For the third consecutive year, Blanchards Bailey participated in drafting Wills in return for a donation to Dorchester’s Weldmar Hospicecare.
Throughout October 2021, the private client department at Blanchards Bailey LLP undertook the drafting of thirty Wills in aid of Weldmar Hospicecare based in Dorchester. Clients referred via the scheme met with members of Blanchards Bailey’s thirty two strong, specialist private client team, to complete their Wills and In lieu of paying a fee to their solicitors, clients donated £120 or £180 to Weldmar Hospicecare and some left a legacy in their Will to Weldmar.
Following a recent update from Weldmar it has been confirmed that, once realised, the work carried out by Blanchards Bailey will result in donations of between £3,600 – £5,400 to Weldmar.
Support for Dorset adults with a life limiting illness Sarah Balchin, Weldmar Hospicecare’s Legacy, In Memory and Trust Fundraiser said; “We cannot thank Blanchards Bailey LLP enough for all their proactive support. Our Make A Will Month has seen a very successful third year, especially at this difficult time with the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you also to everyone who booked an appointment and made a donation to Weldmar. All the donations received, and the gifts left for us in Wills, will allow us to continue caring for adults in Dorset who have a life limiting illness, and supporting their loved ones too, with all of our services provided for free.” Jerome Dodge, Head of the Private Client Department at BBLLP added; “Blanchards Bailey are keen supporters of local charity endeavours. Although we tend to focus on fundraising for a specific nominated charity each year, when we are approached by a charity and are able to help, we are always happy to do our bit. We were delighted to be involved in Weldmar’s Make a Will Month once again.”.
Throughout the three years of the Weldmar Hospicecare Make a Will Month, the scheme has raised over £30,000 of donations for the charity which provides free vital end of life care for people living in Dorset who need specialist support.
If you would like to speak with our private client department about creating a new Will or updating a current Will, please contact Jerome Dodge, Head of Blanchards Bailey’s Private Client department, on 01258 459 361.
Join us to be part of the unfolding racing story of all our young racehorses: helping shape their futures from birth and following their progress on the track.
Part-time or full-time days available for a Stud Hand – to join existing, dedicated team, immediate start and initially to the end of May. Part-time days Friday and Saturday or full-time days Tuesday to Saturday (would consider 3 or 4 days part-time also but must include Friday and Saturday).
‘Normal’ working hours and great conditions, a genuine 8am-5pm working day for yard work, with a half hour coffee break, a one-hour lunch break and paid holiday. Full-time staff work a five day week with one weekend day off every week.
The job involves working with well-mannered (mostly ) broodmares and foals on the ground – leading in and out, mucking out, feeding, prepping for sales and assisting with stud maintenance.
We are a mares’ only stud with high standards, breeding top quality, champion racehorses and our existing team enjoy following the careers of the foals and youngstock they have helped raise.
Some previous experience with horses required – main criteria though is you are physically fit and willing to fit in with, and become part of our enthusiastic, happy team. We are easy to get to, in Glanvilles Wootton, five miles south of Sherborne – we’re even on the Dorchester/Sherborne bus route if that helps.
Please email [email protected] or call Doug Procter on 07974 314262 to discuss.
Find out more about us by reading the BV Magazine October to February online issues theblackmorevale.co.uk.
The centre of Stur is an often-overlooked and undervalued asset in the oldest part of town, says Pauline Batstone.
The Boutique is part of the Market Cross shopping area, and it’s a great place for browsing. In Beads with a Twist there’s always a new find, defintely the place for jewellery to go with your new outfit. There are few people who can walk past Daisy Delbridge’s
without turning to breathe in the beauty of the florist shop – why not step in and treat yourself? On the opposite corner, a potter around Agnes and Vera’s is a must – they are always a go-to if you’re hunting for an unusual gift.
–Agnes & Vera (far right) is a great place for gift buying. Next door is Joshua’s coffee shop, the blue building is Is Shin takeaway, and the thatched building is the White Hart Alehouse – Image Courtenay Hitchcock
If you have a little longer, when was the last time you stopped by the museum? It’s a fascinating place, filled with stories and the history of the places you walk past every day.
On for some clothes shopping in Gallery One, and of course no book lover can resist stepping into the hidden bookshop round the corner. Don’t be deceived by the tiny window of Stour Bookshop, it’s a positive Tardis. It’s always best to finish up with a coffee – try Joshua’s or Sweet Pea (or something stronger in The White Hart Alehouse…) For gentlemen there is also the opportunity for a spruce up at Oli Barbers or ladies step round to the car park side for a relaxing pamper at Enzos.
Sweet Pea is a perfect stop for refreshments, and the next building along is the tardis of Stour Books. Image Courtenay Hitchcock
The huge success of the two community charity shops means we can stage many exciting events this year, says Pauline Batstone. Some of the money raised from the sale of your pre- loved goods in The Emporium and The Boutique goes towards organising events for residents to enjoy and to bring new shoppers into town.
Far left is the black shop front of Beads with a Twist. In the middle is the Boutique, and then on the right is the always lovely florist’s shop Daisy Delbridge. Image Courtenay Hitchcock
This is what that diary of events is beginning to look like – and we will publish updates as events are confirmed.
Each first Saturday in the month (providing the weather’s not forecast to be awful!) the car enthusiasts bring their pride and joy to admire and swap stories in the Station Road Car Park. Anyone can come along – we have cars and bikes from modern to vintage. It’s very informal, no attendance fee, parking is free and we’re a friendly welcoming bunch!
The public liability insurance is paid for by The Community Benefit Society.
On 1st March we plan to hold our first Pancake Day event; ‘Races in The Rec’ at 2p.m. – pancakes supplied, but bring your own frying pans!
Mothering Sunday is 27th March is a good reason to buy flowers, chocolates and gifts
Easter events:
Good Friday, 15th April, a service will be held at the Cross in the Market Place, possibly followed by Hot Cross Buns Easter Saturday, 16th April, The Mill will be milling Easter Sunday, 12 noon onwards. An Easter Egg Hunt around the town Easter Monday, 12 noon, an Easter Bonnet Parade from the Church Hall to the Railway Gardens.
7th May A Wedding Fair held around the businesses in the Town, more details to follow.
2nd to 5th June
The Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend – details are still being discussed by The Town Council and the Community Benefit Society so more details to follow, but; • Thursday 2nd – Beacon
Lighting Railway Gardens • Friday to Sunday – The Exchange Real Ale and Cider
Festival • Saturday 4th June – Car Enthusiasts Meet in Station Road Car Park • Craft Market at The Exchange • Anonymous Travelling Market in Station Road and the
Market Place • Garden Fair in The Railway Gardens • Sunday 5th June – 12.00 to
3.00 p.m. The Big Lunch and Fancy Dress Parade in The Railway Gardens.
13th to 19th June
Sturminster Newton Literary Festival – includes various events including a Victorian Fete in the Railway Gardens on the afternoon of Saturday 18th.
July 1st to 3rd – the Boogie Woogie Festival hope to be back
20th to 29th August – SturBuzz; it’s all about bees and sustainability and fun – with a fancy dress parade on Sunday 29th (your best bee costume)
And then of course it’s the Cheese Fair on the 10th and 11th of September, there may be something about the Queen’s Green Canopy in October, and then we are back to Christmas again… I’m feeling tired already!
Plans for old bank to be new business space supporting local producers and sellers
Tim Robins is leading on an idea to see if the former NatWest building can be reinvented as a shopping destination – bringing more people into the town to our shops and cafes. The proposal is to offer customer-facing, exhibition-style space, six days a week, for people just setting out in business, selling good quality items from the Blackmore Vale. Hopefully this will provide useful space and support to new businesses, and also create a changing, ever-more-interesting shopping experience for both residents and visitors to the town (if you are interested in more details on this, please contact [email protected])
An exciting opportunity to join the strong team at Milborne Port Primary School and shape the future of our early years provision.
The school governors are looking to appoint a Pre-School Manager at The Beeches Pre-School from September 2022, or earlier by arrangement.
Applicants must be committed to creating an exceptional learning environment that offers the best for every child and meets all the aims of Milborne Port Primary School. There will be a strong focus on Communication and Language, Literacy and Outdoor Learning.
Please contact the School Business Manager Claire Brown on:
All completed applications should be returned to the school email address above.
Milborne Port Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share in this commitment.
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and medical clearance.
Local family brewers Hall & Woodhouse raised over £126,000 through various partnerships over the last charity year.
Jon Mead completed a gruelling challenge to cycle to each of Hall & Woodhouse’s 50 pubs in Dorset to raise vital funds for Dorset Mind.
The money raised in 2021 has brought the company’s total fundraising figure over the past decade to a staggering £1,103,000.
Lucinda Gray, Community Relationships Manager at Hall & Woodhouse, said: “We could not be prouder of the incredible efforts shown by our team and what they have collectively achieved over the past charity year. To be able to take the total money raised in the last decade to over £1million is an extraordinary milestone, and I thank all our team for their ambition and dedication to make this happen.”
Pub Charities
A Guinness World Record- breaking pub quiz, and a challenging group paddleboarding excursion were just some of the events and activities arranged by pubs across the south to raise money for their chosen charity partners. In October 2020 Hall & Woodhouse had launched its local ‘pub charity partnerships’, and now each Managed House team and the team based at the brewery select their own charity partner to support within their local community.
£1,867 was raised for Dorset Mind by Hall & Woodhouse team member Jon Mead, by cycling to each of the company’s 50 pubs in Dorset. Jon cycled over 350km over the course of his challenge, which took over 19 hours to complete. The Crown Hotel in Blandford raised £1,300 for the Blandford Foodbank by hosting a night of live music with Meatloaf tribute act, Meet Loaf, performing the band’s greatest hits. Additionally, almost £18,000 was collected through Hall & Woodhouse’s charity dish initiative, which can be found on the menu at all its Managed Houses. The Steak and Tanglefoot Ale Pie proved to be a popular dish with 25p from each pie bought going straight to the pub’s chosen charity partner. Lucinda Gray added: “we are constantly looking for new ways to reach out to those who need our support. Our pub teams have faced many challenges over the last few years and yet they continued to prioritise charity fundraising activities and our guests have responded generously in support. “Our teams are excitedly making plans with their charity partners for the year ahead to ensure we raise even more money in 2022. Activities include the return of our own Dorset Beer Festival to be held at the brewery on Saturday 25th June with all profits from this event going to Dorset Mind.”
Walking around local towns you may see strange plaques high up on the external walls of larger historic buildings. Local expert Paul Birbeck explains their origins and significance.
To be found in Sherborne, this West of England insurance company’s plaque featured King Alfred
My January BV article considered the birth of the modern fire brigade in our area. This month’s piece is a natural sequel While walking around local towns and villages, you may occasionally notice unusual symbols and objects; for example on the external walls of buildings. One of my favourite items in Sherborne are the fire marks which are found on at least three buildings around the town. The origin of these historical plaques pre-dates any fire brigade, but does provide a link to early fire fighting and the protection of property.
The Fire of London and the birth of insurance
As the Great Fire of London in 1666 consumed the buildings, alms houses, schools and churches of the City, property owners watched their buildings and livelihoods go up in flames, each knowing that they had lost everything – the concept of fire insurance did not exist.
One year after The Great Fire, the first fire insurance company, called “The Fire Office”, was established by Nicholas Barbon. His fire brigade employed small teams of Thames watermen as firefighters.
He also established a mutual society which offered fire insurance. This later became known as the Phoenix Fire Office – an appropriate name for the society as the Phoenix is a mythical bird which burns itself and then arises from the ashes reborn.
These Sherborne fire marks feature the Royal Exchange Assurance building (right) and the British lion.
The fire mark
To identify that a property was covered by fire insurance, attached to the building at a height easily seen from the street – but out of reach of thieves – was a sign or emblem called a fire mark which was issued by the company. Each insurance company had its own distinctive design which made identification of the property easier for their fire fighters and the company representatives. At first they were made of lead with the individual policy number stamped upon them and a type of logo. The designs of all the companies can still be found. The Sun Fire Office had a large sun with a face. The Royal Exchange Assurance’s mark featured their building (image bottom left); the West of England plaque featured King Alfred who was the emblem for the company (image above). British had a lion (image below right, the lion is very worn), and Phoenix’s fire mark featured a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Find them in Sherborne
Today, Sherborne has at least four fire marks scattered around the town. Three are around the central areas and one can be seen on the west wall of Sherborne Castle, showing the Westminster company logo and policy number.
If you aware of a fire mark, treasure them as part of our heritage and do please make the owner of the property aware of its importance – they are becoming an increasingly rare sight. I would also be interested to know the location: [email protected] Happy searching!
Using an ISA or a pension can be an excellent way of making your savings go the extra mile. but investors are often confused as to which one to invest in, explains Andrea Steel of Church House Investment Management.
shutterstock
Choosing between an ISA or pension for your savings is by no means an either/or discussion – quite the opposite, in fact. Each are tailored to meet different savings requirements, and should nearly always be used together. Rather than trying to decide whether a pension or an ISA is better, the debate should centre on which is better in a given situation – for which savers need to know the differences between the products.
Similarities and differences
At their heart, both pensions and ISAs are designed as tax-efficient savings vehicles. Both allow individuals to hold their savings in cash, shares and bonds, as well as spread their money across a diversified portfolio of assets. Both also allow savings to grow tax free, as no income tax or capital gains tax is incurred as the value grows.
It’s when you get down to the minutiae that the differences between pensions and ISAs become more apparent. For example:
Employers are not obliged to make contributions into an employee’s ISA, while they are, in most cases, into an employee’s workplace pension.
ISA savers are not charged income tax when they access their money, whereas pension savings are taxable once the 25% tax free pension commencement lump sum has been withdrawn
Other differences exist beyond these, but perhaps the two most important when deciding which to use are tax relief and flexibility.
Tax relief
When one puts money into a pension, the government gives a rebate that is equivalent to one’s marginal rate of tax to top up the pension. In simple terms, this means that a £100 investment will only actually cost £80 for a basic rate taxpayer.
Couple this with the money an employer is obliged to contribute, and it is easy to see how the value of pension savings may grow above investment performance.
Flexibility
Conversely, while this ‘free money’ in the form of tax relief and/or employer contributions is not available to ISA investors, an ISA has far superior flexibility. Savers may usually only access their pension funds from age 55 (57 from 2028), ISA savers can access their funds whenever they like. That being said, it should be noted that some types of ISAs (such as the Lifetime ISA) do impose conditions on withdrawals.
The end goal
It is clear is that neither a pension nor an ISA is “better”– they are different tax-efficient products for different purposes. For those thinking about saving for their retirement, the pension is the obvious choice. Not only do investors receive more tax benefits than if they were to use an ISA, but the fact that they cannot access their money before age 55 also removes the temptation for early withdrawal. However, for those with more short-term savings requirements – buying a house or a car, putting a child through school or university, for example – an ISA might be a better solution. Indeed, although contributions will not enjoy government or employer top-ups, ISA savings can still grow without that growth being taxed and has the added benefit of being accessible at any time.
Whatever your stage in life, whatever your priorities, Church House are here to help you invest to achieve your goals. If you would like to find out more about our wealth management services, please contact our Dorset office in Sherborne on 01935 382620 or [email protected]
Important Information The contents of this article are for information purposes only and do not constitute advice or a personal recommendation. Investors are advised to seek professional advice before entering into any investment decisions. Please also note the value of investments and the income you get from them may fall as well as rise and there is no certainty that you will get back the amount of your original investment. You should also be aware that past performance may not be a reliable guide to future performance.
Church House Investment Management is a trading name of Church House Investments Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
We are looking for new full or part time members of our team to join us as our youngstock yard develops. Join our friendly team as we raise sport horse and thoroughbred youngstock, handling and preparing them for exciting futures ahead. All general yard duties including mucking out, grooming, handling and feeding are vital to this role. Previous experience with young horses required, along with a proactive approach to all aspects of yard life. We are part of The Chedington Court Estate, and offer excellent working conditions for our employees. Based just outside of Holwell/Glanvilles Wootton, approximately 5 miles from Sherborne. Due to our location, you will ideally need to drive. For more information, please contact Vicki on 07817 960454.
YARD AND COMPETITION GROOM, BEAMINSTER, DT8
We are seeking an enthusiastic person to join the team at Chedington Equestrian. The yard is a purpose built, high-end training and rehabilitation yard. We have a great team of people and this will be a great role with plenty of support and variety. The position will include all daily yard and horse care jobs as well as supporting one of our resident eventing riders at competitions and training days. The role will also involve assisting in the rehabilitation and therapy yard with the rehabilitation liveries and horses coming in to use the aqua treadmill. Sorry this role does not allow horses or dogs. On site accommodation with all bills included.
For more information, please contact Bek Burton on 07879 761396
) broodmares and foals on the ground – leading in and out, mucking out, feeding, prepping for sales and assisting with stud maintenance.
