Tincknell Fuels
Require a Full Time HGV CLASS 2 DRIVER
At our Gillingham Depot
(HGV training is available for the suitable candidate)
ADR License would be an advantage Reliability and flexibility of working hours
For an application form please contact
Shirley on 01749 683924
Or email [email protected]
TINCKNELL FUELS
are recruiting an
Office Administrator for our Gillingham Depot
Applicants should have basic computer and numeracy skills, a good telephone manner and a full clean Driving License. Work well under pressure in a busy office environment and be a good team player.
Duties to include all general office work plus some yard duties.
For initial interview and application form please contact Shirley on
Tel: 01749 683924 [email protected]
My passion for riding started when I was just two years old. I had a very fluffy 12.2 Welsh pony who took me through pony club and many open fields and embedded my love of horses. I knew this was how I wanted to live my life, and so chose a career working in eventing and producing my own horses. I worked my way up to my dream job as head girl and second rider for a top 4* eventer (Jodie Amos). This all changed in 2015 when I was involved in a very serious car accident, which left me paralysed from the waist down. My parents, brothers and family were, of course, devastated. I too felt the same – but I wasn’t thinking how I was going to manage my new life. I was terrified I would never ride again.
Hard climb back
I started with the fantastic Riding for the Disabled (RDA) charity, which supported and encouraged me
(with hours and hours of walking round next to me while I just tried to stay upright in the saddle. I had
no idea it was going to be this hard).
The fabulous RDA horse, Pandora, was so patient, and looked after me even through our first wobbly
trot strides. I had little confidence that I was ever going to be able ride properly again but each time we
got me on there was always a step further and the confidence built.
Competing against the best After months of hard work, I managed to finally progress to a different pony, Bubbles, and we managed to start my para dressage competition experience. She was the perfect stepping
stone to get back to what I felt was normality, and to prepare me for the years ahead.
In the near seven years since I became a paraplegic I have managed to compete against the best. I have won international competitions, and I am now supported by the world class programme.
I am looking ahead to the European championships in 2023, which I am focusing my training on, and I cannot wait for the season ahead.
Follow Jemima’s season on her Facebook page Jemima Green Para Dressage
Roman Abramovich at Chelsea football club, Saudi Arabia buying Newcastle FC and a World Cup hosted in Qatar have all continued to fill the back pages of newspapers in the UK.
Not so reputable people and nations for years have used sporting teams and tournaments to change their public reputation – this is called sportswashing. In farming and business, something similar occurs, and it
is becoming ever more prevalent since COP26 and global plans to be net-zero in 2050 – this is known as
greenwashing. Previously, the main types of greenwashing were seen in companies’ marketing and advertising. For example, some oil companies in the past have been challenged for advertising heavily
on low-carbon products, while most of their annual spending is on oil and gas. Greenwashing is more commonly now being seen in big businesses investing in land to offset their carbon spend.
Does it matter?
People may say it is fine as it’s a global issue, but are companies doing the right thing if they just throw money at the situation and if we don’t try to reduce our carbon usage?
Greenwashing is being seen as having a bigger effect on farmers in both Wales and Scotland. In Wales,
paid afforestation schemes were set up to encourage farmers to plant trees on their land.
But large investment firms have been purchasing Welsh farms and land and planting the trees in order to
sell off the carbon offset. Although once again it seems great that the environment is being taken care of,
but for local communities it’s hard to see their farming heritage ripped up and the land they worked for
generations changed forever.
As an example, some airlines are known to have bought farms in Wales as they look to offset carbon for their global flights. Land purchasing for carbon offsetting is having a larger effect on farming in Scotland. Last year two-thirds of land sales in Scotland were done privately, meaning that they never went on the ‘open market’ – with one-third of those being sold to overseas buyers. Farms sold ‘off the market’ means that members of the local community are unable to get into farming or expand their current business.
On the face of it, greenwashing doesn’t quite have the newsworthy nature of sports washing. Most people see any tree planted as a good news story. But it seems that even capturing carbon comes at a cost as businesses look to exploit environmental schemes, and local communities to be seen doing the right thing.
As with knowing where your food comes from, we must ask ourselves when a business advertises its
green credentials “Do I know the real story behind this?”
by Andrew Livingston
Sponsored by Trethowans – Law as it should be
The Gillingham Community Leisure Trust (GCLT) have been working with Thrive Services CIC and key
stakeholders towards funding and managing the new inflatable world with the under three’s disabled interactive area.
The competition to name the new venue has closed, and the winner chosen – congratulations to Marie Amos! We are proud to announce that the venue ‘Space Inflaters’ is due to open on Saturday the 2nd
July. The opening date will totally be dependent on the inflatable world itself arriving from China – something we sadly do not have any control over! Menwhile, planning permission has been approved for a new building which will host a brand new gym complementing the Riversmeet gym, and these works will follow the opening of the new indoor inflatable world. We are hoping for a potential opening in 2023, and will of course keep you all informed as the next project evolves.
Exciting times ahead for the local community and we are proud to be playing a pinnacle part in Gillingham.
The town businesses that have helped make this happen are proud to be part of this new venture, and we hope the whole community will visit when we open. We’re aiming for the new ‘Outer Space’-themed world to literally blow your minds! The new venture will cater for ALL user groups, ages and abilities – unusually, the inflatable world is also designed for adults with children in hand. The new team will focus on the safety of your visit, of course, and will always strive to create an atmosphere where fun and enjoyment are second nature.
GCLT, who also manage Riversmeet, are really proud of what we have achieved so far, and we look forward
to you coming to the new venue. We are confident that through hard work, community and a real commitment to the people of Gillingham and the surrounding areas, that we can offer you something
very different.
In terms of basic facilities, there is ample free parking, child changing rooms, toilets and a buggy store on site, along with CCTV for security.
We’re hiring!
As part of this new venture we are also needing to employ more staff – please see the ad below and on the jobs page of the BV here, to see if you might be who we are looking for. The new team will absolutely make this venture – it’s a fabulous opportunity to really make your mark on the new inflatable world, café and bar. We are hoping for the new staff to start two weeks before we open for training, so if this attracts you to a career change or you fancy a change apply online by following the details in the advert.
It’s that time of year again!
The 2022 Love Local Trust Local Awards opens for entries on the 1st May and there are 14 exciting categories to choose from this year, with some new ones added to the list for the very first time.
If you are a Dorset food producer, farmer or fishermen and the food & drink you produce comes from within 30 miles of your home base then these could be the awards for you.
The categories
There are opportunities to enter your Dorset products into any of the following categories: Bakery (Sweet
and Savoury), Cheese, Dairy, Meat, Fish, Jams, Chutneys & Condiments, Dorset Drinks, Farm Shops, Honey,
Innovation & Diversification, Business Development Award and Conservation and Environmental Impact. Past
winners of the awards include some businesses making a great name for themselves and putting the county of Dorset firmly on the map. Notable winners include Gulliver’s Farm Shop & Kitchen, Book & Bucket Cheese Co, Portland Shellfish, Dorset Goat Meat Company and Lizzie’s Baking Bird amongst others.
How and why it works
The Love Local Trust Local Awards are FREE to enter and you can enter one of your products into each category. Entries open on the 1st May 2022 and you have until the 1st September 2022 to enter. After this time judging and tasting will take place through October and November and there will be an awards ceremony to celebrate all the achievements in early February, hosted at Kingston Maurward College, one of the Love Local Trust Local returning sponsors.
‘Trust and provenance’ are everything at Love Local Trust Local, and the story of the food and drinks that are being produced in Dorset is key to why this food movement is so important. Even more so right now, with the state of the global economy and a war in Ukraine, eating and supporting local, home-grown
businesses is the key to survival on the food front. We need to value our home producers more than
ever before in order to feed our families a healthy and sustainable diet.
To enter the 2022 awards, visit the Love Local Trust Local website and download the entry form. If you need any help or guidance you can also get in touch with Barbara and the LLTL team on 07831 184920
Love Local Trust Local – What’s It All About?
Founded by a fifth generation farming family, the Cossins’ in the Tarrant Valley, Barbara Cossins has
made it her mission to ensure that farmers are recognised and represented.
Love Local Trust Local was established to educate consumers on how to trust food labelling, where
to look, what it all really means and why shopping local matters. Love Local Trust Local has every intention of being the go-to food label you can completely trust.
These awards have been created by farmers and producers, for farmers and producers – with the main
objective being to celebrate the work that goes into the local food production here in Dorset.
Want to be involved?
The Love Local Trust Local Awards are championed by sponsors who also make up the judging panel; Small, local businesses supporting each other in their hard work for the British food & drink industry. If you want to be part of the 2022 Awards & join the sponsorship team then get in touch with them today.
Sponsored by: Balnchards Bailey – Law for Life
If you are studying a land-based course (or are considering doing so), then the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Agricultural Society are offering you a chance to gain financial support while you study through their innovative countryside Student Support Fund. But hurry – the closing date is end of this month.
The brainchild of the organisers of the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show, this fund, only in its second year, has been set up solely to support students entering into the agricultural, horticultural, countryside and land-based industries. The financial help may be used towards college or university course fees, books and equipment or even to help meet transport costs of getting to a place of study from a rural location.
Matthew Price, Chair of the Student Support Fund initiative, said: “From my previous work in the NFU and roles as a governor of a land-based school and college, I know that financial restraints create barriers to students accessing and fulfilling education and training. The countryside Student Support Fund sets out to ease those financial pressures by offering modest but worthwhile grants up to a maximum of £1500.”
Last year, the fund gave out £6000 in grants ranging from money for hard-cap boots and safety helmets to helping fund course tuition fees.
Matthew added: “we know from the experience we gained in the first year that we can make a very meaningful difference.”
The easy-to-complete applications must be submitted by 31st May via https://gillinghamandshaftesburyshow.co.uk/student-support-fund.
The Gillingham and Shaftesbury Agricultural Society raises money for this countryside Student Support Fund scheme with various fundraising events – the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show, Spring Countryside Show, and this year there’s also a charity barn dance on Wednesday 10 August at Turnpike Showground.
Event Organiser & Company Secretary James Cox said: “People who attend our events help us to truly make a difference to someone’s education and future prospects by supporting us, and therefore the Student Support Fund. The Fund is vital as we know that rural livelihoods are crucial to our county.”
To donate to the Student Support Fund or to buy tickets for the Fund barn dance, contact the Show Office via or 01747 823955 or [email protected]
A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting, £14.99
Sophie Irwin (daughter of Mike and Louise who own Castle Gardens in Sherborne) has been snapped up by major publisher HarperCollins. Her debut novel is a delicious, sassy, Austen-tatious novel about women’s self-advancement in the 19th Century.
The season is about to begin – and there’s not a minute to lose. Our heroine, Kitty Talbot, needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune.
This is 1818 after all, and only men have the privilege of seeking their own riches. With just twelve weeks until Kitty and her sisters are made homeless, launching herself into London society is the only avenue open to her. And Kitty must use every ounce of cunning and ingenuity she possesses to climb the ranks.
The only one to see through her plans is the worldly Lord Radcliffe and he is determined to thwart her at any cost. Can Kitty secure a fortune and save her sisters from poverty? Time is running out and no one – not even a lord – will stand in her way…
Join us for a Talk and Signing with Sophie at Castle Gardens 17th May, 6.30 for 7pm, tickets £2 available from Winstone’s
The Sheep’s Tale by John Lewis-Stemple £12.99
An important book on several levels. Read a few sentences out loud, wherever you are: ‘We take a look at the Ryeland ewes, white and fat with fecundity. Replete with contentment.’
‘Contentment is a transmissible condition. I catch it off the sheep. The old time shepherds used to sleep with their sheep, out in the fields. I do it sometimes too, on the dry nights, the sheep lying down around
me. I’m not sure on those nights who is protecting whom.’ Everybody thinks they know what sheep are like: they’re stupid, noisy, cowardly (‘lambs to the slaughter’), and they’re ‘sheep-wrecking’ the environment.’ Or maybe not.
Contrary to popular prejudice, sheep are among the smartest animals in the farmyard, fiercely loyal, forming long and lasting friendships. Sheep, farmed properly, are boons to biodiversity. They also happen to taste good and their fleeces warm us through the winter – indeed, John Lewis-Stempel’s family supplied the wool for Queen Elizabeth’s ‘hose’. Observing the traditional shepherd’s calendar, The Sheep’s Tale is a loving biography of ewes, lambs, and rams through the seasons. Lewis-Stempel tends to his flock with deep-rooted wisdom, ethical consideration, affection, and humour.
This book is a tribute to all the sheep he has reared and sheared – from gregarious Action Ram to sweet Maid Marion. In his inimitable style, he shares the tales that only a shepherd can tell.
In 2022 Winstone’s celebrates 10 years as Sherborne’s Independent Bookseller. Winstone’s has won the ‘British Book Awards South West Bookseller of the Year’ four times and was winner of the ‘Independent Bookseller of the Year’ national award in 2016. Owner Wayne Winstone was previously one of the three judges for the Costa Prize for Fiction, and in 2018 Wayne was selected as one of the top 100 people in the Bookseller’s Most Influential Figures listing.
Children from Witchampton C of E First School, one of Dorset’s smallest schools, welcomed in Easter by parading through the village wearing their wonderful Easter bonnets which came in all shapes, sizes and colours. They were cheered on by members of the community and accompanied by their families.
The pupils and their families gathered in the churchyard for their annual Easter Service led by Reverend Suzie Allen. They then paraded through the village, stopping along the way to sing a selection of Easter songs.
Back at school the children enjoyed an Easter egg hunt organised by the ‘Friends of Witchampton’; a wonderful community tradition enjoyed by the whole village and always a very special way to mark
the start of the school Easter holidays.
© Bluebean Publishing Ltd
