Following our success in gaining Lottery Funding we are happy to invite applications for the following two roles based at our Farm Site in Holnest just south of Sherborne Dorset.
1: Project Lead – Rural Remedies: Planting Seeds to Strengthen your Future
You will be leading on the planning and delivery of therapeutic mentoring sessions to individual young people primarily aged 8 to 13 years. There will be some group work and social activities to help build friendships and positive peer to peer communication.
Full time 3-year Fixed Term Contract, Up to £15 per hour (depending upon experience) for 35 hours per week. There will be a need to work flexibly.
2: Youth Ambassador Co-ordinator
The purpose of the position is to offer young people who attend or who have attended Future Roots in any capacity to have the opportunity to have their voices heard. To disseminate their thoughts and feelings to stake holders in order to make changes to the systems that impact on young people’s lives including Future Roots.
Part Time 3-year Fixed Term Contract, Up to £15 per hour (depending upon experience) for 7 hours per week. There will be a need to work flexibly
For an informal discussion about either role please contact Julie Plumley (Director) on 01963 210703 or [email protected]
To Apply please supply a CV and a completed Application Form by 6 p.m. on 26th January 2023.
Friday Lunchtime Recitals 1.45pm Cheap Street Church (unless otherwise stated) FREE ADMISSION ALL WELCOME!
13 January – Woodwind I 20 January – Instrumental Soloists 27 January – Strings 3 February – Pianists 10 February – Instrumental & Vocal Soloists 24 February – Brass 3 March – Wind Band (BSR, Sherborne School) 10 March – Instrumental & Vocal Soloists 17 March – Woodwind Il
January issue out now – and it’s crammed with brilliant local people talking about really brilliant local people, plus some of the most amazing photography from our readers. Grab a coffee and have a flick through…
Some quick highlights:
Rupert Hardy, chairman of the North Dorset CPRE, takes a look at the case for large Dorset solar farms in our fields vs. solar panels on roofs – P.6
Could there actually be an economic case for ploughing a motorway through Dorset? Andrew Livingston ponders the question – P.72
There’s six pages of local history, including the inside story of Britain’s ‘most haunted manor’ at Sandford Orcas, and in a new column we gain an exclusive look into the world’s largest collection of Dorset postcards, with some rarely seen before images – starts on P.42
Prices may be falling and mortage lenders nervous – but house hunters are still looking to move. A round table of local experts takes a look at the Dorset housing market in 2023 – P.14
Take a deep breath of calm as you move slowly through the six pages of reader’s photography this month – the standard is astonishing and there was a genuine battle for the front cover. Did we get it right? – P.72
New organiser James Cox talks exclusively to editor Laura about his plans for the Dorset County Show in 2023 – P.11
Take a look at the life of Dorset farrier Sam Wilkes and you will believe horseshoes really are lucky – P.20
Plus there’s the all the Dorset food and drink, the oddly soothing gardening (I do not grow vegetables. But I would never miss Barry Cuff’s allotment column), fascinating Dorset wildlife, the farming section will really make you think… why wouldn’t you have a flick through?
(Quick reminder – we’re NEVER PRINTED. The only way to read the BV’s jam-packed goodness is right here online)
Gardener Pete Harcom says that January is the perfect time for a little thoughtful planning on how to make the most of your garden this year
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The benefits of gardening are well documented nowadays. Stress relief and increased self-esteem are gained from regular gardening sessions, while immunity, heart health and brain health are improved. The risks of stroke or Alzheimer’s are reduced and mental health is significantly boosted. Gardening really is a labour of love that reaps benefits in all areas. But it can also have an astonishingly positive impact on the environment. A thoughtful gardener can make simple changes which hugely benefit the natural ecosystem. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for your garden plans in the coming year, along with some general January garden jobs.
Native plants for native wildlife Consider the wildlife support that native plantings can bring – plants such as pulmonaria, grape hyacinth, Aubretia, primrose, sweet Violet and English bluebell are just some that attract our bees and butterflies. Consider allowing an area of garden to ‘go native’ to attract wildlife – simply let the grass grow, and put up some bird boxes, a hedgehog home or maybe a butterfly house. Do ensure that bird feeders are clean and replenished and water is available, especially in very cold weather.
Don’t bin it! All decaying leaves should be either cleared up and put on the compost heap or left in a pile somewhere sheltered to provide shelter for hedgehogs and beneficial insects. While tidying, remember to check that the crowns of herbaceous perennials and alpines are not waterlogged under piles of fallen decaying leaves.
A little housekeeping Winter pruning can still be done on climbing roses, apple and pear trees. Magnolias, Cotinus, Berberis and flowering currants can also be pruned now. Tall shrub roses will benefit from being reduced in height to reduce wind rock, which can allow water to lie in against the roots. Clear up the greenhouse, wash all pots and the greenhouse glass (carefully!). Perhaps consider installing automatic vent openers, installing guttering and a water butt to conserve water. Also be sure to cover outside taps with insulation.
Seed time Now’s the time to order the coveted seeds from the catalogues, but do take a moment to review what worked well in your garden last year (and what didn’t go so well!) and make a new plan of action. If you order plug plants, ensure they will be hardy, if your greenhouse is not heated or at least insulated. You can go ahead and sow antirrhinum, Sweet Peas, lobelia, Begonia Semperflorens and geraniums (pelargoniums) now, in gentle heat in the greenhouse or on a windowsill – in a propagator if possible.
New borders Plan and replant herbaceous borders. Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia, willow and viburnum. Peat-free and loam-based composts are readily available and advice can be obtained from garden centre staff. Consider the soil in your garden – soil testing can help, particularly if you have moved to a new garden or taken on an allotment. Doing a simple test can avoid years of disappointing results! I find the Mooncity 3-in-1 soil tester is very easy to use. Again, speak to your local garden centre staff for advice.
Could there actually be an economic case for ploughing a motorway through Dorset, asks Andrew Livingston
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Here’s a horrific notion to get you started for 2023 – should Dorset have a motorway? Now just hear me out before you smash your phones, tablets and laptops in utter disgust. Growing up in one of the five counties without any stretch of motorway has always been a source of pride for me. But I have been starting to brood on it. And I won’t lie – I am starting to see a few benefits. What if, let’s say, the M3 continued all the way to somewhere like Dorchester? This all started when I saw a few statistics as I rummaged through some government reports. Around 75 per cent of Dorset is used for agriculture, around the national average. However, food production in the county employs fewer than 6,000 people. In 2021 that was less than 10 per cent of the total employed in that sector in the South West. It made me think. We’ve got some amazing food here in Dorset. Could we be doing better at exporting it? Think about our neighbours in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. Their counties are renowned for some amazing agricultural and food products that are sold all over the country – the cheeses, creams, beers and cider that are grown and made there.
Only five English counties are entirely without a motorway: Rutland, Suffolk, Norfolk, Dorset and Cornwall
Made in Dorset There are so many amazing foods made in this county, but you don’t really see them further afield. Granted, Clipper Tea is found globally, but the tea isn’t grown in Dorset. Ford Farm’s Coastal Cheddar, Moore’s Biscuits, Capreolus charcuterie and BV Dairy’s creams are a few local products that I can think of that you can find in stores nationally (but of course no one actually knows when they’re buying BV Dairy product from Dorset!). Admittedly, Cornwall also doesn’t have a motorway and still manages to ship its food and beverages nationally just fine; but they do have the A30 and A38, which both lead straight into the M5. And I don’t mean to break the hearts of big fans of the A35 and the A37 but frankly, they are awful. Especially in the summer. The Romans invaded Maiden Castle and Dorset in 43 AD and occupied the county for more than 300 years. When they left and headed back to Italy all we had to do was tarmac their roads occasionally (and maybe replace the signposts once a century) and we would have been fine! I will admit – before I get chased out of the county by the readership wielding flaming pitchforks – that the A38 from Bridport to Dorchester is stunning on a clear day. But you daren’t overtake anyone on the one stretch of dual carriageway in case a wandering car drifts lanes as the driver looks across Eggardon Hill to the north and the Jurassic coastline to the south. In my head I obviously hate the very idea of a motorway. But I also believe that the rest of the country deserves some of our amazing Dorset produce. If extending the M3 means that Londoners get the experience of the silky smooth taste of Purbeck ice cream then so be it. I’ll even accept some decent dual carriageways if it means that the north could finally know that a Dorset Knob isn’t just sitting between the legs of the Cerne Giant.
A trip to Gillingham for this month’s Then And Now, where Roger Guttridge discovers an Olympic champion’s unlikely connection with North Dorset hostelries
The Royal Hotel in Newbury c. 1920. The garden to the left is now part of Bracher Brothers, the funeral directors. Picture from Around Gillingham by David Lloyd
Sports fans in their late 60s or older will remember Mary Rand as one of Britain’s greatest female athletes. But how many know of her connection to a couple of North Dorset hotels? Mary (née Bignal) was born and brought up at Wells, Somerset, won an athletics scholarship to Millfield School and at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics became the first British woman to win Olympic gold in a track and field event. She actually won three medals – gold with a world record in the long jump, silver in the pentathlon and bronze in the 4x100m relay.
The Royal Hotel in about 1900. Note the two lions on the portico. Picture from the Barry Cuff Collection
Her (admittedly tenuous!) connection with the Blackmore Vale is that her grandfather George Bignal owned two of Gillingham’s leading hotels – the Royal and the South Western. Both hotels were spawned by the coming of the railway, which arrived in 1859.
Flats now stand on the site of the old Royal Hotel. Picture by Roger Guttridge
In fact, the Royal was originally called the Railway Hotel, despite being in the area of Newbury, a tidy stroll from the station. In 1889, it was owned by Frank Ford, who made a point of stressing that it was ‘within three minutes’ walk of the London & South Western Railway’ (L&SWR). It was also a posting house and offered billiards and pool. By 1895, it had become the Royal Hotel and George Bignal was the owner. It did not close until 2005 but was subsequently demolished and the site redeveloped as flats. The developers and local planners deserve credit for making an effort to build the flats in a similar style. It is a shame they couldn’t find a spot for the two lions that once graced the portico.
The South Western Hotel c. 1900. Picture from the Barry Cuff Collection
Locals will already be familiar with Bignal’s other hotel which was, ironically, barely a stone’s throw from the station, built on land bought from the L&SWR. The South Western’s prime site made it eminently accessible to train passengers, especially commercial travellers. They were able to hire carriages and traps from the hotel to take them to neighbouring towns and villages. The South Western also cashed in on its proximity to Gillingham’s market yards. On market days it would be crowded with farmers and livestock dealers, who could rely on the hotel staff to look after their horses.
The South Western survives today as flats. Picture by Roger Guttridge
The building to the right in the c. 1900 picture above was the Market Hall, which was also used for public meetings and was the town’s first cinema, the Electric Palace. George Bignal owned the hotel around this time and issued his own public house tokens, a form of in-house currency. Unlike the Royal, the South Western is still standing by the station, but has long since been converted to flats.
This month’s news from the unofficial capital of the Blackmore Vale..
1855 is Stur’s new shopping experience with more than 40 different local artisans selling their wares. The first of our new monthly ‘wine tasting and meet the traders’ event is on 27th January, from late afternoon until 8.00 p.m. Do come and try the delicious hand-picked range of wines from small vineyards with resident experts from Wolf Wines. Don’t be put off by Tim Burr lounging beside the door outside – he’s a local lad and very friendly.
The new ‘wine tasting and meet the traders’ event in 1855 is on 27th January, from late afternoon until 8.00p.m
Do the shopping rounds Nest time you are in Stur, come and see what household treasures you can find at The Emporium – including our fascinating art gallery upstairs, Dapper Chaps men’s clothes and the furniture showroom in the former Barclays Bank. Maybe you still need that new spring outfit at a fraction of the usual cost – come and indulge in the PreLoved Boutique.
Thank you The team would like to thank all those who supported the two day Christmas event (so long ago in November!). The the sale of all your pre-loved goods in the SturAction shops, plus sponsorship from local businesses, paid for the town’s lovely Christmas tree, for the installation of all the little trees and helped towards the cost of the ice rink. Thank you also to everyone who came to enjoy themselves and especially to Father Christmas and his Elves. Hopefully we will do it all again next year – even better!
Dates for the diary: Wedding Fair 4th February 10am to 2pm Sturminster Newton invites couples & families to a unique town event, where they can discover enticing offers for all occasions. Visit wedding and special occasions exhibitors in The Exchange – everything you need to make your event wonderful. Then follow the trail through Sturminster Newton and visit the wedding exhibitions in some of our independent shops on your way to St. Mary’s to view the wedding dress display.
North Dorset Schools Career Day 9th March, 10am to 6pm Calling all Dorset employers! Exhibit for free and showcase your key roles, apprenticeships, and career progression. Meet and engage with young people from five schools in years 8 to 11. The twilight session is open to other schools, year groups and parents. The event will be at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton, and you can register as an exhibitor here.
Rupert Hardy, chairman of the North Dorset CPRE, takes a long look into the case for solar panels on roofs or in fields
The solar farm just at the foot of Hambledon Hill, the Iron Age hill fort in North Dorset
North Dorset CPRE is well aware of the climate emergency and the severe impact of the Ukraine conflict on energy prices, and it is fully supportive of renewable energy development. The government has prioritised offshore wind power to supply the majority of our renewable energy needs. But what can Dorset do? New offshore wind farms are less likely to be proposed here. The ending of the virtual moratorium on onshore wind farms may result in new planning applications but the main contribution will come from solar in Dorset. To combat climate change, Dorset Council (DC) aims to meet a huge renewable energy target of 3.8TWh/yr by 2050; up from the current generation of 0.5TWh/yr. Developers will retort that we have plenty of potential sites for solar farms, and that we should take advantage of the high solar irradiance of the county. However – do not be deceived by the frequently misleading data issued by solar trade associations, whose members are unsurprisingly more concerned with profit than saving the planet.
Profit not planet This January in North Dorset we expect a hearing into the proposal for a 190-acre solar farm at Pulham/Mappowder. The CPRE has not objected to a number of less damaging solar farms, but we are opposing this one, on grounds of the harm it will do to the setting of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the beautiful countryside for which it is responsible, as well as the adverse impact on amenity and the flooding risk. Last autumn, a proposal to cover no less than 1,400 acres of farmland near Chickerell (south west of Dorchester and equivalent to 885 soccer pitches) shocked many on account of its huge scale. It would be built on part of the Dorset AONB, desecrating countryside in the heart of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, covered with ancient monuments. There will of course be more applications in North Dorset. Is the renewable energy benefit a price worth paying? We would argue that it is not.
On a recent walk near Blandford we couldn’t avoid seeing the large patch of metallic grey in the middle of the view. Image: Laura Hitchcock
Roof not field Rooftop solar panels could provide the same output, although we are supportive of <5MW community-funded solar farms. If you missed it at the time, please do see our article in the BV last February on “Why is Dorset So Slow Putting Solar Panels on Roofs”. Key factors that should be considered are:
Solar farm inefficiency: They are hugely inefficient compared to offshore wind. Solar’s efficiency rating is 11 per cent, compared with 40 per cent for offshore wind.
Negative impact: Solar farms are mostly power stations that industrialise the Dorset countryside that is loved by residents and tourists. In particular the AONBs should be protected.
Cumulative impact from several solar parks in close proximity will exacerbate the damage, as can already be seen from Badbury Rings, an Iron Age hill fort.
Adverse effect on heritage assets and their setting: We have lots of historic churches, houses and ancient monuments which have huge cultural significance for Dorset.
Loss of good agricultural land and food security: Many solar farms are being built on high-grade productive farmland, such as at Spetisbury, which is unforgiveable at a time when food prices are rocketing. Food security should be paramount. Development should be limited to brownfield sites and poor quality agricultural land. It can be argued that land graded 3b should not be considered as “poor”, as much is productive and often soil here is better able to hold more moisture than higher grades. This was proved in 2022’s long hot summer. There was talk last summer of the government including 3b in its definition of “Best and Most Versatile” land, but this has recently been quashed by Therese Coffey.
Wildlife and biodiversity: Developers may suggest token gestures such as sheep grazing, but sheep rarely graze under panels and mostly just on the grass margin. Birds and bat deaths are common as they mistake glass panels for water, while the routes of transiting animals are blocked, forcing them to cross roads.
Amenity: Most solar farms have footpaths and bridleways crossing them, which are used by residents and visitors to enjoy the countryside.
Permanent or temporary land use? Most solar farms are leased for 30 or 40 years, with the likelihood of applications to extend. A 40-year period represents two generations relating to a farming tenancy. Land may never revert to agricultural use.
Tenant farmers ignored: Solar proposal decisions may be taken by landowners, against the wishes of their tenants who actually farm the land.
Battery storage: Many solar farms now incorporate this, but lithium-ion batteries present a dangerous fire risk which fire brigades find difficult to deal with.
Strong policies We would argue that the government needs to have a clearer solar policy, which it does not, compared with development of land for residential purposes. The proliferation of solar applications across the country make it imperative that there is clearer guidance on grounds for refusal or acceptance of applications. We would also like stronger local landscape policies in Dorset Council’s emerging Local Plan. Why do 95 per cent of households and 98 per cent of businesses in Dorset have no rooftop solar? Opposition to industrial-sized solar farms in the countryside is growing, as demands for food security and nature recovery clash with net zero goals. Promoting rooftop solar makes much more sense. Dorset CPRE has calculated that by installing solar panels on 64 per cent of currently un-utilised buildings, the maximum government target for 2050 would be reached without building another solar farm (download the report here).
The figure for Dorset would likely be similar.
New-build solutions Last February we asked why 95 per cent of households and 98 per cent of businesses in Dorset had no roof-mounted solar panels, as of September 2021. The answer was first a failure by the government and DC (Dorset Council), despite its declared Climate Emergency strategy, to make it mandatory for new housing developments to fit solar panels on every roof. After much badgering it appears DC is finally looking at ways it can impose new conditions on developers. Other local authorities have already done this. Retrofitting older buildings will be expensive, but VAT on domestic solar PV was dropped last April. Another way would be to increase funding of community energy groups, like Purbeck Energy, which facilitates the fitting of solar panels at discounted prices. This would cost much less than direct subsidies to millions of home-owners.
On a family holiday five years ago we couldn’t help but admire the sense of installing solar panels over the French supermarché car park – Ed Image: Laura Hitchcock
Community Energy Groups The phasing out of domestic solar panel subsidies in recent years meant that individuals became reluctant installers, despite the drop in prices of panels, while cash-strapped local authorities have been unable to help. But community energy groups began to spring up with the goal of offering panels at very competitive rates. It is a growing movement in which energy generation is owned not by large industrial companies but by local communities, with the profits invested back into the community. However, last year Community Energy England, in advance of the second reading of the Local Electricity Bill, said that Ministers were failing to respond to growing support for community renewable energy, or to properly plan for growth in line with net-zero commitments. More than 300 MPs have now committed their support to this Bill, which is designed to ensure that Ofgem creates a Right to Local Supply framework – which would help community energy. The Bill appears to be stuck in some Westminster crevice, and the government seems to have other priorities! Despite this, in 2021 Sustainable Swanage and community energy group, Purbeck Energy, launched a project to offer Swanage residents the chance to get solar panels for their properties at competitive rates. They are using a company, IDDEA, which has already installed more than 1,000 panels across southern England. The Swanage mayor, Mike Bonfield, was fully supportive and praised it as a “brilliant scheme”. How about some of our North Dorset towns encouraging the same?
Solar PV on public, industrial and farm buildings Historically, one of the reasons for slow progress on industrial buildings has been issues of building ownership and leasehold arrangements, as well as roof weight and warranties. High energy prices now mean owners of commercial buildings are looking at rooftop solar wherever they can, especially as installing panels on these properties is so much cheaper than for domestic properties thanks to scale. Progress is now being made to improve the energy efficiency on public buildings in Dorset too, where ownership is clearer. The first major push came from DC’s Low Carbon Dorset team, which gave grants of £5m to fund 4.1MW of projects, both public sector and business, thanks initially to the European Regional Development Fund. DC was also given £19m by the government for more renewable projects. This was one of the biggest grant packages given by the government, so well done DC! It paid for panels to go on the roof of Durlston Castle, an arts centre, County Hall in Dorchester and various schools. In North Dorset, Blandford and Gillingham Schools are busy installing panels. Bridport-based Dorset Community Energy, which facilitates community ownership of renewable energy production, has financed the installation of panels on 12 schools and four community buildings throughout Dorset, such as Blandford Community Hospital. Thanks initially to the Lottery and now 152 local shareholders, it has funded more than 1.5MW of panels. We hope to see more of these community-led projects.
Large solar farm in South Wales
On the farms DC, in its briefing to its Climate and Ecological Emergency Support Group in November, spoke of the progress made on decarbonisation of DC properties, including rooftop solar installation. The council will now be funding directly the Low Carbon Dorset unit, which otherwise was due to close having distributed all the grants given them. Farmers are fitting panels to their buildings but it is estimated that only a small proportion of farmers so far in Dorset have done so. Weight problems are often quoted as the reason why there is less retro-fitting, but access to the Grid is another. Mole Energy has been busy promoting the fitting of panels to farm buildings here, but has emphasised the serious Grid capacity issues, which got worse through 2022. The company says the rapid phasing out of domestic subsidies in 2016 meant many solar PV installers had to diversify and the associated tradesmen left the industry, so there may now be too few installers.
Other solutions in Europe In contrast to the UK’s approach, France has announced plans to fast-track renewable energy by mandating car parks nation-wide be covered by solar panels – a popular policy that could generate up to 11GW of power. With good planning and design, 20,000 hectares of car parking space in the UK could potentially yield an additional 8GW of solar capacity alongside tens of thousands of new homes. The UK already has 14.5GW of solar capacity operational. Meanwhile Germany has focussed on rooftops first, with 80 per cent of its solar power coming from panels that generate little public opposition.
In conclusion CPRE is calling on the government to adopt a renewables strategy that prioritises rooftops, surface car parks and brownfield sites in a concerted effort to attract wide public support. Grid capacity issues also need to be resolved. If implemented quickly, the policy could drastically reduce energy bills during the cost-of-living crisis and speed up the transition to net zero, while leaving as much countryside as possible available for farming and nature restoration. Three urgent national policy changes are needed: A national land-use strategy to balance the competing demands for development, energy and infrastructure, food security and nature recovery; planning policy amended so that it actively promotes solar panels on agricultural land avoiding the best and most versatile agricultural. Solar panels should be mandatory for all new buildings, and planning permission should be withheld for commercial or public car parking spaces unless they also provide solar energy generation. The government needs to give more financial support to community energy. Here in North Dorset we neither want nor need another 1,400 acre Chickerell solar farm to blight our lives and desecrate our countryside! It is not a price worth paying.
Fifteen years ago Low Energy Designs were working to convince businesses that LED lighting was viable. Now they work with the biggest global brands
IKEA, Borlange
Low Energy Designs, based on the Sunrise Business Park in Blandford, was created from two small R&D companies who, at the time, were developing 5G for mobile phone companies as well as power saving solutions for the United Nations using cutting-edge technology.
Whittards of Chelsea
Registered in December 2007, Low Energy Designs were the first company in Europe to start manufacturing commercial and industrial LED lighting products. In the early years the team had to work hard just to convince companies to invest in LED – not always easy! They have grown to become an established lighting company and are one of the oldest in the LED lighting industry, with a customer base which includes global brands.
Light up Oyo, Nigeria
Over the last 15 years they have traded through the 2008 financial crisis, through years of Brexit uncertainty and now a global pandemic, and they credit their flexibility, ingenuity and strong innovation skills that have allowed them to build their reputation.
The Square, Tralee, Ireland
Alan Parker, CEO, says, ‘We have always been a close-knit team and every member counts towards our success. The team pulls together to resolve any customer request and in doing so we grow as a business. There is a large core of people who have been with us for more than ten years, and that is what makes us such a strong and reliable company. Despite an extremely challenging year for our industry (like everyone!), we are on track to for huge growth into new and exciting areas in 2023.
