021), which returned an annual income of £140. Today, the charity has assets worth around £9million, producing income used to award grants – that’s a significant reason you won’t see major fundraising campaigns locally.
The charity manages the property and investments used to award grants. Chair of the Trustees, Robert Cowley, outlined recent spending:

“We made a total of 173 grants last year. That included 85 educational grants worth £121,500. However, educational and general ‘relief of need’ grants were down 25% from previous years. We have to assume this is because of the pandemic, but how that will have impacted on our grant-giving is complex.” Robert also explained the role of trustees: “The trustees feel privileged to have the care of such a power for good in the three old parishes. Our assets still include some of the properties given by William Williams nearly 400 years ago, and they are still providing a resource for those in need of the assistance he offered.”
I’m wondering what led this local businessman to create this opportunity in the first place. Joe has a view: “I like to think that someone gave him a chance in life to achieve something. And I think that’s what made him feel morally obliged to repay the debt.”

The trustees believe many local people could be eligible for a grant and want to raise awareness of the opportunity. If you plan to find out more about the William Williams Trust and see whether you could be eligible for funding details are on the website.

“The object of the Charity is to apply income received to relieve either generally, or individually, persons resident in the area of benefit (being the ancient parishes of Blandford, Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton) who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress. In addition, to assist persons in or entering any trade or profession.”

by: Rachael Rowe