Home Blog Page 2

Young debaters shine at Shaftesbury Rotary’s biggest Youth Speaks competition

0

Students from Shaftesbury, Blandford and Sturminster Newton schools took to the stage for Shaftesbury Rotary’s biggest Youth Speaks competition yet, held on 22nd January at Shaftesbury School.
The event, which challenges young people to develop their public speaking skills, saw teams compete in two age categories: Intermediate (11–13 years) and Senior (14–17 years). Each team had a chairperson, who managed the debate, a proposer, who put forward the motion and an opposer, who argued against it. With a live audience, a judging panel and a time limit to contend with, the students showed impressive composure as they tackled a diverse range of topics – from religion and war to gender and Greek mythology.

Winners and Runners-up
In the Intermediate category, the winning team were from Sturminster Newton High School – Tilly Westbrook, Amber Barlow and Owen Jackson – arguing for lowering the voting age to 12. The Blandford School team – Sophie Duke, Arabella Muir and Odette Miller – took second place with their debate on whether children should be told fairytales.
In the Senior category, Phoebe O’Keefe, Lucy Holdcroft and Esme Compton-Cowdrey from Shaftesbury School won with their discussion on whether AI is developing too fast. Fellow Shaftesbury students Edmund Dobson, Blake Stonton and Sam Parsons were runners-up, debating whether humans should colonise Mars.
The winners will now progress to the district competition on Saturday 5th April at The Mountbatten School in Romsey.

Praise for the Students
The judging panel – Rachael Gale (local teacher), Matthew Billingsley (solicitor) and Virginia Edwyn-Jones (Town Councillor and Shaftesbury Chamber of Commerce Chair) – had the tough task of picking winners from a strong field of speakers.
Matthew Billingsley, now in his third year of judging, praised the students’ performances: ‘Each year, I’m blown away by the commitment of the students and the quality of the debate. This year was no exception and I was delighted to be asked to take part once again. The opportunity to develop public speaking skills is invaluable, giving each student confidence that will stand them in good stead for the future.’
The event, run by Shaftesbury Rotary Club in partnership with Shaftesbury School, will return for even more spirited debate in 2026.

Sponsored by Wessex Internet

Weddings: then, now and back again

0

From parish churches to country barns – have modern weddings come full circle to their historic roots?

1954: Wedding party on the path outside The School House. Photo commissioned by Miss Quelch of The School House, Wimborne St Giles. Spot the twins!

Today, we think of a ‘traditional’ wedding as a bride dressed in white getting married in church. In the past, a wedding was often a simple ceremony that could take place anywhere. All that was needed for a marriage to be legal was spoken agreement between a bride and a groom.

1960s: Bride, father and bridesmaids arriving at St Mary,
St Cuthberga & All Saints in Witchampton. The bride’s father was Charles Patrick De Candole, a retired navy chaplain who was the vicar at the church from 1962 to 1982


In the 1750s, a church wedding, carried out by a priest became the only lawful way to marry. The Marriage Act 1753 made the only legally recognised marriages in England and Wales those performed by the Church of England, Jews and Quakers. This meant that Roman Catholics and members of other Christian congregations, as well as atheists, Muslims, Hindus and members of any other religious body, had to be married according to rites and ceremonies they did not support, by a priest who they believed had no authority.

1926: A formal group outside the Rectory, Witchampton after the wedding of Jack Parham and Barbara Baker. Mrs Hill of Rose Lea remembers overstitching the ‘handkerchiefs’ that formed the flowing chiffon skirt of the wedding dress, which was made by Mrs. Winnie White, a London dressmaker who lived in the village.


Eventually, the Marriage Act 1836 allowed marriages to be legally registered in buildings belonging to other religious groups, and also without religious rites. Those campaigning for reform had largely been non-conformist religious groups seeking the right to be able to conduct marriage ceremonies – marriage in the register office was added in almost as an afterthought.

1939: Eric and Joyce Cowdry’s wedding photograph, with the wedding party sitting on a fire engine with the crew.
William Cowdry (chief fire officer) on the right, Claude Cowdry top left.


In the first year of the new Act’s operation, just over one per cent of all weddings were in a register office: even at the end of the 19th century they accounted for only 15 per cent.
It was only in the late 20th century that civil marriage overtook religious marriage as the most popular form of marriage. By 2015, civil marriages accounted for almost three-quarters of marriages in England and Wales – before the start of the 20th century it was very much a minority choice.

1921: A wonderfully modern-feeling reportage photo of a gypsy wedding at the Methodist Church in King Street, Wimborne … it was obviously a windy day!


Given that all civil marriages had to be conducted in the register office, and that initially there would have been only one register office per registration district, the parish church would have remained the easiest option for most couples, particularly in rural areas.

Group photograph of Florence Stone and Private Thomas Smith of the Machine Gun Corps, taken outside Uddens Lodge in 1917. Thomas Smith met Florence Stone while recuperating at a local military hospital from a wound received while fighting on the Western Front.
Thomas Smith (grandfather to Susan Day, née Myhill) is in his army uniform with Florence standing to the right. It is believed that the older man and woman seated left and right are Mr and Mrs Hillier.


Marrying in the parish church was often easier, quicker and cheaper than a civil marriage. Some vicars offered cut-price or free weddings to encourage couples to marry. At Manchester Cathedral and St John’s Church in the East End of London, vicars would routinely marry couples in batches to save time and money. The vicar at St James the Great in Bethnal Green would marry couples for free – simply to prevent them cohabiting without any religious or legal ceremony.

1898: The marriage of Emily Low to John Chissell, taken at the Low family home on Avenue Road, Wimborne


Ceremonies are now held in places such as castles, barns or the middle of woods … have we returned to the more informal weddings of our ancestors?

1904: Cecil Norton Stickland of the Travellers Rest, Three Legged Cross and Louisa Eliza Elton who lived near the Cricketers in Park
Lane, Wimborne, were married in Wimborne Minster

Photographs supplied by Museum of East Dorset. Copies of photos from the museum’s extensive library are available to buy.
If you have any bygone photos, slides, negatives or film relating to East Dorset that you would like to loan for copying, or to donate to the museum archives, they would be delighted to receive them.
For either of the above, please email photographs@museumofeastdorset.co.uk

The Museum of East Dorset

Into a pretty room by lots of hands | Abbey104 Album of the Month

0

on the wrong day can irrevocably damage your perception of the art. Conversely, finding the right music at the right moment feels like alchemy.
So it was with ‘into a pretty room’, the fourth LP from lots of hands*, the Newcastle indie band which, on my first listening, perfectly reflected the feeling of the calm after the literal storm, following a weekend of battering wind, icy rain and thunderous electrical storms.
Album opener alive (not to be confused with Alive, the glitchy opening track of the same name from their 2020 debut Mistake) sets the tone beautifully. In a style which will be familiar to fans of Big Thief, it manages to be familiar and calming while remaining freeform and loose.
The internal conflict of the lyrics (“I’m just so scared…. I wanna be alive”) is kept so low in the mix that it feels more like immersion in a hazy dream than a proclamation.


There are many other familiar touchpoints throughout the 14 tracks featured. The frequent blending of acoustic guitars and retro synths is reminiscent of the early noughties production style found on albums such as Lowgold’s Just Backwards of Square and Grandaddy’s The Sophtware Slump. But enough invention and originality is on display to stop the album from ever feeling derivative.
While into a pretty room is no departure for fans of the band who have stayed largely true to their earlier work (they’ve been writing music together since the age of 16), this is undeniably a ‘level up’ moment. As evidenced by the outro of slow-burner game of zeroes, lots of hands are becoming experts in crafting moments of beauty and substance.
I’m very pleased I decided to spend some time in their pretty room.

(*yes, the lack of capitaliation is deliberate by the band, and my personal kind of nightmare – Ed)

Matt Ambrose

Matthew Ambrose presents Under The Radar on Tuesday evening at 7pm on Abbey104. Broadcasting on 104.7FM and online at abbey104.com.

Sturfit Team Games Night – entries in by Friday 14th!

0

Looking for a lively evening of fun and friendly competition – all in the name of a great cause? Sturfit’s Games Night on Saturday, 22nd February (7pm to 11:30pm) promises a fantastic mix of games, good food and great company, all while raising vital funds for Sturminster Newton’s Sturfit Community Fund.

Whether you’re part of a club, a group, or coming along solo, everyone is welcome. Teams will be formed on the night, so there’s no need to worry – it’s all about joining in and having a laugh!

What’s in Store?

Expect a brilliant selection of simple, fun games that everyone can get involved in – think beer pong, Jenga, hoopla and basketball shots. It’s all about participation, but if playing isn’t for you, cheerleading and sideline encouragement are just as important (and a great excuse to keep the drinks flowing!).

A hog roast (with vegetarian options), a disco and a well-stocked bar will keep the energy high, and raffle tickets will be on sale for the eagerly anticipated Easter Draw.

How to Take Part

To help with catering and game planning, advance booking and payment are recommended – though a few spaces will be available on the night (without food).

  • £10 per person (including food)
  • £5 entry only
  • Affordable bar prices

If you’d like to help behind the scenes, there are plenty of ways to get involved, from running the bar and selling raffle tickets to assisting with food or even refereeing a game.

This event is part of Sturfit’s wider fundraising efforts, including Hayley’s London Marathon challenge in aid of the Sturfit Community Fund. Every ticket purchased helps support the local community – so why not gather some friends, get competitive, and make a difference?

To book your place, contact Hayley or Roger today on 01258 471774 or hello@sturfit.org

  • WHERE: Sturfit (community leisure centre in Sturminster Newton), Honeymead Lane, Sturminster Newton DT10 1EW
  • ON: Saturday, 22nd February
  • WHEN: 7pm to 11:30pm

Dorset Council apply the brakes to 24hr parking charges

0

Less than 24 hours after voting to introduce evening and overnight car parking charges, Dorset Council has announced it will pause the decision, pending a review.

Local councillors, business owners and residents across rural Dorset had been vocal in their opposition to the move. Cllr Jane Somper of Beacon Ward said ‘Businesses, – especially hospitality – volunteers who give their time to cultural events, and care workers and residents who live in towns (and in nearby villages) in the north will all be affected by this decision.’

North Dorset MP Simon Hoare had been particularly open about his opposition to the charges, saying in his recent column in The BV: ‘I fail to see how financially this will stack up given the costs needed to impose and enforce it.
‘Night-time charges will hit local hospitality and leisure businesses across all of our North Dorset towns, as well as impacting negatively on local residents – for example, in Blandford and Shaftesbury, where people use car parks in the evenings, when there is pressure on on-street capacity. These cars are off to work etc before the next business day starts.’

He added today: ‘Our arts and cultural sector together with pubs and restaurants depend upon evening trade, and volunteer and community/sporting groups meet in the evening too. All of these will be hit adversely as a result [of the 24 hour charges].’

The opposition to the move has lead to a U-turn on the vote just a day later, as Dorset Council announced this afternoon that: ‘Plans to introduce an evening and overnight parking charge in Dorset Council car parks have been paused.’

The statement goes on to say that ‘Having listened to initial concerns from councillors and the public, it is clear the introduction of such charges should not be decided until a thorough review of all parking services has taken place.’

The Council warns this review may take up to nine months to complete, but will involve local residents and business owners, saying: ‘This will give us a better understanding of changing trends in car park usage, how the location of our car parks affects parking behaviour, and the impact of all parking charges on residents, visitors and local businesses.
‘Therefore, we will not be progressing the introduction of evening and overnight parking charges at this time.’

Out of the Archive – the Blackmore Vale Motorcycle Club

0

Following the profile of Blackmore Vale Motorcycle Club last month (Revving through history, The BV Jan 25), Francis Custard has kindly given The BV permission to share just a small sample of his archive of images taken at some of the club’s historical events:
‘I have put together a selection of photos from the late 1950’s through to 1970. The photographers are my late father, Ron Custard, and Terry Heath, who now lives in Yeovil. I scanned my Dad’s negatives, slides and cines after I retired in 2008.
‘Just before Christmas I linked up with Terry, who had a case of negatives in his garage, and I have now undertaken a project to scan and share his work. The quality of the images is not comparable with the modern images by Michael Berkeley in your interesting article featuring Dean Whitty. Do bear in mind these were taken 60-odd years ago: the camera equipment was basic, and the negatives are now not always in the best condition!
‘There is a selection of Trials, Scrambles, Grass Track and Road Racing. The Blackmore Vale Club ran many events back then: I remember taking part in Scrambles – I broke my collar bone after a big tumble at Whitesheet Hill in 1970!
‘Along with photos, I also have many programmes from Blackmore Vale events, the earliest is for Road Races at Blandford Camp on 1st August 1949!’

Francis has labelled all the images for us according to the slide annotations:

26th May 1958 – Pauline Dale
No.22 is well-known local rider Lew Coffin (unkown date). Lew also raced Speedway and Long Track. He competed all over the country – and continent – in his long career, with the Blackmore Vale Club badge on his helmet
February 1959 – Benny Crew trying not to drown the Norman
6th June 1960 – Helmut Fath and Alfred Wohlgemuth on a BMW Sidecar

Sponsored by The Museum of East Dorset

Rural resilience and the challenge ahead

0

A worrying societal shift in attitudes sees Simon Hoare MP fighting to protect rural communities and defend democracy when it matters most

Simon Hoare MP

In this edition I want to try to cover three topics. The first one was going to concern the recent announcement by Lloyds Bank of the impending closure later this year of its branch in Blandford. This story is covered elsewhere in this edition. While it is true that we are going through a period of transition when it comes to how we do our banking, the creation of ‘banking deserts’ is in nobody’s interest. But it leads to a disproportionately harder hit on my older constituents, as well as having a greater impact on the vitality and viability of a rural market town than would be felt in a large city. I am meeting representatives of Lloyds to learn more about their plans for community banking support, and will be working alongside our local councillors to explore the provision of a ‘banking hub’ to meet the needs of Blandford and the villages it serves – more as it is known.

Overnight stays
On the subject of fragility, I recognise the oftentimes marginal nature of our market towns as they face pressure from online sales. Car parking charges are too often used as a cash cow to be milked by councils. You may be aware that Lib Dem controlled Dorset Council is pursuing a policy of introducing night-time car parking charges. I am opposed to these and have made my views known to the council leader and in the House of Commons during a recent Business Question. Night-time charges will hit local hospitality and leisure businesses across all of our North Dorset towns, as well as impacting negatively on local residents – for example, in Blandford and Shaftesbury, where people use car parks in the evenings, when there is pressure on on-street capacity. These cars are off to work etc before the next business day starts.
This is not a good policy coming from County Hall, and I would urge you to make your views known to the council. From my inbox, I know that many local residents and pubs are opposed to this plan. Let us hope that Lib Dem councillors listen.

Up with dictatorship?
My final fragility point is our basic functioning of democracy. A recent poll of GenZ (those born 1997 to 2012) found that more than half are in favour of turning the UK into a dictatorship! This follows polling by the Electoral Commission, which found that younger people are more likely to find the abuse and intimidation of political candidates and their supporters acceptable. I listened with interest to two GenZ men discuss why many of their cohort would support a British dictatorship. I have some sympathy with their call for politicians to be bold and visionary, to take brave decisions.
While I see their point, they neglect, I fear, to comprehend the massively negative effect social media and the rise of populism has on achieving these policymaking umbrellas.
A Parliamentary friend and colleague of mine, Alec Shelbrooke, has also commented in the media that people are likely to support a dictatorship only on the presumption that the dictator’s views align with their own. Pity them when they do not.
The reason given for GenZ’s opinion is that there is a lack of knowledge, in the historical context, of what a dictatorship is. Indeed, one interviewee did not believe that Putin is a dictator.
I find this hard to believe, with the attention given in schools to the rise of Nazism. It also suggests a certain lack of intellectual curiosity, of researching the historical examples of what one is calling for before actually calling for it.
But there is a serious point which we cannot duck: we need to remind this and future generations of why democracy is the best option and why participation in it makes sense. Just because we know it to be true does not mean that our successors will. The dictators of Europe, South America and Africa create an all-too-clear picture. Everyone needs to see it, understand it and learn from it.
We are doomed if they do not.

Bryanston School awarded for girls’ football

0

Bryanston School has been recognised by the Dorset County Football Association for its commitment to promoting girls’ football, receiving an award as part of the prestigious Equal Access Schools initiative.
The school’s football programme encourages girls of all ages and abilities to train, compete and develop their passion for the game. Mark Foster, Head of Football, said: ‘Football’s appeal lies in its inclusivity, bridging divides across gender, ethnicity, age and ability. This recognition from the Dorset County FA is a testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of our pupils, whether they play competitively or socially.’
During the spring term, Bryanston offers three training sessions a week for girls, with its 1st and 2nd XI teams competing in the South-West Girls Independent Schools (SWGIS) league, alongside house tournaments and extra-curricular matches.
As part of its wider efforts to promote girls’ sport, Bryanston will be hosting the 2025 Sports Conference on Friday 14th March, in partnership with The Powerhouse Project. Open to Year 8 and above, the event will welcome girls from across Dorset to meet industry-leading women in sports media, coaching, business and wellbeing.
The Powerhouse Project, which has worked with Nike, The FA and Right to Dream, aims to empower women and girls through sport.

Sponsored by Wessex Internet

Choo-choose to go behind the scenes at Swanage Railway

0

Swanage Railway volunteers are once again opening the doors to one of Dorset’s most cherished heritage attractions with a two-day Community Weekend on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd February 2025, from 10am to 4pm. Visitors can explore behind the scenes of the award-winning heritage railway at Swanage, Herston, Harman’s Cross, Corfe Castle, and Norden stations.
For Dorset residents, half-price tickets are available in advance at swanagerailway.co.uk or on the day at Norden, Corfe Castle, and Swanage stations (proof of residence required).

Behind-the-Scenes Access
Visitors can drive a 1950s diesel shunter at Swanage for £20, shadow a train guard or ticket inspector for £7.50, or take a guided tour of the historic signal boxes at Harman’s Cross and Corfe Castle (£7.50).
For the first time, pre-booked tours will be available at Swanage Railway’s steam locomotive engineering works, with a heritage bus service transporting visitors from Swanage and Norden stations.
Alongside the ticketed experiences, a range of free activities (donations welcome) will run across the weekend:
Explore 1960s heritage telephone exchanges at Harman’s Cross and Corfe Castle stations (subject to volunteer availability).
Try your hand at signalling at the Corfe Castle signalling museum.
Meet carriage restorers and sit inside a historic 1940s railway crane at Corfe Castle.
See narrow-gauge diesel train demonstrations at the Purbeck Mining Museum (next to Norden station).
At Herston Halt, visitors can also chat with volunteers about the development of the station, which only started welcoming trains in 1984.

It’s all about the volunteers
Swanage Railway Trust chairman Frank Roberts has been a dedicated Swanage Railway volunteer for more than 40 years: ‘It takes more people to operate, maintain and develop the Swanage Railway than many people realise. We are delighted to give people across the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset and beyond the chance to enjoy a behind the scenes view of a very special heritage railway that has been rebuilt since 1976.’

For full details and booking information, visit swanagerailway.co.uk.