Merry Christmas to all our readers, near and far!
Thank you to all of you who have sent us lovely cards and messages of goodwill – we will try and reply to you all.
Wherever this Christmas finds you, and however you celebrate this loveliest of seasons may you find many reasons for happiness.
Merry Christmas and much love from our family to yours!
Laura & Courtenay and the whole BV team x
The Gillingham Primary School choir performed at the Riversmeet Christmas Fair on Sunday 27th November – the choir’s first performance in a public venue for three years due to COVID restrictions.
Many of the children in the choir are new members and had never performed either in such a large venue or in front of such a large audience.
There were 35 children performing, ranging from children ranged from Year 1 five-year-olds to the 10-year-olds in Year 5; the majority of the children were under the age of seven.
The choir was under the direction of Gillingham Primary’s music lead, Mrs Mawer, who was assisted by Mrs Shanks and Mrs Avery on the day.
They sang many Christmas songs but the highlight for everyone had to be the 12 days of Christmas – complete with actions!
Headteacher Mrs Early says: ‘So many members of the public commented on how nice it was to see a school choir performing and it was a lovely opportunity for the children to gain confidence and enjoy singing – something that has been missed by so many over the last few years.’
Women’s contact sport is on the rise – and the North Dorset Rugby Club Women’s Team is having quite a moment, says Mel Mitchell
Back in 2018 the North Dorset Rugby Club made the decision to host an Allianz Inner Warrior Camp as a way of reintroducing and rebuilding the senior ladies rugby team. The programme was (and still is) aimed at trying to encourage more women and girls to play rugby. The beauty of this programme is that you don’t have to have ever played rugby before – I certainly hadn’t when I turned up. Whether you are new to the game or have just had a break from it, the programme is inclusive to all.
From October 2018, when I attended that first inner warrior session to the present day the senior ladies team has thrived, though I would be lying if I said numbers were consistent throughout those four years. COVID, for one, definitely put a spanner in the works in the development of the team, as it did for everyone. It’s also natural that commitments change and it’s always sad to see players and coaches go that have helped shape the team. The team have, however, been fortunate to continue to have new faces join – both players and coaches – that have helped the team on their journey to where they are today. It’s the commitment of these players and coaches, past and present, that have kept this wonderful team of women going.
From playing a few friendlies back when the team first formed to playing in a developmental league ato this season playing in their first ever competitive league (NC3 South West (North)). A league in which the North Dorset women are currently top of.
Not only that but they are dominating all the friendlies and remain undefeated so far this season!
All the hard work, on the field and behind the scenes, from both the players and the coaches is definitely paying off. They truly are a force to be reckoned with!
North Dorset Rugby Club
Women’s Team are always keen to see new players. Whether you currently play, used to play, or have never played rugby before, everyone is welcome.
Training is every Wednesday, 7pm to 8:30pm in Gillingham
Contact head coach
Zac on 07508 954397
Passed away peacefully in Salisbury Hospital aged 99 on Monday 19th
December.
A much loved Mum and Nan who will be missed by all that knew her.
Funeral Service to take place at Salisbury Crematorium.
Details from Cooperative Funeralcare: 01747 858968
No flowers please
Donations if desired to Stars Appeal via the tribute site at:
www.funeralcare.co.uk/tributes-and-donations
Or send a cheque made payable to Stars Appeal c/o Co-operative Funeralcare, Greenacre House, Salisbury Road, Shaftesbury, SP7 8BS
Tel: 01747 858968
Harling Taylor, a leading independent property management and lettings agency covering the Dorset and South Somerset areas, has been announced as the Gold Winner of The British Property Lettings Award for Sherborne.
The team performed outstandingly throughout the extensive judging period, which focused on customer service levels, and has now been shortlisted for a number of national awards which will be announced towards the end of year.
Richard Comstive, Managing Director and owner, says: ‘I am delighted that our team has been rewarded with this accolade and recognised for the care and attention we place on all our clients.’
Employ My Ability offers vocational training for students with learning disabilities and special educational needs and disabilities. One of their students, Maddie Walters, spent her last term working on her journalism skills with the aim of writing a column for us. – Ed
Hello everyone, I hope you’re having an amazing day! This month I’m sharing my three favourite pubs and restaurants to visit in North Dorset – whether it’s a meal out or trying a new pub that you haven’t been in before I hope try these and like them too!
At The Chapel
atthechapel.co.uk
At the Chapel is a fantastic pub to visit in Bruton because they do amazing pizzas, and they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
You must book a table in advance, but they also have rooms so if you’re thinking of staying overnight after dinner this is a fantastic opportunity.
The Buffalo Inn
hall-woodhouse.co.uk
The Buffalo Inn is a pub that’s in Gillingham and it’s a wonderful place to go at night.
The menu selection is incredible; I like it because they do Italian food like spaghetti bolognese and pizza, and you even get breadsticks served on the table.
The Old Brewery Café & Kitchen
theoldbrewerycafe.co.uk
The Old Brewery Café is a wonderful place to visit in Gillingham. It has changed so much during the COVID 19 pandemic with a bigger kitchen and much more indoor seating available. There’s also a nice art gallery within the cafe. The Christmas lunch includes the option of one, two or three courses, with Turkey and all the trimmings priced at only £13!
I hope you enjoyed this article and have a wonderful day.
It’s a perfect half hour’s listening this week – we start with TV presenter Alice Plunkett answering the Random 19 questions. Then, in a podcast exclusive, Jenny has interviewed Sherborne’s Mike Burks on his Dorset Island Discs choices. Lastly Tracie met up with the two ‘retired’ craftesmen who have established an entirely new career:
The Sherborne Classic & Supercars show team have presented cheques to a total value of £60,000 to 13 local charities (the total profits from the show held at Sherborne Castle this summer).
The main beneficiary of the 2022 show was Children’s Hospice SouthWest.
Other beneficiaries were Yeovil Opportunity Group, Freewheelers, PromiseWorks, Sherborne Area Youth & Community Centre, The Children’s Air Ambulance, Family Counselling Trust, Somerset & Wessex Eating Disorders Association, The Balsam Centre, Water Survival Box, The Rendevouz Sherborne, Somerset Sight and Sherborne Good Neighbours. Organisers extend their thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors and visitors. Next year’s Classic & Supercar show will be on Sunday 16th July 2023.
Now in its third year, entries for the Sherborne Business Awards closed in mid-November and they are now with the judges. Entries and nominations for the first year of the Shaftesbury Business Awards closed in late November. Sherborne saw an increase on the record number of entries in 2021, while Shaftesbury was 20 per cent higher than the expected number for its first year.
Both sets of awards break the mould when it comes to awards events. Up until recently business awards have always covered large areas and focused on promoting large businesses rather than the smaller traders.
Said Nigel Reeve of the organisers, MW Events, ‘Local businesses and SMEs drive the economy in this country.’ he says ‘Large or small, they are the backbone of the UK economy. The idea of a series of hyper-local business awards first evolved during the first lockdown, when it was clear that small local businesses were really suffering.
‘The first Sherborne awards were one of the test areas and our idea of simple grassroots awards just seemed to take off. It’s important to us that they are always free and simple to enter, with categories reflecting the range of local businesses in the specific area.
The Shaftesbury awards are the eleventh of this type of awards to be launched by Nigel, all of them in Dorset.
‘Our funding is purely from the sale of category sponsorship. We have had over seventy local businesses supporting and sponsoring categories across all the awards to date. Without them this would not have been possible.’
The Sherborne awards ceremony is at lunchtime on Thursday, 12th January at the Oborne Grange Hotel, Oborne and the Shaftesbury awards ceremony is at lunchtime on Thursday, 26th January 2023 at the Grosvenor Arms Hotel in Shaftesbury.
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