The long cherished Dorset Dream of pioneering conservation farmer Robin Page this month becomes reality as the Countryside Restoration Trust completes the most significant purchase in its 30 year history of wildlife friendly farming.
Bere Marsh Farm on the banks of the idyllic River Stour at Shillingstone is set to become a national showcase for its holistic fusion of sustainable, traditional farming methods, habitat restoration and a dedicated education programme focused around the importance of food provenance.
Its idyllic 92 acres of wetland, grassland and woodland, rich in butterflies, birds, wildflowers and rare mammals make it the perfect setting to commemorate the Trust’s co-founder and Dorset conservation icon, artist Gordon Beningfield.
‘It is the perfect place for us where we can bring together, everything we believe in, whilst remembering Gordon and his devotion to the countryside. It represents our vision and why he and I decided to found the Trust all those years ago.
We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to shape it into the showcase for our work and our vision but it’s a challenge we have long wanted,’ said Robin Page, Executive Chairman of the Countryside Restoration Trust.
The cornerstone of the CRT’s philosophy is that both traditional and innovative farming methods can be made to work profitably and sustainably together in conjunction with the protection and restoration of wildlife habitats and precious eco-systems.
In all, it has 15 properties throughout the UK ranging from dairy and arable farms to sheep, rare breeds and woodland centres. Running in harmony with these sites is the curriculum based MOSAIC education programme for children at a network of nearby primary schools highlighting where food comes from, the value of its sustainable production alongside wild flora and fauna and how they can play their part in connecting with Nature and the wild world.
All these key elements of the CRT’s programme will be brought together at Bere Marsh Farm under the supervision and direction of Estate Manager, Elaine Spencer White, an agricultural consultant and specialist marketeer who is also a Trustee of the CRT.
‘Our long term intention is to turn the farm into an education and visitor centre – to re-attach visitors, as well as ourselves, to the land, to our native wildlife and where our food comes from. This will be where we demonstrate everything that he Trust stands for.’ Robin continues.
To this end the intention is to introduce a small herd of milking cows, free range hens, a small flock of sheep, an orchard and a nursery. It is even hoped to produce bread at the farm from wheat grown in the fields of other CRT farms as well as beer and cider from CRT barley and apples.
Her sons, John and Robert, are heartbroken to announce their mother’s death in her bungalow on 2nd September 2020.
Originally from South London, Penny & the late Fred moved to Templecombe in the mid 70s when Penny took a position as a primary school teacher at Stalbridge Primary School. Up until recently she was a regular Saturday morning shopper at Dikes, Stalbridge where she often ran into ex pupils of hers. Penny was a caring, compassionate person full of life and enthusiasm, always ready to help everyone. She will be missed so much by Robert & Gill, John & Helen, Justine, Ellen, June, Martin, Julie, Bernadette and all her friends who meant so much to her. The cremation will be held on Monday 21st September (restricted numbers). No flowers, donations to The Woodland Trust via Peter Jackson Funeral Services, Henstridge 01963 362570.
We’ve naturally been getting a lot of questions. So, here’s where we are: We’re the fresh, new, independent magazine for the Blackmore Vale. No financial backers, no ties, it’s just us – and in the greatest tradition and best spirit of Alan & Ingrid Chalcraft’s original BVM, we’re a husband and wife team! We’ve lived in the Vale for almost thirty years, and we’re raising our four children here.
With the death of the old paper version of the BVM, we saw an amazing opportunity for a new kind of Blackmore Vale magazine – of course we all still need and want a local news source. But instead of reviving the same old practices & methods, we have a real opportunity to enhance the local community in a modern, connected, environmentally friendly (and global-pandemic-proof!) way.
Why reboot the old, when we can upgrade the services that were previously ‘the norm’? We can improve on old practices, shake up the system, and we can make something new and exciting that can really work for a busy modern life.
UK national newspaper sales have slumped by two-thirds in 20 years – 90% of us consume news online now. So why would a geographically widespread rural community not make the most of the tech opportunity to do the same?
No need to go out and find your copy, wondering if it’s actually been delivered yet, or if the Post Office is still open or if the butcher’s will still have one. Our free digital magazine will arrive in EVERY subscriber’s inbox on the day of publication. You’ll read it on your tablet, smartphone, or computer; you’ll swish the pages just like a magazine, zooming in on the pictures, sharing articles with friends or family with a couple of taps, and you’ll have the ability to click right through to advertisers, order products or watch videos.
We’re the new Blackmore Vale news provider , with hyper local community news, events, businesses and more. Fully interactive and obviously always free to readers.
You’ve accepted an offer on your home and you’ve seen your dream property with your local estate agent. It’s all coming together with a second viewing booked for this Saturday! You’re already mentally picking out curtain material and paint colours.
However, there is a lot of work to be done before you visit your local decorating store to pick up tins of paint. Our role as your conveyancer is to make sure that you are fully informed in regards to the property and feel confident in signing the paperwork and handing over your deposit.
Once we have received your instructions, we will send out the land registry title plan for you to review and confirm that the boundaries are accurate. It is crucial that it details the full extent of the property you are intending to buy. We will then raise legal enquiries on the land registry title with the seller’s solicitors, for example, checking all of the relevant rights of access are included and that there are no onerous obligations you have to comply with.
We will also review the supplementary information provided by the seller raising any additional enquiries on the documents supplied, such as the energy performance certificate, the relevant planning permissions, septic tank or drainage, Japanese knotweed, tree preservation orders and even what, if any, items are included or not with the purchase! We also order searches on the property, including the local authority and water search.
If the property is leasehold there are additional forms and information to check, such as ground rent and service charge payments per year and the lease provisions.
We view the process as collaborative and report out to you on each step of the way so that any issues can be dealt with as they arise. Your role is key in feeding back to us from your practical inspections of the property together with updates on your mortgage application and providing a copy of your survey.
In regards to your sale, this largely mirrors the process from the other side of the fence in that we will be answering the buyer’s solicitor’s questions and supplying them with as much information as possible for their clients.
Not at that stage yet but considering it?
If you are thinking of putting your property on the market, it is really useful to call and have a chat with us at the initial stage as being prepared can ensure the process runs smoothly. We are happy to review the deeds you have and work through any potential concerns with you in advance so that when you do secure a buyer, all you will need to worry about is choosing the all-important paint colours!
Last month the Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, threatened to unleash dramatic changes to the planning system in a White Paper. A White Paper may sound innocuous, but this would have a devastating effect on Dorset communities and countryside. You may commend Mr Jenrick for being ambitious with his changes to reform what many regard as a convoluted and “outdated” planning system, and clearly there are some good ideas in it. However government calls for deregulation of the planning system would be very damaging as locally-led development offers the best outcomes for people and nature. It can ensure that the right development is in the right place, and create places where people actually want to live. The reforms will only serve to undermine local voices, by preventing communities from managing their own neighbourhoods.
Our key concerns are:
The proposed planning reforms will result in unwarranted overdevelopment in Dorset, with significantly higher housing numbers than are needed.
There would be a significant loss of local democracy and a further reduction of the public involvement in the planning process – Dorset Council (DC) must Stand up for Dorset and its residents rather than give in to demands from Westminster.
The proposals do not guarantee adequate protection for the precious Dorset environment.
The reforms would reduce the amount of affordable housing.
Attempts to address the climate emergency are pitiful, with the government’s aim to deliver carbon neutral homes only by 2050.
Shillingstone house building site image by CPRE
Excessive Housing Threat
Dorset CPRE commissioned an independent report ( https://dorset-cpre.org.uk/news/current-news/item/download/787) which was published recently that heavily criticised the government’s Standard Housing Method for assessing local housing need. The government used 2014 household projections rather than later projections which suggest lower housing needs. Local Plan Housing Targets for Rural Dorset (DC) are currently an annual average of 1,390 dwellings while the government’s housing need target is 1,827 homes using 2014 household projections.
The White Paper adds new criteria to boost national housebuilding from 270,000 to 337,000 homes every year, while in Rural Dorset it is likely to rise by a further 15% or so ie well over 2,000 dwellings according to Lichfields, the planning consultancy. This is based on an algorithm which is attracting increasing criticism as have most government algorithms this year. South East England would see even greater increases and many Tory MPs are expressing concern that planning reforms would destroy leafy suburbia and create the slums of the future. Is a U-turn imminent on this and the Planning White Paper? In the meantime tell your local Dorset MP what you think about excessive housing and the threat to Dorset’s precious environment, and the singular failure to provide genuinely affordable and social housing which our young families need!
By: Rupert Hardy, Chairman, North Dorset CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England)
A new business has launched providing companies with outsourced safety, quality and engineering management solutions.
Blandford-based A3C Management has extensive experience across a variety of sectors.
They include nuclear, construction, military, aviation, shipping, local government and education sectors.
Simon Jubb
Simon Jubb, Director and Founder, said: “We pride ourselves on providing solutions that integrate into your business.
“Our core values are integrity, honesty and transparency in everything we do.
“If a process is not right, we will say so and together we will work to create a better, more logical and efficient system for you.”
Simon has more than 30 years’ experience in health, safety, engineering and quality management.
He said: “What makes us different is that we don’t want to create something bespoke for your company that will then require a lot of tweaking and cost to maintain.
“We want to give your company something you can use and run, without the constant need for upgrades.
“A key part of any work we do is to consult with your employees – they are after all the hub of your company.”
I grew up in Stalbridge and went to the primary school there, St Mary’s, under the wise and kind authority of the head master, Geoff Mallet. They were called headmasters then, bit too binary for now, not very woke.
Geoff Mallet was a great man who I remember with unbounded affection. His French lessons even made him laugh – I was 10 at the time and was surprised that a grown-up man, who wasn’t my dad, could be so funny. And I mean funny. Mr Mallet would pick up on a wild theme, after joking with us kids, and just run with it. He loved puns – one kid’s surname was Jex and Mr Mallet enjoyed saying, ‘don’t vex me Jex’ – and made us kids roll in the aisles. I think that may have locked within me. And my mum taught infants there too. It was a great and happy school with really dedicated teachers. Looks like it still is. Took my retired mum there a while ago.
Hambledon Hill and the view across Blackmore Vale
And then I went to school in Stur (very good academically), and the Grammar in Weymouth (surprisingly lax) and then university (piece of cake) and then I worked in the South East before moving back to Dorset. I didn’t really know the new Dorset to which I was returning. I wondered if it was a mistake.
My very first morning in the Blackmore Vale was a revelation. I drove through a narrow country lane to the next village to get a paper – The Erotic Review, if you’re interested (actually it was The Times) – and a curious thing happened. A 4X4 travelling towards me pulled-in and flashed me. I stopped, perplexed, and asked if they were OK. ‘No, just letting you through,’ they replied cheerfully.
I was genuinely moved.. I mean this sincerely. If you live in Dorset you maybe won’t understand this. No-one in the South East who drives a Chelsea Tractor, as they’re called there (naturally not one such spotless 4X4 has ever been ‘off-road’), would in a million years pull-in to let a modest car go by. Actually my car then wasn’t that modest. It was a big Audi which used slightly less fuel than a standard Apollo moon mission, but you know what I mean. It just would not happen. And this consideration wasn’t a one-off. It happens every day. I still feel quite emotional about it and mention this to mates back in the snarling horror of the South East. They don’t believe me.
I’ll mention in future columns the many things that also impresses me about Dorset, but one thing is my Parish Council which actually does good things and communicates with the parishioners and, on a less parochial scale, those that run Sturminster Newton, and I think we’ve got a lot to thank Councillor Pauline Batstone for. Pauline has recently stepped down from the stresses of being Chair of Dorset Council. Her hair has gone quite auburn with grief.
Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival
Stur could easily be a dying town. But the locals, which includes Pauline, are fighting with market days, car rallies and, as I write this, a small alternative to the fantastic annual Cheese Fair – an event organized with brio, as well as brie.
Thank you. Thank you for smiling or wincing at my joke. Cheese isn’t that easy to pun with – so any suggestions, mail the Editor and I’m sure she’ll pass them on to me – claiming them as hers, obviously. She’s like that. I’ll be waiting for a reader to say that they went to a cheese festival in Wales and they drove Caerphilly.
I like and admire Pauline Batstone. She’s a very hard-working woman with a great sense of humour, she’s achieved a lot.
Pauline used to be a Probation Officer. Here’s a funny she told me. As a Probation Officer she handled the usual rum mixture of cases, including a posh elderly bloke who specialized in nicking old E-Type Jaguars. He’d take them to his workshop and very skillfully and conscientiously refurbish them. I’m unsure if his intention was to re-sell them or profit in anyway, but it would seem he couldn’t bear to see an E-Type that needs attention. I feel the same way about smoky bacon crisps.
Such was his notoriety among our rather benevolent police – and believe me, I’ve worked in other countries, our police are the best. – that whenever such a Jag was swiped, our boys in blue would unhurriedly drive to the eccentric old geezer’s workshop and as often as not find the ‘hot wheels’ being over-hauled. And the police would be professional, but understanding about his little ways.
The E-Type thefts got to the stage where when a distressed E-Type owner reported her or his car missing, the police advised the owner to hang on a month or two then report it, as they’d then deliver a perfectly re-conditioned classic motor – and all for free.
Inn some trouble
A lot of tired old pubs have changed hands recently in north Dorset – with significant money and imagination spent on their refurbishment.
I include here, The Three Elms in North Wooton, near Sherborne, (now re-named The Elms Farmhouse Kitchen) which looks a super smart coffee shop selling cakes and tucker. They’ve got the ace chef from The Udder, the big posh farm shop near Shaftsbury, and he’s obviously working his magic at his new stoves. The EFK’s car park is crammed.
The Green Man in King’s Stag has had a tasteful refurb and is now run by the owners of Stock House, with its famous deer park. Hopefully when Covid has passed they’ll make a decent buck out of it. Hosting Stag parties. Make lots of doe. Too much? (yes – Ed).
The Green Man at King’s Stag
The Plough at Manston is still undergoing extensive building work but their media page doesn’t suggest an opening date – or it didn’t last time I looked. The White Hart in Sturminster has re-opened and looks great – although a medium glass of Sauvignon Blanc costing £8.40 (it’s on the wine menu) and a pint at £4 may be worth reconsidering. This ain’t Knightsbridge. This be Dorset.
The beautiful old Antelope in Hazelbury Bryan has been acquired by an apparently nice bloke who’s minted, as he’s also bought The Elm Tree, just outside Weymouth, which used to be the in food place, when people wore flared trousers and medallions. A really lovely family, Greg, beautiful Rhiannon and their smiley smart daughter Hannah, friends of the owner, are running The Antelope.
Greg and family are South Africans who were doing the round-the-world trip but now seem committed to upping the Ante.
They’ve started offering cream teas on Thursday and Friday afternoons which are doing well. They do Thursday evening specials, including a South African beef curry which they insist is called Bunny Chow – no amount of explaining that that might be misinterpreted would convince them not to put it on the notice boards.
All these hard working Dorset entrepreneurs are struggling. If just 10% of The BV’s vast readership visited their local just once a week even for a coffee than that would go some way to help the community. The average pub puts £150,000 back into their community in the way of wages, rates, local suppliers. Lose a pub and you’ve lost your best community asset.
But pub managers, a quick word. I had a pint this week at a pub whose tenants I really like, but that pint cost £4.30. I won’t name the pub – it’s not one I’ve mentioned, but I will not go there again. This pub was a tenancy so their wholesale price will be dictated by the brewery, in this case Palmers of Bridport. Directors of Palmers – do not jeapordise your hard-working tenants. Your tenants are struggling.
A criminal thought
Driving through Blandford I was always intrigued to see a road named Peel Close. I take a keen interest in street names. One can usually date when they were named, eg Mafeking Close was during the Boer War, Albert Road was named after the Prince Regent, and Total Cock-up Street obviously is named in honour of Matt Hancock’s handling of the corona virus. Or the Education Secretary’s mastery over exam results. Or the Tory secretary of state Chris Grayling, who during the Brexit talks gave a shipping contract to a business which had no ships and no experience of sea freight. Thank God most senior civil servants are Firsts from Oxford or Cambridge. What a wreck we’d be without them. My solution would be to clear out the effete elite over-educated and replace them with practically-minded Dorset farmers. If you can keep a farm going, you can do anything.
Peel Close, Blandford
So, with Peel Close, I thought the naming committee of the council either really liked fruit, or were fans of the 1960s TV programme The Avengers, whose beautiful star Diana Rigg (who played Emma Peel) has just died. Then it struck me that as the police station is there, it’s obviously named after Robert Peel, founder of the police. It took me about three years to make this connection, so it would appear that if I joined the police my promotion as a detective would not be swift.
However, I did think the name of the street lacked a certain connection with modern society and the language our rogue elements use. Perhaps the name Peel Close is too aggressively authoritative, too fuddy-duddy, maybe it would alienate criminals and give them issues with self-esteem. All very worrying.
I suggested it be re-named more appropriately, ‘You’re Bang to Rights My Son Road’ or ‘Leave it ‘aht guv’nor I ain’t done Nuthin Street’.
But my wife came up with, yes, you’ve guessed it, ‘Letsby Avenue’.
Please write to me via the magazine if you’ve got a better suggestion or with street names that are curious.
My wife has a way with words, and it’s not always the right way. Her ability to mix metaphors is legendary. Over media speculation of Harry and self-effacing, modest Meghan she said, the press are giving them enough rope for them to dig their own grave.’ She then paused and said, ‘that doesn’t sound right’. ‘It was perfect,’ I told her, after I’d stopped laughing, and had phoned my brother to pass on this gem. We do this often. For example, when Tim found that his wife, Ali, genuinely thought the Battle of Trafalgar was fought in London’s Trafalgar Square (this woman went to university and was a teacher!) No, I’m not making that up, I don’t have to. There’s enough amusement in every day life.
