The theme ‘Reading the Land’ is an invitation to share in the passion, experience and insight of our authors as we explore the best of nature writing.
With much of the last 18 months spent adjusting to new limitations, many of us have explored the lanes and paths closer to home in a bid to find new ways to stretch our minds (and legs!). For some, it has been a chance to reconnect with nature, while for others it has proven an opportunity to examine more closely the natural world around us. “We hope to stimulate positive ways of living with nature, and encourage the audience to share our passion for the landscapes, coasts, and flora and fauna” Whether you’re in the town or country, high-rise or ground-level, there are ways to notice nature and what’s happening in the environment around us. Our authors bring their insights to the Festival, exploring a variety of themes connected to the landscape; the importance of trees and bees, rewilding, and so much more.
For more information about the events and to see our list of authors please click here.
After unavoidable delays, singing sensation’ Thomas Cameron is making a welcome return to Shaftesbury Arts Centre.
A charismatic English tenor, Thomas has a powerful voice that’s making waves in the world of classical music.
His first three singles, ‘Bring Him Home’, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ and ‘Music of the Night’, taken from his beautiful debut album ‘The Voice of Thomas Cameron’ have been met with critical acclaim and great enthusiasm from his fanbase.
Thomas was featured on BBC television where they described him as ‘wowing the music world’, a statement fully endorsed by his nominations for the Best In Music Award 2019, and the 2018 Classic Brit Awards.
With his inimitable personality and performing a number of well-loved songs including musical theatre hits and beautiful classical pieces, Thomas is sure to please many tastes and gives a very special performance to remember.
Chilli plants are easy to grow, can look spectacular, with the bonus of having tasty fruit. But the seeds need to be sown now for summer fruiting.
The Great Dorset Chilli Festival are holding their annual Chilli Plant Growing Competition – to be judged at the event held at Stock Gaylard, near Sturminster Newton, on Saturday 6th August, with prizes sponsored by Harts of Stur, and by Simpsons Seeds. Amateur gardeners should be sowing their chilli seeds now!
Fierce competition
The Chilli Plant Competition is an established part of the Chilli Festival, where amateur chilli- growing enthusiasts can enter classes to compete for the best- looking fruiting chilli plant.
“Judging is taken very seriously, and the competition is fierce” says Festival Director Miles Halton, “but the joy is that anyone can take part, and anyone could win”.
The Chilli Plant Competition:
There are two classes. Class 1 is only for the chilli variety “Santa Fe Grande”, a traditional chilli variety which ripens early and gives good yield. Class 2 is the open class into which any chilli plant can be entered. Plants are judged on appearance, development, condition and fruiting. Judging is done by two respected commercial chilli seed growers; Michael Michaud of Sea Spring Seeds (Sea Spring Seeds, based near Dorchester, developed the hot Dorset Naga chilli) and Matt Simpson of Simpson’s Seeds (as seen on TV shouting “grow, damn you” at his chilli plants). The winner of each chilli plant competition class will receive a £50 gift voucher from local instore and online cookware and gardening retailer Harts of Stur, in Sturminster Newton.
Free seeds:
The organisers of the Great Dorset Chilli Festival have been supplied by Simpsons Seeds with a limited supply of Santa Fe Grande chilli seeds to give away. For a copy of the rules and to claim your seeds email [email protected]
Valerie Singleton will perhaps forever be a Blue Peter presenter. She joined the BBC in 1961 as a continuity announcer and in 1962 joined Blue Peter, where she stayed as a weekly presenter until 1972 (and continued to appear as a ‘roving reporter’ into the early 80s). Since then she has presented various TV shows, written for Sunday newspapers and glossy magazines, has worked on the current affairs shows Nationwide and Tonight, and at PM on Radio 4… And yet remains indelibly stamped on our collective consciousness as ‘Blue Peter’s Val Singleton’
1. What’s your relationship with the Blackmore Vale (the loose North Dorset area, not us!)?
I came down to this part of the world because I thought Sherborne was very lively (it was lively where I lived near the Fulham Road in London!), and already loved the area; I had friends I would come down to see in Holwell. It’s also close enough to London to still see my elderly Dad, and for work.
2. What was the last song you sang out loud in your car?
Unfortunately, my new car radio doesn’t play CDs so I am mostly (being a bit of a news addict) tuned to Radio 4 or Five Live. But I did join in with a few songs from someone’s Desert Island Discs the other day; My Way (who else but Sinatra?) and Alfie Boe singing from Les Mis.
3. What was the last movie you watched? Would you recommend it? The last movie in a cinema (pre- lockdown!) was Dark Waters with Mark Ruffalo. It is a dark movie too – a true story about the awful deception by the chemical company DuPont, who produced Teflon. It’s an excellent legal thriller. Definitely a must-see.
Val Singleton enjoying a special event at Castle Gardens in Sherbonre
4. It’s Friday night – you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do?
Well Friday night is not very different from every other night of the week in this house! Except (at the moment) it does have my favourite comedy show on BBC One – Would I Lie To You.
5. Who’s your celebrity crush? In his heyday, the tennis player John Newcombe (image below). I thought he was absolutely gorgeous. And I did see him play once at Queens… that’s practically up close and personal!
John Newcombe is an Australian former professional tennis player, one of the few men to have attained a world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles.
6. What’s your comfort meal?
It has to be chocolate. I go through phases of loving a particular one, then lose my taste for it and move to another brand. But chocolate is always the answer.
7. What would you like to tell 15yr old you? I might be a bit young to take it in at 15 but I would tell her to make sure she asks her parents – and more important, perhaps, her grandparents – about their lives. Too late I discovered what a fascinating life my paternal grandmother had led. I would so like to have known more. All those lunches I had with her in Derry & Toms Roof Gardens (now Kensington Roof Gardens) in my 20’s and I never bothered to ask. And sadly now too late!
8. The best crisps flavour?
Walkers cheese and onion! Although Sensation’s Sweet Thai Chilli probably ties with them.
9. And the best biscuit for dunking?
Definitely McVities Rich Tea. Dunked all too often.
10. Tell us about one of the best evenings you’ve ever had?
I will tell you about two. I was filming in the Peloponnese, in an empty unspoilt Greece in April in 1961. There were no major roads or motorways anywhere. I was making a promotional film about the new Classic car for the Ford Motor Company called (what else?) a Classic Holiday’ (see video below – I found the 1961 advert – Ed). The film crew and four stars (!!) of the film went to eat one evening in a small local cafe on a fabulous beach along the coast. We didn’t speak Greek, and the Greeks having dinner in the cafe didn’t speak English. But by the end of the evening we were one wonderful party, sharing songs and dances into the early hours.
And the other would be an evening at the Sugar Mill in Grenada during the time the Americans had gone in to resolve an uprising against the government. I was staying with journalist friends covering the story. The Sugar Mill had been just that – a mill for sugar. Now it was a local place to dance; enclosed, dark, and wildly atmospheric. I am not sure what kind of music it was, I just know it was wonderful. Partnered by numerous unknown Grenadians, I had never danced like it before or since.
11. What book did you read last year that stayed with you? I love history, and I picked up a book I had had for ages but hadn’t read; Andrew Marr’s History of The World. It’s absolutely terrific. So well written, readable and interesting. I don’t read from beginning to end but dip into it.
12. What’s your secret superpower? Bringing people together who might get on and like each other. I refuse to call it networking as I don’t like the phrase (though one friend did call me a facilitator!). I just have the knack – it seems to work, and new friendships and useful contacts have been made.
13. Your favourite quote? Movie, book or inspirational – we won’t judge. It’s from E.M. Forster’s ‘A Passage To India’ – “Life never gives us what we want at the moment that we consider appropriate. Adventures do occur, but not punctually.” I have had quite a few unpunctual adventures along the way.
14. Cats or Dogs?
Always cats! I had two in London long ago, and then I adopted three kittens who had a rather dramatic start in life.
They were spotted actually on the tracks at Sherborne railway station, and rescued as a train approached by the station manager who scooped them into a bucket with a curtain hook!
My neighbour (at the station that day) took them home to catch mice on the farm, but they soon discovered they liked my duvet better than a mucky straw barn.
My neighbour moved. I kept the cats. Sadly the adventurous one wandered too far, but two are still with me. They have been utterly delightful during the pandemic. They talk to me more, follow me around and have become lap cats. I don’t even mind rescuing the mice they bring in as I like mice!
15. Chip Shop Chips or Home Baked Cake? I’m not mad about cake so guess it would have to be chips.
But actually, best of all would be a pastry. I admit I am a bit of a pastry junky.
16. Your top three most- visited, favourite websites (excluding social media & BBC News!)?
I don’t do social media, so that’s relatively easy to avoid! • Google – I’m always looking up people, or searching for information • YouTube for fun clips • Can I cheat with a different
BBC site? It would be iPlayer for missed programmes!
Valerie Singleton in the Valley of the Kings whilst travel writing in the 90s
17. What’s your most annoying trait? I think it’s probably interrupting. I must learn to let other people finish what they are saying before I jump in. However I asked a friend, who said it’s actually not ending my sentences!
18.Your favourite quote?
It’s from E.M. Forster’s A Passage To India: “Life never gives us what we want at the moment that we consider appropriate. Adventures do occur, but not punctually.”
I have had quite a few ‘unpunctual’ adventures along the way!
19. You have the power to pass one law tomorrow, uncontested. What would you do?
Ban anyone caught driving with a mobile for driving for life. Yes, life!
With the cost of university education rocketing, the appeal of apprenticeships to students and employers is highly attractive, says Ian Girling of Dorset Chamber, whose message is ‘earn while you learn’
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Hello and welcome to my March column. This is one of my favourite times of year as we welcome the lighter morning and evenings and say goodbye to the darkness of winter.
I’d like to talk about the importance of apprenticeships. Apprenticeships, still often undervalued and misunderstood by employers and parents, offer young (and more mature) people a fantastic way to learn new skills and gain valuable qualifications whilst earning. They offer employers an effective way to recruit and train talented people into their business with support and guidance from training providers. The apprenticeship route also often offers financial support to employers.
No longer just vocational
Many will often still wrongly assume that apprenticeships are purely for vocational careers and sectors. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Apprenticeships are available in a vast range of industries from engineering and manufacturing, to construction, accountancy, law, marketing, aerospace and science-based qualifications. This is but a few off the top of my head – the range of apprenticeships available is huge.
A new old route to work
I believe one of the key challenges to increasing the uptake of apprenticeships is educating parents and carers; those who play a vital role in influencing young people as to the career routes they take after completing their GCSEs or A levels. Apprenticeships offer an alternative to higher education, and in fact can sometimes help young people progress within their chosen careers at a far quicker pace without the usual further education debt.
My daughter decided to follow an apprenticeship route into digital marketing and I couldn’t be happier with the start this has given her career. She is now 19, and currently oversees the marketing function in a substantial training organisation.
Dorset Apprenticeship Awards
If you are an apprentice or employer working with apprentices, the Dorset Apprenticeship Awards, run by Dorset Chamber in partnership with the Dorset and Somerset Training Provider Network and sponsored by Superior Seals, are currently open for entry. Free to enter and open to all apprentices in Dorset, they celebrate the superb contribution apprentices make to businesses and organisations. You can see more information at Dorsetchamber.co.uk. We close for entries on 20th March 2022. You can also see more information and a host of guides and tools to help employers and apprentices at Apprenticeships. gov.uk. I urge you to take a look, you may be very surprised.
Statistics on the national Apprenticeship site states:
86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation
78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity
74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service
A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues. This Month: how do you quit your job properly?
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Q I have just been offered a new job and now I need to tell my current employer. The new company wants me to start as soon as possible. The problem is, we are short-staffed where I am not and I don’t know how soon I will be allowed to leave. How should I bring this up with my current boss?
A: The time between telling your employer that you’ve found a new position and you actually leaving is known as your notice period.
If you’ve been in your current job for less than a month, you won’t have to give any notice period unless your contact says otherwise. If it’s more than a month, you’ll have to give at least one week’s notice. Your contract should make it clear exactly how long is expected. If you don’t have a written contract and your employer has no written record of you agreeing to a notice period, you should give at least one week’s notice.
It’s worth waiting until your new employer has confirmed your employment, for example by giving you a start date before handing in your resignation.
How to resign
It’s best to resign in writing (email is fine) so that you have a record of the date that you told your employer. On the Citizens Advice website we have a page on handing in your notice. If you’re keen to move on sooner rather than later, it may be possible to negotiate a shorter notice period than your contact says. If you want to go down this route it can be useful to reassure your current employer that you will tackle any urgent work before finishing. Fixed term contracts are a bit different as you won’t need to give notice if you intend to leave on the last day of contract. Leaving early would usually mean giving at least one week’s notice, unless your contract says otherwise.
Don’t forget about your holiday days during your notice period. If you have unused paid holiday you should speak to your employer about either taking these during or towards the end of the notice period, or being paid for them.
Change your mind
Finally, sometimes people can change their minds about moving jobs or find their circumstances alter. If this happens to you, you should always speak to your current employer to see what the options are, and if you can stay in your current role.
Everyone’s situation is different but if you face any challenges with an existing or potential employer, contact Citizens Advice 0800 144 8848 or visit our website
In the first of their new column, antique experts Craig Wharton and Philip Traves share why we all need to love back-in-fashion brown furniture.
Mahogany chests of drawers
When Sherborne Antiques Market open its doors last summer, customers were greeted with a cardboard cut-out of Greta Thunberg with a slogan;
“Brown Furniture is Green!” We have found over the last year that there is ever-increasing interest in older furniture, with antique furniture now being purchased by increasingly younger enthusiasts. Mahogany chests of drawers have become popular – and wonder with their brilliantly practical storage and with beautiful mahogany veneers. Why buy flat-pack (life expectancy ten years?) when a good 19th century chest of drawers will cost you under £500, and probably still be in use in fifty years time? And no matter how sustainably a modern manufacturer might try and make their production process, there’s no way a new piece of furniture can compete with the carbon footprint of a chest of drawers which was handmade over a century ago, and has probably been in constant use ever since. It’s the ultimate ‘reduce, re use, recycle’. Georgian oak and mahogany bureaux are now beginning to sell too, with happy customers re-inventing uses for them. The last one we sold is now a sewing desk, complete with sewing machine, and full of remnants and cottons.
We paint our front window back- drops in bright modern colours, and then display period furniture against it; this has certainly shown our clients how good the furniture looks, demonstrating that it can be mixed in with contemporary living.
The Greta Thunberg Cardboard cut-out
Your chest forgives you
Antique furniture is also more forgiving than modern light veneered furniture. When you buy a 17th century coffer it has centuries of dents, stains, burns and wear – but rather than seen as damaged, it is improved by the patina of generations. Even the more recent water stains and red wine marks are part of a long life – after a fresh wax and good polish these are just part of the long heritage of these staple pieces of our living history. Antique furniture prices generally peaked in the late 1990s, when good quality reproduction furniture was manufactured because of the huge demand for the look of a period home. Now in 2022 with ‘The Repair Shop’ being one of the most popular programs on television, antique furniture is being viewed differently. There is a newly rising demand for furniture restoration – why not restore your Grandparent’s furniture?
It has lasted over 100 years and should last another 100! Listen to Greta – “Brown furniture is green!!”
Craig & Phil
Sherborne Antiques Market is open 7 days a week: Monday to Saturday 10 till 5, Sundays 11 till 4. 01935 713760. Find them on Instagram here
