Jane Benson (left) collecting the Judges Award from a trustee of South & South East in Bloom
On September 20th, Wimborne Community Garden was crowned Winning Community Garden at the South & South East In Bloom Awards at RHS Wisley – for the second consecutive year. Adding to their success, the garden also received the Judges Award, acknowledging the dedicated direction in which the core team has led this flourishing community project. The garden, which is part of the charity Faithworks, focuses on growing produce to share with Wimborne Food Bank, the Community Kitchen and of course Beaucroft College’s café, as the garden is part of their site. Over the past two years the garden has developed into a flourishing space, filled with vegetables, fruit and flowers; it’s also become a space filled with a great deal of friendship and joy. Like all gardens, it continues to grow – plans for a small kitchen area are in progress, enabling cooking skill-sharing, recipe swapping and the chance for communal feasts. The awards judge praised the project: ‘The work that has been done over the last two years at Wimborne Community Garden is amazing. Keep up with this brilliant project—it certainly shows what can be achieved by a dedicated community group.’
Discover London’s hidden science gems with Rachael Rowe’s new guidebook to offbeat sites perfect for curious minds and history lovers
Rachael Rowe
If you’re looking for something new to see on your next trip to London, perhaps take a look at The Science Lover’s Guide to London, a new book by The BV journalist Rachael Rowe. ‘As a former nurse, science fascinates me, and I realised that there isn’t a science-focused guidebook to London – this is the first full colour book on London’s science links.’ Don’t let the science on the cover put you off, however. This is a book filled with fascinating facts and suggestions on where to go and what to do beyond the obvious tourist trail. ‘There’s lots that non-scientists enjoy just as much! For example, looking at some of the abandoned underground stations – they’re really interesting, and full of urban social history. Or you can take a tour to see the cavernous Bascule Chambers underneath Tower Bridge. ‘It’s not about having a passion for science, it’s about realising there are so many different things to see once you get off the main tourist track. Obviously I’ve covered the bigger attractions like the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum, but I also looked at some of the more unusual sites. For example, Kirkaldy’s Testing Works – within walking distance of Waterloo. To engineers it’s as important as Greenwich is to sailors. It’s a Victorian workshop, and when you go in, you can still smell the oil and grease. They’ve restored a lot of the engines and the testing apparatus to full working order – it’s a fascinating place, but so many people don’t even know it’s there. ‘I’ve tried to cover as broad a history as London itself has. Barts Hospital is in because it’s the oldest hospital in the country – it’s been on the same site since it was founded in the 12th century – and its museum shows how medical care has developed over the past 900 years. At the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons, there are exhibits from the ancient Egyptians right up to modern robotic surgery. And then there’s the Crick Institute, which offers free lectures to kids.
Rachael’s favourite – the small museum at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where you can see Alexander Fleming’s laboratory, restored to its 1928 condition
‘Probably my favourite place was the Fleming Museum at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. It’s really small, and it’s in the hospital where he actually worked. You walk up these stairs, and it’s like walking back in time – you end up in his dusty old office, and you can see petri dishes left just as he left that food lying around and came back to find the mould. It’s so unchanged, so simple … I loved it.
‘Another favourite was Big Ben – going up the tower to see it strike, and see all the engineering of the clock mechanism. Top insider tip – go on the 10 o’clock tour, because then you get 11 bongs. If you go on the 12 o’clock, you only get one bong! It’s really quite an experience to actually be in such an iconic spot, right when it was striking, and to be able to walk behind the clock face.
The entrance to the Kirkaldy Testing Museum is in Southwark, open on the first Sunday of each month
‘There are also quite a few Dorset connections in the book. We’ve got Robert Boyle, who came from Stalbridge – there are exhibits of his in the Science Museum, and he’s also linked to St Mary-le-Bow church: under the terms of his Will, he endowed a series of annual lectures which continue to this day. ‘Frederick Treves, the Dorset surgeon from Dorchester who rescued the Elephant Man and saved Edward VII, appears, as does John Freke, born in Okeford Fitzpaine, who was a pioneering 18th century surgeon at St Bart’s.
Rachael’s top tip for the Big Ben tour – book the 10 o’clock tour, because then you get 11 bongs
Artist William Hogarth married a Dorset girl, the daughter of Sir James Thornhill of Stalbridge, famous for the murals in Sherborne House and the Painted Hall at Greenwich – often called Britain’s Sistine Chapel. His epic ceiling includes around 200 figures depicting the 18th century story of political change, scientific and cultural achievements and naval endeavours.’
Dorset Chamber’s chief executive, Ian Girling, has observed a clear shift in the job market, with many jobseekers—particularly younger generations—prioritising conscientious employers over higher salaries. His comments come ahead of the Dorset Business Festival Conference on October 9, which will include a panel discussion: ‘Gen Z – Alpha and Beyond: Their Future in our Hands,’ will be focusing on how businesses can adapt to the expectations of tomorrow’s workforce.
Political strategist and policy maker Lord Matthew Elliott will be a keynote speaker
Ian’s insights are in line with recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which shows that the employment rate for those aged 16 and over fell to 4.1% between May and July. As the recruitment landscape changes, employers are increasingly finding that factors like wellbeing, environmental practices, and social responsibility are becoming more important to potential employees than pay alone. ‘Employers continue to face challenges in recruitment and retention,’ Ian said. ‘It is clear that many now choose their workplace based on whether it is a conscientious company that does the right thing. Expectations are changing, and businesses need to keep pace to meet the needs of tomorrow’s workforce.’ To find out more about these emerging trends and discussions on adapting business practices, join the Dorset Business Festival on 9th October. The day-long conference will feature inspirational panels, spotlight speakers, and opportunities for Q&As and networking. Hosted by broadcaster Declan Curry, the event includes keynote addresses from changemaker and climate change consultant Benita Matofska as well as political strategist Lord Matthew Elliott. Consumers, investors and talent are increasingly drawn to businesses that make a positive impact alongside profit. The conference explores why being a force for good is not just beneficial for society but a smart strategic business move, from attracting top talent to boosting brand loyalty and fostering innovation. For more details and tickets, see dorsetchamber.co.uk
Autumn at Thorngrove: from hanging basket workshops to Halloween crafts, it’s a season full of events, creativity and community fun
Autumn is here, and we are fully embracing all that comes with the new season. A diverse range of plants to keep things vibrant in your garden, and we’re hosting a wide range of events in the coming weeks and months – there is so much happening! Kicking off in October, our Hanging Basket Workshops are returning, and we’d love you to join us. Using a selection of plants here at Thorngrove, we will show you how to plant and arrange a beautiful Autumn basket to take home with you. No experience needed, and all materials are provided (we have a ticket option for those who wish to bring their own basket too!). Oh, and we offer discounts for large group bookings! Full details and dates on our website here.
October Half-Term and Halloween season means our Crafts for Children will be on, and the theme will be suitably seasonal. Hosted by Tracey in our glasshouse crafts room, we will have six sessions across three days at half term. Bring the children along to create mini gardens with a choice of decorations, plant some seeds and decorate Halloween jam jar lanterns. These are the perfect way for the little ones to get creative, take an interest in seed planting … and keep them occupied during the school holiday! £7.50 per child, includes soft drink and biscuits. All materials provided, and adults go free. You can also now book for our FESTIVE MENU in The Secret Garden Café! It will be available from Monday 18th November, and is perfect for group gatherings, family get togethers, or work lunches. Stop by our beautiful hidden gem of a café in Gillingham and enjoy the special menu, including roast turkey, roasted gammon or nut roast – all served, of course, with roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, a medley of vegetables and a homemade Yorkshire Pudding. Wreath Making Workshops kick off on November 26th: they’re a brilliant way to make your own wreath, or create one as gift – no experience needed, we will be your guide. Complimentary hot drink and mince pie included.
The Thorngrove Christmas Market is back for another year on Sunday 24th November. Held in our glasshouse, the market is a gather of local craftspeople and small businesses, offering seasonal gifts and treats, so stop by for a mulled wine and find something special to take home. (Christmas Trees should be ready to pick up by then too!). At the time of writing we are finalising details for Brunch With Santa, which will take place on Saturday 14th December. Tickets going live VERY SOON! That just about covers it … we hope to find ourselves in your diary this autumn and festive season. See you all soon!
Unrealistic targets double the build rate, threaten greenfields and ignore affordable homes and local infrastructure, says CPRE’s Rupert Hardy
New Houses in Poundbury Dorset
Labour swept to power this summer determined to solve Britain’s housing crisis … but is that crisis the same everywhere? We would argue that the Government is setting totally exaggerated and unrealistic housing targets for Dorset Council. The build rate in Dorset would have to more than double, as the Government seeks to shift house building from big cities, where most of the brownfield sites are, to greenfield sites in the countryside – a misguided policy. We also suggest that the proposed target won’t achieve key goals. It would neither bring down house prices nor address the shortfall of truly affordable housing and lack of social or low-rent housing. All the towns and larger villages in Dorset could be earmarked for new, large developments too, threatening the county’s exceptional environment, especially in North Dorset, which has a smaller proportion than other parts of the county within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs, now National Landscapes) which have some degree of protection.
Key issues highlighted by North Dorset CPRE:
Unrealistic targets: We dispute the feasibility of Dorset Council’s (DC) new housing target, which, according to the Government’s formula, would require the number of new homes to increase from the current 1,310 to 3,230 annually. This target is significantly higher than the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) projected household growth of 1,212 per year, driven mainly by net in-migration of older residents. It is also much higher than the 1,793 homes annually figure proposed in the draft Local Plan, which was much criticised in the 2021 consultation. The new government formula calculates housing need only by looking at prices and incomes – a rather crude and simplistic approach compared with the standard method used by the Conservative government, which was in itself flawed. Supply chain constraints: Such high targets are far beyond the available supply of building materials and skilled labour. Demand and finance challenges: There is no evidence in Dorset that planning constraints are the main barrier to house building. There are currently 11,060 plots with permission in Dorset waiting to be built. Additionally, buyers with the necessary financial resources required are lacking. House prices: Contrary to public perception, large housebuilding targets do not lead to a decrease in house prices: indeed they may have the opposite effect if developers look to buy more land. When prices start to fall, developers slow down rather than sell cheaply. The main factors behind house prices are the availability of finance and the level of interest rates.
Aerial view of new build housing under construction in Wimborne
Risk of harmful development: Dorset allocating land for 48,450 homes, plus a potential 10,000 allowance for overspill from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, could force planners to approve unsustainable Green Belt and greenfield sites.
Environmental and climate change: Higher housing numbers may have an adverse impact on air pollution, carbon footprints, loss of natural habitats, reduction in ecological pathways and biodiversity, and, in Dorset specifically, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in Poole Harbour.
Traffic congestion, local infrastructure and public transport: Everyone in North Dorset has noticed the increase in traffic in recent years, driven mostly by new car-dependent housing. This has an adverse impact on the local economy in lost hours, exacerbated by the lack of public transport. Just imagine the gridlock we will see if the government’s housing targets are implemented. Labour has no announced plans yet to solve the critical lack of local infrastructure. Blandford and Shaftesbury only have one doctors’ surgery each.
An alternative approach: CPRE would prefer realistic, achievable housing targets, based on local data detailing household growth and current home completions as well as affordability. Affordability should be addressed directly by investment in social rent homes. The Centre for Economics and Business Research published a report in February 2024 showing the cost-benefit of building 90,000 social rent homes nationally. It calculated that the long-term benefits far outweighed the costs by more than £50bn, thanks to reduced homelessness, increased employment and savings on healthcare, among others. Subsidising new social rent homes would pay a handsome return for society and the economy.
DC deeply critical of government policy Dorset CPRE hopes to work alongside DC, which is very critical of government policy, to develop appropriate responses. A senior DC housing policy officer spoke at 10th September cabinet meeting, responding to the question: “Do you have any additional comments on the proposed method for assessing housing needs?”: ‘The figures that the method generates need to be realistic. The figure for Dorset (3,230) is nearly twice the average annual completion rate, and in our view is not a realistic target given the constrained nature of Dorset, its lack of major industry and employment, and relatively poor transport connections. ‘We consider moving completions towards the current standard method target (c.1,800 dpa) to be a realistic challenge. ‘National targets, both the previous 300,000 a year – which has only very rarely been met, and only in the days when half of the completions were council housing – and the proposed 370,000 a year, are not based on evidence of need and are not justified. Targets based on more accurate evidence of need, including population growth, net migration and evidence of “hidden households”, would provide a sounder basis for explaining to local communities why additional housing is necessary.’ The next few years are going to be difficult, and it will take time for realism to permeate government thinking, but in the meantime, talk to your local Dorset councillor and protest to your local MP. We may have an affordable housing crisis, which we addressed at our Affordable Housing Crisis conference in May, but it will not be solved by concreting over our beautiful countryside. Dorset is worth protecting!
Save the Children patron HRH The Princess Royal comes to Sherborne – Jenny Devitt speaks to organiser Anne Dearle about her 30th concert
HRH Princess Anne listens to Anne Dearle, Save the Children concert organiser
Friday 13th is not usually considered an auspicious date, but this September it turned out to be the best of days for Anne Dearle and her Save the Children volunteer colleagues. By special invitation, the Princess Royal visited – her third engagement in a busy day – to hear a concert of beautiful choral music performed by the Gentlemen of St John’s College, Cambridge in Sherborne’s Cheap Street Church. The occasion? To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the annual concert organised by Anne Dearle to raise funds for Save the Children. This year’s concert raised more than £11,000 – more than any of the previous concerts, helping Save the Children to respond within hours of emergencies, whenever and wherever disaster strikes. Dorset’s new Lord Lieutenant Michael Dooley greeted Princess Anne outside Sherborne Boys’ School and presented her to High Sheriff Anthony Woodhouse (dressed in the eye-catching traditional Court Dress worn by all High Sheriffs since the mid-1700s), then to Dorset Council’s chair, Councillor Stella Jones, Sherborne Mayor Robin Legg and his fiancée (now Mrs. Legg – they married the next day!), West Dorset MP Edward Morello and Anne Dearle. The Princess Royal then joined a packed Cheap Street Church congregation, who were treated to a concert of choral music ranging from Orlando Gibbons to traditional folk songs and barber shop melodies. Pupils from Leweston School accompanied the first piece, after an afternoon workshop with the choir of St John’s.
Anne Dearle (l) and HRH Princess Anne meet members of the Gentlemen of St John’s College choir
A final chorus This was not just the 30th Sherborne concert for Save the Children, it was also the last Anne Dearle organised. A former Hanford School teacher, Anne remembers the chance invitation to a Save the Children concert at Port Regis School that marked the beginning of her involvement. In 1994 the singers came from world-famous King’s College, Cambridge, and Anne was told by the charity’s Shaftesbury branch that the cost meant it would be a one-off. She suggested it could be held at Hanford School, and organised by the relatively new Blandford branch of Save the Children. A year later the event moved to Bryanston School and word spread about the quality of the concert and singers. It soon became an eagerly anticipated annual event at Bryanston, even after Anne retired and moved to Sherborne in 2006. “Her” singers now came not from King’s, but the equally-excellent Cambridge choir of St. John’s, which has built up an affectionate relationship with their Dorset host. As so often happens in recent years, COVID changed everything. Anne says: ‘It was obvious that a new plan was necessary. Reluctantly, we rejected the idea of commandeering a coach (to ferry Sherborne’s music lovers to Bryanston) and so we had to leave the generous hospitality of Bryanston. Instead, we decided to hold the concert at Cheap Street Church in Sherborne, where we have been since 2021, with the enthusiastic support of Leweston School. ‘I had no idea, 30 years ago, that the modest £124 we raised that first evening would be the start of three decades of successful fundraising – and of immense pleasure for appreciative audiences. ‘Miracles do happen.’ The attendance of Princess Anne, former president and now patron of Save the Children, was a fitting end for the hard-working former teacher who has organised the concerts for three decades.
YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP. After the Dorset Council committee meeting on 2nd September was declared null and void because official invitations were not sent to consultees, including the parish council, Cranborne Chase National Landscape and CPRE, the reconvened strategic planning committee meeting, on Monday 30th September, couldn’t start for nearly half an hour due to the fact it was not quorate. This means that not enough of the possible 15 members of the committee (as listed on the council website) were present for a legal meeting to be held. The situation was eventually resolved when a substitute was agreed and a quorum was duly established. After that it was relatively predictable – nobody really said anything, and the proposal, controversial as it is, was nodded through. Nobody even asked the question – raised in the report in The BV last month (see here) – raised by local resident Sara Jacson: ‘Why, if as alleged there is potential danger for a serious fall, are we still allowed to drive through the Hollow?’ A member of Dorset Council’s communications team told The BV: ‘The quorum for strategic and technical planning committee is six members, and we had six members in attendance on the committee, five committee members and one substitute. Other members in attendance but not on the committee were councillors Shane Bartlett, Jon Andrews, Simon Christopher, Scott Florek and Jane Somper.’
Environmental disaster or essential work to avoid a tragedy? Dorset Council’s controversial plans for the road through Melbury Abbas.
Dinah’s Hollow is back in the news. Dorset Council proposes to spend £8 million on safety work – felling trees, clearing undergrowth, compulsory purchase orders on adjoining landowners and stabilising the slopes with soil nails.
This week the council’s strategic and technical planning committee agreed the first step: a Tree Works Application to remove trees along the hollow currently covered by a woodland Tree Preservation Order (TPO).
Objectors believe that the holloway is environmentally and culturally important, and home to rare and endangered creatures, including dormice, bats and several red and yellow-listed bird species.
The approval for the tree works will last for five years, much longer than usual, because of the potential delays with the CPOs. It could be three years or more before the stabilisation actually happens (perhaps even longer if there has to be a public inquiry).
The hollow, on the C13 road between Shaftesbury and Blandford, may be a remnant of the ancient forest which once covered this area of the Blackmore Vale: ‘It isn’t just any old holloway,’ says David Webber, chairman of Melbury Abbas and Cann Parish Council, whose family has lived in the area for at least 200 years. ‘And I find it ironic that Dorset Council has just declared a nature emergency.’ (see The BV Aug issue here)
Local MP Simon Hoare supports the need to improve safety for road-users on the C13 and dismisses the argument that Dinah’s Hollow has any particular significance. He says: ‘Ultimately we are not short of pretty ancient lanes and beautiful trees in North Dorset – and in this particular case they are self-seeded, non-specific and rather unremarkable examples.’
The slopes of Dinah’s Hollow
A deal to be had
Parish council chairman David Webber told the councillors at Dorchester that the geology of the hollow was very different from that at the Beaminster site of a tragic double fatality following the collapse of a tunnel in 2012. The parish council has hired Devon-based Red Rock Geological Sciences Ltd, which has been working with the landowners on a hybrid scheme involving some soil nails and retention fencing. It would cost much less, involve a much shorter period of road closure and very few trees would need to be destroyed.
The alternative A350, which runs parallel to the C13, is a primary route from Poole Harbour, where it is signposted for traffic heading to the motorway network. Between Blandford and Shaftesbury it is currently part of a voluntary one-way system for heavy vehicles – southbound on the C13 and northbound on the A350, through Iwerne Minster, Fontmell Magna and Compton Abbas, with the notorious Steepleton bends and steep Cann Hill near Shaftesbury.
‘Please do not talk AT them, but work WITH them. It will save a lot of time, money, trees, plants and wildlife’
Parish council chairman David Webber
Mr Webber recognises the problems for the A350 villagers and the people in Melbury Abbas. He says once you get over the county boundary into Wiltshire, the standard of the road improves, ‘but Dorset has spent nothing on it,’ he says.
He urged councillors to defer the decision: ‘Please sit down and listen and talk with the principal players. ‘Please do not talk AT them, but work WITH them. It will save a lot of time, money, trees, plants and wildlife. There is a deal to be had.’
Richard Burden, principal landscape officer at Cranborne Chase National Landscape (NL, previously known as an AONB), told the committee: ‘You have been told, correctly, that a TPO is created to sustain tree growth and amenity. How, therefore, does removing 80 trees sustain amenity? As you know, the National Planning Policy Framework guides you to give great weight to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty, and giving National Landscapes the highest level of protection. Your landscape officer is clear that there would be substantial adverse impacts arising from the tree felling. He then concludes that would not impact on the wider NL. That logic is fundamentally flawed: it would mean the NL could be eroded bit by bit.
‘The test for decision-makers relates to the nature and scale of changes at this specific part of the National Landscape, not locations miles away!’
Mr Burden told the meeting that if the committee did not refuse – or at least defer – the application until further actions to conserve and enhance natural beauty are included, the council would be failing to comply with its duties under the CRoW (Countryside and Rights of Way) Act 2000, which was recently amended. While it did not override the Highways Act 1980, said Mr Burden, the two had to be considered together. ‘That duty is not optional; and current governmental guidance puts Cranborne Chase NL as the initial assessor of compliance.’
A sensible solution
MP Simon Hoare said he had congratulated new Dorset Council leader Nick Ireland for keeping the previous administration’s pledge to keep the Dinah’s Hollow scheme in the capital budget for what he describes as a sensible solution: ‘NOT to do anything is absolutely not an option. The next landslip could easily result in a fatality – and quite aside the human devastation that would cause, the council would be entirely culpable if it hadn’t acted on those reports.’
The problem had been discussed and researched for so long, he said, ‘If there was any chance of a silver bullet, it would have been identified by now.’
He recognised the enormous disruption to residents and commercial operators when either road is closed. ‘But if we want there to be a vibrant, viable economy in North Dorset, our existing road network – imperfect though we all know it to be – must be made fit for purpose.
‘If it were possible, there is little doubt this action would not be the first choice.
‘It’s gone on too long. We cannot keep twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the perfect solution to magically show up’
Simon Hoare MP
But over the last ten years the council has exhausted all options. The only actual solution is an entirely new road – but the economic benefits of a parallel road running to Poole Harbour from the A303 are simply not there. The planning implications cannot be justified, the topography makes it almost impossible and the land ownership tangles as it works through the various SSSIs, National Landscapes etc are unthinkable. On top of all that, the infill development that would be required to justify the spend from the public purse will make a vast swathe of our beloved county entirely unrecognisable.’
It’s gone on too long, says Mr Hoare: ‘We cannot keep twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the perfect solution to magically show up.’
Speed limit and public meeting
Beacon ward councillor Jane Somper says Dinah’s Hollow has never been a party political issue for her: ‘The important point has always been about the local community voices being heard – and the safety of road users.’ She believes a public meeting is needed ‘to give everyone the opportunity to hear the details of what is planned and put their questions to senior council officers.’
While she accepts the need to stabilise the slopes, Cllr Somper says there is also a need for a full understanding of the wildlife present and the steps to mitigate harm to the wildlife and vegetation. Her other major concern is the impact of the works and the closure of Dinah’s Hollow.
‘My focus now will be on the roads that will be most negatively impacted, and the residents I represent, while the works are carried out. It could cause huge disruption and damage to our narrow rural roads, and I have requested that funding be put aside for the repair work that will no doubt be required, along with traffic calming to avoid HGVs meeting at various pinch points along the A350. I will also be requesting a temporary 20mph along a stretch in Fontmell Magna and at other pinch points along the route.’
Looking down Dinah’s Hollow
No benefits
North Dorset CPRE told The BV the villages of Melbury Abbas and Melbury Down ‘will be scarred for many generations. This scheme will come with no benefit to the village or to traffic management within the village, nor increase safety for residents, cyclists or numerous horse riders. The proposed works to the hollow, which is rich in flora and fauna, will neither benefit the biodiversity of the area or provide any environmental gain.’
The countryside campaigns group says that although Dorset Council voted to budget £8m for the Dinah’s Hollow scheme, ‘the actual cost is likely to be considerably higher. No cost benefit analysis has been published, even if one has been carried out. In a time of austerity and tight financial constraints facing councils, this enormous sum could be better spent on more urgent needs such as adult social services. This scheme will also mean an ongoing maintenance cost to the tax payer.’
‘In a time of austerity and tight financial constraints facing councils, this enormous £8m sum could be better spent on more urgent needs’
Rupert Hardy, North Dorset CPRE
One of the affected local residents is Mrs Sara Jacson of Grove Farmhouse, who says: ‘It seems that Dorset Council is prepared to spend £8 million pounds on Dinah’s Hollow felling trees and wrecking the undergrowth by aggressive nailing of metal sheeting. The Hollow has been worn by millennia of feet both human and animal: it is not artificially man made. The trees shelter wildlife and their root structure is dense and effective in retaining soil.’
She criticises the impact on trees and wildlife, following the council’s decision to declare a nature emergency. There are no representatives of North Dorset on the new Dorset Council cabinet, she says, so no voice can be raised at that level ‘in protest at this apparent vandalism over which there has been no public consultation.’
Letitia (Tish) Ann Ricketts of Gutch Common, Semley passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday 2nd of October 2024 aged 73 yrs. Much loved wife, mum & nan.private cremation has already taken place.
The no-dig school of gardening isn’t just for the veg patch, says Pete Harcom: get healthier soil, fewer weeds and more insects, as nature does the work
Here’s a thought … How about considering ‘No Dig Gardening’ for your flower borders? While it is very often used in the vegetable-growing world, it can also be very beneficial to ensure a healthy soil in the flower borders. Soil is a living organism and simply not digging the border over – just mulching perhaps twice a year – can really make a difference to suppressing weed growth and ensuring healthy soil. The guru on this seems to be Somerset-based Charles Dowding – there is plenty of information on his ideas on Youtube and his website charlesdowding.co.uk.
One thing to mention though: if you have a lot of pernicious perennial weeds such as bindweed or nettles in your border, you may wish to spend some time trying to remove the weeds individually by hand. Alternatively, you can cover your border with cardboard and a thick mulch and leave it for a few months. The cardboard will smother the weeds, but then rot down and become part of the soil (no digging!). If perennial weeds are a real problem, you may have to clear the bed and leave it fallow for 12 months, continuing to remove weeds throughout that time. Not digging can really help soil fertility and also bring back many insects. Mulch/garden compost or farmyard manure needs to be at least four inches deep and I would suggest twice a year to ensure soil improvement. Worms will do the digging over of the beds for you, and will drag the mulch, manure or garden compost down into the soil too. If you are lucky enough to have a weed-free border, then after the mulch is put down you could immediately plant wallflowers, pansies and forget-me-knots ready for the spring.
Here are a few other jobs for the month: Autumn is the best time for planting new trees, shrubs and hedges. Clean out the greenhouse, and prepare it for winter sowing. If you have shade paint on your greenhouse glass, now is the time to remove it: on a dry day remove the paint carefully with a dry cloth. This will help let in more light in the shorter winter days, and help grab the sun’s heat in the cooler months. Also remember to clean and disinfect the pots, staging and the inside of the glass with a warm solution of disinfectant to reduce pests and fungal infection. Move tender plants (fuchsias, pelargoniums etc) into the greenhouse to overwinter later this month, ahead of first frosts.
