Wide and easy Tarrant Valley Circular 11.5 (OR 6.5!) miles | Dorset Walks

By

-

10 May 2021

This full day hike can easily be chopped down to 6.5 miles with a simple shortcut.

This is a fabulous day’s walk, a really easy going route with lots of wide views interspersed with beautiful woodland. We first walked it in late spring, enjoying the carpets of celandines, bluebells and wood anemones all around the route.

The Tarrant Valley circular route follows mostly along wide bridleways or farm tracks, with very little in the way of map reading required. Out of the woodlands the route enjoys expansive views on open chalk downland – on a sunny summer’s day this route will get HOT, so do take plenty of water!

To follow this route using the Outdooractive App, please find the route here.

For a shorter 6.5 mile alternative route, simply use the Jubilee Trail from Handcock’s Bottom to Tarrant Gunville, and then turn left to follow the path parallel to the road towards Stubhampton.

Tarrant Valley Circular Walk — Celandined lined path walking through Hinton Bushes.

You’ll note that there’s an extra leg which doesn’t make much sense across Chettle common; this is added in purely because I love this small section of the common. Feel free to keep to the main track (but I strongly recommend the detour simply to say hello to the ancient trees).

As expected for a BV Dorset walk, you can expect to not see anyone along most of the route, though the couple of miles nearest the back of Blandford Camp across Pimperne Long Barrow were moderately busy on a sunny Sunday.
Harbins Park Estate are doing some great work re-wilding the estate: it’s a hive of activity as they clearly have a major plan of re-installing hedgerows, deciduous forest and wildlife corridors. In the summer the farm is a joy of wildflowers, making up for the current forest of plastic pipes as the new deciduous woodland plantation gets a foothold.

I know I’m not alone in loving a giant oak standing proudly in its field, am I? This one is to your right as you leave Hinton Bushes, and approach the Jubilee Trail.

The wide valley view appears behind you as you walk up from Pimperne Barrow

The view to the left of the path in Handcocks Bottom, the dense carpet of celandines disappearing from view.

Bluebells and celandines line the enchanting Handcock’s Bottom path

All the Dorset Walks we feature have been created and walked recently by ourselves, so you know you can trust them – we aim for unpopulated routes with as little road and as many views as possible! You can always see the route and follow it yourself via the free Outdoor Active app – see all our routes here.

SALISBURY’s City Encounters festival

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

0

SALISBURY’s City Encounters festival returns for the May bank holiday weekend, 29th to 31st May, with open air circus performances, dance, theatre, comedy and music in the Guildhall and Market Squares, Salisbury Cathedral Close and the grounds of Salisbury Arts Centre.

From hip-hop to playful puppetry, from physical theatre to contemporary dance, there is something for all tastes and ages as some of the country’s most adventurous and inspiring performers come to Salisbury. The programme has been created by Wiltshire Creative and supported by Without Walls to bring together up-and-coming companies, established street artists and those making their first foray into creating work for the public space.

The performers include twin sisters Kristina and Sade of Alleyne Dance, in their new work, Bonded, which uses abstract narrative, West African dance, circus skills and athleticism; Black Victorians, a dance piece inspired by the discovery of hundreds of portraits of black people from Victorian England; Altered States with The Invisible Man, inspired by HG Wells’ famous novel, to raise awareness of issues including d/Deafness, homelessness and ageing; Pif-Paf with TOAST, a growing, communal celebration of food, song, story, dance and fire performed around a mobile kitchen cart; and Nikki Charlesworth’s What Happened to You? with three raggedy puppets and real-life stories to highlight the importance of access and inclusion.

All events are free, but social distancing means that numbers are limited and tickets must be booked – www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk

Fanny Charles

The FTR

Live performance round up – what’s on in May 2021

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

0

From Monday 17th May, public performances with audiences are permitted again, and venues across the region are preparing for the excited, if still socially distanced, audiences. Our region is welcoming more open air theatre companies than ever before during the summer months. Look out for full details.

Here are some highlights, and remember that limited audience numbers will mean they will sell out quickly.

Bath Festival, this year from 17th to 24th May with an August finale and an October encore (Patti Smith), has the Gesualdo Six in the Roman baths, Bridgerton walking tours of the city, Richard Osman and the Complete Beethoven Quartets among a full programme.

Wimborne’s Tivoli reopens with a visit by comedian Simon Evans in The Work of the Devil, the ever-popular Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, and Jack and the Beanstalk in June, all before our next edition on 4th June.

Poole’s Lighthouse has moved big films into the larger theatre space, and starts with The Greatest Showman on 22nd May. There is a Comedy Club 4 Kids at the new outdoor amphitheatre next to the main building.

Yeovil’s Octagon has an excitingly full programme, starting with a visit from the Grimethorpe Colliery Band on 22nd May, and continuing with Austentatious – the improvised Jane Austen novel . Lesley Garrett will be in Yeovil for an evening of song, reminiscences and chat on 6th June.

Ralph Fiennes brings the world premiere of his new show TS Eliot’s Four Quartets, to Bath Theatre Royal from 25th May.

The Gaggle of Geese at Buckland Newton hosts a visit from Luke Wright in The Ballad Seller on 30th May

Big open air tours are getting started, with Illyria’s The Further Adventures of Dr Doolittle at the ECOS Amphitheatre at Frome Merlin on 2nd June, and the wonderful Lord Chamberlain’s Men at Salisbury Cathedral Close with Macbeth on 4th and 5th June.

Book soon, wrap up warm, and enjoy a summer of live performances again.

By Gay Pirrie-Weir

The FTR

Uncovering Deepest Dorset and Wiltshire

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

0

As part of Dorset Libraries’ celebrations for Local and Community History Month, you are invited to join journalists Fanny Charles and Gay Pirrie-Weir in a live online event.

Fanny Charles & Gay Pirrie-Weir Presenting £1,000’s woth of camera and audio equipment to the Lyme Regis RNLI Lifeboat – part of the proceeds of Deepest Dorset.

Fanny and Gay will be talking about Deepest Dorset, the book that delves into the local history, landscape and places that

inspire – and which has raised over £60,000 for local charities to date. The success of the book led to Deepest Wiltshire,

published in 2019, with a further book, Deepest Somerset currently planned.

Find out about their mission to create a book that showcased Dorset from a different and varied perspective and hear about the latest research

for their new book Deepest Somerset and the impact that the pandemic has had on research and interviews, and on sales of published books.

Wed, 12 May, 4-5pm.

Book your FREE place now!

Specialist Plant Fair at Yarlington House

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

1

On Saturday 22nd May from 10am to 4pm, by kind invitation of Count and Countess Charles de Salis, Yarlington House will host a specialist plant fair.

Always a great day out for any plant lover, from novice gardener to plantaholics looking for more treasures. There will be an opportunity to buy plants from specialist dealers from all over the South West at the twenty stalls – Amongst them you will find organic vegetables, cheery summer colour, plants for cut flowers, wildlife and shady areas; plants for every nook and corner of your garden!

All amazing quality, great value for money and expert advice if you need it.

The entrance ticket includes admission to the beautiful flower garden and walled kitchen garden, not normally open to the public.

Perfect for inspiration for your own garden!

Many of the plants will be on sale in the plant fair – including a stand with plants grown and propagated by Yarlingtons head gardener.

ENTRANCE £5 (under 16s free) Please bring exact money.

Covid Track and Trace Compliant Event

For further information please ring Carolyn de Salis

01963 440344

Proceeds to St Mary’s Church Yarlington and Yarlington Village Hall

Gold Hill Fair relaunched as Gold Hill Festival Sunday 4th July 2021, Barton Hill Shaftesbury

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

1

Following a year of uncertainty, together with cancellations of public events such as Gold Hill Fair 2020. Shaftesbury Rotary Club have decided to look ahead with optimism. The Gold Hill Fair will be relaunched as Gold Hill Festival and will be sponsored by Western Marquees. Shaftesbury Rotary Club are very excited by this year’s event, as it will give residents of Shaftesbury a chance to have some fun.

Taking into consideration COVID restrictions, it was decided that Park Walk would not be possible as a venue. Shaftesbury Rotary Club approached the Town Council who kindly agreed to the use of Barton Hill Recreation Park, a more spacious and usable space.

The hope is to be celebrating the end of lockdown and the legal requirement to socially distance, of course, but the committee have to plan for less favourable possibilities so holding the event on the Barton Hill field allows for social distancing and for the oprganisers to control numbers if the regulations at the time require this.

But …. they aim to bring back an even bigger range of music, dance, refreshments, trade stalls and community events. Keep up with developments of the event on the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Goldhillfair

With The Fringe not taking place until the Bank Holiday Weekend in August, Gold Hill Festival will operate as a standalone event. There will be the usual stall holders around the field, with street food outlets and a central stage and music throughout the day, including the first ‘Shaftesbury’s Got Talent’.

“Entry will be free; we want you to come and enjoy the day and have fun! If you have a particular talent and would like to take part then please let us know. We want all local organisations to be involved.”

We are very lucky this year to have a sponsor, Western Marquees, who are very kindly donating the Marquee, Stage and Generator for the event.

If you would like to take part or even get involved, then please email us at: –
[email protected]

Salisbury Live 2021

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

0

The small but perfectly formed Salisbury Live 2021 will take place on July 3^rd, 9^th and 10^th July.

The Lift Off! Launch will take place at Salisbury Rugby Club on Saturday July 3^rd and will feature 2 stages, headlined by Europe’s top Oasis tribute act, Oasis Maybe. Also on the bill; one of Salisbury’s favourite covers band, The Zucchinis, raucous punk/new wave covers band, Double J & the Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle and the brilliant Evolution Choir. We will also feature some of our very talented up and coming young artists, Signature Vision and Home from the Unknown will be complimented by a showcase courtesy of the fantastic Sound Emporium.

Gates are 3pm-10pm with licensed bars and delicious food outlets onsite.

Please note: Due to the Corona Virus we will be airing on the side of caution and limiting the capacity to 1500.

Tickets are £5 each with under 10’s FREE (accompanied by an adult).

Tickets are on sale from Monday May 17^th (online only) from SKIDDLE.COM.

Friday July 9^th we have a scaled down Salisbury Live in the Square running from 5pm-10pm, Free entry. The line-up will be announced soon (you will not be disappointed!!)’

Saturday July 10^th its back to the traditional Salisbury Live we know and love with participating pubs and clubs around the city all featuring the best in live music

More details regarding Salisbury Live 2021 to follow

Old Stone Crosses | Then and Now

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

0

The tiny parish of Todber (population 140) doesn’t have too many claims to fame but it does have something unique in Dorset – the county’s oldest stone cross.

The cross’s history is not straightforward, though, as revealed by Alfred Pope in The Old Stone Crosses of Dorset, published in 1906.

Pope includes a photograph of the complete cross standing proudly in the churchyard.

He explains that the shaft actually comprised two sculpted stones that were discovered in the churchyard by a former Rector of Stour Provost with Todber ‘some years since’.

‘It may at one time have formed parts of a Saxon cross and have been cut by Saxon monks,’ he says.

‘The cross in its present form is quite modern, having been made up and placed in its present position in 1889.’

Dr Colley March, an expert on Runic and Saxon sculpted designs, told Pope that the two fragments were ‘of early date, perhaps even of the eighth century, and that without doubt the carving represents the “true vine” that is Christ’.

The stump of the cross at Tarrant Crawford in 1906 and the restored version today

Runic crosses are relatively common in Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland but Pope was unable to find another of this type in Dorset.

‘In the lower fragment one sees a repeated cross with vineal coils, and within the coils a vine leaf is discernible,’ he writes.

‘The upper fragment is of the same type and may have come from the side of the same cross, the reversing spiral being treated in the usual manner, as a vine.’

Today Todber’s cross is in two pieces once again. The cross itself and the top part of the shaft stand shyly against the church wall.

At the request of Dorset’s archaeological department, the more substantial lower sections have been inside the church since 1983 to protect the inscription from weathering.

Before being moved, specialist stonemasons were employed to clean the Saxon stones and insert suitable modern stones to replace the Victorian cement that was used to hold the pieces together in 1889.

Another cross that has rung the changes is at Crawford Cross between Tarrant Crawford and Spetisbury.

When Pope photographed it 115 years ago, only the socket-stone base and the bottom 22 inches of the ‘once handsome square shaft’ remained.

‘The stones are much worn from children climbing over them,’ he adds.

Today the roadside cross is back to its former glory.

An inscription tells us it was restored and set on a new plinth ‘by many friends of Tarrant Crawford’ in 1914.

Roger Guttridge

Friends of Guys Marsh Struggles as charity is not pink and fluffy

By

Editorial team

-

10 May 2021

2

HELPING ON THE INSIDE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON THE OUTSIDE

A Dorset charity is struggling to get noticed because, in the words of its Vice Chair, “it’s not pink and fluffy”. Friends of Guys Marsh, (FOGM), is appealing for volunteers to help support prisoners at HMP Guys Marsh, near Shaftesbury, to improve their chances of going straight on the outside.

FOGM works closely with the category C training prison, regarded as one of best in the south west for rehabilitating prisoners and reducing reoffending. The charity was started in 2004, brainchild of Roberta (Bobbie) Primrose from Marnhull, now in her 80’s, who has just stepped down from an active role.

Vice Chair Steve Penson explains: “These men are inside for a good reason – we never deny that. But for many, a prison sentence really starts when they get out. Ex-offenders often have nowhere to go when they’ve done their time. They leave hopeless and homeless, returning to the cycle that sees them end up in prison again. That’s no good for them, our community or the taxpayer.”

The average annual cost per prisoner is £32,215 and the re-offending rate is shockingly expensive – an estimated £9-£13 billion each year.

FOGM supports prisoners who actively seek to change their lives, working with those who say : “I’ve made a massive mistake with my life. I want to change and make a difference when I get out of prison.”

Ex-offender Sobanan, who spent 18 months in Guys Marsh, recalls: “FOGM helped me see that I mattered as a prisoner; that people existed who wanted to give back to those who wouldn’t be able to do anything for them. They contributed compassion and a positive environment in a harsh place.”

FOGM support the prison with many initiatives. During the height of the pandemic, prisoners wanted to make scrubs but there was only one old sewing machine between 400 men. After an appeal via FOGM’s network, 25 sewing machines were donated. PPE was supplied to NHS Trusts and a contract was awarded from Yeovil hospital. “The men felt they were helping their families on the outside,” says Steve Penson. The prison has now set up a textile workshop so prisoners can be tutored in a new life skill.

The prison has an aptly called Jail House Café, where prisoners gain catering qualifications. Woodworking skills are taught and picnic tables and bird boxes are sold at local country shows with profits going to support FOGM’s work.

Lockdown has literally meant just that for Guys Mash inmates – sometimes 23 hours in a cell. To alleviate boredom and connect with home, FOGM funded exotic backdrops for fun selfies. These were made into postcards home – much nicer for children to see their dads in a beach scene rather than against a prison wall.

At time of writing, prison visits are still on pandemic hold. Family support is the crux of rehabilitation. FOGM have funded a play-worker who looks after children when families can visit. Books written by children with parents in prison have been bought so visiting children understand they’re not alone in having a dad in prison.

FOGM treasurer Ann Davis-Penson “If we can keep the family nucleus together, there’s a strong possibility that a man won’t reoffend.”

And when the prisoners leave? Ann Davis-Penson explains: “Prisoners can leave in the very clothes they came in wearing. Standing on Gillingham station in a pair of pyjamas and your belongings in a bin bag doesn’t inspire a new start, so we fund clothing. Trousers and shoes that fit go a long way in giving back some dignity. We also provide a leaver’s bag with a month’s supply of toiletries.”

Tracy Harrison, prison Head of Reducing Reoffending & Drug Strategy, believes FOGM really makes a difference: “FOGM is dedicated to providing support through the gate, encouraging men to reduce reoffending by offering employment and resettlement support. They’ve helped to reduce stress and boredom during the pandemic restrictions through in-cell activities such as juggling and providing Dragon’s Den style business packs to motivate men to consider their future.”

For some, future on the outside is rosier thanks to FOGM. Success stories include an ex-offender who now works for Channel 4 after learning film-making whilst inside. A 15-year timer is now a yoga instructor and one has been approached by the Ministry of Justice to advise on prison rehabilitation.

You can join FOGM with an annual donation of £10 or by volunteering. Steve Penson: “Small things really make a difference. Even if you can only spare a few hours to make tea for prison visitors, we’d love to hear from you. [email protected]

By: Tracie Beardsley