Charlie Waite and the Landscape Photographer of the Year Competition

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23 May 2023

Charlie Waite, a local Gillingham resident and revered figure in the world of photography, has been nicknamed the grandfather of British Landscape Photography. He has inspired thousands of photographers, not just through his own work, but also through the founding of the prestigious Landscape Photographer of the Year competition (LPOTY), one of the most celebrated photography contests in the UK. As the competition marks its 16th anniversary, photographers still have time to showcase their talent.

Charlie Waite’s profound influence extends beyond the competition itself. With a distinct photographic style that exudes serenity and calm, he has firmly established himself as the leading landscape photographer in the UK. He has published over 40 books and held 30 solo exhibitions, captivating audiences across the nation. Furthermore, he shares his expertise through Light & Land, a photography travel company that offers aspiring photographers the chance to explore and capture stunning images from various corners of the globe.

The Landscape Photographer of the Year competition continues to thrive under Charlie’s guidance. The 2023 competition is accepting entries until 31st May, providing photographers of all ages and skill levels with the opportunity to submit their landscape images, and the chance to have work recognised on a national scale.

**Buttermere II, Cumbria by Charlie Waite**

With the aim of inspiring ‘profound engagement with the British landscape through photography’, the highly coveted competition has a prize fund worth over £20,000. The overall winner of Landscape Photographer of the Year 2023 will win £10,000, and there will be a beautiful coffee table book of best entries plus a touring exhibition. It is open to all photographers, from amateurs to professionals, and an under 18’s ‘young Photographer’ competition is free entry too.

Brecon in Winter – LOTPY 2022 overall winner. *Photographer: © Will Davies.*

There are nine categories available, the winner of each will win £1,000:

Classic View
Cityscapes – sponsored by Suttons
Black and White – sponsored by Fotospeed
Intimate View (macro and detail)
Expression/Impressions of the Landscape
Bird’s Eye View (Drone)
Change in the Landscape sponsored by MPB.com
My Railway Adventure sponsored by Network Rail
Coast sponsored by Epson

All entries must have been taken in the UK since 31 May 2018. Be sure to read the Competition Rules before entering!

The Under 18s section has four categories: Coast, Cityscapes, Black and White and Classic View, and offers prizes of £500 for each category winner. The overall winner of the Young Landscape Photographer of the Year title, sponsored by 3Legged Thing, will win £1000!

All entries must be submitted through the submission portal before 1pm, 31 May 2023 – https://www.lpoty.co.uk/

As the deadline for submissions approaches, photographers are urged to seize this chance to showcase their talent, connect with the spirit of Dorset, and contribute to the legacy of British photography. Charlie Waite’s visionary approach and his commitment to capturing the beauty of landscapes will undoubtedly continue to inspire photographers to embrace the art form and embark on their own creative journeys.

Unite with foes: progress together

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Editorial team

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22 May 2023

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Populism in politics always over-simplifies issues. Effective political change requires active listening across divides, says MP Simon Hoare

Regular readers will know of my suspicions of populism in politics. Not to be confused with being popular (what politician doesn’t seek to be that?), more the simplicity of the black and white of the populists’ prescription.
Populists, by their very world view, only speak to those with whom they agree – or who agree with them. With their self-endorsing echo chamber, if you will. At the same time, they will demonise those with whom they disagree or find disagreeable.
Achieving big political change – making the weather – is not within the armoury of the populist. They are unable to do so because they lack the capacity to reach across the aisle, to extend the hand of friendship and a listening ear.
Such skills are prerequisites to making meaningful progress in often-contested spaces. This was brought home to me at recent Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee hearings.

Beware the 100 percenters
Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair and former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern all said that to get to the point where the Good Friday Agreement was possible, people who were sworn and ancient enemies had to sit down and talk – to listen and to respect each point of view and to find the route of pragmatic compromise needed to make progress.
I heard it again in every speech at a recent conference hosted by Queen’s University Belfast, celebrating Agreement 25. Bill and Hilary Clinton made powerful speeches on this issue, as did Senator George Mitchell, who gave up five years of his life in the search for peace in Northern Ireland. George warned against the ‘100 percenters’ – those who can only claim victory when they achieve everything and their opposite number nothing.
I heard it from the President of the EU, who spoke of how the Windsor Framework had been negotiated – through respectful conversations focused on the possible. Perhaps above all I heard it from a range of viewpoints, across the traditions, who all effectively said: ”I knew progress was possible and resolution within touching distance when I found myself speaking to x, y or z – a sworn enemy and opponent.”

Surprising dinner companions
I was a teenager in the 1980s and remember The Troubles clearly, albeit viewed from the safety of South Wales. It’s why I have become so involved with the politics of Northern Ireland – I am committed to playing my small part in ensuring no return to the days of hate and blood. The progress made over the last 25 years was made crystal clear to me in two personal events.
The first was, as an unaccompanied Tory MP, walking down the Falls Road in Belfast. In the past, English politicians would have had to go in armoured cars with heavy security. The second was finding myself sitting next to Gerry Adams at the celebration dinner at Hillsborough Castle. On the political Richter Scale these were two small things; but enormously illuminating of the scale of change that non-populist politics can deliver.

Enemy mine
As the Windsor Framework underscores, pragmatic politics continues to deliver. I shall close with another personal anecdote, if I may. A Loyalist blogger and campaigner did not have me on his Christmas card list. Jamie Bryson saw me as being opposed to everything he holds dear. He has waged a bit of a campaign against me in the media.
Recently we bumped into each other in Belfast. We could have cold shouldered each other, muttering under our breaths as we slipped past.
But, we didn’t. We shook hands. We met for coffee. A presumed ten-minute chat evolved into a two-hour heart-to-heart. He is coming to my Select Committee and we have continued our conversations.
We won’t, we know, agree on everything, but we have agreed to try to follow the advice of those political Titans who led the way with the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. Let us have more of that kind of politics.

Village shops fighting back

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Editorial team

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21 May 2023

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A long time supporter (and judge!) of Dorset’s village shops, North Dorset CPRE chairman Rupert Hardy visits Child Okeford’s success story

Andrew Stevenson-Hamilton with daughter Mimi outside The Child Okeford Village Shop. Image: Rupert Hardy

COVID was kind to village shops, which had been under pressure for decades from the relentless onslaught from supermarkets. Government advice to stay home, combined with the fear of infection, encouraged shoppers to avoid supermarkets. Village shops offered a friendly face, and benefited from the trend to support local businesses. Price was less of an issue.
Fast forward to 2023 and life has changed dramatically. Shoppers are facing a vicious cost-of-living crisis, while village shops are facing much tighter purses.
Price wars have been intensifying and we all know which supermarkets are winning: the discounters Aldi and Lidl. Village shops cannot take advantage of the clear long-term trend towards online shopping.
The steep and accelerating decline in physical newspaper and tobacco sales is another factor – in the past these were major magnets for customers.

The exception
Yet there are exceptions! The Child Okeford Village Shop is doing all the right things. Andrew Stevenson-Hamilton bought the shop in 2020, feeling he would like a more community-spirited role. It wasn’t a bad proposition, thanks to a spacious shop floor, enabling a broad selection of stock. It’s also in a good site, in the middle of a relatively affluent large village of 1,200 and 20 minutes drive from the lure of the nearest major supermarket.
He set about making changes. He bought an Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system so staff no longer needed to price up products manually. He joined the SPAR group, which helped him with stock selection and a redesign of the layout, which increased the shop floor making room for new lines. More local products were brought in.
Andrew has a broad range of clients to cater for. Retirees, an age group who are often not keen to shop online, appreciate the broad range of stock.
Being on the school run route means the shop is busy on weekday afternoons – the toys help here too!
The less privileged members of the community appreciate the competitive pricing for basic items. Tradespeople are early morning regulars, buying coffee and (profitable) pastries and using the tables and chairs outside – as do tourists visiting the village.

A community hub
Andrew listens to what his customers want and aims for the shop to be a buzzy, friendly hub for the village. Customers like the in-house bakery with its wonderful fresh smells (Andrew believes in a sense of theatre).
Latest innovations include a section for coeliacs, a book exchange, a coffee dispenser and an expanded range of greeting cards. The shop is now a destination store.
He has also brought in a loyalty card system, with the logo designed by pupils at the village school. He sponsors the school football team and also a police awareness initiative to reduce online abuse of children. The Post Office section works well too – Andrew thinks that’s partly thanks to an old-style contract of a salary and bonus.
He has not been afraid to reduce costs where necessary – he cut his electricity bill in half by reducing the heating over the winter, making insulation covers for his freezers and taking out the heated food counter.
Now he is planning to host more village events, such as wine and cheese tastings.

Bestselling author Libby Page answers the Random 19 questions

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Editorial team

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20 May 2023

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Libby Page is a Sunday Times bestselling author, known for her feelgood novels exploring themes of community, love and connection.
Born and raised in Dorset, Libby’s roots provide a strong foundation for her storytelling.
Her debut novel The Lido received widespread acclaim for its heartwarming narrative and exploration of love in its many forms. Libby has continued to captivate readers with her subsequent novels The 24-Hour Café and The Island Home. Each is infused with a deep understanding of human emotions and the power of connection. Her latest novel, The Vintage Shop of Second Chances, was published in February, and is based in Frome.
In the story, after the death of her beloved mother, Lou is opening her own vintage clothes shop in the town. In upstate New York, Donna is questioning her past. Her only clue is a picture of a yellow dress, currently on display in a shop in England.
Maggy is facing life as a 70-something divorcee. The new vintage shop in town sparks memories of her past and reignites a passion she’s been missing.
Can these three women find their answers – and unlock a second chance?
In her spare time, Libby is a keen outdoor swimmer and she now lives just over the border in Somerset with her husband and young son. Her Twitter followers are still awaiting the tale behind the tweet about a (presumably) Dorset Morris Dance-related incident … (see below)

Sturminster Literary Festival
Libby will be taking part in the Sturminster Newton Literary Festival. On 8th June she will appropriately be appearing in 1855, giving a talk about The Vintage Shop of Second Chances. After the talk and book signing, the team from The Boutique in Sturminster Newton will hold a fashion show of pre-loved items. Tickets are £10 and include a glass of prosecco on arrive – book here

And so to the 19 random questions…

What’s your relationship with Dorset?
I grew up in Gillingham! I went to school there and I visit regularly, as my mum still lives there.
The last film you watched?
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. It was a lovely escapist treat.
It’s Friday night – you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do?
I am going to curl up on the sofa with a good book and a takeaway. I’ll probably have a bath and then I’ll be in bed by 9pm.

What book did you read last year that stayed with you? What made you love it?
I loved Jojo Moyes’ latest book, Someone Else’s Shoes. I especially loved it for the depiction of female friendship and the impact of depression on a marriage. It was really moving but also uplifting.
What was the last song you sang out loud in your car?
Bitch by Meredith Brooks!
What would you like to tell 15 year-old you?
It’s going to be OK.
And yes, you WILL become an author!
Tell us about a sound or a smell that makes you happy?
The sound of my toddler snoring … and the smell of hyacinths.
What’s your secret superpower?
Being able to nap at any time of day, anywhere. Literally, anywhere.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Being kind to the people I love, and for writing books that made people smile.

Your favourite quote?
‘…but what if it all goes right?’
I have it hanging on the wall in my writing room. I’m a natural worrier, and it helps to remind me that sometimes the worst doesn’t actually happen after all!
Your top three most-visited websites (excluding news and social media)?
The Novelry – where I work as a writing coach
Substack – I have my own newsletter
Lucy & Yak – basically I’m always contemplating which dungarees to buy next
Chip shop chips or home-baked cake??
Definitely cake. Every time, thank you!
Tell us about one of the best evenings you’ve had?
My wedding party!
It was delayed due to COVID by two years, and it meant so much to finally have everyone we loved in one room – including our son, who didn’t exist when we got engaged!
What is your comfort meal?
Baked tomato and mozzarella gnocchi
Your most annoying trait?
Getting distracted!
When my mind is in my books and with my characters, I have a horrible habit of just not finishing sentences.
Your most annoying trait?
What was the last gift you either gave, or received?
Flowers, on both counts! I gave them to my mum for Mother’s Day and also received them from my son and husband!
What in life is frankly a mystery to you?
The revival of 90s fashion …
You have the power to pass one law, uncontested. What will you do with it?
Allow public access to the UK’s waterways and put in place stricter rules to stop the pollution of our rivers and seas.
And finally, the best biscuit for dunking?
Chocolate digestives!

Return of the Dorset Business Awards at Chamber’s inaugural Business Festival

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Editorial team

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20 May 2023

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The Dorset Business Festival – the first event of its kind in Dorset Chamber’s 74-year history – will be held in October

The first Dorset Business Festival was officially launched at the chamber’s President’s Lunch, where Shevaun Haviland, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, delivered a keynote speech to over 150 attendees.
The Dorset Business Festival – the first event of its kind in the chamber’s 74-year history – is being held from 10th to 12th October in Bournemouth. The festival will showcase a conference, exhibition, and awards ceremony, celebrating businesses across the county.
Dorset Chamber has secured presenter and former BBC Breakfast business correspondent Declan Curry as host of the conference.
The Sunday Times economics editor David Smith has been named as keynote speaker. Mr Smith will open the topic-based conference on 10th October, which will emphasize the ‘future of business’. The conference will be concentrating on four themes:

Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG)
place
people.

The expo will feature stands, presentations and networking.

Dorset Business Awards
Returning after four years, the Business Awards will be open to all businesses in the county, regardless of chamber membership, and will feature ten free-to-enter categories.
They will involve judging by an independent panel of business leaders and experts.
The chamber has welcomed five Festival Partners for the event – Blue Sky Financial Planning, Bournemouth and Poole College, Dorset Council, The Dolphin and the YMCA Bournemouth.
Law firm Lester Aldridge will be the Premier Festival Partner.
Bookings for the three-day festival, including entries for the Dorset Business Festival Awards, will open on 9th May.

Discovering the uncharted charm of Dorset

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Editorial team

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19 May 2023

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By exploring the county’s quirky, unconventional stories, Jon Woolcott urges readers to experience Dorset with fresh eyes. By Jane Adams

Real Dorset out in the wild (sitting in the Little Toller bookshop window in Beaminster…)

‘Please don’t use Real Dorset as a guidebook. You’ll get lost!’
As he starts his talk at the launch of his new book, Jon Woolcott says: ‘It isn’t a guide to the best pubs in Dorset, either,’ he adds, ‘though I have included a few …’
Jon Woolcott has an obsession with ‘all things Dorset’. If you meet him, he readily admits it. So when I bagged a ticket to the sell-out launch event for Real Dorset at Folde in Shaftesbury, I was intrigued to hear about some of his discoveries. It is soon obvious that Jon’s Dorset is very much more interesting than the popular ’sea, sand and Hardy’s Wessex’ image.

Spicy spies
Real Dorset starts conventionally enough, divided as it is into five sections; north, south, east, west and central. But that’s where convention ends and discovery of the weird and wonderful – and just plain fascinating – begins.
From the spicy ‘comings and goings of the artistic set at Crichel’, spy scandals on Portland, and 1950s nostalgia at the Model Town in Wimborne, tasty morsels jump from every page.
What I loved most, though, and what kept me reading to the very end, was Jon’s mastery of storytelling.
Real Dorset isn’t a dull ramble through country lanes, villages and towns. Instead its stories are full of humour, unexpected details and an engaging quirkiness.
Whether you read Real Dorset in one sitting, as I did, or dip in and out, you can’t help but feel you’re there, walking with the author, seeing Dorset with fresh eyes.
However, I strongly disagree with Jon on one point. I’m definitely using it as a guidebook. Getting lost in Jon Woolcott’s ‘real’ Dorset, surrounded by music, ghosts, pirates, rebellion and revolt, has frankly never seemed more appealing.

Real Dorset was published in April 2023 by Seren Books, and is available not just in Little Toller Books but in all good local indie bookshops and also online.

A dawn chorus of paperbacks for spring…

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Editorial team

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19 May 2023

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The Nightingale: Notes on a songbird by Sam Lee (£13)
Throughout history, its sweet song has inspired musicians, writers and artists from Germany, France and Italy to Greece, Ukraine and Korea. Conservationist, renowned musician and folk expert Sam Lee tells the story of the nightingale, revealing in beautiful detail the bird’s song, characteristics and migration, as well as the environmental issues that threaten it.

Singing Like Larks by
Andrew Millham
(£13)
Singing Like Larks opens a rare window onto the ancient song traditions of the British Isles, interweaving mesmerising lyrics, folklore and colourful nature writing to uncover the remarkable relationship between birds and traditional folk music. It’s an account of one young nature writer’s journey into the world of folk music, and a joyous celebration of song, the seasons, and our love of birds.

In Search of One Last Song by Patrick Galbraith (£10)
In this beautiful and thought-provoking blend of nature and travel writing, Patrick Galbraith sets off across Britain on a journey that may well be his last chance to see some of our disappearing birds. A story about going in search of the people who are trying to save our birds, as well as confronting the enormity of what losing them would really mean.

George : A Magpie Memoir by Frieda Hughes (£17)
Frieda Hughes rescued a baby magpie, the sole survivor of a nest destroyed in a storm – and embarked on an obsession that would change the course of her life. As the magpie, George, grows from a shrieking scrap of feathers and bones into an intelligent, unruly companion, Frieda finds herself captivated – and apprehensive of what will happen when the time comes to finally set him free.

Real Dorset
Join us for an illustrated talk with author Jon Woolcott

Listen to Jon and his personal, detailed and idiosyncratic look at Dorset, at the subversion, rebellion, revolt, wealth, poverty and ghosts which lie behind
the tourist-friendly façade

22nd June, 6.30 for 7pm
Venue: Winstone’s, Sherborne
Tickets £2 (including a complimentary glass of wine!)

Artisan tulips vs the supermarkets

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Editorial team

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19 May 2023

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Our resident flower farmer Charlotte Tombs loves tulips. A lot. And she has something she needs to get off her chest …

Tulip La Belle Epoque
All images: Charlotte Tombs

Supermarket tulips are cheaper than artisan tulips. It’s a fact, and I’m not arguing with it.
But … I’m going to be straight with you.
The supermarket ones are hydroponically grown – they haven’t been near a speck of soil. They are mass produced and then wrapped in single use plastic. Some of these tulips are fed with growth inhibitors (that’s why they don’t open up in the vase and just sort of dry out as they die). Artisan tulips, on the other hand, will open up to their natural, glorious conclusion.

Artisan tulips vs the supermarket version

I spend a lot of time, effort and money choosing my tulips for colour, shape and perfume … when has a supermarket tulip ever smelled amazing?
Take a look at the image, right. On the left are some of my pale pink artisan tulips that have been planted and cared for in the ground. Look at that stem length and the size of the head compared to the red supermarket tulips next to them!

In the full page image opposite are La Belle Epoque, an absolutely beautiful double tulip, and one of my own favourites.
Do note that tulips continue to grow in the vase and can change direction from where you carefully placed them! You can also see that they are loose and opening up – you just don’t see this from the supermarket ones.
The burstingly pink tulips below left are Big Love. They grow to nearly two foot tall with a head the size of your fist in that most amazing lipstick pink. They are another of my personal favourites. Other varieties to look out for are Brownie, Silk Road and Amazing Parrot, which goes from pink to orange.
Tulip Negrita is a great perennial tulip – it really does come back year after year. Last but not least is Foxy Foxtrot – almost worth buying for the name alone. It’s a gorgeous double yellow tulip that turns pink with darker yellow flashes.

A selection of Charlotte’s artisan tulips

See Charlotte’s Insta here to see what she’s picking at the farm near Wimborne (contact her via northcombe.co.uk), or try flowersfromthefarm to find a flower grower near you

The BV scoops a Highly Commended at national award ceremony in Mayfair!

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Editorial team

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19 May 2023

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The London Marriott Grosvenor Square was the place to be last night for the prestigious 2023 Newspaper and Magazine Awards. The glitzy evening was presented by Niall Paterson of SKY News, and 19 hotly anticipated categories were awarded winners.

As a tiny team, just to be shortlisted for Regional Publication Of The Year, and to be considered among the top three regional titles in the country, was an honour. On the night, to receive a Highly Commended was beyond anything we expected. Only a handful of the 19 categories awarded a Highly Commended accolade.

The BV impressed the panel of 25 industry expert judges, who awarded the distinction, commenting that we exceeded exceptionally high and challenging targets. The judges also commended The BV for establishing a genuine connection with our audience.

We were delighted to be there, it was a great night, and we’re incredibly proud to see how far we’ve come.