Chris Wald gives BV readers a peek behind the racetrack and into the early starts of a full-on, fast-moving life on a busy National Hunt yard
All images Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
March was another successful month: we passed 60 winners for the season and also reached our target of £1million in prize money. We were blessed with some lovely spring weather for the Cheltenham Festival this year and it was great to share it with so many of our owners. As usual, starting every day with drinks at the back of Joe’s car in the car park which is a great way of getting everyone together before the days racing. On the track, the highlight for us came on the Tuesday when The Changing Man and Rock My Way both finished fine seconds in their respective races. A second at the Cheltenham Festival is a great achievement and was celebrated as such! The month ended with a double at Wincanton and a memorable day for one of the Amateur riders in the yard – Richard Upton rode his first winner on Off To A Flyer. That night we had our end of season staff party at Tamburinos in Sherborne, a well-earned chance for our hard-working team to let their hair down after a long season!
images Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
images Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
images Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Life on the yard We’re a busy racing yard, currently with around 90 horses in training, six broodmares and a growing number of homebred youngstock. As a predominantly National Hunt yard, our busiest period runs from October through to the end of April, when the season is in full swing. Come May and June, most of the horses are turned out to grass – it’s also when the team takes the bulk of their holidays. The yard is led by me – I’m the Assistant Trainer – alongside barn managers Jemma Sargent and Hameer Singh. Together, we work closely with Joe to ensure the yard runs smoothly and the horses are doing the right work at the right time. We tend to arrive slightly earlier than the rest of the team so we can plan the day before everyone else gets in for the 7am start. We have a 25-strong team, with some staff working purely on the yard and others riding five lots each morning. Mornings are always our busiest time – especially when there are owners visiting, the yard becomes a real hive of activity. We finish at 1pm and then return from 3 to 5pm for evening stables, when the horses are skipped out, fed, watered and brushed. During the season, we’ll be racing at at least one meeting on most days. Richie Young, our travelling head lad, has been doing the job for around 16 years – it’s fair to say he knows his way to almost every racecourse in the UK by now! Reggie Eggleton has been our second travelling person for the past three seasons, and takes care of the rest of the driving. For most of the team, going racing and watching the horses we work with every day perform on the track is a real highlight. It’s also a great way to meet new people – there’s a strong social side to it too. Working in racing is full-on, especially through the winter months. It can be both physically and mentally demanding. But the rewards when things go well are huge – and the friendships and way of life it brings are like nothing else.
images Courtenay Hitchcock The BVimages Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
After two decades on the government benches, MP Simon Hoare’s new role in opposition shows him Labour’s alarming lack of preparedness for power
Simon Hoare MP
The General Election result of 2024 created a new environment not just for our country but also for me. Since serving in elected office as either a district or county councillor or as your Member of Parliament (2004 – to date), I have only sat on the majority/government benches. This parliament is my first time in opposition. Of course, the day job of representing my constituents remains the same irrespective of which side of the House I sit. The role of government – to govern and make laws – is a clear one. But what is the job of opposition? In essence, I see it as being two-fold. The first job of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is to oppose the Government. That does not mean opposition for opposition’s sake, but opposing authentically and constructively where there are real bones of contention and dividing lines (this government has already provided us with plenty, and looks to be the gift that keeps on giving). It also means standing shoulder to shoulder with the Government of the day on issues of national security – Mr Corbyn learned the electoral downside the hard way when he remained uncommitted following the Russian poisonings in Salisbury. However, the second and bigger job in opposition is to prepare policies that establish you as a ‘government in waiting’, with a deliverable programme umbrella-ed by a clear overarching objective, and a philosophical bedrock focussed on making positive change. That takes hard slog – and timing is key. Launch an excellent policy too early and the Government pinches it. Launch a not-too-excellent policy and it is torn to shreds while simultaneously further undermining your standing in the eyes of the voter. But whatever the timing or external circumstances, it is a job that cannot be ducked: it has to be done.
Safety net not straightjacket Which begs the question: what on earth was Labour doing, those 14 long years in opposition? They won the Government crown last year on a message of: ‘It’s time for change – we are not the Tories’. With every day that passes, it becomes increasingly clear that no indepth policy work was undertaken in opposition. In government they are all pie crust and precious little filling. A blend of incompetence, inexperience and inflexibility is producing a not very appealing cocktail – think toilet duck and pond water, laced with a little bile. Trumpian Tariff madness, a bonkers Chagos deal and the Chancellor’s ‘Doom and Gloom’ made what was already a very bad Reeves first budget a whole lot worse. Business confidence is on the slide, job creation in freefall and economic policy headroom obliterated by anti-business policy. So, into the crosshairs of the Chancellor comes the Welfare Budget. Now, don’t get me wrong. Welfare needs constant reform. It is not static. BUT the guiding principles of it are always that it is a safety net below which no one can fall (particularly those who cannot work) but NEVER a straightjacket from which one can never escape. Any welfare reform requires deep thinking, impact assessment and a clear destination vision … not so with this government, apparently. Instead we have seen a grab for the easy, low hanging fruit, with no prospectus for the grand vision. Cash has undoubtedly been saved, but the question is (and for this government it remains a rhetorical one) is it the right cash? Removing disabled benefits already being received is an … ahem ‘novel’ approach. What I cannot see is any strategy for breaking the cycle of inter-generational worklessness through choice, rather than necessity, or the sculpting of a coherent suite of policies to face into the new post-pandemic epidemic of worklessness. Instead, the Chancellor’s approach is the equivalent of a smash and grab raid – a Supermarket Sweep of the vulnerable, delivered without thought but merely ‘what can we save fastest’ as the prime motivator. I support the principle of welfare reform. I remain to be convinced as to Labour’s version in practice.
Pinewood Studios, the beating heart of UK cinema, is usually a closed-off and secretive place where movie magic is made. However, one sunny weekend in March, Gillingham School’s Media Department brought 30 students from Years 10 to 13 to the Pinewood Futures Festival – a careers fair showcasing the vast range of jobs and pathways into the movie business. They walked down Goldfinger Way, under the looming presence of the 007 soundstage, and were immediately greeted by intimidating Stormtroopers and Deadpool – behaving badly as usual. Students spoke with people involved in special effects, prop-making, drone and camera systems, and even got a peek inside movie trailers and makeup artist stations. They took part in lightsaber demonstrations, toured behind the scenes on TV show sets, and met representatives from media colleges and universities. They bustled about, chatting with stallholders, picking up information and freebies, and grabbing photo ops with robots and film characters. One of the teachers accompanying the students said ‘It was an incredible feeling to be let behind the curtain into the business that creates so much of the cinema we love. ‘Our students were in awe as they discovered the sheer range of careers available – not just creative or theatrical roles, but also jobs in project management, security, carpentry, electrics, catering, and even horticulture. The highlight of the day was an enchanted woodland glade, entirely constructed by talented horticultural set builders, where we met and had tea with the Mad Hatter. ‘It turns out the real magic of cinema lies not on the silver screen, but in the work of the army of individuals behind the scenes. The creative industries and media sector are growing rapidly, with opportunities for everyone, no matter their strengths or interests. At Gillingham School, we work hard to nurture those interests and help turn them into rewarding careers. ‘Next time I go to the cinema, I’ll be paying closer attention to the credits – and I have no doubt that one day soon, I’ll see one of our students’ names up there.’
Start your sunflowers, plant your dahlias and prep your baskets – Pete Harcom says April’s the time to get your garden growing again
April is the month to sow some sunflower seeds. Pete suggests looking oin seed catalogues for Suntastic Yellow, Saluna Bronze, or Gummy Bear or … Waooh
April … at last! The soil is slowly warming up, so now there is lots to do! Having said that, still watch out for frosts at night, and resist the temptation to sow and plant out too early. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and wait a few days if necessary. Remember to protect any early outdoor sowings with fleece if frost is warned. A cold greenhouse will be sufficiently warm enough now to start sowing seeds … get going with annuals and biennials like foxgloves, hollyhocks, nemesia, rudbeckia and French marigolds. Check your pots aren’t drying out: they can, even at this time of year. Also now’s the time to start increasing the watering of your house plants. Weather permitting, sow your sweet peas outdoors now at the base of their supports, and pinch out the tip of any sweet peas that are growing in the greenhouse or cold frame (and again as they grow outside) – this encourages more flowers. Sunflowers can be started now: sow direct on finely raked ground where they are to flower. Children love them, they are so easy to grow and there are now numerous very interesting lower-growing varieties – check out seed catalogues for ones such as Ruby Sunset, Astra Rose, Suntastic Yellow, Saluna Bronze. Or how about Gummy Bear or …Waooh (yes ‘Waooh’)! Sunflowers are good for cutting and great for pollinators, and they also provide autumn seeds for the birds. Remove faded flowers from spring bulbs, especially Daffodils, to stop them wasting energy on producing seed, and allow the leaves to die back naturally. Place support frames or pea sticks over tall growing perennials now, to encourage the new stems to be hidden from view as they grow. In mild areas Dahlia tubers can be planted out in April. The lawn will need attention from now on, including sowing fresh grass seed on any bare spots. Aerate the lawn by spiking with a lawn aerator or a garden fork – this can be done a few times per year. Primroses can be increased now by lifting and dividing – they are tough little plants and can easily be split up and spread around the garden. It’s a good month to make up your hanging baskets in a cold greenhouse. Use a large flowerpot to stand the basket in while you plant it up. When it’s done, either hang the basket up in the greenhouse or you can stand it on a pot for support, before hanging the basket up outside when danger of frosts are over.
GRADE 12 – Gross Salary £27,711 – £31,067 subject to qualifications and previous experience
We are seeking to appoint an outstanding safeguarding officer. The purpose of the role is to support the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) across the school in their work to promote a strong culture of safeguarding and to safeguard our young people.
The successful candidate will need:
• A commitment to the school’s ethos and values
• Relevant experience, knowledge and training in safeguarding
• Experience in undertaking safeguarding duties in a school/education or partner agency setting
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, and a commitment to the highest standards of record keeping
• The ability to listen and communicate effectively with a range of audiences including children, families, colleagues, schools and external multi-agency organisations
• The ability to carry out case management and investigative work
• A strong work ethic, high standards, a commitment to excellence and ongoing improvement, and a positive attitude to achieving goals
• Diplomacy, with a professional manner, and the ability to balance different priorities
• High levels of personal integrity, the highest standards of discretion, the ability to handle sensitive information with the utmost confidentiality and an excellent understanding of the principles of data protection and data management
• Confidence in the use of relevant IT systems and software
We welcome school visits, please email [email protected] to make an appointment.
Closing date Thursday 1st May, Shortlisting Friday 2nd May
Interviews Thursday 8th May
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 an online search for shortlisted candidates and the successful outcome of an enhanced DBS
No support, no clarity and no way forward as the plug is pulled on the Sustainable Farming Incentive, says George Hosford
Theo, the red Hereford bull,enjoyed the attention of a school visit on a sunny morning in February. ‘He loves having his head and neck rubbed, but you wouldn’t want to be the same side of the fence as him, he is too big and strong to trust’
Few English farmers will have missed the Government’s brutal and abrupt halting of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) (extended offer) 2024 version, pulled without warning at 6pm on Tuesday 11th March. For non-farming BV readers, it’s worth explaining the consequences of this decision. Following the 2024 autumn budget, DEFRA announced a drastic early cut to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), which was the long-standing EU-era subsidy. BPS enabled UK (and other EU) farmers to produce food at far below the true cost of production for very many years. After Brexit, the government of the day promised a land of milk and honey, proposing the use of public money to pay for public goods. Under the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), BPS would phase out by 2028, gradually replaced by support for sustainable farming practices – chiefly the SFI. In practice, that transition proved far from smooth. The NFU repeatedly asked for delays to the BPS wind-down due to SFI rollout delays: to no avail. The SFI pilot launched in 2022, and then as a fully functioning scheme in 2023. It worked, it paid out quarterly and quite a few farmers engaged with it. In late 2024, the SFI 2024 extended offer was launched with more than 100 options. But applications were wildly complicated, especially if you already had SFI 2023 options in place. In many cases, conflicting options had to be removed by the Rural Payments Agency before progress could be made. Even so, many farmers persevered.
Pulled the plug Then we had the budget and BPS was decapitated: a rumble of upset and worry was heard throughout English farming. Renowned Cumbrian shepherd and author James Rebanks said he believed that the progressive greener dream for UK farming had died. I have tried hard not to agree with him, but am now very depressed by having to admit that I do. Then came the blow. Without prior notice or warning, the 2024 extended SFI was abruptly closed. To withdraw what was originally described as a rolling application scheme – one you can apply to at any time in the year – within five months of the sudden removal of the BPS, is heart-stoppingly shocking, and desperately sad. The likely consequences are truly scary. There was no warning, or any hint that we should get a shift on with applications. The loss of trust is profound. Many farmers embraced SFI and Countryside Stewardship schemes, seeing them as a route to farming more sustainably. Now they are left mid-transition, unsupported. Many farmers have poured energy into more sustainable practices, using Countryside Stewardship (CS) and SFI as a back-stop, while exploring less damaging ways to grow food. This is a terrible betrayal of farmers who are bold enough to try to do the right thing. We’ve been encouraged to reduce fertiliser, switch to cover cropping, plant bird food plots and companion crops, or try insecticide-free options: all aimed at giving farmers the confidence to farm in a less damaging fashion. These all require long-term planning, and many were underpinned by SFI options. Many farmers are now left with little choice but to stick with – or revert to – the high-input systems that are so damaging to soil, water and climate. It is such a short-sighted move, destroying trust, and will ever more deeply entrench the old fashioned view that “this is how we’ve always done it and I’m not changing now”. Weaning off the high-nitrogen, pesticide and intensification treadmill is incredibly difficult, and without the support of schemes like SFI it will never happen, so the damage to soil, water and environment will continue. In our own case, we had an SFI 2024 application ready to submit. But because of clashing rotational offers between SFI 2023 and 2024, we had to wait for RPA adjustments. While we were doing due diligence to ensure our commitments were manageable – especially with more than 15 years of previous scheme obligations still active – the whole thing was cancelled. We’re told a replacement might appear in 2026. DEFRA has pulled the plug with no warning, deadline or proper explanation. We’re now worse off than last year. Options like insecticide-free cropping, low-input cereals or no-till methods are not just ‘environmental nice-to-haves’ – they were ways of bridging productivity and sustainability, of trialling new systems with some security. For new applicants now, those supports are gone.
These are not in fact twins – it is remarkable how the coloured eye rings have passed down from the six heifer calves that we bought 12 years ago. The originals were black, but our red bulls have been injecting a little more colour into the herd
Policy whimsy It’s easy to understand why so many farmers have stayed out of SFI and CS schemes altogether. Systemic change in farming takes time. Decisions like this only make the sceptics dig in harder. When policies shift on a whim, why risk changing the way you farm? Some farmers who dipped into Countryside Stewardship were waiting for their agreements to end, ready to switch into SFI wholesale. What are they supposed to do now? The government had the chance to build something lasting: replacing flat-rate subsidies with support tied to outcomes. SFI 2023 was working. Perhaps SFI 2024 tried to do too much too soon. But pulling it entirely? It defies logic. The decapitation of BPS last autumn was bad enough: SFI was supposed to be the safety net to help us through that. To then destroy that safety net is a betrayal of monstrous proportions. That the government fails to understand anything about farming is terrifyingly exposed by this move. And a deeper question remains: what is the government’s real direction of travel on food, nature and climate? All the things they have said to us, from Starmer “having our backs covered” to DEFRA secretary Steve Reed’s speech at NFU conference, ring utterly hollow. They told us the agricultural transition would reward public goods. Now, with no BPS and no SFI, there’s no cushion. Only uncertainty. And for farmers trying to do the right thing, this feels like betrayal.
Every Tuesday evening and Friday morning during term time, Luccombe Riding Centre in Milton Abbas comes to life with a special kind of energy. Volunteers arrive early to groom and tack up ponies in preparation for the arrival of some very special riders – children and young people with a range of challenges, from communication difficulties to mobility and balance issues. For more than 30 years, the Milton Abbas Group of Riding for the Disabled (RDA) has been supporting young people to gain new skills, grow in confidence and improve physical strength through the joy of horse riding. It’s part of the global RDA organisation, which has helped countless riders – some of whom have gone on to become Paralympians. Tuesday evenings welcome individual riders, while Friday mornings see children from Beaucroft Foundation School in Wimborne enjoy sessions in the indoor arena. Some arrive shy or unsure, but thanks to the patience and encouragement of volunteers, and the determination of the riders, remarkable progress happens. But it all comes at a cost. The Milton Abbas Group is an independent charity with no official funding, and it needs to raise around £4,000 a year to keep going. To help meet this target, the group is holding an Auction of Promises on Saturday 7th June 2025, generously hosted at the Hall & Woodhouse Visitor Centre in Blandford. With a wide range of exciting promises up for grabs, it’s set to be a fantastic evening. Tickets are £15, including a welcome drink and summer buffet. Full catalogue or tickets from Ali King: [email protected] or 07709 255509
From wartime skies to quiet evenings of music – meet Jim Freer, the centenarian who says there’s still plenty more to learn yet
Jim Freer at 100, with his Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur medal, the highest French order of merit, both military and civil – image Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Jim Freer will turn 100 on 16th April. Sitting in his sunlit room in a Sturminster Newton care home, his eyes are bright and sharp, belying the century he’s about to complete. He speaks with warmth, wit and the clear recall of a man who’s lived a long life – and paid attention to every detail along the way. Born in Desborough, Northamptonshire, Jim came from a family of shoemakers and dairymen. His first job was as a junior draftsman at the Harborough Aircraft Company in 1940. ‘I was 17 and a half. I made the tea, walked the dog – the usual start for someone at the bottom. But we were making engine frames for Lancaster bombers, so you knew it mattered.’ When he was old enough, Jim joined the RAF. ‘I told the selection board I wanted to fly. They said I wasn’t quite right for a pilot or bomb aimer, but the new four-engined bombers needed flight engineers. So that was me. ‘I had a long course at the Technical Training Command section on airframes and engines and so on and so forth … and then, finally, the flying bit actually started.’ He joined a Canadian crew in Yorkshire – six group Bomber Command of the RCAF – with six young men already trained on twin-engine bombers. ‘We did a short training course on the Halifax bombers, and then we were considered experienced enough to start on operations. I was very surprised that someone who was hardly 19 years old was suddenly put in charge of 6,500 horsepower. I thought, “God, can I do this?” But my crew were amazing. Every one of them had volunteered to come over from Canada. And we made a team – teamwork was vital. We were scared, but … I can’t explain it, it just didn’t break us down. I think we stuck to it because we were a good team, and that makes all the difference. ‘We were perhaps fortunate that we missed most bits of flak. We were caught in lights once or twice, that was a troublesome time … but the worst was on the real serious bombing raids that “Bomber” Harris demanded, where he had up to 1,000 aircraft over. You had a good chance of being bombed yourself, with aircraft at different levels and so on, and you never knew the accuracy of the navigation either. But somehow they missed us all. We were lucky. We were lucky.’
Jim Freer at 19 (back row, second from left) with the six Canadian airmen who made up his Halifax bomber crew
Flying post Jim’s crew flew 33 operations over Germany and France. ‘The official record says 34, but one didn’t continue. We were called back, so we don’t count that one.’ They were in the air on D-Day, supporting Canadian troops as they pushed into Caen. ‘I got a French medal for that. But lots of people did what they could to get France out of German occupation. So, yes, I did my bit. But hero? No. ‘There were lots of real heroes. I’ll put it that way. People that were shot down or taken prisoner or put in prisoner-of-war camps, you know, All sorts of things could happen to people. We were lucky.’ Jim stayed in touch with some of his Canadian crewmates for decades. ‘One or two even came back to visit. I’m still in touch with the daughter of our rear gunner. She’s in Ontario now.’ After the war in Europe ended, Jim was put on a code and cipher course and then posted to the Far East as a signals officer. ‘When we got there, they said, “I don’t know why they sent code and cipher officers, we’ve got more than we need.” It was right at the end of the war with Japan, and immediately that happened, of course, most of the military wanted to get back home. They didn’t want to be there anymore. Morale broke down, really seriously broke down. So Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was senior military personnel man in the Far East at the time, said: “We’ve got to improve our postal service with the UK, so that at least people can get letters. That will help them to accept the fact that they’ve got to stay until we can move them all out.” ‘They needed a unit to look after that, so I was seconded to RAF Post. We had a number of Avro York freight aircraft that we could use for mail carrying from Calcutta and Delhi and Bombay, and we could then get all the mail together as quickly as possible, and onto these aircraft, over to the UK, and then delivered. The objective was three days transmission time, and we did achieve it eventually. It was an enjoyable, different job, still to do with aircraft – and better than being shot at!’
Jim Freer in the 1980s when he worked for Cobham Engineering in Blandford
And so to Dorset Once demobbed, Jim returned to civilian life – rejoining his old company, now relocated to Maidenhead. ‘The managing director was an ex-Group Captain. That probably helped my recruitment! I started with drawing and design and so on, back in the old days when we had a big drawing board and a T square … it’s all computers now of course. I did that for a couple of years or so, and then I got itchy feet, and got a job as buyer for the company, buying materials. And then I went to being in charge of production as well, and eventually I ended up in 1980 as production director. And I felt, well, you know, there’s not much more I can do here, I don’t think. I was about mid 50s, then. So I applied around for quite a few jobs, and I secured a job with Alan Cobham Engineering at Blandford. We were producing large filters for the Navy. We made equipment for the Coal Board, filters for their grinding machines, and we made flow valves … Really it was a civil version of Cobham Ltd, as it was their parent company, and we linked in to their work quite a bit. We were very much involved in the Falklands war. I spent eight years there, before I retired to Child Okeford.’ A first marriage to Pat in 1950 had brought 60 happy years together, although they never had children. ‘I’ve had 30-odd years of retirement. I got involved with Blandford Museum, with social things in the village, the gardeners club, and this and that … we just went out and about and enjoyed things. We really loved living in Child Okeford. It’s a nice village. Unfortunately, now, most of my contemporaries are dead – you lose your mates. Pat died in 2017.
‘In 2019 I married Val, a long-time family friend, and we had a lovely few years together before I moved here.’ “Here” is Newstone House, and it has become a sociable home for Jim. ‘I think my parents did a very good job. They put their genes together – or took their jeans off , I suppose – and created something that was OK. I haven’t got any serious physical problems. I use a stick, and I can’t walk very well. But I think I’m alright up top! ‘I’m with younger people all the time now, and I’m seeing life in different areas. I often go down to chat with the dementia residents – lots of them have had such interesting lives. Sometimes they’ll just go quiet. Other times, we really talk. It’s good for both of us.’ Jim’s eyesight has suffered in recent years – macular degeneration has left him unable to read. ‘But I can still see the TV if I sit close. I love music, and oddly enough, I take the hearing aids out to listen to it because I get a better sound. There’s always a little bit of distortion in these things that you can’t avoid. They can’t produce a bit of metal or plastic that can do what the ear originally did. ‘I listen to a wide variety, though I think you can take the music of the last 40 years out of my brain, because I can’t cope with that. But you know, probably from wartime up until the 80s, that sort of era, easy listening, or that sort of thing. Chopin and Beethoven and composers of that time and type. Every evening I’ll listen to a couple of hours of music. I’m quite happy with that.’
Jim’s medals, l-r: the 1939–1945 Star, the France and Germany Star and the Defence Medal – image Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Still learning Over his 100 years, Jim has witnessed extraordinary change – but it’s the pace of it that strikes him most. ‘Oh yes, indeed, gosh. From seeing the early motor cars to now, and then the speed of change over the last period has been fantastic. The digital world is incredible … I can cope with an iPad, and that’s about my lot, really! But though it all, the main thing is still, I think, to be with people.’ He says flying during the war was the hardest thing he’s ever done. ‘I didn’t think I could really do what they asked me to do … but I did it. I always felt I wasn’t on top of the job. I was doing it, but I felt … “you know, there could be something happening here, and I haven’t worked out what.” It was a difficult period – much more difficult than any other period in my life.’ And if his century of living has taught him one message for the world? ‘It doesn’t sound much, really, but I’d say, “Be nice to people”. I think it’s infectious. If somebody smiles at you first thing in the morning, it does something to you, and you smile back. And if that attitude goes on through the days and the months and the years and so on, you’ll find you’re living life in quite a nice way.’ Jim insists he’s not a hero – just lucky. But behind that modesty lies a lifetime of service, resilience and quiet decency. ‘I think I’ve been lucky. And I’ve had a good life. I don’t really have any ambitions now … Well, I suppose I have, actually. I want to enjoy life with people. And there’s always something that’s new to see or to learn.’
A rare diagnosis, purple buildings, and a little girl’s laughter: how one Dorset family is championing hope for children with CHAMP1
Scott, Sienna and Sarah
Every 20th March, landmarks around the world light up purple to mark CHAMP1 Awareness Day – a chance to raise the profile of an ultra-rare genetic condition that affects only 220 people worldwide. Incredibly, two of them live right here in Dorset. Six-year-old Sienna Hutchings was born in April 2019, but her journey with CHAMP1 began long before her arrival. At a 12-week scan, her parents were told there was excess fluid behind her neck – an early warning sign of a potential genetic condition. It was terrifying, her father Scott remembers: ‘Doctors suspected one of three conditions, two of which were life-limiting. We were heartbroken.’ Further tests eventually ruled them out. ‘We felt a huge sense of relief,’ says Scott, ‘but something inside us still wondered if everything really was truly okay.’ Sienna arrived in a hurry at 38 weeks. At first, there seemed no cause for concern – ‘Other than a slightly small head, she seemed perfect,’ says Scott. ‘But by two months old, we noticed she struggled to turn her head. She started physiotherapy and made great progress, but then she began missing milestones. While other babies were rolling, sitting and crawling, Sienna wasn’t. No one could tell us why, and the uncertainty was heartbreaking.’ A diagnosis of Global Developmental Delay just before Sienna’s first birthday eventually opened the door to therapists and specialists. But it wasn’t until genome sequencing that her family finally got the answer: CHAMP1 disorder. ‘It came out of the blue in a letter,’ says Scott, ‘just a bunch of numbers, letters… and the words CHAMP1 disorder.’
Sienna is ‘chatty, loves music and dancing, and has the most infectious laugh’
Right order, wrong time The diagnosis brought relief, but also isolation. With only 17 known cases in the UK at the time, information was scarce. Then the family found the global CHAMP1 community online. ‘Connecting with other families who truly understood what we were going through was life-changing,’ Scott says. One of those connections was especially meaningful. ‘Even though there are only 220 CHAMPs in the world, incredibly, we have two in Dorset,’ says Scott. ‘Jack, a young man with CHAMP1, and his parents Mark and Mary, have been an amazing source of information. They’re almost like adopted grandparents to Sienna. Meeting them in person for the first time was such an emotional event. It brought back so many memories for them from when Jack was young.’ Today, Sienna is thriving. She’s chatty, loves music and dancing, and has the most infectious laugh. ‘She proves us wrong time and time again,’ Scott says proudly. ‘She does everything in the right order, just in the wrong time.’ Determined to support other families, Scott and his wife founded CHAMP1 UK in 2022. ‘We wanted to raise awareness, provide support and fund research into CHAMP1 disorders. Most importantly, though, we wanted to make sure that no family ever feels as lost and alone as we did. Now, we’re helping build a community where families can find the help, guidance and hope they need.’ The family has thrown themselves into fundraising, taking on challenges like the Dorset Plane Pull, the Salty Sea Dog Triathlon, and Europe’s Toughest Mudder – all to raise vital funds for CHAMP1 UK. ‘This year, I’ll be running a 70-mile ultra-marathon in June,’ says Scott, ‘followed two weeks later by the World’s Toughest Mudder.’
Corfe Castle was one of a number of Dorset landmarks which turned purple on 20th March – image Sam Nourse
The Empire State Plaza in New YorkNiagara Falls
Regional Assembly of Murcia Spain
CHAMP1 Awareness Day Every year on March 20th, the CHAMP1 community comes together to turn the world purple in honour of CHAMP1 Awareness Day. ‘From landmarks lighting up to people wearing purple, it’s our chance to raise awareness for this ultra-rare condition,’ says Scott. ‘We want to ensure more families, researchers and medical professionals learn about CHAMP1 disorders. ‘Sienna is our inspiration, our CHAMP1ON. We’re determined to make a difference for others just like her.’
