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RockReef & PierZip Assistant Manager & Instructors
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For more information visit http://www.bournemouthpier.com/jobs or send an email to [email protected]
Not quite a year after launching his business, Dan Pitman has been declared the South West regional winner – and awaits news on the National award at the end of the month.
The Wedding Industry Awards are well-respected in the wedding industry, judged by a panel of experts rather then a popularity contest.
Dan Pitman, a roofer from Shaftesbury, entered the 2022 awards, just a year after launching his wedding videography business in May 2020, feeling that even a little recognition would add some credibility to his fledgeling brand.
He was excited and surprised to learn he was a finalist, and attended the ceremony in Cheltenham on the 26th January with little expectation.
His response when he won was an emotional one:
“I’m still on such a high from winning. I feel incredibly lucky that my work has been recognised and regarded as the highest standard in the south west after less than a year of filming weddings. The amount of time I have invested in learning the skills required to film weddings, the money invested in equipment, facing fears of huge responsibilities… all worth it!”
“I am so grateful to everyone who has hired me – especially the first few. Booking a videographer who had never filmed a wedding before is a huge risk – I certainly wouldn’t have done it!
But to give me the opportunity to do that means so much.
It is going to be a very busy year for me” he added “I’m transitioning from roofing to full time weddings, and 2023 bookings are busy. The national finals are next month, and I am up against some amazing filmmakers. If everyone can keep their fingers crossed for me I’d really appreciate it!
The Regional Winners now go through to the National Final. The National Winners will be announced at a spectacular National Awards Event in London on February 23rd.
World-famous artist Michael Taylor is putting on his first gallery show outside London for 30 years. The Child Okeford show is a ’must-see’ event, says Edwina Baines, who spoke to Michael about his work.
Around forty years ago I bought a small still life painting by Michael Taylor of a bunch of grapes (see image below). I have always admired the talent demonstrated in that oil study, especially the bloom on the grapes – a dark background with the blue-violet bunch occupying a central position.
At that time, in 1983, Michael won the National Portrait Gallery John Player Award. This placed him firmly on the map of prestigious portrait painters and led to a commission from the National Portrait Gallery to paint the classical guitarist Julian Bream.
Subsequent commissions followed and the National Portrait Gallery now also owns his portraits of the crime writer P D James (Baroness James of Holland Park), and the composer, Sir John Tavener, along with a self portrait.
For his Oscar winning film, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, the film director Wes Anderson also commissioned him to paint ‘Boy with Apple’; the sittings taking place at Hanford School, the Jacobean manor house in Dorset. However, during our conversation at his lovely home near Dorchester, Michael told me he prefers not to be described as a portrait artist:
‘I don’t do so many portrait commissions now.’
Attic Stories
In Dorset, there will now be the rare opportunity to view his first Gallery show outside central London for over 30 years: ’Attic Stories’ is to be held at The Art Stable, Child Okeford, Dorset from 5 February – 5 March 2022. The ten stunning works on display are still life and figure paintings – and I was curious to understand the nuances between a portrait and a figure painting.
Michael explained ‘They each require a very different approach and technique.’ He likened it to the difference between a novel and a biography.
‘Portrait painting is more like a performance. I’m demanding a lot of the sitter’s time – it’s a two-way thing. You need their attention. I have to engage in conversation. I like to go into their environment if I’m going to paint a portrait because it reflects how they’ve chosen to live. I like to find the sitter’s unique distinguishing qualities which define their individuality.’
‘darting glances of great intensity’
P D James spoke about her experience of sitting for Michael. During a sitting, she asked, ‘Are you trying to make me look grim and mysterious?’
He replied, ‘I’m not trying to make you look anything. I have enough difficulty painting what I see!’
She apparently felt that was the mark of a good portraitist. Painting with deep concentration and giving her ‘darting glances of great intensity’.
There was a certain amazement when she first saw the portrait. She said there was ‘a conviction that this was a portrait beautifully painted. The skill of the painter impressed me tremendously… it had something that can be preserved for posterity. I think it is a face of someone who has looked on the darker side of life, certainly!’
A wonderful tribute.
Michael went on to describe how a figure painting differs from a portrait.
‘I’m using the model to say something that is universal to all of us. I’m still describing the person who is an individual but they are actors in a play. With a commission I am trying to find out what makes them different to others; in figure painting I’m looking for what is universal to all of us.’
The placement of each figure’s hands seemed particularly expressive in many of the paintings. Always beautifully portrayed.
Michael explained, ‘Hands are very expressive. The odd thing is, if you paint a hand anatomically correctly, it looks wrong. You have to paint how it feels.
Often I’ll paint it correctly and then wipe it over with a cloth and what is left is more expressive.’
’I’m still learning’
His technique does not include a lot of drawings; rather he completes preparatory diagrams and notes for his own use and then draws on the canvas with under-paint. However, he told me that he has recently been attending life classes again. ‘There is nothing like the rigour and discipline of objective drawing for sharpening up the brain and eye.’
Sitting with Michael in his studio, I was surrounded by the canvases for his exhibition. He is able to take an everyday object such as a sewing machine, a pepper pot or an old oil can and paint it with extreme precision. ‘Everything is beautiful if you look at it in the right way. I love pulling things out of tips and
rescuing them and giving them a new meaning,’ he says.
The pictures certainly take time to look at, each object gaining significance. There is a tenderness and reverence in his interpretation of both everyday items and the figures themselves: it is no wonder that Michael completes only three or four paintings each year. He is able to ‘commune with an object for weeks and weeks, in complete silence or with a bit of Haydn, getting to know it thoroughly. It’s a meditative process. The only way I can get the necessary focus is to take my time and then do nothing else.’
A still life is a work of art where the predominant subject matter is that of inanimate objects, either natural or man-made: this genre had its heyday during the Dutch Golden Age of the sixteenth century. Also known by its French title, nature morte, the term “still life” derives from the Dutch word stilleven, which literally means motionless or silent life. It is a genre which has fallen out of fashion
in recent years – but Michael manages to portray a contemporary twist on the timeless tradition so that even the most mundane objects are imbued with a life beyond the ordinary and can be made into masterpieces.
The Curator of the National Portrait gallery writes of the ‘Sheer beauty, weight and intensity of his ‘still lifes’ – so I can understand that at the end of an intense period of painting, Michael needs to get outside to walk each day in our beautiful Dorset countryside.
by Edwina Baines [email protected]
Equity release; it’s all over our TV screens and radio, but what do you actually know about it? Expert Chris Brooks separates the fact from the fiction and busts those myths you’ve heard about lifetime mortgages.
The most common form of equity release is a Lifetime Mortgage, put simply this is a long-term loan which allows you release the wealth tied up in your property.
Myth 1: Lifetime mortgages are unsafe and unregulated.
Fact: Lifetime mortgages are regulated by the FCA, also the Equity Release Council is set up to protect the interests of consumers so you should have peace of mind to consider equity release.
Myth 2: You’ll owe more than the value of your home.
Fact: Products which meet the Equity Release Council’s product standards are required to feature a no negative equity guarantee. Put simply, this guarantee means that you, or more specifically your estate will never owe more than the property is worth once it is sold.
Myth 3: You must stay in the same property for the rest of your life.
Fact: With most lifetime mortgages, you can move home and transfer the loan to the new property providing it meets the lenders terms and criteria.
Myth 4: You will leave a debt to your family and loved ones.
Fact: Providing the terms and conditions are met, no debt is left to your estate, and you or your family will never owe more than the value of your home once sold upon death or permanently moving into long-term care.
Myth 5: Equity can’t be released if there is an outstanding mortgage.
Fact: You can apply for a lifetime mortgage providing you pay off your existing mortgage balance. This can be done either through the equity released from your property or by another means.
Myth 6: It’s not possible to reduce the outstanding debt.
Fact:Many lifetime mortgages allow for 10% voluntary repayments without you incurring any early repayment charges.
With some plans you can also make monthly interest repayments; this way you can maintain
the debt to the initial amount of the loan before interest. Lenders will need to check these payments are affordable to you. If you choose to make interest repayments, you still have the option to move to a roll up arrangement at a later date if you wish. There are even some lenders who can offer you the option to pay off some of the capital throughout the plan.
Myth 7: You won’t be able to leave your property as an inheritance.
Fact: Once the loan has been repaid from the sale of your property, any money left over can go to your beneficiaries. Some plans let you ring fence a portion of your home’s equity to leave as an inheritance for your loved ones.
Myth 8: You’ll lose ownership and control of your property.
Fact: With a lifetime mortgage you continue to own 100% of your home. A lifetime mortgage is a loan secured against your property, so you will always retain ownership until you either die or move into permanent long-term care, after which time your property will be sold to repay the loan plus any accrued interest.
A better understanding.
Now we’ve dispelled the myths you have a better understanding of what choosing a lifetime mortgage actually means and its impact on you and your family.
There’s a useful calculator tool HERE for you to find out how much money you could unlock from your home.
At Harbour Equity Release our objective is to find the right solution for you. There is no obligation to proceed, and if equity release isn’t your best option
we will let you know. Please visit my website for frequently asked questions, a free-to-use calculator to see how much equity you could release and more. Please feel free to either give me a call on 01202 925 976 or email me at [email protected]
FinWe finally made it through what was seemingly the longest January in history, and the Thorngrove team are looking ahead to a year of getting involved and ‘being more’…
Well that was the longest January in history wasn’t it? We made it though!
2022 is well underway and we’re excited for what’s to come. Planting season continues, with Kale, Basil, Tomatoes, Aubergines and Broad Beans some of the key things you be sowing in Feb. Don’t forget the Summer flowering bulbs too – get them in pots this month so you’ll have plenty for your garden come July. For any guidance on how to get the most out of your planting, just stop by for a chat.
Keen to be involved
At Thorngrove we’re naturally planning for spring and summer, but we’re also considering more ways to get ourselves involved with the community.
As we’ve often previously mentioned, we want to be more than your local garden centre; we want to be that resource for advice, an event destination, and a presence beyond our gates. Whether that’s by getting involved with South & South East in Bloom (in which our staff recently won awards), returning to the Gillingham & Shaftesbury show, or supporting small community efforts.
If you have a project you’re working on – please do get in touch, there may be something we can do to help…our plants look pretty good, you know!
Plenty to say
We’re also making some tweaks to our online presence’.
The community of followers we’ve built on Facebook and Instagram have been so good to us in the last couple of years. With the launch of our online shop during the pandemic, our gorgeous new shop space on site, the café revamp, all the usual garden tips, ‘plant of the month’… we always have lots to talk about, and we love your feedback, comments, and shows of support.
We’ve thrown ourselves into the deep end and really tried to ramp up the content we put out, and we’re not slowing down. Our Instagram will be exclusively beautiful plant photography from now on, and we’d love to share your photos too!
Budding photographer proud of your garden space? Maybe a new item from Thorngrove has pride of place? Let us know – we’d love to highlight it.
Speaking of beautiful images – we’re also immensely proud to have launched our new range
of 100% eco-friendly greetings cards, featuring unique and original Thorngrove photography. Just another step towards our mission of making ourselves a garden centre you can be proud of. See you soon!
Thorngrove Garden Centre
As society grows ever more eco-conscious, Brad and Susie from Meyers consider the impact of a home’s energy performance on a mortgage offer.
We are all becoming increasingly aware of the the link between our use and production of energy and its impact on the climate.
We are beginning to see an increase in the steps being taken by large corporations and smaller companies to combat this.
How could this effect the individual homeowner?
Many New Years resolutions and plans for mortgage companies revolve around sustainability and energy efficiency, and therefore the pace of incentivised lending for properties with a higher Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating is beginning to escalate.
Green mortgages
We have seen this in a number of specialised lenders who have embraced ‘Green Mortgages’. For example, NatWest are offering a reduced rate to those purchasing or remortgaging a home with an EPC rating of A or B.
It is said that in the next 12 months the activity surrounding these Green Mortgages is set to rise, with increased support from the government.
This also appears to be gaining individual traction as a recent survey found that 48% of homeowners and prospective homeowners would consider improving their energy rating to access a better mortgage.
So how can we improve our property’s EPC rating?
• Double glazing
• Loft insulation
• Wall insulation
• Replace your boiler to a new, energy-efficient boiler
• Solar panels
If your home has an up to date EPC, you can view it on the governments website https:// www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate.
You can also find lots of useful help and advice on improving your properties EPC rating here https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk
The benefits of Green Mortgages
Broadly speaking, a green mortgage is one that rewards someone for buying/owning an energy-efficient home. That typically means either a slightly lower interest rate, cashback when you take out the mortgage, or both. Some deals are restricted to people buying a new-build property. In addition, some lenders offer their existing mortgage customers additional borrowing at discounted rates to pay for green home improvements such as replacing draughty windows, upgrading an outdated heating system or adding solar panels. The government has said it is keen to support a competitive market in this area and is exploring plans to link mortgages to green home improvements by imposing targets for banks and building societies.
Please do get in touch for any property advice or a free expert valuation on your home: Brad at Shaftesbury – 01747 352077 Susie at Blandford – 01258 690553
Editor Laura took her three perennially-reluctant teenagers to try Rock Reef in Bournemouth – and was amazed at just how much they loved it.
Every parent of teenagers knows that the coninual air of bored cynicism gets wearing. So I arrived at Rock Reef with three teenagers and only moderate expectations of the fun they’d have climbing a big colourful wall. As it wasn’t going to be me wobbling precariously on a rope, I hadn’t paid too much attention to the specifics when we’d agreed to review the experience. Walking in was an eye opener.
Rock Reef is located literally on Bournemouth Pier – we parked at the BIC, and it was just a two minute walk down the hill. Checked in upon arrival, we deposited coats and bags in one of the plentiful free lockers, and everyone who was climbing headed straight for the safety briefing.
Instructions were clear and patient; alarmingly quickly they were confident in how to work the clipping system, and let loose on a frankly HUGE hall of different climbing walls – mostly themed sections, with one entire end a fake rock face for a more authentic climbing experience. They each chose differently themed ‘walls’ and after a nervous start they soon found their confidence and began racing and challenging each other, trying out the various routes. They then moved on to the Highline, suspended from the ceiling much like an indoors ‘Go Ape’ course – wobbly log rungs, monkey hoops, balance posts and cargo nets – all swinging freely, way up high in the air. It was so good they went round twice.
A great atmosphere
Rather than an intimidating first impression, the atmosphere was brilliantly collaborative and friendly between climbers. Staff were attentive, helpful and unfailingly cheerful. When a lady had a panic attack half way around the Highline course (it’s very high!), she was rescued with gentle, unhurried coaxing; despite the big traffic jam she’d created there was no hint of impatience in helping her move along.
Our given time slot was 90 minutes, and it swiftly vanished. The walls were high enough to be challenging even for 6’2” 19yr olds (though we saw small 6yr olds scampering up them at terrifying speeds…), and a range of difficulties which meant a nervous first timer could still reach the top on some, and didn’t feel defeated when they couldn’t conquer the difficulty of others.
To finish off the experience, at the end of the session they had two goes each on the Leap of Faith and the Death Slide. That’s a no from me. So HIGH.
And the verdict of the jaded cynical teenagers? A unanimous “When can we go again?”. They’re demanding a return trip soon.
We were provided with the Ultimate Adventure tickets (£30 per person), which included the Clip ‘n Climb, the HighLine, PierCave and two goes on both the Vertical Slide and Leap of Faith. Just Clip n Climb tickets are £12, and the Highline is £10. The Piercave is a set of dark tunnels with pits, slides and ball pools to replicate a caving experience. Smaller kids seemed to enjoy it hugely, but my teens suggested skipping it if you’re tall, a bigger build or not keen on confined spaces. Tickets must be booked in advance on the website here
By: Laura Hitchcock
Local food and drink festival organisers eat:Festivals are Finalists in the Dog Friendly Business of the Year category at the Bristol, Bath & Somerset Tourism Awards.
Organiser Sarah Milner Simonds said “We think this is a ‘paw-fect’ start to the new year and really wag-ficient news. We work really hard to make our one-day food and drink festivals welcoming for the whole family and that includes four-legged members too.”
Co-organiser Bev Milner Simonds continued “We have always made sure we are dog friendly but this year we enhanced experience by having a Dog Concierge on hand to welcome pets, publishing local dog walks, working in partnership with local dog businesses to increase our number of water bowl spots and having Pooch Paws-Points dotted throughout the festival with seating for owners to take a breather.”
eat:Festivals find out if they have won Gold, Silver or Bronze on 17 February and until then they are working hard on the plans for the 2022 season of events – including enhancements for everyone and their dog!
There is a political battle raging over giant solar farms which blight the countryside and reduce food production, and smaller less impactful initiatives. Dorset so far has not shone but may now be catching up, says Rupert Hardy, Chair of North Dorset CPRE.
North Dorset CPRE has always been supportive of renewable energy, especially at a time of Climate Emergency, and we support small (less than 5MW) community-funded solar farms as do the Low Carbon Dorset team at Dorset Council (DC). However we have opposed a number of huge solar industrial power plant planning applications that can desecrate our beautiful countryside, especially if it is good agricultural land that should be growing food for Dorset.
We have also consistently argued for solar panels to be put on public buildings and industrial roofs, as well as more on household roofs.
The record though is lamentable. As of September 2021, 95.4% of households and 98.4% of businesses within the DC area did not have solar panels on their roofs. Why?
Local ownership of panels
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, community energy groups have sprung 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 month 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 properly plan for growth in line with net-zero commitments.
As many as 280 MPs (out of 650) have now committed their support to this Bill, which is designed to ensure that Ofgem creates a ‘Right to Local Supply’ framework.
There was no mention of funding for community energy in the Prime Minister’s Ten-Point Plan in 2020, nor in recent Budgets, while most of the decarbonisation funding is going to local authorities and not community groups.
Many also ask why the government did not make the fitting of solar panels on all
new buildings mandatory in its low carbon strategy announced before COP26, rather than subsidising heat pumps, which are not feasible or too expensive for many homes. Some councils also now stipulate solar PV provision as part of their planning conditions, but DC have not yet.
Despite this, last March 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 1,000 panels across southern England. The Swanage Mayor, Mike Bonfield, is fully supportive and praised it as a “brilliant scheme”. How about some of our North Dorset towns encouraging the same?
Non impact initiatives
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. However progress is now being made to improve the energy efficiency on public buildings in Dorset, where ownership is clearer.
The first major push came from DC’s Low Carbon Dorset team, who gave grants of £5m to fund 4.1MW of projects, both public sector and business, thanks initially to the European Regional Development Fund.
In the last year DC was given £19m by the government for more renewable projects, which include solar PV, heat pumps and LED lighting. This was one of the biggest grant packages given by the government, so well done DC. It is paying for panels to go on the roof of Durlston Castle and the art gallery, County Hall in Dorchester, and various schools.
In North Dorset, Blandford School is adding more panels to its existing ones, while Gillingham School has
installed some too.
Bridport-based Dorset Community Energy, which facilitates community ownership of renewable energy production, has financed the installation of panels on twelve schools, including Blandford School, and four community buildings throughout Dorset, such as Blandford Community Hospital. Thanks initially to the Lottery, and now 98 local shareholders, it has funded 1.5MW of panels. We hope to see more of these community-led projects.
The church enters the battle!
The Church of England may not be a pioneering custodian of the nation’s most historic fabric, but it is now installing panels on many of Dorset’s churches, even Grade I listed medieval ones such as St Mary of the Annunciation, Beaminster, as they will be barely visible from the ground. Farmers are slowly 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 to why less retro-fitting is done. Mole Energy, part of Mole Valley Farmers, the co- operative group, have certainly been busy promoting the fitting of panels to farm buildings here, but have pointed out that renewed demand is now facing capacity issues. They say 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 be too few installers now.
We have openly criticised DC’s Draft Local Plan for its total lack of ambition in pushing developers to adopt more sustainable and energy efficient building standards, compatible with its declared Climate Emergency strategy.
However the recent publication of DC’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy promises positive changes, so we urge DC to include initiatives to promote roof-mounted panels in the Local Plan’s next iteration this spring. Please do ask your MP to put pressure though on government for a more credible low carbon strategy, as this is so critical.
Rupert Hardy Chairman, North Dorset, Campaign to Protect Rural England
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