Much more than food

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9 November 2022

Last month, Blandford Food Bank celebrated ten years of supporting the community – and it is more needed than ever. Rachael Rowe reports

Blandford Food Bank manager Gail Del Pinto, Mayoress Chris, Mayor of Blandford Cllr Colin Stevens, and High Sheriff of Dorset Sibyl King

Alongside.
Together.
Courageous.
Faithworks chief executive Alistair Doxat-Purser used these, three powerful words to describe the community involved with establishing Blandford Food Bank as organisers and volunteers gathered to celebrate ten years of supporting people.
‘We started by simply giving food. But now there is a whole range of support when people come to get that food. I say alongside because although we are a food bank, you make it a place where people who come in downhearted can leave with their heads held up; where we are able to tell someone “It’s OK.”
‘And together, because so many people are taking time to collect, pack, welcome, make tea and give support. And you’re courageous because when life seems down we should not lie down and accept defeat.’

Used by thousands
Blandford Forum’s food bank started out in 2012 on an industrial estate on the edge of the town with a team of nine people. They started simply with food. For six years, the Methodist Church hosted the food bank, as the service needed to be close to the town centre. Today it is based at the United Reform Church on Whitecliff Mill Street. Manager Gail Del Pinto was one of the first volunteers and is still with the food bank. ‘Before the pandemic, we saw 900 people a year. In 2020, through the lockdowns, we had 4,300 people coming here. And this year, we have 2,000. The need is increasing. We have over 70 care organisations referring people to the food bank.
We also have a debt advisor, because so many people need help out of that downward cycle.’
The church building is a bit of a rabbit warren, with rooms leading to more space. There’s a welcome area where people can get a cup of tea and talk to a volunteer. And then there are rooms stacked with crates of tinned food, shopping trolleys piled high, and an open space. But there’s also a profound warmth, welcoming people to its heart.
The regular debt advisory team can change people’s lives by giving them help and advice to get free of owing money. That input can be critical. There are always people to listen, and there are many different reasons people need help from a food bank. For example, Victim Support works alongside the food bank team to help people affected by domestic violence.

Blandford Food bank is currently needed to support 2,000 people
Images: Rachael Rowe

Thanking the volunteers
The High Sheriff of Dorset, Sibyl King, thanked the volunteers: ‘The way you do this work with such compassion and dignity for the people is overwhelming. We all look after our own families, but you chose to look after other people as you would your own family.’
Colin and Chris Stevens, the Mayor and Mayoress of Blandford, were also at the celebration to thank the community for the work they had done and continue to do: ’The whole of Blandford has got behind this,’ said the Mayor. Chairperson of Blandford Foodbank, Brook Maccallum, said: ‘We launched in October 2012, and since then it’s been incredible. I find it humbling to think about what has been achieved in the town. The teams are incredible.’
Manager Gail Del Pinto described the work, giving powerful insights from a client’s story and how they see people in what is a terrible crisis for them. She gave an example where a lady had been supported through a challenging time with food and financial advice. ‘It takes a single dialogue to unlock that key.’
Liz Evans, Amanda Perroni, Penny Ross, Gyda Warren, Phyllis Williams and Wilma Bromilow were given long service awards at the event.

Looking forwards
They might be celebrating the last ten years, but the food bank is not standing still. There are plans for 2023 to create a shop at the rear of the church, making the best use of space. Nourish Community Shop will sell high-quality food at low prices. So, for example, a customer can get ten items for a nominal sum (£3.50 was quoted at the event). People will be able to get support and advice from a range of organisations within the central room in the building. The team is also advertising for a paid debt advisor to meet demand.
What the Blandford Food Bank has done is nothing short of remarkable. It’s also a reminder that any one of us could need it support one day.

More information on the Blandford Food Bank is here.

What’s on at the Exchange in December 2022

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Editorial team

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8 November 2022

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All the good things happening at the Exchange in Sturminster Newton in December 2022

Experienced Housekeeper Required ASAP! | Stour Provost.

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Editorial team

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8 November 2022

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Experienced housekeeper required asap for large house in Stour Provost.
£12ph – 15 hours per week (3 days)
Please call or Whatsapp Kristy for more details on: 07492 503505

Give a hen a home!

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Editorial team

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8 November 2022

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Ex-commercial hens are being given a happy retirement by local volunteer Haidy – do you have room for some girls? Rachael Rowe reports

Haidy’s next rehoming day is 26th November
All images: Haidy Mansfield

Haidy Mansfield has quite a job on her hands. She volunteers for the national charity Fresh Start for Hens (FSFH) and each year she helps rehome hundreds of ex-commercial chickens from her collection point near Sturminster Newton. Haidy is one of around 100 volunteers at the charity. ‘I am part of the farm teams going in to collect hens that would be going for slaughter. The charity works hard to build relationships with producers, asking them to consider giving their hens a chance at retirement.’

It started with self-sufficiency
Haidy and her partner originally decided to rehome some hens to have their own steady supply of eggs, to be more self-sufficient. The hens happened to come from intensive commercial cages, and the chickens did not look good (see video below). Fleur had been trampled at the bottom of a crate and Belle wasn’t expected to survive the night, Haidy said. But both made a dramatic transformation in Haidy’s care, and were the start of her journey to creating Belle & Fleur from her Sturminster Newton home, raising awareness and working to rescue intensively farmed chickens. There will be some who are puzzled by a ‘retired’ hen; all laying hens are slaughtered at the age of 72 weeks, just as their production ability decreases.
The carcasses are worth very little and are usually sold for dog food, or cheap processed meat products. FSFH works closely with British farmers to buy the hens from the caged, barn and free range systems just before their slaughter date. They are then rehomed with volunteers to live out their lives in comfort.
Is there a reason a lot of these hens don’t end up in our supermarkets?
‘Laying hens do end up in the human food chain,’ said Haidy ‘usually as cheap reclaimed meat or baby food and also as pet food. But the hens from the intensive commercial systems are rarely in decent condition. Consumers often have misguided perceptions of happy hens in fields and open barns. That simply is not the case for the majority of commercial egg-laying hens. As a result of tight margins and the low driven pricing, feed quality is often reduced over the laying cycle so by the end all the nutrition goes into producing eggs, and not into muscle (meat) or feathers.’
So how many hens are there to potentially rehome?
‘FSFH rehome about 70,000 hens, 3,000 ducks and 1,000 cockerels each year. In 2019 the industry estimate was 42 million laying hens in the UK; chickens being rehomed through charities is a drop in the ocean.’
FSFH only rehomes to people wanting hens as pets or companion animals. The lucky ones find new homes in gardens, allotments, and even residential care homes. While the hens obviously appreciate their new-found freedom, living it up in style, the rewards for their new owners come in the form of entertainment as well as the companionship you might expect from a more typical cat or dog pet. You may even get some eggs. The charity will not rehome to people using the hens for commercial purposes, or those selling them on.

A hen’s needs
If you are tempted to rehome a few hens, you’ll need some space and they do like company. ‘We advise a minimum of three hens are rehomed together.’ said Haidy ‘For three birds I would say a minimum of 3mx2m for a run, with a height of 2m. That way you can have levels and some cover overhead. Also, access to some free range time as often as possible.’
Haidy currently has ten rehomed hens herself, and is clearly an advocate for the rehoming movement. ‘It is an amazing experience. These rescue hens have taught me so much and have led me on this journey to raise awareness of the truth of the intensive egg industry. I am now vegan and proud that this transition has been inspired by learning the truth of what it means to be a laying hen in an intensive commercial system.’
The charity has Animal and Plant Health Agency approval for rehoming chickens and has reduced numbers in the light of current biosecurity restrictions.

Haidy Mansfield with some of her own girls

If you are tempted to welcoming some ladies into your lives, Haidy’s next rehoming date is 26th November. Feel free to contact her with any questions or register your interest on the Fresh Start for Hens website:
freshstartforhens.co.uk

Shaftesbury and Sherborne Business Awards close this month – have you entered yet?

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Editorial team

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7 November 2022

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Two of North Dorset’s biggest business awards are closing this month – if you’re connected to a business based in Sherborne or Shaftesbury then now’s your chance to get your entry polished and sent off before the closing date.

Winners of the 2022 Sherborne Business Awards.
Image: Laura Hitchcock

Shaftesbury businesses
Entries for the inaugural Shaftesbury Business Awards opened in September, and organiser Nigel West of MW Events told the BV that over 50 entries and nominations were submitted in the first 24 hours.
‘The response has been incredible. The awards simply focus on promoting the range and quality of local businesses. Entry is free, businesses can enter as many categories as they wish, and they can also get their customers to nominate them.’
Entry deadline is on Monday 28th November, and the awards ceremony will be at The Grosvenor Arms in Shaftesbury on Thursday 26th January.

Sherborne businesses
Sherborne Business Awards are back for their second year –entry deadline is 2pm on Friday 11th November, so get your entry double checked and completed! The Sherborne Awards Ceremony will be on Thursday 12th January.

Nigel said: ‘We are proud to run grassroots business awards, focussing purely on the quality and range of local businesses. They are open to all – businesses, organisations and institutions – and I firmly believe that the awards should not simply be an excuse for a party. The focus is on the entries, not the event. However, it is a great opportunity for local businesses to get together.’

We all need a little ((BOUNCE))

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Editorial team

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7 November 2022

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A high intensity workout to disco lights that promises to be kind to the knees and a lot of fun – have you tried a ((BOUNCE)) class yet? [ad]

At the start of 2019, Maja Jurczak made herself a new resolution – she was going to start exercising again, only this time she’d definitely stick to it. In the search for something new, she stumbled across ((BOUNCE)) sessions in Sherborne, and thought she might give it a try. Maja loved it so much that not only did she keep going, but after a few months she trained as an instructor herself.
((BOUNCE)) Wincanton soon followed, and now Maja runs sessions in Gillingham too.
‘It’s just the most amazing group – it is currently mostly women, just because cardio to music is always seen as a ‘girl’s thing’. But the exercise is for everyone; even top Premier club footballers use rebounders for recovery’ said Maja.
‘Research shows that exercising on the rebounders is up to three times more effective than the same workout done on the floor. It’s so effective that NASA astronauts incorporate it into their training regimes to build serious strength and stamina pre-lift off.
‘It encourages an increase in bone density – especially important in ladies over 40 – and of course it’s zero impact so it’s really kind to joints. The trampoline pad absorbs 87% of shock.
‘Honestly I could go on and on, I’m a ((BOUNCE))bore. It’s brilliant for the pelvic floor, it’s terrific for balance, agility, great for stamina… and most of all it’s FUN. Come on, who doesn’t love bouncing on a trampoline?!’
Maja was quick to point out how inclusive and non-judgemental the classes are too ‘We dim the lights and get the disco spots spinning. No one’s watching or judging – it’s just a really fun atmosphere, a great community feel.’
Maja is happy she has class goers in their 60s and older, but also young mums ‘I’m always kid-friendly. The need for (and cost of) childcare is such a huge barrier to exercise, especially for young mums. So I’m happy for them to bring their kids along – if there’s a spare trampoline they can bounce too, but they’ll often just play with each other at the back. It’s so good for them just to observe, to understand from a young age that exercise is not only a normal part of life, but we do it for fun.’
((BOUNCE)) is a flexible workout – even the high intensity sections can easily be adapted for all ages, sizes and abilities. ‘Exercise isn’t a punishment! It’s a way to be proud of your strength, to enjoy your body. We just put on a great playlist and sing along!
‘As the nights draw in it’s really important that we all keep exercising to keep those happy hormones swooshing about our bodies. It’s not about losing weight, or meeting a target. It’s simply about working at your own pace, and building strength class after class.
‘Sorry, am I talking too much? You might be able to tell, I’m just so passionate. I LOVE what I do!’

((BOUNCE)) is a low impact high intensity full body workout on mini trampolines. The one hour session splits into 40 minutes of dance-choreographed HIIT cardio followed by 20 minutes of toning.
((BOUNCE)) Wincanton is at the Memorial Hall
Tuesdays:
7.30 to 8.30pm
Thursdays 7 to 8pm
See Facebook here

((BOUNCE)) Gillingham is at BONES Youth Centre
Mondays and Fridays
6.30 to 7.30pm.
See Facebook here
Cost is £6.95 per class – no commitment, no sign up fees, bulk class passes are available.

Farmer’s son wins long-running inheritance case

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Editorial team

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7 November 2022

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A farmer, disinherited in favour of his brother after a lifetime’s work on the family farm, has won his case in the Supreme Court [ad}

Andrew Guest won his case against his parents in a battle over inheriting the family farm (Image: Clarke Willmott)

A Supreme Court judgment has been handed down in a long-running and significant farm inheritance dispute.
Three generations of the Guest family have farmed Tump Farm near Chepstow since 1938. A family falling-out between Andrew Guest and his parents, David and Josephine Guest, meant that he was told to find another job, move his family out of the farm’s cottage, the farming business partnership was dissolved and Andrew was disinherited completely.

A lifetime on the farm
As is common in farming families, Andrew left school at 16 and worked full-time on the farm for a low wage, living in a converted cottage on the farm, later with his wife and children too. His parents repeatedly led Andrew to believe that he would inherit a significant portion of Tump Farm.
Regrettably, the relationship between Andrew and his father broke down. In April 2015, 32 years after Andrew started working full-time on the farm – often on less than minimum wage – his parents’ solicitor wrote to Andrew dissolving the partnership, forcing Andrew to seek work elsewhere. They also gave Andrew and his family three months to leave their cottage. David Guest made a further Will, disinheriting Andrew completely in favour of his younger brother in 2018.
Andrew brought a claim in the High Court against his parents on the basis of the doctrine of proprietary estoppel. In essence, this allows a person to ask the Court to intervene if:

There has been a promise or assurance made by a person (A) to another (B) which creates an expectation that B has or would become entitled to a right or interest in A’s land;
That promise or assurance was relied on by B;
B has suffered detriment as a result of relying on the promise or assurance; and
It would be unconscionable, in all the circumstances, to allow A to go back on their promise or assurance.

£1.3 million judgement
His Honour Judge Russen QC accepted Andrew’s evidence that his parents repeatedly led him to believe that he would inherit a significant part of the farm, stating that it was unconscionable for the parents to go back on this promise.
As a result, the High Court awarded Andrew a clean break lump sum payment of 50 per cent of the value of the dairy farming business and 40 per cent of the value of the farm to start a life elsewhere, together valued at more than £1.3 million. Effectively this is what his parents had promised him he would inherit.
The Judge recognised that this would almost certainly mean that the farm would have to be sold in order to satisfy the Judgment.
The parents were granted permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal on the question of remedy; what sum of money the parents should pay to Andrew as a result of their unconscionable conduct. The Court of Appeal roundly rejected Andrew’s parents’ arguments and upheld the original High Court award.
The parents were then granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court on the way the award was calculated. David and Josephine Guest argued that relief should be calculated based on the detriment Andrew has suffered, rather than his expectation of inheritance.

Comprehensively dismissed
In a judgment handed down on 19 October 2022, the Supreme Court comprehensively dismissed this and warned that the detriment-based approach forms no part of proprietary estoppel law because it is the repudiation of the promised expectation which is the harm caused. The parents did, however, successfully appeal that immediately awarding Andrew his interest in the farm accelerated his inheritance – his parents never promised the farm to Andrew during their lifetimes.
David and Josephine Guest can now decide whether to sell the farm to achieve a ‘clean break’ or to put the farm into trust for Andrew to inherit on their deaths.
Agriculture specialists at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP represented Andrew. Polly Ridgway from the team said: ‘Andrew’s parents put in place a series of measures which were designed to leave Andrew, in his fifties, with no home, no job, no savings, and no pension, despite a lifetime of hard work. Thankfully, the Supreme Court was prepared to use its powers to prevent this clear injustice and, as a result, Andrew will receive his inheritance promised to him either now (as an accelerated sum) or on his parents’ deaths. We are delighted to have helped Andrew achieve this result.
‘Aside from being a significant decision in this area of law, the case also highlights the need for those involved in or contemplating bringing inheritance disputes to get expert legal advice as soon as possible so as to avoid the situation Andrew’s parents now find themselves.’

For more information on how the Clarke Willmott Agricultural disputes team can help you or your business, please visit www.clarkewillmott.com

Sherborne Second Hand Book, Map & Ephemera Fair

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Editorial team

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7 November 2022

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Saturday, 19th November 2022

10am – 4pm with free entry

Digby Memorial Church Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3NL

Our fair attracts sellers from the West Country, selling second hand to antiquarian books on many subjects, together with local maps and ephemera.

A warm welcome awaits and entry is free!

For more information email [email protected] or call Ed Bailey on 07967643579

Why a Small Corner of Somerset is the Silicon Valley of Cheese

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Editorial team

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7 November 2022

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For three consecutive years, the Supreme Champions at the Virtual Cheese Awards have come from within five miles of each other. Rachael Rowe reports

Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar has been awarded the Supreme Champion of Cheeses at the Virtual Cheese Awards

Cheese producers in a small corner of South Somerset are celebrating. The Supreme Champion of Cheeses at the Virtual Cheese Awards (VCA) has come from the Templecombe and Wincanton area for the last three years. In fact, all the winners are based within five miles of each other and, to celebrate, have just launched a Supreme Champion Hamper containing all those award-winning cheeses (perfect gift for a cheese fan?). The winning cheeses are Feltham’s Farm’s Renegade Monk (2020) and La Fresca Margarita (2021), and Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar (2022).
So what is going on?
Penny Nagle, from Feltham’s Farm, which produces two of the supreme championship cheeses, explains the importance of the Virtual Cheese Awards and how they are transforming the artisanal cheese industry.
‘They were started during the lockdown by Sarah De Wit, who has worked in the cheese industry for years. During the lockdown, everything was shut down, so there were no competitions for artisanal cheeses. Contests are one of the ways we test cheeses, but there was nothing in the pandemic.’

Virtual tasting?
‘Small artisan cheesemakers typically don’t have huge marketing budgets, so awards are very important to us.’ Penny says. ‘There are now more than 400 British and Irish cheeses in the VCA Awards.
‘All the cheeses are judged online live so you can see what is happening, and it is totally transparent.’
How can a cheese be judged online? Once, the idea would have been laughed at, but it transpires it is absolutely possible and has transformed the world of the artisan cheesemaker.
If you want to see for yourself, the judging is available on the VCA website. Who needs Netflix when you can watch cheeses being judged?
However there’s a serious point to this way of promoting cheese. Says Sarah De Witt:
‘Normally, when judges are judging cheeses, they are in a room by themselves; you don’t get to see what goes on, what is said. But these awards have turned the whole thing around.
We work with cheese experts like Nigel Barden, and everything is recorded. People can see exactly what others are saying about the cheese, so you get this valuable feedback.
And, of course, if you are going to an awards ceremony, you can’t take everyone. By doing it online, the whole farm or dairy can see and learn and celebrate.
Penny also appreciates the learning from the VCA Awards. ‘You can hear what people are saying about our cheese and the feedback from professional experts. It’s an amazing system, and you learn so much.’

A recent tasting at Durslade farm shop, featuring Feltham’s Farm cheese drizzled in Durslade’s own honey and served on coffee grounds to bring out the flavour

Is it Blackmore Vale grass?
The 2022 supreme champion Award went to the Extra Mature Cheddar from Keen’s Cheddar, a fifth-generation cheesemaking family farm. So what is it about this corner of Somerset that produces Supreme Champions? George Keen talks about the alchemy of the cheesemaker. ‘Cheese is fermented concentrated milk, and the alchemical skill of the cheesemaker is to capture all the quality of the milk in the cheese. Milk is so complex that a skilled cheesemaker can make any style of cheese just by managing the fermentation with temperature, drainage and time. However, no two cheesemakers will make the same cheese. It’s all very personal!’
There must be something else for the supreme champions to be located so close? George has some thoughts: ‘It might be the crops we can grow in the Blackmore Vale which in turn produces the quality of milk that makes the best cheese? Or the community of local artisan cheesemakers who inspire new styles of cheese? Or perhaps just happenstance!’
Penny gave her own thoughts on the unique local success. ‘We have this huge ecosystem here in Somerset where we can get the best milk right on our doorstep. There’s also a creative vein, with a lot of people interested in milk quality. Keen’s have a wonderful heritage, whereas we at Feltham’s are non-traditional cheesemakers. But we all need to be near the supply of milk – all our milk for Feltham’s cheese is from a single herd at Godminster. We do still get variations in the milk, such as when cows are fed silage instead of grass. The milk really tells you what to do.
‘We also have people around us who know about cheese. For example, Carolyn in the Truckle Truck is an evangelist for promoting cheese (see The BV, Oct 22). And then we have excellent farm shops and supermarkets such as the Udder Farm Shop, Kimber’s, Durslade (their honey is perfect with La Fresca Margarita), and Dikes. That local network keeps cheese going in the area. We also have brilliant cheesemakers. And finally, we have a good local council that knows how to fund and promote rural businesses and what they need. Somerset is the Silicon Valley of cheesemaking – it is an exceptional place for the industry. There’s a fantastic milk field and it’s high quality. So it’s not surprising that all the cheesemakers are here!’

To order a Supreme Champions Hamper, see Feltham’s Farm website.