Team sport is a fantastic way to get into fitness with the added bonus of being part of a social community. I have to be honest team sport was never my thing, mostly because being around lots of people scared me. I was persuaded to join ladies’ football at university and I fell in love […]
We are excited to announce that Dorset Mind celebrates 75 years of supporting Dorset’s mental health this year! To mark this impressive milestone, we’re looking back at our history and sharing our celebration plans. Read on to learn more about your local mental health charity and the support we offer local people. History Established in […]
The rain of the last few weeks has done more good than harm. On farms it has delayed the wheat harvest and caused some loss of grain quality. On our plot it has meant excellent potato yields despite the early arrival and spread of blight and the need to remove haulms to prevent spores reaching […]
We’ve spoken before about how the community here in Gillingham and the surrounding areas is so important to us, and how proud we are to be a part of it. We occupy a small space, and are working to expand our reach, but our heart remains in in Dorset and this past week we felt […]
Well, Autumn is nearly here.. perhaps now is the time to think ahead to Autumn and indeed Spring. Planning Take some time to sit and plan ahead for what has worked this year (and what has not)! Maybe sketch some ideas and future plants. Ensure you use the knowledge gained from where the sun lands […]
I’d like to start by acknowledging an amazing letter from one of the readers of the Blackmore Vale Magazine in last month’s edition. I was thrilled and humbled to read that my new article is inspiring others to look skyward and to get into the amazing hobby of astronomy and astrophotography! Sharing this wonderful passion […]
In June we shared how Cameron Farquharson’s cow Gladis sadly made national news when she fell more than 30ft on Eggardon Hill in May. She was due to calve in a couple of days, but her unborn calf died with her. After hearing the story, Stan Sadler, who lives in Dorset, got in touch. He owned a […]
This historic picture, dating from April 1874, provides a rare photographic glimpse of the agricultural turmoil and early trade unionism that played such a big part in Dorset’s nineteenth century history. It was taken at Milborne St Andrew, just a few miles from Tolpuddle, whose Martyrs were famously transported to Australia forty years earlier for […]
My 1904 picture of Gillingham High Street is historically interesting on several fronts, not least because it features the town’s first car and its rather significant number plate. The dark green and black Humberette is seen parked outside E R Stickland’s cycle shop and ironmonger’s. It appears to be of great interest to Gillingham’s Edwardian […]